Tried to photograph the Orion Nebula with a cheap tripod and a rubber band

Honestly, my telescope mount broke right before the new moon last month, and I really wanted to get a shot of M42. I had this old, wobbly camera tripod and a pack of thick rubber bands. Ngl, I just strapped my 130mm reflector to the tripod head with like, three of them, hoping it would hold for a 30-second exposure. It actually worked, and the stars are almost round. Has anyone else pulled off a janky fix that somehow got you the shot?

Hot take: People keep putting their new deck boards too close together

I just finished my deck in the backyard and my neighbor, who built his last summer, asked why I left a gap. I used a 16d nail as a spacer, about an eighth of an inch, between each pressure-treated 2x6. Wood needs room to swell when it gets wet, or your whole deck turns into a wavy mess. Anyone else in a humid area like Georgia have a different spacing trick?

Trying to find a bus from Krakow to Zakopane that wasn't booked solid took me 4 hours of refreshing and calling hostels.

Has anyone else had a simple transport link turn into a full day project and found a better way to check local bus companies?

Stopped by that new high-end grocery in the city and their meat case made me shake my head.

They had a whole section labeled 'artisan charcuterie,' but the prosciutto was sliced way too thick, almost a quarter inch. It's a basic skill, and for the prices they're charging, you'd expect better. Does anyone else get annoyed seeing fancy places mess up simple cuts?

That one week in February where every horse had a foot like concrete

I swear, for five days straight, every single client in the county seemed to have a horse that hadn't been trimmed in over six months. The worst was a big Percheron cross out near Millerton, his feet were so overgrown I had to switch from my nippers to the hoof knife halfway through just to find the sole. My anvil was ringing nonstop, and my back felt it. Has anyone else had a run of horses that just test every tool in your truck?

Rant: a pilot asked me if the radar altimeter was just 'a fancy tape measure'

Heard that during a pre-flight in Denver and it made me think we should do more walk-arounds with the crew to explain what our boxes actually do.

Warning: a 100-yard pour in the rain last Tuesday

The boss said we had to finish the slab for the new warehouse before the storm hit, but it came early. We ended up working with plastic sheets over our heads and the bull float, which made the whole surface look like a wavy lake. Has anyone else had to finish a big pour in a downpour and found a trick that actually works?

Serious question, has anyone else had a customer ask for carpet in a bathroom?

Honestly, I got a call for a job in a house over in the suburbs and the homeowner wanted wall-to-wall carpet installed in their main bathroom. I was sure it was a bad idea and tried to talk them out of it, saying it would get moldy. They insisted, saying they had some special waterproof padding and a synthetic fiber. I did the install about eight months ago and just got a call for another room from them. Tbh, they said the bathroom carpet is holding up fine with their extractor cleaner. Has anyone else actually seen this work out, or did I just get lucky?

Saw a flyer for a 'lost cat' that was actually a possum, and everyone at the coffee shop board thought it was hilarious. I didn't.

I finally listened to the old guy about letting vinyl planks sit in the house before install

Did a job in Tampa last month where the homeowner had the boxes in their garage for a week before I got there. The Florida humidity had them at the right temp and moisture level. When I laid them, the fit was tight and perfect, no gapping at all by the end of the day. My last job where I installed straight from the truck had a call back for gaps after two weeks. How long do you guys usually let material acclimate for a standard glue-down LVP job?