Vera Harris (u/harris.vera)

Posts

Rant: I was dead wrong about those premade shed kits

I spent 2 years telling everyone on here that premade shed kits were junk and a waste of money. Then my neighbor in Columbus bought one from a local lumber yard for $1,200 and put it up in a single weekend with just his brother. I went over to help level it and the thing is actually solid, the tongue and groove floor held up fine through a rainy spring. Has anyone else here had a cheap kit that surprised them or am I just eating crow for no reason?

3 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

harris.vera•4d ago

That 6 hour brisket stall at my first competition in Memphis

I cooked for hours and the temp just sat at 160 for what felt like forever. Finally wrapped it in butcher paper and it pushed through in 45 mins. Anybody else panic during the stall or is that just me?

2 comments

c/career-advice•

harris.vera•5d ago

My presentation software crashed mid-demo at a conference in Chicago

I was giving a demo of our new project management tool at the McCormick Center in Chicago last Tuesday and my laptop froze up completely. About 200 people were watching and I had to switch to talking through the slides from memory for the last 15 minutes. Have any of you dealt with a tech failure during an important presentation and found a good backup plan?

2 comments

c/arborists•

harris.vera•2mo ago

Question about a big maple removal in my own backyard

I had this huge silver maple that was leaning over my garage, and I had to choose between taking it down in one big piece or sectioning it out from the top. I picked sectioning it out, even though it took me and my buddy two full days. We used a 200 foot climbing line and my old Husqvarna 372XP to do it. It was a lot more work, but dropping a whole tree that size would have wrecked my fence for sure. Has anyone else had a tree where sectioning was the only real choice?

3 comments

c/graphic-design-inspo•

harris.vera•2mo ago

My mentor told me to stop using the same three fonts for everything, and it was the best push I ever got.

She said it last year after looking at my portfolio, and pointed out I only used Helvetica, Garamond, and Futura. I felt stuck, so I made a rule to find one new typeface for each project, starting with a branding job for a cafe in Portland. I found a great display font called 'Messina' that completely changed the vibe. Has anyone else had a simple rule that broke them out of a design rut?

3 comments