Jordan Smith (u/smith.jordan)

Posts

Best brisket I ever made happened by accident last Tuesday

I usually do the 225F overnight thing, but my smoker ran out of pellets at 2 AM and the fire died. Woke up at 6, panicked, threw it in the oven at 275 to finish fast. Turns out the temp spike and rest gave me this perfect bark and butter-soft inside. Anybody else ever accidentally nail a cook by screwing up the plan?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

smith.jordan•11d ago

Showerthought: I used to think the best way to lay deck boards was tight with no gaps

Built a cedar deck for my sister in Portland 3 summers ago. Pushed every board snug. Looked amazing that first spring. By that next winter the whole thing buckled like a roller coaster. Between the rain and expansion it was a mess. Had to pull half the boards and redo them with 1/8 inch spacers. Took me forever to learn that wood moves. Any of you guys had a deck job go sideways because you didn't leave room?

2 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

smith.jordan•11d ago

That 25 pound bag of rice I bought ended up costing me way more than I saved

I saw a huge bag of jasmine rice at the Asian market for $18 and thought I was being so smart. Saved like 30 cents a pound compared to the small bags. But I live alone in a tiny apartment with a weird pantry situation. After 4 months I found bugs in it. Had to throw out probably 15 pounds of rice. So I actually paid more per pound than if I just bought the small bags as I needed them. Anyone else have bulk buys backfire on them?

2 comments

c/censorship-survivors•

smith.jordan•12d ago

That one time I thought a VPN was overkill and now I can't believe I waited

I used to think people were being paranoid about their ISP tracking everything until I got a letter from my provider last year after downloading a public domain documentary. Has anyone else had a moment where they shrugged off a censorship tool and later felt dumb for it?

2 comments

c/conspiracy-debates•

smith.jordan•13d ago

Thought chemtrails were fake until my uncle showed me his flight logs

My uncle flew cargo planes for 30 years. Last Thanksgiving he pulled out his old flight logs from 1999 and showed me specific entries where he was told to release chemicals at certain altitudes over farm country. He said the pilots called it 'dusting' and nobody asked questions. I always rolled my eyes at chemtrail people but now I am not so sure. Has anyone else here talked to a pilot who will actually be straight with you about this stuff?

2 comments

c/edmonton-real-estate•

smith.jordan•14d ago

That $400 inspection saved me $8k on a duplex in Garneau

I put an offer on a place near the U and the home inspector I hired spotted some weird grading in the backyard. Turned out the previous owner had patched a foundation crack with just caulk. Water was pooling right against the wall during heavy rain. Got the seller to knock off $8k for the repairs and now I'm wondering if I got lucky or if most inspectors catch stuff like this. Anyone else had a small inspection find turn into a big discount?

3 comments

c/banned-books-exchange•

smith.jordan•18d ago

The librarian who told me I shouldn't read 'The Bluest Eye'

Back in 2018 I was browsing the young adult section at the public library in Austin, Texas when a older librarian came up and said I should pick something less 'controversial' for my age. She pointed at Toni Morrison's book in my hand and said it had no place in a public library because of the content. I told her I had already read it for a school project and thought it was important for understanding race in America. She got real quiet and just walked away without saying anything else. What gets me is that she was trying to shield me from something she never even asked about. Has anyone else had a librarian or teacher question their reading choices like that?

3 comments

c/carpenters•

smith.jordan•22d ago

I used to fight with my table saw fence every single cut

Spent years using a cheap saw with a fence that never stayed square, just thought that was normal. Last month I finally switched to a Vega fence system and I cut 12 cabinet panels in under an hour without a single adjustment. Has anyone else found fence upgrades worth more than the saw itself?

2 comments

c/alaska•

smith.jordan•23d ago

Had a talk with a denali ranger that shifted my whole view

I was grumbling about the new permit system at the visitor center last Tuesday and this ranger just said 'the park was here before any of us, we're just guests.' It hit different because I've been coming here for a decade and never thought of it that way. How do you guys balance wanting access with keeping places wild?

2 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

smith.jordan•25d ago

That fancy $600 smart thermostat was a complete waste of money for my old house

I bought this top of the line smart thermostat two years ago thinking it would save me on my heating bill. It was almost $600 with all the sensors and smart room controls. My house was built in 1978 and has terrible insulation in the attic and single pane windows downstairs. The thermostat kept trying to balance temperatures in rooms that just leak heat everywhere. After two winters I finally did the math and my gas bill was actually a little higher than before. I ripped it out last month and put in a basic programmable one for $45 from the hardware store. My heating bill dropped by about 15 percent just from not having the system cycle on and off every ten minutes. Anyone else find that expensive tech just doesn't work with older home setups?

2 comments