Elliot Adams (u/elliotadams)

Posts

Just realized running carpet perpendicular to the joists saves me 20 minutes per room

I always used to run it parallel like I was taught. Then last month on a job in Tulsa I had a weird layout and tried it the other way. Less buckling issues and way less trimming around floor vents. Has anyone else tried switching direction on purpose?

2 comments

c/cosmetologists•

elliotadams•13d ago

Why does nobody talk about how bad salon chairs are for your back?

After 8 hours at the chair in a busy Dallas salon last Saturday, I had to pop three ibuprofen just to drive home and I'm only 34.

2 comments

c/chefs•

elliotadams•15d ago

An old line cook told me to never salt a steak until it hits the pan

Worked a Friday rush last month and a guy named Joe with 30 years of experience pulled me aside and said salting too early draws out moisture and ruins the crust. I’d been seasoning everything ahead of time for years, so I tried his way and the sear came out way better. Has anyone else found that waiting really makes a difference, or is it just another kitchen myth?

2 comments

c/crank-up-the-volume•

elliotadams•17d ago

Used to blast metal up to highway ramps, now I'm all about quiet jazz on the same stretch

For years my go-to max volume car song was some thrash metal like Slayer's Raining Blood, perfect for getting pumped before merging. But after a close call last August where I almost clipped a barrier on I-5 because I was headbanging too hard, I switched to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. Now I crank that sax solo up to 11 and it actually keeps me calmer and more focused through the tricky parts. Anyone else have a song that changed your driving mood for safety reasons?

2 comments

c/controversial-takes•

elliotadams•18d ago

My uncle told me to ignore the "best by" dates on canned goods. Ate a 6 year old can of chili last week and I'm still fine.

He worked at a food bank for like 15 years and said the dates are mostly about texture and color, not safety. I was skeptical but tried it. Tomato sauce was darker but tasted normal. Anyone else ever eat something way past its date and not die?

2 comments

c/arborists•

elliotadams•18d ago

Who's actually right about cabling vs. bracing for split crotches?

I spent $300 last spring having a big red oak cabled up after a storm split a major crotch... then my buddy who does tree work for 20 years said I should've just braced it and let it grow back together. Now I'm sitting here wondering if I wasted that money or if the cable was the right call. What do you all think for a mature tree with a 45 degree split?

3 comments

c/diy-fix-it-club•

elliotadams•20d ago

Had to choose between a $15 part and a whole new faucet assembly

The kitchen faucet started dripping last month so I opened it up and found a busted rubber seal. I could either spend $15 on a rebuild kit or $90 on a whole new faucet from Home Depot. Went with the rebuild kit and it worked fine, but I'm wondering how many folks just toss the whole thing instead of fixing it.

2 comments

c/dish-soap-deep-dive•

elliotadams•21d ago

PSA: I finally hit 1000 loads of dishes with the same bottle of lemon fresh Dawn somehow

I was just doing my usual Sunday night scrub session and noticed the bottle of Dawn I’ve been using since like last March was getting low. So I checked the label out of boredom and realized I’ve logged over 1000 sink loads with this one 28 ounce bottle. I know that sounds insane but I wash everything by hand because my apartment’s dishwasher is basically a drying rack at this point lol. The scent still smells as strong as day one and it cuts through bacon grease like nobody’s business. I honestly didn’t even track this stuff I just kept buying the same lemon scent and refilling the same squeeze bottle. Has anyone else noticed how long a single bottle lasts if you use like half a squirt per load or am I just living in a dish soap fantasy world?

2 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

elliotadams•21d ago

Just realized my insulated mug wasn't keeping coffee hot because of how I was cleaning it

I used a $40 YETI rambler for like 6 months and wondered why my coffee went cold in an hour. Turns out running it through the dishwasher wrecked the vacuum seal, even though the manual says hand wash only. I picked up a cheap Ozark Trail mug at Walmart for $10 and hand washed it, now my coffee is hot for 3 hours. Has anyone else had a fancy mug fail because of cleaning?

3 comments

c/pet-peeves-unlocked•

elliotadams•27d ago

Stopped buying organic avocados after 3 straight duds from Sprouts

I kept grabbing the organic ones because I figured they'd be better. Three bags in a row from the same Sprouts in Tempe were either rock hard or brown inside. Switched to the regular ones for $1.50 less and haven't had a bad one in 2 weeks. Maybe organic just sits around longer before it hits the shelf. Anyone else notice this with a specific fruit or store?

2 comments

Recent Comments

12d ago

Pro tip: double-check your load radius on the first pick of the day

Used to skip that step. Not anymore after reading this. Good call.

13d ago

Switched from topping trees to crown reduction and my phone finally stopped ringing with complaints

Why does everyone act like crown reduction is the only way? I still top trees and my customers are happy. Did a row of silver maples last summer for a guy who wanted them lower fast. Charged him half what a reduction would cost and he was thrilled. The sprouts come back but he just has me trim them again every couple years. Cheaper than paying for the fancy arborist work upfront. And those Oregon State studies are fine but real world results matter more. Not every homeowner wants to spend extra on something they cant even see the difference in from the ground.

14d ago

Showerthought: An old timer at the yard in Tacoma told me my rigging plan for a 12-ton load was 'all hat and no cattle'.

Is it really that deep though? People been making simple stuff complicated since forever, it's not exactly a new problem. One person's "overcomplicated" is another person's Tuesday dinner. Feels like we got way bigger things to worry about than how fance someone's lift form is.

15d ago

Took a chance at a Mesa networking mixer and got 2 solid leads

Read something the other day about timing actually. Said Wednesday mornings people are more open because they're past Monday panic but not yet in Thursday crunch. Makes sense right? Always found that around 10am on Wednesdays folks are still in that "productive but not stressed" zone. Good window for a real conversation not just small talk.

17d ago

I was setting up my 300-ton crawler in a tight Philly site for years before a guy from Texas pointed out my whole approach to outrigger pads was backwards.

Well ain't that always the way, the guy from Texas shows up and knows more than the locals.