He swore it would fix my engine knocking and I actually tried it last summer on my 2002 Civic, which then died on the highway 3 miles later. Anyone else have a relative give them car advice that sounded insane but they went along with it anyway?
Back in my first apartment I blew a fuse and just grabbed the highest amperage one from the drawer, thinking bigger number equals better protection. Landlord found out during a routine check and showed me the scorch marks inside the box from an overload I caused 3 months prior. That was July 2017 in a duplex off Maple Street, and I had to pay $400 to replace the whole panel. Now I match the exact rating stamped on the fixture and keep a labeled set in my toolbag. Anyone else learn electrical safety through a near miss like that?
Back in 2009, my track coach said stretching before practice was a waste of time and would actually slow me down. I pulled my hamstring twice that season and still stuck to his advice because he seemed so sure. Did anyone else grow up believing something about fitness that turned out to be completely backward?
I bought a knockoff water filter for my Kenmore fridge off Amazon for $12 last month, and it started leaking all over the kitchen floor at 2 AM. The cheap plastic cracked right where it connects to the line, and I had to shut off the water and mop up for an hour. Has anyone else had a budget filter fail like that or was I just unlucky?
I used to double every garlic clove in every recipe because I thought it made everything taste better. Then my friend Jen called me out after I ruined a batch of her grandma's spaghetti sauce from 2018 by tossing in 8 cloves instead of 4. She made me taste it side by side and I realized I was just covering up everything else with burny raw garlic flavor. Has anyone else had to unlearn a cooking habit they were way too proud of?
I was walking to the L stop during that sudden downpour and my $8 drugstore umbrella flipped inside out on Michigan Avenue. The wind caught it so bad the third time it snapped one of the ribs completely off. I just tossed it in a trash can and walked the rest of the way soaked. Has anyone found a pocket umbrella that can actually handle city wind without turning into a useless metal spider?
I installed a Nest knockoff in my apartment in Phoenix thinking it would save me money by learning my schedule. Instead it kept cranking the AC to 68 every afternoon because it 'sensed' I was home, even when I was at work. Has anyone else had a 'smart' device actually make your situation worse instead of better?
I used to get into arguments about this at the diner near my apartment, telling people they were ruining their drink. Last month I finally tried it and the bitterness just disappeared. Did anyone else have a stupid food belief they held onto way too long?
Tbh I thought filters were all the same until my HVAC guy showed me the crusty buildup on my coils after just 8 months using them. Cost me $450 to get the system cleaned out, has anyone else gotten burned by cutting corners on home maintenance stuff like that?
I was picking up some zip ties for a duct job in Oak Park and this older dude was dead serious telling his friend that duct tape and a hammer could fix a car engine. I nearly laughed but kept my mouth shut because I used to think the same thing back in 2001 when I first started doing HVAC work. My first big AC compressor burnout taught me real quick that a multimeter and a set of wrenches matter way more than any quick fix. Has anyone else run into this kind of overly confident DIY advice that just makes you cringe thinking back?
He said I was feeding the grass in August when it was dormant, so the nutrients just washed into the storm drain, and now I'm trying his spring schedule but has anyone else had good luck with a fall-only approach in a dry climate like Phoenix?
Last Thanksgiving at his place in Tulsa, he pulled out a grainy YouTube video and told me NASA used a soundstage in the Mojave. I asked him if he ever actually looked at the shadows in the Apollo photos, and he just changed the subject. Has anyone else had to sit through a family member's wild conspiracy theory over a turkey leg?
Took me close to 3 hours to get all the pitch and sawdust out of a single 20 inch bar. He was dead serious, said he'd been doing it for years. Ended up buying a proper chain cleaning tool for $15 and finished the job in 20 minutes flat. Has anyone else had somebody try to sell you on a cleaning shortcut that just made more work?