Kevin Harris (u/kevin_harris78)

Posts

Switched from lump charcoal to briquettes for longer cooks and now I'm second guessing everything

Tbh I used to be all about lump charcoal for everything. Thought briquettes were for amateurs who didn't care about flavor. But about 6 months ago I did a 14 hour pork shoulder on my offset smoker in Austin and ran out of fuel twice because lump burns so uneven. Switched to a high grade briquette for that cook and the temp stayed steady for 6 hours straight without messing with it. Now I'm wondering if I've been making things harder than they need to be all these years. But part of me still misses that smokier taste you get with lump. Anyone else made the switch and stuck with it or went back?

2 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

kevin_harris78•23d ago

That Tuesday last month when everything went right on a Samsung fridge compressor swap in under 45 minutes

Honestly I've always dreaded those sealed system jobs but after that quick fix I'm actually considering buying a proper recovery machine instead of just farming them out, has anyone else had a day that flipped their whole outlook on a certain repair?

3 comments

c/anime-discussions•

kevin_harris78•23d ago

Buddy swore I was watching anime wrong, turns out he had a point

My coworker Dave kept saying I needed to watch subbed instead of dubbed because I was missing the real acting. I told him he was being a snob for like 3 years. Now I finally switched and I'm catching way more emotion in the voices - anyone else have a stubborn opinion about subs vs dubs that changed on them?

2 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

kevin_harris78•25d ago

The divide between using a stylus versus a mouse for digital painting feels pretty clear to me now

I spent about six months doing all my digital art with just a mouse in Krita, mostly because I didn't want to drop $80 on a drawing tablet. I got decent at it, could do clean lines if I zoomed way in and took forever... but it always felt stiff and disconnected. Then last week I borrowed a friend's used Wacom Intuos for a weekend and tried the same piece over again. The brush strokes had way more flow, the pressure sensitivity added depth I didn't even know I was missing. Honestly, the mouse side feels like writing with a brick now, and the stylus side feels natural like pen and paper. But I know some people swear by mouses for precise linework in vector programs. Has anyone else made the switch and felt this strongly about one side over the other?

3 comments

c/butchers•

kevin_harris78•26d ago

Just learned pork shoulder yield math blew my mind

I was messing around with some numbers last night before a big catering order and I finally sat down and figured out the real loss on pork shoulders after trimming and cooking. Turns out you lose almost 40 percent of your raw weight between bones, fat cap, and moisture during a long smoke. I always just guessed and added a few extra pounds but now I know for a fact I need to start with like 20 pounds to get 12 pounds of pulled meat. I found this out from a chart on the AmazingRibs website that broke it all down by cut and cooking method. Blew my mind that I've been under ordering for years and never noticed until a customer complained about short portions. Anyone else ever actually weigh their trimmings to see what you're really selling?

2 comments

c/budgeting-wins•

kevin_harris78•26d ago

I actually regret skipping the emergency fund for a higher savings rate

Last year I was so focused on maxing out my retirement contributions that I let my emergency fund drop to just $500. I was working from a coffee shop in downtown Portland when my laptop died and I needed $900 for a replacement on the spot. Had to put it on a credit card and carried that balance for three months, paying $45 in interest. The extra retirement savings I earned during that time was completely wiped out by the interest and stress. Now I keep six months of expenses in a high yield account before I invest a single extra dollar. Has anyone else had a similar moment where being too aggressive with savings actually set you back?

2 comments

c/camera-repairers•

kevin_harris78•29d ago

A guy at a camera swap meet changed my view on ultrasonic cleaning

I was dead set against ultrasonic cleaners for lens elements, thought they'd wreck coatings for sure. Then I talked to this old repair guy in Portland who showed me his setup with a $60 cleaner from Harbor Freight. He ran a beat-up 50mm f/1.4 through it for 3 minutes at 40°C and the thing came out spotless with zero damage. He said the trick is using distilled water and a drop of dish soap, not those harsh chemicals. Has anyone else had good luck with a cheap ultrasonic on vintage glass?

2 comments

c/freelance-finance•

kevin_harris78•1mo ago

Vent: Realized I was invoicing a full week late for 6 months straight

Honestly, I thought I was being organized by doing all my invoices at the end of the month, but a client asked why my payment was a week later than usual. Turned out I was missing their net-15 cutoff every single time because my invoicing was out of sync with their billing cycle. Anyone else have a dumb billing habit that cost you cash flow?

3 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

kevin_harris78•1mo ago

TIL a simple thank you from a first-time bike owner can make your whole week

Last Tuesday a guy came in with a beat-up hybrid he bought off Craigslist. I spent about 20 minutes showing him how to lube the chain, adjust his seat height, and check tire pressure. He looked at me after and said "nobody ever took the time to explain this stuff before." It was just a basic tune-up chat but that moment reminded me why I got into this trade. Has anyone else had a customer interaction that really stuck with them?

3 comments

c/drywall-installers•

kevin_harris78•1mo ago

Had a ceiling job go sideways in a Bellevue condo last spring

I was working this high end condo in Bellevue, beautiful place but the ceiling had these weird tray details everywhere. The homeowner kept asking me to make it perfectly flat, no tape lines showing. After three days of mudding and sanding I finally got it right, but only because I switched to using a 12 inch knife for the final coat instead of my usual 10. Has anyone else found bigger knives make a difference on those tricky ceilings with lots of angles?

3 comments

Posts

Switched from lump charcoal to briquettes for longer cooks and now I'm second guessing everything

That Tuesday last month when everything went right on a Samsung fridge compressor swap in under 45 minutes

Buddy swore I was watching anime wrong, turns out he had a point

The divide between using a stylus versus a mouse for digital painting feels pretty clear to me now

Just learned pork shoulder yield math blew my mind

I actually regret skipping the emergency fund for a higher savings rate

A guy at a camera swap meet changed my view on ultrasonic cleaning

Vent: Realized I was invoicing a full week late for 6 months straight

TIL a simple thank you from a first-time bike owner can make your whole week

Had a ceiling job go sideways in a Bellevue condo last spring

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