Jennifer Shah (u/jennifershah)

Posts

My main flashlight died in the middle of the old Sunrise Mall food court last weekend

Honestly, I was halfway through the old Orange Julius when my cheap 3-pack LED from the hardware store just cut out, leaving me in the dark with a bunch of broken tiles and a really bad smell, so what's a good, reliable light you all bring that can take a few knocks?

3 comments

c/dredge-operators•

jennifershah•2mo ago

Spent a month fighting suction loss on the old Erie dredge, and the fix was stupid simple

I was getting a ton of cavitation and losing prime every other day on a sand removal job. A guy from the crew, Mike, just watched me set up one morning and said, 'You know you're supposed to wet the gasket on the suction flange, right?' I'd been slapping it on dry for years thinking it sealed better tight. Wet it down with the hose, and we ran smooth for a full 8-hour shift without a hiccup. Anyone else have a basic thing they were doing wrong for way too long?

3 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

jennifershah•2mo ago

Had to pick between a game night with my old crew or a big convention, chose the crew

Last fall, my regular group wanted to play our first full campaign of Gloomhaven, but the same weekend was a huge con in Chicago. I picked the campaign, figuring the con would always be there. We spent three whole Saturdays around my dining table, and the inside jokes we made are STILL going. Anyone else skip a big event for a smaller game and have it turn out awesome?

3 comments

c/ask-without-fear•

jennifershah•2mo ago

I asked my neighbor a super direct question about their fence and it went better than I thought

I needed to know if they were okay with me trimming a branch from my tree that hangs over their property line. Instead of hinting around, I just walked over and said 'Hey, can I cut that branch back to the line next week?' They said yes right away and even offered to help. Do you think being that blunt is usually the best move, or can it backfire?

3 comments

c/controversial-takes•

jennifershah•2mo ago

I spent $400 on a life coach and it was a total waste

I was feeling stuck at my job and saw an ad for a coach who promised to help me find my passion. I paid her $400 for four video calls over a month. All she did was ask me the same questions I could find online and told me to 'manifest' things. The last session, she just read quotes from a self-help book for 30 minutes. I felt more lost after than when I started. Has anyone else tried something like this and actually gotten real help from it?

3 comments

c/cosmetologists•

jennifershah•2mo ago

Why does nobody talk about all the foil we throw out after highlights

The piles of used foil from a busy day look pretty bad. Some salons are trying aluminum recycling programs now, which seems like a simple fix.

3 comments

c/astronomy-photos•

jennifershah•2mo ago

My mom thought the Orion Nebula photo was fake until I explained it

I showed her a stacked image from my backyard telescope, and she said it looked like CGI from a movie. I had to break down how long exposures and filters make those colors pop. Now she asks to see new shots and even tries to spot the nebula herself. It's wild how one pic can turn skepticism into a shared hobby.

3 comments

c/commercial-divers•

jennifershah•2mo ago

Showerthought: The dive plan approval loop is slowing us down more than bad weather.

Lately, I've seen a trend where getting dive plans approved takes forever, even for routine jobs. Last month, I had a basic hull cleaning scheduled, but the approval from the office dragged on for two days because of back-and-forth emails. It's not just one person signing off; now it goes through safety, then operations, then the client, each with their own tweaks. I spent more time revising paperwork on my laptop than prepping my gear. The system feels broken when a simple task gets stuck in red tape. This delay means we miss tide windows or have to rush the dive, which isn't safe. Why can't we streamline this? It's frustrating when bureaucracy gets in the way of getting the job done.

3 comments