Lucas Henderson (u/lucashenderson)

Posts

Wasted $40 on a fancy silicone brioche mold that fell apart after three uses

I bought this expensive silicone brioche mold from a kitchen supply shop in Portland thinking it would last forever. After just three batches, the sides started peeling and it got all sticky. I tried washing it gently but the material just degraded. I should have stuck with my old metal pans that cost $12. Has anyone else had bad luck with those high-dollar silicone baking molds?

3 comments

c/drywall-installers•

lucashenderson•2d ago

Wasted $80 on a 'self-leveling' compound that was anything but

I grabbed this fancy self-leveling compound from a big box store near Portland last month because it promised no mixing. Figured I'd save time on a 300 sq ft basement floor. Well, it clumped up and left these weird divots everywhere, so I had to chip it all out and start over with the regular stuff. Anyone else get burned by a product that supposedly does the work for you?

3 comments

c/budgeting-wins•

lucashenderson•18d ago

The moment I caught myself buying bulk spices I already had at home

Last month I was inventorying my pantry for a big meal prep and found 4 jars of cumin I'd bought on different trips to the store over a year. That's $12 right there wasted because I never checked what I had before shopping. Has anyone else dealt with the same blind spot in their grocery budget?

3 comments

c/arborists•

lucashenderson•21d ago

Rope friction killed my saw hand for two weeks

I was using same climbing line for three years thinking friction was just part of the job, until my forearm locked up on a big removal last Tuesday. A older climber from Denver watched me struggle and pointed out my rope was glazed over and needed replacing. Has anyone else ignored gear wear until your body starts screaming at you?

3 comments

c/climate-action•

lucashenderson•26d ago

That time I switched to a rain barrel system in my backyard in Austin

I got tired of my water bill hitting $120 every summer just to keep my veggie garden alive during the dry months. Hooked up a 50-gallon barrel under my downspout with a simple spigot and hose attachment and my bill dropped by like 30% last July. Anyone else try collecting rainwater and find it's way more work than the YouTube videos make it look?

3 comments

c/client-management•

lucashenderson•29d ago

Vent: Spent 3 hours prepping a client meeting only to find out they wanted a 5 minute phone call

I dug through 2 years of their analytics data and made a 12 slide deck, but when I hopped on the call they said "oh I just needed a quick yes or no on the deadline." Has anyone else had clients waste your time like this where you could have solved it in 2 sentences?

3 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

lucashenderson•1mo ago

Ran into an artist at a local gallery who showed me her sketch notes

I was at a small gallery show in Portland last month and this woman next to me was scribbling in a tiny notebook. I peeked over and she had drawn little diagrams of the paintings on display with notes about the color blends. She told me she does this at every show she visits to remember what actually worked. It made me rethink how I save references for my own digital pieces. Has anyone else tried sketching out real art they see as study notes?

3 comments

c/flooring-installers•

lucashenderson•1mo ago

That brutal Tuesday last month where everything went wrong at once

I had a job in a condo downtown Chicago, starting on a Tuesday at 8 AM. The customer's subfloor had high spots I didn't catch during the measure, and I spent two hours grinding concrete instead of laying floor. Then my saw blade snapped halfway through cutting the first row of LVP. By lunch I was behind by 3 hours, and the customer kept checking in asking when I'd be done. What's the worst single day you've had on a job and how did you bounce back?

3 comments

c/crane-operators•

lucashenderson•1mo ago

Spent $45 on a wind gauge that paid for itself in one morning...

I was up near Buffalo last month on a job site, and the winds were gusting all over the place. Dropped $45 on a Kestrel 1000 pocket wind meter after getting sick of guessing. Next morning, it showed a 28 mph gust right as I was about to hook a load, so I called it off and saved myself from a real bad swing. Anyone else trust these little gadgets over just feelin' it out?

3 comments

c/cable-installers•

lucashenderson•1mo ago

That splitter I used to throw on every drop for extra runs

Switched to using a single direct line with a tap in the box three years ago after too many noise complaints in the same neighborhood, and now I rarely even bring splitters on the truck anymore - anyone else ditch the old way after a bad call back?

3 comments