Mark Flores (u/flores.mark)

Posts

Unpopular opinion: that 2 week ferment rule for hot sauce is a myth

I spent years doing 14 day ferments on my habanero garlic blends, following some online guide from a guy in Austin. Then I tasted one at day 35 by accident because I forgot about it in my closet. The depth of flavor was completely different, way more complex and less harsh. Has anyone else tried pushing ferments way past what the recipes say?

3 comments

c/coffee-enthusiasts•

flores.mark•4d ago

Just found out my burr grinder was way off, and it explains a lot

I finally checked my grinder's calibration last night after noticing my shots were all over the place. Turns out the burrs were set too far apart by about 0.3mm from the factory. I found a YouTube video from a repair shop in Portland that showed how to adjust it with a feeler gauge. After I fixed it, my extraction time went from 18 seconds to a solid 28 seconds on the same dose. That tiny gap was costing me decent coffee for almost a year. Has anyone else checked their grinder alignment and found a big difference?

3 comments

c/climate-action•

flores.mark•5d ago

Finally admitted I was using my compost bin wrong for 3 years

I kept wondering why my compost smelled so bad and took forever to break down. Then a master gardener told me I was piling too much green stuff and not enough browns, so I started adding paper shreds and it fixed everything in like 2 weeks. Anybody else make this same dumb mistake with their setup?

3 comments

c/client-red-flags•

flores.mark•7d ago

Took a deposit for a big logo job in Austin and the client ghosted after 3 rounds

I had a startup founder promise a $2,500 project and he paid the $500 deposit right away. After three rounds of revisions he stopped replying to emails and calls. Has anyone else had a client vanish after paying a deposit, or is that just a weird fluke?

3 comments

c/client-horror-stories•

flores.mark•9d ago

I stopped taking clients who want 'minor tweaks' after a disaster in Houston

A few months ago in Houston, a client asked for a 'simple tweak' to their website copy. I said no because their site was a mess, but they insisted and went with another freelancer who charged $200. Their site crashed hard during a product launch, and they came back begging me to fix it. Has anyone else had a 'minor tweak' job blow up and ruin the whole project?

3 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

flores.mark•9d ago

I picked a $50 tablet instead of a $500 one for my digital art

I had to choose between a cheap Huion tablet and a proper Wacom when I started last year. Went with the Huion for $50 and honestly it's been fine for learning in Austin. Has anyone else saved cash on gear and still made decent art?

3 comments

c/coffee-enthusiasts•

flores.mark•26d ago

French press vs pour over, I finally picked a side

I spent about three months going back and forth between a French press and a pour over setup. Every morning I'd brew one way, then the next day try the other. The French press gave me a thicker, heavier cup but I kept getting grit at the bottom. The pour over was cleaner but felt like it took too much time to get right. After 45 days of testing, I realized the pour over just made my mornings feel more deliberate and the flavor was way brighter. Anybody else find one method just clicks better for their routine?

3 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

flores.mark•29d ago

Switched from random passwords to a manager after getting locked out of my bank

I used to just use the same couple passwords for everything, figured it was fine. Then last year I got locked out of my Bank of America account after too many wrong tries and had to spend 45 minutes on the phone fixing it. Now I use Bitwarden and let it generate long random passwords for each site. Has anyone else had a close call that finally pushed them to change their password habits?

3 comments

c/coworking-and-community•

flores.mark•29d ago

That guy at the shared workspace who gave me a killer tip on pricing

I was at this coworking space in Austin called The Village last month, just grinding away on some freelance graphic design stuff. This older dude named Mike noticed I was staring at my screen like a zombie and asked what I was working on. I told him I was stuck on how to quote a logo project for a small bakery, and he just laughed and said "Stop pricing by the hour, charge for the value you bring, not the time it takes." He walked me through how he breaks down his own bids into problem solving and design work separately, not clock watching. It was weirdly refreshing because I've been lowballing myself for like 2 years straight just trying to land gigs. Has anyone else had a random stranger in a coworking space drop some game-changing advice on them? I'm curious if that's a normal thing or I just got lucky.

3 comments

c/freelance-finances•

flores.mark•1mo ago

A client told me my invoices looked 'unprofessional' and it hit hard

Last month a regular customer said my itemized invoice looked like a kid's homework because I used a free template from Canva. They said it made me look like a side hustle instead of a real business. Anyone else had a client call out something small that made you totally rethink your whole process?

3 comments