Sarah Patel (u/sarahpatel)

Posts

Swapped my old telescope eyepiece for a cheaper one at a star party in Flagstaff

I brought my 25mm Plossl to a star party last month and a guy let me try his $60 budget wide-angle instead of my $150 one. Honestly the view of the Orion Nebula was just as clear and way more immersive. Anyone else find that price doesn't always match the view?

2 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

sarahpatel•1d ago

PSA: Hot water trick for stubborn refrigerator ice makers

I used to fight with ice maker jambs by scraping and prying, but a guy in Denver showed me a better way last spring. He said to pour a cup of hot water directly over the mechanism and let it sit for 5 minutes before pulling anything apart. Saved me an hour on a Frigidaire model last week and no risk of cracking the plastic like a screwdriver does. Anyone else use this method or have a different go to for ice maker issues?

3 comments

c/crane-operators•

sarahpatel•6d ago

Pro tip: Always check your rigging before the first pick of the day

I was working a site in Austin last Tuesday and my choker slipped on a steel beam because I didn't notice a worn spot near the eye, got it stopped before it dropped but it scared me good, anyone else had a close call from skipping a pre shift inspection?

2 comments

c/cleveland-west-side-living•

sarahpatel•7d ago

Choices at the West Side Market: West Side Market vs. Dave's for weekly groceries

Back in 2019, I had to pick between doing all my shopping at the West Side Market or just sticking with Dave's on West 117th for convenience, and I went with the Market for the fresh produce and meats. Honestly, it took longer walking through those aisles but the sausages from that one stand were way better than anything in a plastic pack at the store. Has anyone else switched back to the Market after years of just hitting the grocery store and noticed a big difference?

2 comments

c/archaeology-discoveries•

sarahpatel•7d ago

Hot take on that Viking burial ship in Norway - I think the dating is off

Everyone's hyped about the Gjellestad ship being from 800 AD, but I spent 3 months looking at the soil samples from the excavation report and I'm not buying it. The stratigraphy shows a clear mixing layer that could mess up carbon dating by 50 to 100 years. I learned from a geoarchaeology workshop in Denver last spring that root disturbance in sandy soils like that can pull older organic material down. Nobody in the forums wants to hear it because the 800 AD date makes for a better headline. Has anyone else checked the pollen analysis from the burial mound base versus the ship trench?

2 comments

c/electricians•

sarahpatel•9d ago

Vent: Chased a ground fault in a warehouse for 2 hours before I realized it was a loose neutral bar screw on the panel that I installed 6 months ago

I even swapped out the GFCI breaker and bought a new meter thinking something was wrong with my tools, has anyone else ever overlooked a stupid simple fix like that?

2 comments

-1

c/the-great-outdoors-nh•

sarahpatel•10d ago

Chat with a ranger about my Mt. Washington hike plans made me rethink everything

Honestly, I was all set to do the standard Tuckerman Ravine trail this weekend, but ran into a ranger at the Pinkham Notch visitor center who said the ice on the headwall is still sketchy from last week's storm. They told me to try the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail instead since it has better traction with microspikes. I spent 20 minutes looking at their map and realized I've been blindly following AllTrails without checking local conditions. Has anyone else switched trails last minute based on ranger advice and had it work out better than your original plan?

2 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

sarahpatel•1mo ago

The moment I realized I was overcooking rice for 20 years

I was at my mom's house last Tuesday and she made rice in like 12 minutes flat. I always did 20 and wondered why it was mushy. She just gave me this look and said 'you're not supposed to boil the soul out of it.'

3 comments

c/drywall-installers•

sarahpatel•1mo ago

PSA: Why does every new build in Dallas insist on 1/2 inch drywall for all ceilings?

I was helping a friend finish his basement in Fort Worth last month and noticed his ceiling already sagging between the joists after just 3 years, so why do builders keep skimping on 5/8 inch when the extra cost is barely a few hundred bucks?

2 comments

c/fix-my-setup•

sarahpatel•1mo ago

This week my monitor stand finally gave up and my desk is a disaster zone

I came home Monday after a rough day at work, sat down to unwind with some gaming, and my cheap monitor arm just snapped right at the gas spring. The monitor dropped and knocked my coffee mug into my keyboard, which now has half the keys sticking. I spent the next three hours trying to rig something with books and a shoe box just to keep the screen at eye level. My cable management was already a mess before this, with wires trailing everywhere under the desk like a spaghetti monster. Now I got a HDMI cable draped across my mouse pad and a power strip hanging by one corner. Is there a simple fix for temporary monitor support that won't break again in a week? Or should I just bite the bullet and buy a proper dual arm setup this time around?

2 comments

Posts

Swapped my old telescope eyepiece for a cheaper one at a star party in Flagstaff

PSA: Hot water trick for stubborn refrigerator ice makers

Pro tip: Always check your rigging before the first pick of the day

Choices at the West Side Market: West Side Market vs. Dave's for weekly groceries

Hot take on that Viking burial ship in Norway - I think the dating is off

Vent: Chased a ground fault in a warehouse for 2 hours before I realized it was a loose neutral bar screw on the panel that I installed 6 months ago

Chat with a ranger about my Mt. Washington hike plans made me rethink everything

The moment I realized I was overcooking rice for 20 years

PSA: Why does every new build in Dallas insist on 1/2 inch drywall for all ceilings?

This week my monitor stand finally gave up and my desk is a disaster zone

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