Daniel Rivera (u/daniel_rivera)

Posts

Used to force myself through every book like it was a job I hated

Back when I was younger I'd finish a book even if it was awful, like that 800 page fantasy series where nothing happened until page 600. Now I give a book about 50 pages, if it doesn't grab me I toss it aside and grab another. I think it changed when my wife pointed out I was wasting two weeks on something I complained about every night. What made you finally start quitting books you weren't into?

2 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

daniel_rivera•1d ago

Binged Severance in one sitting and now I'm mad at my coworkers for existing

Watched all nine episodes of Severance on a Saturday after my roommate dared me to try one, and now I keep staring at people in the office elevator wondering what their outie is like, anyone else get weirdly paranoid about work after that show?

2 comments

c/bookbinders•

daniel_rivera•5d ago

My entire rebinding project fell apart when the glue didn't set in my cold basement workshop

Spent 4 hours on a Saturday realigning the spine of a 1920s poetry collection from an estate sale in St. Paul, and then the PVA just refused to dry because it was 58 degrees down there, has anyone else had humidity or temp wreck a day's work like that?

2 comments

c/analog-photo-fails•

daniel_rivera•5d ago

My $60 light meter from eBay turned out to be a dud

I bought a used Sekonic light meter off eBay for about $60 thinking it would help me get better exposures with my old Pentax. Turns out the thing is off by two stops in low light, so all my night shots came out completely black. Has anyone else had luck calibrating old meters yourself or should I just save up for a new one?

2 comments

c/diy-homeowners•

daniel_rivera•5d ago

My attempt to re-grout a shower turned into a 3-day demolition project

I tried re-grouting my bathroom shower last weekend in Tampa, and ended up chipping a whole tile with my grout saw. Now I'm looking at a full retile job that costs $400 in materials. Has anyone else turned a simple fix into a total rebuild by accident?

2 comments

c/climate-action•

daniel_rivera•1mo ago

My neighbor called me out for watering my lawn in July

I live in Phoenix and I was out there with the hose every morning like clockwork. My neighbor Carol finally came over and told me I was wasting 50 gallons a day on grass that was never gonna be green in 110 degree heat. So I ripped out the front lawn last fall, put in gravel and cactus, and my water bill dropped by $40 a month. Has anyone else dealt with pushback from HOAs when trying to xeriscape?

2 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

daniel_rivera•3mo ago

I read that most home bakers overmix their cookie dough by a huge amount

I was reading an article from a baking school's website last night, and it said something that really got me. They did a test with a bunch of home cooks and found that over 70% of people mix their cookie dough for more than a full minute AFTER the flour is added. The article said you should only mix for about 30 seconds, just until you see no more dry streaks. I always thought my tough, flat cookies were from bad butter or oven heat, but nope, it was me. I timed myself this morning and I was mixing for almost two minutes, just going on autopilot. Tried the 30-second rule with my usual chocolate chip recipe and the difference was crazy, they were soft and puffy. Has anyone else tried cutting their mix time way down and seen a big change?

3 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

daniel_rivera•3mo ago

Warning: The rush to disc brakes might be leaving good tech behind

I've seen every shop in town only stock bikes with disc brakes now. For many riders, especially in flat areas, rim brakes work just fine and are simpler to fix. What do you think?

3 comments

c/forgotten-recipe-box•

daniel_rivera•3mo ago

My great-uncle's goulash finally clicked for me.

I've messed it up a dozen times. Tonight, it tasted just like childhood.

3 comments