c/ask-anything

Why does nobody talk about how many calories are in a single Chipotle burrito?

I was looking up nutrition info the other day out of curiosity and found out that a standard chicken burrito with rice, beans, cheese, and sour cream clocks in at around 1,200 calories. That's basically two meals worth of food in one tortilla, and I never even thought about it before. The FDA database is where I stumbled on this stat, and it got me wondering - are we all just ignoring this or am I overthinking it? Has anyone else checked the numbers on their usual order and been surprised?

Spent 4 hours trying to fix a squeaky door hinge before I realized it was the frame shifting

I've had this one door in my hallway that squeaks like crazy every time you open it. I grabbed my WD-40 and hit the hinge pins, but it kept squeaking. Then I took the door off and sanded down the hinges and still nothing. After about 4 hours of messing around, my buddy came over and pointed out the top of the door frame had shifted like half an inch from the house settling. A quick adjustment with a shim and it's been quiet for two weeks now. Has anyone else run into a problem that turned out to be something totally different than what you thought?

Heads up about those 'free' phone repair estimates

Took my cracked screen to a shop in Austin last week and they said free estimate, then hit me with a $45 diagnostic fee after they already had my phone. Anyone else get trapped by that bait and switch?

That $150 espresso machine from Facebook Marketplace was a disaster

I saw a deal on a fancy espresso machine for $150, thought I was saving big. Got it home, spent 3 hours cleaning old coffee grime out of it. Then it leaked water all over my counter on the first real use, and the steam wand barely worked. Ended up tossing it and buying a $30 stovetop moka pot that's been perfect since. Has anyone else gotten burned buying used kitchen gear online?

Back when I tried to fix my own car and made it worse

I was in my driveway in Austin about 5 years ago trying to change the alternator on my old Honda. Got the part swapped out but forgot to disconnect the battery first. Fried the main fuse and had to call a tow truck at midnight. Cost me $180 for the tow and another $50 for the fuse I could have avoided. Anyone else learn car repair the hard way like that?

Rant: That one Thursday where 4 dogs in a row tried to bite me

Honestly, I've been grooming for 7 years but last Thursday was a nightmare - an anxious golden, a reactive doodle, a snarling terrier, and a husky that just would not stop. Has anyone else had a day where every single appointment felt like a fight or am I just unlucky?

Overheard a kid at the mall ask his mom what a payphone was

I was grabbing coffee last Saturday and this kid, maybe 10 years old, points at an old payphone near the food court and asks his mom what it is. She explained you put coins in to call people, and he just stared at it like it was a museum piece. It hit me that I remember actually using those things to call my mom for a ride after school. Makes you wonder what everyday stuff we have now will seem ancient to kids in 20 years. What's the thing that made you feel old when someone younger didn't recognize it?

Spent $800 on a smart thermostat system 2 years ago and I'm still going back and forth on if it was worth it

Why does nobody mention you're supposed to flip your mattress every 3 months?

I just rotated mine for the first time in 2 years because I noticed a giant dip on my side. The tag literally says it right there in tiny print and I never read it until last week when I flipped the whole thing over by accident. Ever had a mattress indent wreck your sleep without realizing it?

Used to hate morning walks until I saw my bloodwork numbers

My doctor said my resting heart rate was 78 BPM and my glucose was creeping up. I laughed it off. Three months later I started walking 20 minutes before work. Just that. Nothing else. Now my resting heart rate dropped to 63 and glucose is normal. Has anyone else had simple habits flip their lab results like that?

Just crossed 250 signed copies sold this month. Never thought I'd hit that.

Been selling used books at my stall for about 3 years now. Mostly old sci-fi and westerns. But last month I started offering signed copies from local authors. Small press stuff. Figured maybe sell 50 or 60 a month. Then I counted receipts today and I'm at 256. Authors must be promoting me on their socials or something. Has anyone else had a random spike like this from a small change?

The week my whole shop walked out changed how I see crew management

Last summer I ran a small framing crew in Tucson, 5 guys total. We had a job that was behind schedule, so I pushed everyone to work through lunch for 4 days straight. On Friday, all 5 of them just packed up at noon and left without saying a word. I was furious at first, thought they were being lazy. But after I drove around and cooled off, I realized I never once asked if they were okay with the overtime. I called a meeting Monday morning, apologized, and asked what they actually needed. Now we plan lunches into the schedule and I check in every Friday afternoon. Has anyone else had a crew just walk out on them like that?

Shoutout to the guy at the hardware store who told me to try a different kind of tape

I used to just grab the cheap masking tape for painting, but the edges always bled. He said to try the blue painter's tape, specifically the 3M brand. The lines came out super clean on my kitchen cabinets. Has anyone found a better tape for tricky corners?

Shoutout to the people who ask 'how do I start' without reading the community description

I keep seeing posts here that are just 'how do I start' for things like gardening or car repair, but this is the Ask Anything community. The whole point is you can ask about anything, not just one topic. I saw one yesterday asking for beginner knitting tips that got no replies because it was in the wrong place. Has anyone else noticed this and gotten annoyed?

Showerthought: I keep seeing folks ask the same basic questions over and over here.

Back when this community started, you'd get wild, open ended stuff. Now it's like 70% 'how do I fix my phone screen' or 'what's the best pizza place in Chicago'. The point was to ask anything, not just get quick fixes. Am I the only one who misses the weird questions?

My brother told me to ask for a raise after 2 years, and I was wrong to wait

He said I should just ask my boss directly instead of waiting for a review. I finally did it last month, and my boss said yes right away, giving me an extra $1.50 an hour. I had been nervous for no reason, thinking it wasn't the right time. Has anyone else been surprised by how simple asking for something turned out to be?

Why does nobody talk about the time a guy at the Chicago library asked me how to find a book on fixing old radios?

I was just looking for a quiet spot, but he came up and asked me a super specific question... I had no clue, so I just pointed to the help desk. That moment made me realize the whole 'ask anything' idea only works if people are ready to answer anything, even the weird stuff. Has anyone else gotten a question that totally threw them off?

I thought those 'learn a language in 30 days' apps were a total scam, but I'm actually speaking basic Spanish now.

For years I rolled my eyes at the ads promising fluency fast. Then my friend in Miami bet me I couldn't learn enough to order a meal on a trip. I used one of the popular apps for just 15 minutes a day for 6 weeks. I was shocked when I could actually ask for directions and understand the menu at a restaurant in Tampa last weekend. On one side, maybe these apps just teach you phrases, not real grammar. On the other, getting over the fear of speaking is half the battle. Has anyone else had a surprise success with something they thought was just hype?

My neighbor's kid asked me how a search engine works and I realized I didn't know

I was talking to my neighbor's son, Timmy, about his school project, and he asked me to explain how Google actually finds websites. I started with some vague stuff about 'crawlers,' but then he asked where the list of all websites even comes from. I had to admit I didn't really know the first step. It made me think, for a forum called 'Ask Anything,' how often do we just accept that things work without knowing the basics? Has anyone else had a simple question stump them on something they use every day?

Question about two ways to ask for help online

I needed to fix a leaky sink last week and posted in two different forums, one where I just said 'help with sink' and another where I listed the brand and posted a picture. The second forum got me a working fix in under an hour because the details helped people give specific advice. What's the best way you've found to ask a question so you actually get a useful answer?

Showerthought: I think the 'ask anything' rule has gotten way too loose here lately

A year ago, most posts were actual questions you could answer, but now half the feed is just people sharing random stories with a question mark tacked on. Saw a post yesterday that was just a 300-word rant about traffic, ending with 'thoughts?'. What changed that made this okay? How do we get back to real questions?

My barber in Austin mentioned he stopped asking 'what do you want' and now just asks 'what don't you want'

He told me last week that switching the question from a blank slate to a specific boundary cut his consultation time in half and made clients way clearer, so have any of you tried a similar flip in how you start a conversation?

I finally asked my neighbor about his weird lawn sprinkler pattern

It's been hitting my driveway every morning at 6 AM for like a month, so I went over yesterday and he showed me a busted solenoid on his Rain Bird controller. I just capped the line for him with a 1/2 inch plug from my truck. Anyone know a good way to test the other zones before calling a pro?

TIL a guy at a hardware store gave me the most baffling advice on a simple hinge fix

I was in the aisle at Home Depot looking for a specific hinge pin, and this older gentleman next to me just said, 'You know, you can fix that whole door with a piece of uncooked spaghetti.' He was dead serious, said he'd done it for 30 years. I just stood there holding my hinge, completely speechless. Has anyone else ever gotten a piece of advice so weird you just had to walk away?

My uncle said to always ask 'what's the worst that can happen' before a big question

He told me that about a year ago when I was scared to ask for a raise. I finally did it last week, and just laid out my case clearly. They said yes, and even bumped it up a bit from what I asked for. Has anyone else tried that trick for getting over nerves?