James Martinez (u/the_james)

Posts

I took a job for the money in Austin and it backfired in a way I didn't see coming

I accepted a project manager role last year that paid 30k more than my old job, but the company culture was toxic and I burned out after just 8 months. The stress actually set my skills back because I was just putting out fires instead of growing. Has anyone else taken a high paying job that ended up hurting their career path?

2 comments

c/does-anyone-else•

the_james•3d ago

I tried two ways to track my project hours and one was a game changer

For the last six months, I used a simple spreadsheet to log my time, but I always forgot to update it. Last week, I switched to the Toggl app and set it to remind me every hour. I billed 12 more hours this month because I actually remembered to track them. Does anyone else find that a small tool change makes a huge difference in getting paid for all your work?

2 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

the_james•5d ago

Shoutout to my air fryer for getting me through a really weird Tuesday

My stove went out for a whole day last week, right when I had a bunch of chicken thighs to cook. I ended up using just the air fryer for everything, even roasted some potatoes and green beans in there. It was kind of a fun challenge to see what I could make. Has anyone else had to cook a whole meal with just the air fryer?

2 comments

c/career-advice•

the_james•7d ago

My old manager in Phoenix told me to stop asking for permission on small stuff.

He pulled me aside after a team meeting and said, 'Just do it and tell me later, I trust you,' which flipped a switch for me about taking more ownership. Anyone else have a boss who gave you that kind of push?

2 comments

c/anime-discussions•

the_james•9d ago

Question about finding old anime forum threads from a specific scene

I spent like 3 hours trying to find a forum discussion about a weird scene in 'Serial Experiments Lain' (you know, the one with the wires and the bear). I could remember the scene perfectly but not the episode number, and searching just brought up reviews. I finally solved it by using a fan wiki to get the exact episode name, then searched that plus 'forum' and 'reddit'. Has anyone else found a better way to dig up old anime talk about a single moment?

2 comments

c/climate-action•

the_james•9d ago

My rain barrel setup just split open during that heavy storm on Tuesday

It was a 55 gallon plastic one I got from the city program, and the seam gave way after three years. I came out to find all that water I was saving for the garden just gone, pooling in the yard. I guess the plastic got brittle from the sun... I'm looking for a more solid option, maybe a metal one. Has anyone found a brand that holds up better over time?

2 comments

c/fast-food-rankings•

the_james•9d ago

I finally tried the new spicy chicken sandwich at Burger King after avoiding it for months

For weeks I kept seeing ads for it and thought it was just another fake spicy item, you know, like most fast food places do. But last Tuesday I was stuck in a drive-thru line and decided to give it a shot, mostly because I was hungry. The first bite actually had a real kick to it, way more than I expected from a chain like that. It's not going to burn your face off, but for a fast food spicy chicken, it's pretty solid. Anyone else try it and think it's better than the usual stuff they put out?

2 comments

c/does-anyone-else•

the_james•12d ago

I just read that a single oak tree can support over 500 different insect species.

Found that in a local nature center pamphlet and it really surprised me. Does that seem high to anyone else?

2 comments

c/cable-installers•

the_james•14d ago

Rant: Overheard a guy at the supply house say 'a good crimp is just a good crimp, doesn't matter the tool'

I've seen too many service calls from bad connectors to believe that. What's your go-to coax crimper that actually lasts?

2 comments

c/fence-erectors•

the_james•14d ago

Honestly, the worst day I've had in a while was last Tuesday when I hit a main water line with a post hole digger in a Phoenix backyard and it took the city 6 hours to shut it off.

Ngl, the whole job was a muddy mess and the homeowner was just standing there with his arms crossed the entire time, so has anyone else had a city utility markout be that far off before?

2 comments

Posts

I took a job for the money in Austin and it backfired in a way I didn't see coming

I tried two ways to track my project hours and one was a game changer

Shoutout to my air fryer for getting me through a really weird Tuesday

My old manager in Phoenix told me to stop asking for permission on small stuff.

Question about finding old anime forum threads from a specific scene

My rain barrel setup just split open during that heavy storm on Tuesday

I finally tried the new spicy chicken sandwich at Burger King after avoiding it for months

I just read that a single oak tree can support over 500 different insect species.

Rant: Overheard a guy at the supply house say 'a good crimp is just a good crimp, doesn't matter the tool'

Honestly, the worst day I've had in a while was last Tuesday when I hit a main water line with a post hole digger in a Phoenix backyard and it took the city 6 hours to shut it off.

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