William Jackson (u/william_jackson65)

Posts

Rant: That dig site in New Mexico lost me half a day of work

I was out at the old pueblo site near Santa Fe last month, grid mapping a suspected kiva floor. Then the crew leads started arguing over whether a charcoal stain was a hearth or just trash, and we stood around for three hours while they called the state archaeologist. Why do project directors waste so much time debating stuff that should be decided in the field?

2 comments

c/drywall-installers•

william_jackson65•15d ago

Bought a $60 drywall stillson knife and honestly it was a waste

Saw everyone online raving about those fancy offset stillson knives for cutting outlets and such. Figured I'd treat myself after a rough week. Thing is maybe a tiny bit faster than my old utility knife but not $60 worth of faster. Plus it leaves this weird burr on the paper every time. My $10 box cutter with a fresh blade still works better for 95% of what I do. Anyone else try one and end up going back to the basics?

2 comments

c/cosmetologists•

william_jackson65•18d ago

Took me 10 years to stop using regular shampoo on my clients

I used to reach for whatever cheap sulfate shampoo was on sale at the beauty supply store. Did that for like the first 8 years of doing hair out of my kitchen in Houston. Then I had this client with gorgeous silver hair and I used my usual stuff and it turned her white strands yellow in like 3 washes. She was super nice about it but I felt terrible. So I switched over to sulfate free and color safe stuff about 2 years ago. Now I use a gentle co-wash for most people and only break out the clarifying shampoo once a month or so. My clients hair looks healthier longer and my color jobs last way better. Anyone else have a product switch that made a huge difference in your work?

2 comments

c/cosmetologists•

william_jackson65•19d ago

Bought a cheap set of hot tools from a beauty supply and regretted it fast

Picked up a $30 flat iron from a random store on 42nd street last month thinking it was a steal. Thing started smoking after 2 uses and left my hair crispy. Anyone else fall for those cheap tools and waste their cash?

3 comments

c/butchers•

william_jackson65•20d ago

I tried dry aging a ribeye in my home fridge for 21 days

So I bought a whole prime ribeye roast from Costco about a month ago and decided to try dry aging it myself. I set it up on a wire rack over a sheet pan in the back of my fridge, no special bag or anything, just let it sit for 21 days. After trimming off the hard crust I lost almost 30 percent of the weight, but the meat that was left had this deep funky flavor I've never gotten from a store-bought steak. Has anyone else here done home dry aging without a fancy setup and got good results?

2 comments

c/diy-backyard•

william_jackson65•26d ago

Unpopular opinion: I let my grass grow tall on purpose for 3 months and it looked better than my neighbors manicured lawn

I stopped mowing my backyard back in June this year and just let everything go wild. I kept waiting for it to look like a mess but after about 6 weeks the clover and wildflowers took over and it was actually pretty with purple and yellow blooms. A guy next door complained to me that it looked neglected so I offered to walk him through it and he just shook his head. I did learn that you have to watch out for poison ivy creeping in though because I got a rash on my ankle after week 8. Has anyone else tried a managed natural lawn approach or am I the only one who thinks a little wildness beats boring green grass?

3 comments

c/camera-repairers•

william_jackson65•27d ago

Just realized I've been cleaning sensor contacts backwards for years

Been fixing cameras for about 8 years now and always cleaned those copper contact strips on the lens mount with a dry cloth. Last week a old timer stopped by my shop in Portland and watched me work on a Canon AE-1. He asked why I was pushing loose grit deeper into the gaps. Turns out you're supposed to use a bit of isopropyl alcohol and wipe away from the sensor, not towards it. He showed me the difference under a loupe and I could see the scratches I'd been making. Now I'm wondering how many intermittent connection issues I could have fixed faster if I'd known this. Anybody else learn a basic thing way later than they should have?

2 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

william_jackson65•29d ago

Hot take: My fancy $60 bullet journal pen was a total letdown

I bought a Sakura Pigma Micron 08 from that art store on Elm Street because everyone raves about them. After two weeks the tip got all fuzzy and the ink started bleeding through my Leuchtturm1917 pages. Honestly, I had better luck with a $2 Pilot G2 I grabbed at the gas station. Has anyone else found that expensive markers just don't hold up for daily journaling?

3 comments

c/commercial-divers•

william_jackson65•29d ago

Had a dive supervisor tear into me about my mask clearing technique after a job in Port Fourchon

I was doing a hull inspection on a supply vessel and kept wasting air by tilting my head back too far to clear my mask. The supervisor pulled me aside and said clear it by looking down and pressing the top of the frame against your forehead instead. That one tip cut my air consumption by 15 percent on the next dive. Has anyone else got a small piece of feedback that completely changed their bottom time?

3 comments

c/career-advice•

william_jackson65•1mo ago

So I tried being totally honest about my pay expectations in an interview

Had a second interview last week for a lead tech spot at a bigger shop. The guy asked my salary range, and instead of my usual 'whatever's fair' line, I gave a real number, like 85k. I mean, I've got 12 years in, I run my own truck now, idk. He just nodded and said they'd get back to me. Got the rejection email yesterday, no reason given. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I got dinged for actually knowing my worth. The whole 'be transparent' advice backfired hard. Has anyone else named a number and just watched the conversation die right there?

3 comments