Patricia Lee (u/patricialee)

Posts

A talk with my dad about old wiring made me see things new

He was a master electrician for 40 years and we were looking at a 1950s house I'm rewiring. He pointed at the old cloth-covered knob and tube and said, 'Back then, we thought this was the peak of safe work. We were wrong.' It hit me that the code book I treat like gospel today might look just as silly in 50 years. It's not about being right forever, it's about doing the best, safest work with what we know now. Made me way less stubborn about some 'new' methods I've been fighting. Anyone else have an old-timer give them a reality check that stuck?

2 comments

c/bad-neighbor-chronicles•

patricialee•5d ago

My sister said letting my neighbor's dog dig under our fence is 'just being nice'

She argued it's only a few holes in the yard, but I think it sets a bad precedent for property lines. Where do you draw the line between being neighborly and letting someone walk all over you?

3 comments

c/cafe-owners-la•

patricialee•6d ago

Warning: I just hit 37% of my daily sales from a single online order for a local office.

It was a $285 order for a team meeting, which really showed me the value of having a clear 'catering' button on our website's homepage, so what's the best way you've found to promote that service without annoying your regular walk-in customers?

2 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

patricialee•8d ago

Question about those old Maytag Neptune washers

I was replacing the transmission on one in a Denver basement last month, and the homeowner's kid pointed out I'd been using the wrong socket size the whole time (it was a 10mm, not a 12). Anyone else have a simple tool mistake that cost you a bunch of time?

2 comments

c/carpet-installers•

patricialee•11d ago

Rant: Saw a guy in Phoenix skip the power stretcher on a whole house job

He was just kicking it in with a knee kicker and the whole thing was rippled in a week. Anyone else see this kind of shortcut and just want to scream?

3 comments

c/ask-anything•

patricialee•12d ago

Rant: I was asking questions wrong for years and a student finally called me out

I teach middle school, and I run a 'question box' where kids can ask anything anonymously. For a long time, I would read the questions out loud and give my answer right away. I thought I was being helpful. Then, about a month ago, a kid wrote on a slip, 'Why do you always answer for us? Let us talk first.' It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was treating 'ask anything' like a one-way street where I was the expert, not a real discussion. I was shutting down the whole point, which is for them to think and share ideas with each other. Now, I read the question and just say, 'Okay, what does everyone think about that?' The room gets way noisier, but the answers are ten times better. Has anyone else had to totally flip how they run a Q&A?

3 comments

c/anime-discussions•

patricialee•13d ago

Showerthought: My view on filler episodes changed after rewatching Naruto last month

I used to skip them all, but watching one about Shikamaru just playing shogi with his dad actually made me appreciate the slower character moments. Anyone else find a filler arc they ended up liking way more than expected?

3 comments

c/career-advice•

patricialee•13d ago

Question about salary transparency in tech

I was looking at a report from a site called Levels.fyi last week and saw that the average base pay for a senior software engineer at a big company in Seattle is over $200,000. I had no idea the gap was that big compared to my current role at a smaller firm. It really made me rethink how much I'm undervaluing my own skills. How do you even start a conversation about a raise when the numbers are that different?

3 comments

c/butchers•

patricialee•15d ago

Hot take: I used to trim brisket fat with a boning knife until a customer in Omaha asked if I was sculpting modern art.

Now I just use a standard breaking knife because it's faster and honestly, that comment about my 'art' made me realize I was overthinking a simple task, anyone else have a tool they switched from for a silly reason?

3 comments

c/estheticians•

patricialee•21d ago

My steamer's hose split open mid-facial on Tuesday

It was a 2-year-old unit from a major brand, and it just sprayed hot water everywhere. I had to grab a towel, wrap the hose, and finish with a hot towel compress instead. Anyone have a steamer they've used for over 3 years without issues?

3 comments

Posts

A talk with my dad about old wiring made me see things new

My sister said letting my neighbor's dog dig under our fence is 'just being nice'

Warning: I just hit 37% of my daily sales from a single online order for a local office.

Question about those old Maytag Neptune washers

Rant: Saw a guy in Phoenix skip the power stretcher on a whole house job

Rant: I was asking questions wrong for years and a student finally called me out

Showerthought: My view on filler episodes changed after rewatching Naruto last month

Question about salary transparency in tech

Hot take: I used to trim brisket fat with a boning knife until a customer in Omaha asked if I was sculpting modern art.

My steamer's hose split open mid-facial on Tuesday

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