My first try with a borax flux substitute from the hardware store went totally sideways

I mixed a paste of baking soda and water for a forge weld, and it just bubbled off instead of protecting the steel. Has anyone else found a cheap flux that actually works for basic billets?

Just did the math on my wedding season orders. 87 arrangements in 4 weeks. That's a new record for my shop.

My bullet journal collection tracker just hit 100 different pens.

I started a simple list in the back of my 2023 journal just to keep track of what I had, and I added the last one this morning. It made me realize I have a real thing for blue-black inks. Do you track your supplies, and what's your most common color?

My local creek looked totally different after the city planted native trees

I walked by it last week and the water was way clearer than it was six months ago, before they put in all those willow and oak saplings along the banks. The guy from the parks department said the roots help filter runoff and stop the soil from washing away. Has anyone else seen a project like this help a spot near them?

Serious question, I tried two different ways to set up a tubeless tire last week

I was working on a customer's gravel bike and tried using a regular floor pump first, but the tire just wouldn't seat. After 15 minutes of trying, I switched to my air compressor with a tank. It seated the tire perfectly on the first try with a loud pop. The extra burst of air from the tank made all the difference. What's your go-to method for stubborn tubeless setups?

A customer in Springfield made me rethink my stance on floating floors for kitchens

I was at a job last month, quoting a full kitchen tile install for a remodel. The homeowner, an older guy named Frank, asked why I never suggested a click-lock vinyl plank instead. He said, 'My daughter put that stuff in her whole house five years back, and not a single seam has opened up, even with her kids.' I always thought tile was the only real option for a wet area, but his story made me look into the newer waterproof core products. What's the longest you've seen a good floating floor hold up in a kitchen?

I thought my brisket stall was a fire problem for a whole afternoon

Last weekend, my brisket hit 150 degrees and just stopped climbing for over four hours. I kept fiddling with the air vents on my offset, thinking my fire was dying. Turns out, I had the probe in a weird pocket of fat, not the flat. A friend came over, moved the probe, and the temp read 190 almost right away. Has anyone else had a probe placement issue throw them off that badly?

Spent $500 on a coworking space in Lisbon and it was a total waste

I moved here last month and signed up for a month at a spot called 'The Hive' thinking it would help me meet people and get work done. The wifi was super slow (like, couldn't even load a Google Doc slow) and it was mostly empty, so no networking happened. Has anyone found a good, reliable spot in Lisbon that's actually worth the money?

My old tablet just logged its 5,000th hour of screen-on time.

I was checking the battery stats out of curiosity and that number honestly shocked me, especially since I dropped it in a sink full of water two years ago.

Getting stuck in traffic today changed how I see my daily commute

I was running late for a dentist appointment and hit a long backup on the freeway. Instead of getting angry, I turned off the news and played my favorite album from high school. It dawned on me that I waste so much energy worrying about things I can't change. Now I'm trying to use drive time for things I enjoy, like singing badly to old songs.