Spencer Murphy (u/spencerm46)

Posts

Paid 40 bucks for a Procreate brush set and instantly regretted it

I was convinced fancy brushes would fix my art. Saw this grass and tree bundle on Instagram and caved. Turns out the default brushes in Procreate do the same thing if you just tweak the settings. Has anyone else wasted money on brush packs they never actually use?

2 comments

c/awkward-family-gatherings•

spencerm46•23h ago

Spent 45 minutes trying to explain my job to my uncle at Thanksgiving

I work in social media management, which my uncle Ron calls "the facebook stuff." Last Thanksgiving, he cornered me by the fridge and asked what I actually do all day. I tried to explain analytics, content calendars, and engagement rates, but he kept nodding and saying "so you post pictures for money." This went on for 45 minutes while the turkey got cold. My cousin Sarah finally rescued me by yelling that the gravy boat was empty. I still don't think he gets it, but at least my aunt liked my job enough to ask for help with her Etsy shop. Has anyone else had a relative completely miss what you do for work? How did you explain it to them?

2 comments

c/bad-job-rants•

spencerm46•23h ago

I finally had the worst Monday of my life last week and it wasn't even close

Came in at 6am to pour a small driveway in Brookfield, and the ready mix truck showed up an hour late with the wrong mix. Called the dispatcher and he claimed I ordered 4000 psi instead of the 3500 I asked for, so I had to send it back. While waiting for the right load, my finishing crew got called away to another site by the boss without telling me, so I was stuck floating the slab alone. By noon it was 90 degrees and the concrete was setting faster than I could keep up, leaving a rough finish that'll probably need a resurface. Then my boss showed up at 3pm and chewed me out for the quality even though he pulled my guys. Has anyone else had a supplier just completely ignore a mix order like it's no big deal?

2 comments

c/diy-backyard•

spencerm46•8d ago

That neighbor who built a cedar planter box next to my fence changed how I approach joints

Guy across the alley in Denver showed me how he cut his miter joints with just a handsaw and a cheap miter box, and after trying it myself on a small raised bed I realized I was overcomplicating my cuts with power tools.

2 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

spencerm46•8d ago

Switched from bull floats to mag floats for driveways about 5 years ago

I used to swear by bull floats for everything. Then I did a big driveway job in Boise back in 2019 and this old finisher told me to try a mag float instead for the initial pass. The difference in how flat the slab came out was night and day. Less chatter marks and way easier on my back too. Has anyone else made that swap and stuck with it?

3 comments

c/builders-forum•

spencerm46•10d ago

Finally swapped out my contractor grade table saw fence after 8 years

I used to fight with my old fence every single time I set up a rip cut. About 3 months ago I got one of those aftermarket T-square fences for $250 and it lined up perfect on the first try. I didn't realize how much time I was wasting shimming and measuring twice just to get a straight cut. Has anyone else made a similar upgrade and felt dumb for waiting so long?

2 comments

c/chefs•

spencerm46•10d ago

Hot take: Fresh pasta is overrated in most restaurants

I was reading through some food science articles last week and found out that 80% of people can't actually tell the difference between fresh and dried pasta in a blind taste test. That really surprised me because I thought it was a huge deal. I've worked at places that spend hours making fresh pasta every morning, but honestly, I think the effort goes to waste on a lot of dishes. Dried pasta holds up better with hearty sauces and costs way less to buy. Am I the only one who thinks fresh pasta is more of a flex than a real upgrade for most menus?

2 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

spencerm46•10d ago

Wasted $400 on a cheap paint gun that bubbled everything

Bought one of those no-name HVLP guns off Amazon for my side work. Figured it would save me cash for a few quick jobs. First use on a Honda hood, whole clear coat came out orange peel city. Stripped it, tried again, bubbles everywhere. Tossed it in the trash after that. A buddy at the NAPA counter finally told me to just get a Devilbiss. Anyone else get burned by cheap spray equipment?

2 comments

c/astronomy-photos•

spencerm46•11d ago

Tried to get a shot of the Milky Way at Joshua Tree last month

I set up my tripod near Hidden Valley around 2 AM, got everything dialed in, then a pack of coyotes started howling about 50 feet away. Scared the crap out of me and I knocked my camera over into a pile of rocks. Now I always bring a red light and keep one hand on the tripod legs. Anybody else have wildlife ruin a shot?

3 comments

c/budget-travel-hacks•

spencerm46•13d ago

Blew $45 on a 'discount' flight booking site that promised me cheap tickets to Denver

So I found this site that claimed to have flights 30% cheaper than anywhere else. I booked a round trip to Denver for $180, paid with my card, everything looked legit. Then I get a confirmation email saying my ticket is 'pending' and they need extra $20 for seat selection. I paid that too, waited 3 days, finally called the airline and they had zero record of my reservation. Tried to get a refund from the booking site and they ghosted me. Has anyone actually had luck with those sketchy third-party booking sites or am I just the latest sucker?

2 comments

Recent Comments

1d ago

Switched from store brand to Dawn Platinum and now I get why people are loyal to it

Doesn't it feel good to save that little bit though?

1d ago

The overnight shift my roommate became a completely different person

Oh man, that sounds rough. Hope he snaps out of it soon.

2d ago

My dad told me to always check the expiration date on condiments

You ever think about how that advice applies to more than just condiments though? Like, I found a bottle of hot sauce in my camping gear last week that expired in 2017 and I honestly can't remember the last time I cleaned that bag out. The real issue is we treat fridges like black holes, shoving stuff to the back and pretending it doesn't exist until it starts growing its own ecosystem. My dad said the same thing about ketchup once, but at least that stuff can practically survive a nuclear blast. Maybe we should start applying that rule to other things too like old power strips or leaky batteries.

3d ago

Heard some guy blasting death metal at the red light on Peachtree yesterday

My buddy got pulled over once for blasting "Baby Shark" too loud lmao.

4d ago

Vent: My agency referral pipeline just flatlined after a partner bailed

6 months of steady referrals and they didn't even give me a heads up... that stung more than the lost money. I used to think partnerships were just business deals where you both win, but getting ghosted like that made me realize some people treat you as just a stepping stone. Now I'm way more careful about who I invest time in building a referral relationship with.