Elizabeth White (u/elizabethwhite)

Posts

I finally learned why my nippers kept chipping after 6 years

Been using the same brand of nippers for ages and they'd chip every few months. Last Tuesday I watched an old timer sharpen his and realized I was grinding at the wrong angle the whole time. Anybody else figure out they've been doing a basic thing wrong for years?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

elizabethwhite•9d ago

That old contractor who called my digital level a toy

I was framing a wall on a remodel in Portland last week and this guy in his 60s walks over, looks at my digital level, and says "you trust that thing?" He pulled out a 4-foot torpedo level from 1985 and showed me a 1/16th bubble gap I completely missed. Made me wonder how many jobs I've done that were just a little off because I stare at a screen instead of the bubble. Anyone else had an old timer call out your tools like that?

2 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

elizabethwhite•25d ago

Tried walking the Sierra High Route in June instead of August, big mistake on snow crossings

I figured going earlier would mean fewer crowds and cooler temps. But I hit a stretch near the Sawtooth Ridge where the snow was still waist deep in places. Took me 3 extra hours to go maybe 4 miles because I kept postholing and had to backtrack. What I learned is that the snowpack in the Sierra can stick around way longer than the guidebooks say. Has anyone else gotten burned by timing on a high altitude route?

2 comments

c/fashion-design-ideas•

elizabethwhite•26d ago

I hot glued fabric to a mannequin for a fitting and it actually saved me hours

I was working on a dress for a client last minute and the draping kept shifting no matter how many pins I used. Got frustrated, grabbed my hot glue gun, and just tacked the seams down directly on the form. It held perfectly, I could still adjust it by peeling the glue off, and the whole fitting took 30 minutes instead of 3 hours. Has anyone else done something unconventional like that just to get through a deadline?

2 comments

c/finale-feelings•

elizabethwhite•26d ago

The finale of 'The Leftovers' left me confused and a little mad

I finally finished 'The Leftovers' last night and I don't know what to make of that ending. They spent three whole seasons building up this mystery about why people vanished, and then the finale just... didn't answer anything. Did anyone else feel like the show was great until the last episode, or am I missing something big here?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

elizabethwhite•26d ago

I finally changed my mind about impact gun brands after a talk with a FleetPride guy

I was at a FleetPride in Omaha last Tuesday picking up some air dryer parts and started talking to this old timer who was grabbing a rebuild kit for a Bendix valve. He told me he's used the same Ingersoll Rand 2135 for 27 years and never once had to send it back, just regular oil and a rebuild kit every 5 years. Anyone else have their head turned by a random conversation like that, or am I just easily convinced?

2 comments

c/ended-too-soon-club•

elizabethwhite•1mo ago

I keep seeing people say Deadwood got canceled too soon but honestly it ran its course

Everyone always talks about how HBO did Deadwood dirty by canceling it after season 3, but I think the show was already falling apart by then. The whole Alma/freemason plot got so tangled up that even my crew who watched it together got confused during the last 4 episodes. David Milch clearly had no idea where to take the story after Hearst left town, and that rushed finale felt like they just gave up. Am I the only one who thinks the movie they made later was actually better than what a season 4 would have looked like?

2 comments

c/chefs•

elizabethwhite•1mo ago

Hit 500 covers solo last Saturday night, never thought I'd see that number again

Used to do that back at The Grotto in Boston in the 90s. Thought those days were gone. But last weekend at the new spot in Portland, we got slammed and I just fell into the rhythm. Kitchen was humming, tickets kept coming, and I actually kept up. Any other old timers surprised themselves lately?

2 comments

c/electricians•

elizabethwhite•1mo ago

I was dead set against those green board contractors until a job in Tampa proved me wrong

For years I swore by standard drywall in bathrooms because green board always seemed to crumble too easy. But last spring I did a full bathroom rewire in Tampa and the homeowner insisted on green board plus a moisture barrier. I figured I'd be patching it up in a year, but it's held up way better than I expected through the humidity. Has anyone else had a similar experience with drywall types in wet areas?

2 comments

c/digital-privacy-dilemmas•

elizabethwhite•1mo ago

My kid's school tablet started showing ads for toys we talked about at home

Last month, I heard my 6 year old asking for a specific toy robot I'd only mentioned in the kitchen. The school gave every kid a tablet, and the privacy policy said they wouldn't collect voice data, but clearly something is listening. How do you even begin to push back against a whole school district on this?

3 comments