Phoenix Burns (u/phoenix_burns26)

Posts

Am I the only one who messed up a 5 pound bag of rice?

I got a huge bag of jasmine rice from the Asian market for cheap, but I tried to cook it in my old pot and it came out super soggy. Turns out my pot's lid doesn't fit right anymore, so all the steam escaped and it boiled over. Now I've got a giant sticky mess and wasted like three cups of rice. Anyone got a good way to save overcooked rice, or should I just turn it into something else?

2 comments

c/edmonton-home-reno•

phoenix_burns26•1mo ago

Question about that old basement window in my Bonnie Doon house

I was sure replacing the whole frame was the only fix for that drafty 1970s basement window, but my neighbor just showed me his place where he added interior storm panels from a local shop on Whyte Ave. The difference in cold air coming in after just one weekend was huge, and he said his heating bill dropped about 15% last month. Has anyone else tried something like this instead of a full frame replacement?

2 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

phoenix_burns26•1mo ago

Spent a whole weekend trying to write a story from a 'write what you know' prompt

I kept trying to force a story about my job, but it felt boring and flat every time. I finally gave up and wrote about a character who finds a weird key in a library book, and the whole thing just flowed in about two hours. Has anyone else had a prompt that just wouldn't work until you ignored the obvious idea?

2 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

phoenix_burns26•1mo ago

My girlfriend gave me an ultimatum: finish The Bear or start Shogun with her

We had a free weekend and she was super hyped to start Shogun together, but I was already three episodes into The Bear's new season. I told her I needed to finish it first because I hate having two intense shows going at once. She said if I didn't start Shogun right then, she was just gonna watch it without me, which felt like a threat lol. I chose to power through The Bear, stayed up way too late on Friday to finish it, and honestly my brain was just fried from all the kitchen chaos. By the time we sat down for Shogun on Saturday, I was kinda burnt out and couldn't even follow the political stuff. Has anyone else messed up a watch party by trying to cram in another show first?

2 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

phoenix_burns26•1mo ago

Can we talk about how much time we actually spend setting up a new journal

Honestly, I was convinced my 2-hour setup sessions were normal until I read a blog post by a productivity coach who tracked her time and found she only spent 45 minutes. I found it on 'The Pen Addict' blog last Tuesday, and it totally surprised me. How long does your initial setup usually take?

2 comments

c/diy-zine-culture•

phoenix_burns26•1mo ago

My corner stapler jammed on the last page of a 24-page run

It was a long-arm Bostitch stapler I got from the Portland art store... the staple got bent sideways and locked the whole thing up. I had to pry it open with a flathead screwdriver and lost about 10 minutes. Anyone know a more reliable heavy-duty stapler for thicker zines?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

phoenix_burns26•1mo ago

Switched from a cordless to a corded miter saw for a big trim job

Did a full house trim install in Durham last month, and after day one with my cordless saw, the battery life just wasn't cutting it for constant use. I plugged in my old corded model for day two and the difference in consistent power was huge, no more waiting on charges. Am I the only one who thinks cordless tools get pushed too hard for heavy-duty site work?

2 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

phoenix_burns26•1mo ago

Warning: I just read the 2023 NAEC injury report and the number of falls from ladder use in hoistways is way higher than I thought.

Found it buried in the appendix of their annual safety bulletin, and it made me double-check every single ladder setup I do now, so has anyone else started using a different fall arrest system for those tight pit access jobs?

2 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

phoenix_burns26•2mo ago

Rant: I used to just post my finished art online, but then I tried showing the process too.

For years, I'd only share the final image on my gallery. Last month, I posted a 30-second timelapse of a character portrait I made in Procreate. The comments and shares tripled compared to my usual posts. People said they loved seeing the sketch and color layers come together. Has anyone else seen better results from sharing their workflow?

3 comments