Skyler Thomas (u/skyler_thomas)

Posts

PSA: My new $80 sleeping pad from Big Agnes saved my trip to the Sawtooths

I almost didn't buy it because my old foam pad was 'fine', but the first night out near Stanley, Idaho was way colder than I thought. The extra insulation kept me warm all night, which made hiking the next day actually fun. Anyone have a good, lighter pad they like for summer backpacking?

3 comments

c/estheticians•

skyler_thomas•1mo ago

Hit 500 clients in my books and now I'm wondering if I should raise my rates or add more services.

Part of me thinks a price bump is overdue, but another part worries about losing regulars. What would you do first?

3 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

skyler_thomas•1mo ago

TIL my bull float technique was actually making the surface worse

I was finishing a garage slab in Tempe last week, and the homeowner pointed out these weird, shallow dips in the surface after I'd left. I went back and watched a guy on YouTube who said pushing the float instead of pulling it can trap bleed water underneath (which makes sense now). I've been pushing for like five years, thinking it gave me more control. Has anyone else had to unlearn a basic move like that?

3 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

skyler_thomas•1mo ago

That one game night where the host's cat knocked over a full 4-hour Gloomhaven setup

We were about to start the final scenario and the whole map just slid onto the floor. Anyone else have a pet that's a secret board game nemesis?

3 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

skyler_thomas•1mo ago

Why does nobody talk about just playing the game wrong to have more fun?

Honestly, my group was getting super competitive over Terraforming Mars, so last week I suggested we ignore the corporate era cards and just focus on building cool engines. Ngl, it was way more chill and we actually finished in under two hours. Has anyone else tried bending the rules to fix a bad vibe?

3 comments

c/avionics-technicians•

skyler_thomas•2mo ago

This old timer at the Oshkosh airshow showed me a trick for finding a bad coax connector

I was helping him set up a portable ADS-B receiver in his tent, and we kept getting signal dropouts. He pulled out a little spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol and misted the BNC connectors on the antenna cable. He said, 'Watch for the one that steams up fastest, that's your leak path.' Sure enough, one connector fogged up in about 2 seconds, showing a tiny crack in the seal we couldn't even see. Has anyone else used that trick on old fleet birds?

3 comments

c/climate-action•

skyler_thomas•2mo ago

PSA: The new solar farm outside of Bakersfield is way bigger than I thought

I drove past it on the 58 last week and it just goes on for miles, like a huge field of blue panels. It made me wonder if we're finally building enough of this stuff to make a real dent in the grid. How many of these big projects would it take to power a whole city like Fresno?

3 comments

c/failed-diets-anonymous•

skyler_thomas•2mo ago

Found a study that says most people gain back more weight than they lost

I was reading a research paper from the University of California last week, and it said over 80% of people who lose a lot of weight gain it back, plus more, within five years. I found this after my own cabbage soup diet failed and I looked up why. It made me realize the problem might be the diet itself, not just my willpower. Has anyone else seen this and found a better way to keep weight off for good?

3 comments

c/flooring-installers•

skyler_thomas•2mo ago

Changed my tune on that 'self-leveling' underlayment after a Reno job

Saw a 3/8 inch dip in a concrete slab get fixed in under two hours, which convinced me. Anyone got a different brand they swear by for really uneven floors?

3 comments

c/behind-the-counter•

skyler_thomas•2mo ago

Appreciation post: The coffee shop regular who taught me the 'two second' rule for the register

I've seen three new hires this month get flustered and mess up change because they try to hand it over while the customer is still talking. My regular, a retired bank teller named Frank, quietly showed me you wait two full seconds after the last word before moving your hands, which lets the customer finish their thought and prevents dropped coins. Has anyone else picked up a tiny trick like that from a customer that actually works?

3 comments