Blake Murray (u/blakem82)

Posts

I finally switched from nails to a framing nailer for my deck rebuild

Used to spend whole weekends hammering 16d nails into pressure treated lumber by hand. Got sick of bent nails and sore elbows after the third row of joists on my back deck in Cleveland last summer. Borrowed my brother's nailer and finished the whole thing in 4 hours instead of 2 days. Is the air compressor setup worth the money for a one time job or should you just rent the gun?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

blakem82•5d ago

Worst Monday I ever had in the shop - 3 comebacks in one day

I had a day last month that still makes me cringe. I did a brake job on a 2012 F-150 on Friday, guy comes back Monday morning saying the pedal goes to the floor. I check it and the master cylinder let go internally, so I replace that too. Then another guy calls saying his alternator I put in on Saturday is whining like a supercharger. I get him in and sure enough it's a dud right out of the box. Then a third customer shows up with a check engine light on a Jeep I did a tune up on - turned out I left a vacuum line loose. I lost about 4 hours of billable time fixing my own mistakes and eat the cost of that master cylinder. Ended the day so frustrated I forgot to lock up the shop and had to drive back 20 minutes. Has anyone else had a day where everything you touched just fell apart?

2 comments

c/coding-for-beginners•

blakem82•5d ago

How I learned I had been using git branches the wrong way for 2 years

I was at a meetup in Austin last summer and this guy looked over my shoulder while I was merging something. He asked why I was always merging master into my feature branch instead of rebasing, and I had no good answer. I literally thought merging was the only way to keep branches updated (you know, like a dummy). After he showed me rebase -i I felt like I had wasted so much time on messy commit histories. Has anyone else had that moment where a simple tip from a stranger just flipped your whole approach?

2 comments

c/analog-photo-fails•

blakem82•11d ago

My grandpa's old trick for fixing light leaks actually worked on my beat up canon

I got this old Canon AE-1 from a thrift store and every roll had these weird orange streaks on the left side. Light leaks for sure but I didnt want to drop cash on new foam kits yet. My grandpa told me to just use black electrical tape over the door hinges and seal the edges before shooting. Tried it on 3 rolls now and the streaks are gone completely. Has anyone else done janky fixes like this or is it just me being cheap?

2 comments

c/anime-discussions•

blakem82•14d ago

Finally caught the reference in episode 7 after 4 rewatches

I was rewatching the beach episode last night and suddenly realized the background music matched the same track from episode 3 back in 2021. Has anyone else had a moment where an anime callback just clicks way later than it should?

2 comments

c/barbers•

blakem82•15d ago

Swapped my clipper blade after 8 months and the difference was wild

Honestly I was still using the same factory blade on my Wahl Senior since I got it last spring. Thought it was cutting fine until I put a fresh one on Tuesday for a regular client. The old one was pulling and leaving these tiny snags I just got used to seeing. Has anyone else gone way too long between blade swaps and only noticed after the new one?

2 comments

c/edmonton-chat•

blakem82•1mo ago

TIL I wasted $80 on a 'pro' bike lock that got cut in 30 seconds in Whyte Ave

Bought a pricey U-lock from a shop near Jasper Ave thinking it'd stop thieves, but some guy with a portable grinder got through it in half a minute outside my work. Anyone else found a lock that actually holds up in this city or am I just kidding myself?

3 comments

c/edmonton-chat•

blakem82•1mo ago

Blew a tire on the Yellowhead at 5pm rush hour

Hit a pothole near the Capilano bridge exit and my rear tire went flat instantly. Had to pull over on the shoulder with semis flying past at 80 clicks. Anybody know a decent tire shop on the east side that won't try to upsell me on rims?

2 comments

-2

c/electricians•

blakem82•1mo ago

Vent: Why I stopped running conduit for free after a talk with an old sparky

I was helping a buddy wire his basement and he kept asking me to add extra runs for future use, all for the price of a pizza. Then an older electrician at the supply house said 'don't work for exposure, work for cash' and it finally clicked with me. Has anyone else had a friend or family member expect you to bend over backward for nothing?

3 comments

c/cable-installers•

blakem82•1mo ago

The day I realized I'd been stripping coax with my teeth for 8 months

I was showing a new guy how quick I could prep an end and my foreman walked by and goes "you know they make tools for that right" and I just stood there holding the chewed up jacket in my hand feeling like an absolute idiot, has anyone else ever skipped the basics like that?

2 comments

Recent Comments

1d ago

Just realized I was overspending on chicken breasts for years

You mentioned it taking "maybe 10 extra minutes" and that's been my experience too (actually maybe a tad more like 15 for me the first few times). I picked up a cheap kitchen shears at Walmart for like 8 bucks and that cut my whole chicken breakdown time in half, plus the bones for stock is a game changer. Made some chicken soup last weekend from scratch and it was way better than anything from a carton, honestly surprised myself.

1d ago

Hit 200 anime logged on MAL last night

I spend more time curating my list than actually watching shows.

1d ago

That one roll where every frame had my thumb in the corner

How'd you not notice for two whole years though lol

2d ago

Just realized my shed was rotting from the inside out after 2 years

Yeah that sucks. Vapor barriers can trap moisture just as easy as they block it if you don't get the details right. Gotta have that gap, plain and simple.

3d ago

Finally watched The Bear after my coworker kept pushing it

lol @thompson.finley is actually kinda right about the season 2 thing, cause season 2 has 10 episodes and season 3 has 10 too, so combined with season 1's 8 that's 28 episodes in 14 days. Not impossible but yeah you really had to commit. I get what you're saying about "Fishes" tho, I think it's a masterpiece but I also totally get why people tap out there. The thing with "Review" for me was how it just grabs you by the throat from the first second and doesn't let go. Meanwhile "Fishes" takes a minute to build up that dread, which is why some people bounce off it.