Mia Coleman (u/mia52)

Posts

mia52•3d ago

Hit 5,000 cups logged in my coffee journal, shocked by the number

I started tracking every cup I make at home back in January after a trip to Portland where a barista suggested it. Today I hit 5,000 cups logged, which means I average about 14 cups a week, way more than I thought. Turns out my French press gets used 80% of the time, and my pour over barely gets touched. Has anyone else tracked their coffee habits and found a pattern that surprised them?

1 comments

c/cable-installers•

mia52•3d ago

200 foot Cat 5e run failed, other guy swore it was fine, who's right?

I did a house in Phoenix last week where the homeowner had Cat 5e already pulled and the other installer said it was fine for gigabit. I've seen too many 200 foot runs fail at the tester because of that, so I re-pulled with Cat 6 and it passed clean. My question is, are we just being lazy or is 5e actually good enough for most homes? I know the spec says 5e can do gigabit at short distances, but I've had too many callbacks on runs over 150 feet. Has anyone else dealt with this or do you just trust the label on the box?

1 comments

c/auto-warranty-advice•

mia52•6d ago

Warranty claim at 60,001 miles was the exact ouch I feared

My truck's transmission started slipping on a Tuesday right after I crossed 60,000 miles, and the dealer turned me away because the powertrain warranty ended at exactly 60K. The repair quote came back at $3,400, so I ended up paying half after negotiating with a local shop in Tulsa. Has anyone else had a warranty expire right at a milestone like that and found a way to talk the manufacturer into helping?

1 comments

c/diy-tech-fixes•

mia52•8d ago

My old RadioShack multimeter finally gave up at a garage sale

I was helping a neighbor sort stuff for their sale last Saturday and found my old analog multimeter from 1992 sitting in a box. It still worked for basic voltage checks, but the needle was sticking and the zero adjust knob was stripped. It got me thinking about how we used to test car alternators and wall outlets with these clunky things, no digital display or auto-range. I ended up selling it for $5 to a guy who collects vintage tools, and now I'm wondering if anyone else has retired an old meter they just couldn't toss?

1 comments

c/carpet-installers•

mia52•9d ago

Just wasted 4 hours on a moisture test I should've done first

Took a job in Overland Park last week, tore out the old carpet, and found the concrete slab was damp as a sponge... had to put everything back and reschedule for a week out. That lost me a full day's pay plus the customer's patience, around $350 in work I can't bill for. Do you guys always moisture test before you even start pulling, or am I the only one who got burned like this?

1 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

mia52•17d ago

Ran a time-lapse test on my 6 year old tablet and wow

Had this old iPad Air 2 sitting around and figured I'd try it as a time-lapse controller for a sunrise shoot. Used the free Lapse It app and it held up for 4 straight hours without crashing or overheating. Honestly saved me from dropping $300 on a dedicated intervalometer setup. Anyone else use old hardware for art projects like this?

2 comments

c/california-disability•

mia52•18d ago

Way different getting SSDI now versus 2018

Back in 2018 I just walked into the SSA office in Fresno and had my initial interview done in like 45 minutes. This time around they made me use the online portal for everything and then wait 3 months for a phone call from some guy in Sacramento. Has anyone else noticed how much slower the process got after they closed most of the walk-in offices?

2 comments

c/cheap-eats-club•

mia52•20d ago

The great tofu debate: pan fry first or just toss it in the sauce?

I used to always cube up a block of tofu and throw it straight into whatever stir fry or curry I was making. It was fine, kind of soft and bland but it worked. Then about 6 months ago I started pressing it for 20 minutes then pan frying the cubes in a little oil until they were golden and crispy on all sides before adding sauce. The difference was huge - the texture went from mushy to chewy and it soaked up way more flavor. Total cost difference is basically zero since you just need a little extra oil, maybe 20 cents worth. But now I'm wondering if the extra time and dirty pan is really worth it for a cheap weeknight meal. Do you all bother with the extra step or are you team just-toss-it-in?

1 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

mia52•21d ago

PSA: I spent 10 years salting my pasta water before it boiled and wondering why it took forever to dissolve

The moment I dropped salt into boiling water at a friend's house and saw it disappear in seconds, I felt pretty foolish about all that money I wasted on gas waiting for cold salted water to heat up. Has anyone else had a basic cooking habit that turned out to be completely backwards?

2 comments

c/graphic-design-inspo•

mia52•4mo ago

I keep seeing designers use way too much drop shadow on text

It makes things look muddy, not modern. I had to redo a whole menu design for a cafe because the owner said it looked blurry from across the room. What's a better way to add depth without just cranking up the shadow distance?

3 comments