Sandra Thomas (u/sandra146)

Posts

Spent 3 hours on a lighting layer that barely showed up in the final export

I was trying to get this soft glow effect on a forest scene and layered like 15 different brushes with opacity tweaks. After rendering I could barely see the difference but zooming in 400% it gave the whole piece this weird depth I wasn't going for. Has anyone else accidentally hidden a detail that ended up making the piece work better than the obvious stuff?

2 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

sandra146•6d ago

Tried switching from dried beans to canned for my chili last week and never again

The canned ones turned to mush after 20 minutes of simmering, cost twice as much per pound, and my grandma's recipe just tasted wrong without that firm bite you only get from soaking dried pintos overnight how do you all avoid mushy canned beans or am I the only one who cares?

2 comments

c/client-red-flag-watch•

sandra146•8d ago

Picked the wrong client last month and it cost me 3 weekends

I had two clients both asking for rush logo work. One was a local coffee shop with a clear brief, the other was a tech startup founder who said "just make it pop." I took the startup job for $1,200 and spent 3 weekends redoing versions he kept hating. The coffee shop guy went with someone else and now I see his logo all over town. Anyone else get burned by picking the flashy client with no direction?

2 comments

c/construction-management•

sandra146•24d ago

The one subcontractor who showed me a better way to read blueprints

I was on a job site in Denver about 2 years ago, framing a new office building. This older electrician, maybe 65, walked over while I was staring at a confusing section of the MEP drawings. He didn't say much, just pointed at a single note in the corner I had skimmed over. 'That changes where your chase walls go,' he said. I had been ready to build them in the wrong spot, which would have cost me a full day of rework and maybe $800 in materials. He saved my butt. Has anyone else had a random trade worker drop a piece of knowledge that totally changed how you look at a set of plans?

2 comments

c/computer-technicians•

sandra146•25d ago

Dropped $300 on a 'repaired' server from eBay that died in 2 days

I bought a used Dell PowerEdge R630 from a seller with good ratings, thinking I was getting a deal for my home lab. After setting it up and running fine for 48 hours, the PSU started smoking and the board went dead. Anyone else get burned by buying secondhand enterprise gear from sketchy listings?

2 comments

c/bad-logo-fix-club•

sandra146•25d ago

Had a 15 minute chat with a sign painter at a diner counter yesterday

He was fixing the menu board and I asked him about logo design. He said "half the logos I see from digital designers have no soul because they think it's about fonts." That hit me because I spent 4 hours last week picking out type for a client's rebrand. He showed me how he sketches letters by hand first and photographs them. Made me wonder how much we overcomplicate logo design by skipping the physical part. Anyone else feel like digital tools make you miss the basics?

2 comments

c/anime-discussions•

sandra146•26d ago

Warning: watching dubbed vs subbed One Piece changed my whole viewing pace

I spent 3 weeks watching the dubbed version of One Piece on Netflix, and I was only at episode 45. Switched to the subbed version with faster releases, and in the same time I got through 120 episodes. The voice actors in Japanese just had more energy for me, especially around the Arlong Park arc. Has anyone else found a huge speed difference between the two formats, or is it just me getting hooked on the subs?

3 comments

c/backyard-and-garage•

sandra146•28d ago

My neighbor said I should soak my shovel in sand and oil for a month. I thought he was nuts.

My neighbor Mike told me last fall to keep a bucket of sand mixed with motor oil in my garage and stick my shovel blade in it after every use during winter. I honestly thought he was pulling my leg because it sounded so messy and pointless. But after three months of dealing with a rusty, dull shovel that would barely cut through frozen ground, I finally tried his trick. I grabbed a five gallon bucket, filled it with cheap play sand from the hardware store, and poured in about a quart of used oil I had from my lawn mower. Now I just plunge my shovel in a few times after I'm done and the blade comes out clean and slightly coated. It's been 6 weeks and my shovel hasn't rusted at all and it still slides into the dirt like butter. Has anyone else used this method for their garden tools or do you have a different way to keep things from rusting?

2 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

sandra146•1mo ago

My mom's old oven timer made me appreciate my air fryer more

Was helping my mom clean out her kitchen last weekend and she still has that old mechanical oven timer that dings so loud. She said she misses waiting for it because the air fryer beep is too quiet. Made me realize how much faster cooking has gotten even if I complain about the beeps sometimes. Anyone else find the air fryer too quick compared to old recipes?

2 comments

c/branding-breakdowns•

sandra146•1mo ago

Paid a graphic designer $500 for a logo redo. Best money I ever wasted?

My old logo looked like clip art from 2004. The new one actually works on business cards and my website without looking like a mess. Anyone else shell out for professional branding and actually see a difference?

2 comments