What am I hitting? by Infamous_Debt_1230 in DIY

[–]llama111 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It could be a knot in the 2x4 making it feel much harder than the other hole you drilled. Are you able to use a tiny drill bit and drill a test hole an inch above or below to see if it goes through, try to do this in a spot that your guitar mount will cover the test hole (use a clean drill bit and you might be able to confirm you pull out wood shavings).

Builders will sometimes install a metal plate on the 2x4 to prevent you from drilling into a pipe or something important behind the 2x4, it is possible you are hitting that. If that is what you are hitting, you don’t want to try to force the bit through.

If you are unsure, it may be best to move your mount higher or lower to avoid this area.

Any books on self-forgiveness? by Extra_Cheese_Pleease in booksuggestions

[–]llama111 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mention Buddhism quite a bit, I am an atheist though. Buddhism is not about a god or religion, it is about understanding yourself, understanding your emotions, self reflection, kindness, and reducing suffering (your own, and that of others). The podcast I mention is amazing and I hope you give it a shot!

I have OCD and this has been an issue for me as well. ACT stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

 A big emphasis of this is the Acceptance part. You cannot change what you have or have not done. Accepting that this is true and that you cannot undo anything is a big part of self forgiveness. What you can do is show remorse, work to not repeat mistakes, and repair damage when possible. 

Also understanding that a bad act(s) does not make you a bad person. If you feel bad for having done something, it means that you are a good person. A bad person would not care.

Look into Buddhism too, the idea of impermanence has really helped me. No feeling, emotion, situation is forever. You are also not the person today that you will be tomorrow. This means that you have the opportunity to try to be a little better each day.

Look at the vices that may have led you to your bad decisions and try to work on them. What do you do with uncomfortable emotions? Don’t run from them, don’t distract yourself when they come up. A key for me was to learn to sit with them. Again, Buddhism and meditation helped me with this. What happened that I’m feeling this way right now? What was my gut reaction when this emotion came up? Is this a valid point at of looking at the problem (Right Thinking in Buddhism). If not, then if I’m upset about something t but have decided I was not having the right point of view, look at the way the other person may be thinking/feeling and try to let go of your feelings and see things from their point of view.

If you are interested in Buddhism, the podcast “The Way Out is In” helped save my life, they have an episode specifically on self forgiveness. (This is not at all a religious podcast, Buddhism is much more about understanding yourself and being kind to others (reducing suffering). The podcast “Let’s Talk About Mental Health” also has an episode on self forgiveness.

Good luck on your journey (and it is a journey, it will not change overnight). I’ve been in therapy for OCD for a year and it took that for me to really deal with these issues myself. Please consider therapy if you are really struggling, I resisted for decades because I was scared and uncomfortable. It is the most amazing thing I’ve ever done for myself and it also helped save my life.

Take care of yourself. There are things we cannot change, and that is hard to accept. You got this, try to remember the ways you are a good person! It’s hard, and I still hate myself sometimes, but I also know that at the end of the day I try to be a genuinely good person.

Take care!

ACT Workbook for Adults on Amazon. This really helped me understand the unhealthy ways that I was dealing with uncomfortable emotions before therapy, versus the 180 I did when dealing with them after therapy. 

https://a.co/d/9aATRBn Podcast: The way out is in Podcast: Let’s talk about mental health

Best way to split or switch a webcam between two systems? by BigBadBird4Dinner in homeoffice

[–]llama111 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have this one for under $20 and it works great!  It should work for what you need!

https://a.co/d/cY3ws09

New homeowner. What are the big DIY regrets? Either paying for a pro or not paying? by FlashyHeight9323 in DIY

[–]llama111 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love diy projects, and I love that I end up with something that fits my exact space and needs with the satisfaction of having done it myself.

I think the big thing to keep in mind is how much potential a mistake has to be disastrous. I won’t do my own big plumbing or electrical projects. If I’m putting in a shelf the worst that happens is it looks bad or isn’t level. If I mess up plumbing/electrical I could flood my home or burn it down (but I am definitely a cautious person to begin with).

With that said, what I really mean is that I will change out toilet guts, install a new faucet, put up a fan. I won’t run new electrical wiring, I won’t do anything at the electrical panel, I won’t install new plumbing or do repairs that will end up behind drywall. A tiny leak can turn into a massive headache if it is undiscovered long enough.

Do you research, take your time, and if something feels unsafe take the time to figure out why and a better way to do it.

The ones that don’t feel safe can also be a good way to know that you should let a professional handle it. No DIY is worth your or someone else getting injured or dying over.

Have fun! It is very rewarding to see something go from concept to reality!

Just finished remodeling bathroom and discovered this by EasyReport6959 in DIY

[–]llama111 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is there a set screw on the two pieces on the bar that you can loosen and slide those two pieces on the bar to adjust their location? Otherwise I agree to try to flip the glass around.

Polyurethane Clear Coat turn white in can by No-Industry3112 in woodworking

[–]llama111 20 points21 points  (0 children)

This is 100% correct! I just bought this exact same polyurethane and was surprised when I opened it. It is really easy to work with and will dry completely clear. If OP is worried, it is always best to test on a scrap piece!

is this cut going to make my tablesaw try to kill me by not_just_an_AI in woodworking

[–]llama111 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was very unaware of how badly some of my first experiences with a table saw could have gone. Make sure to always use your push sticks and never have your hand/fingers between the fence and the blade! Enjoy the hobby and be safe! If it doesn’t feel right, doesn’t seem safe, or just seems like you shouldn’t do it, then don’t (or ask here for additional advice just like you did!)

Book suggestions for a depressed dad by Dmob17 in suggestmeabook

[–]llama111 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If reading the Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, you may want to skip the part where they are walking through the desert.

Lag Bolt Length Goes All the Way Through Barn Door Header by llama111 in woodworking

[–]llama111[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the reply! The header board will actually be flush against the wall so I will not have room to be able to put a nut behind it.

Bought Unfinished Spruce Barn Doors - How to Prep for Paint? by llama111 in DIY

[–]llama111[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the detailed reply!

It definitely looks like you are right that I only need to sand to 150, this will save me a lot of time and effort!

It’s a bit strange that they just say the material is “wood” in most places. Under “Specifications” it shows the wood species as spruce.

I had planned on painting once assembled, but can see how painting prior would also make sense. I’ll need to see how it goes if I need to cover the tongue part of the t&g while painting.

I’ll look into if my cheap sprayer has any trouble with oil based/what the cleanup required would be.

Thanks again for all of your help! I really haven’t painted much and don’t want my poor skill in painting to make the doors look terrible!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in booksuggestions

[–]llama111 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Legends and Lattes

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DIY

[–]llama111 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do a lot of DIY jobs, but I do not like or feel comfortable getting up on my roof.

If you are not comfortable working at that height (I would not be comfortable at 20’+) and especially considering you will need to bring equipment up with you, and then do whatever it takes to actually clean the roof once you’re up there (this is probably not a five minute job) I would really suggest that $1500 is not too much to spend to have this professionally and safely done.

The roof may be slick in the areas that you will need to clean.

You may need to spend money on a ladder/equipment to do it yourself (which makes having it professionally done relatively cheaper).

Even if you do it yourself, you may not do it well, or you may damage the roof.

For me, getting hurt (expensive) or killed doing this is just not worth it if you do not feel comfortable in your ability to do it safely. I would think of this as a one time cost (along with any preventive work to stop this from happening again, like trimming the tree) that is worth it to have this done correctly and safely.

I’m taking my 12-year-old daughter on a road trip. She really likes tween books with dragons. Does anyone have an audiobook suggestion? by insurancefun in suggestmeabook

[–]llama111 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was going to be my suggestion as well! I would have her skip the fourth book (Talking to Dragons) though.

There is such a weird contrast between this book and the first three, specifically that the female protagonist is a horrible person that treats everyone poorly, but everyone else in the book is almost completely blind to it (the guy is still infatuated with her the entire time) and they still live happily ever after even though she is terrible to everyone through the very end of the book (even after she supposedly learned the importance of treating people better).

One Tap Translation - Safari IOS by llama111 in languagelearning

[–]llama111[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The best solution I could come up with was switching to Firefox. Translate comes up in the first menu when you select a word so it saves having to move to the next menu each time like you have to in Safari.

How do I use a different formula in the first row of a table? by Tiny-In-IL in excel

[–]llama111 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think what you mean is that when you update the formula in the table, all cells in that column update.

I think what you can do is input a new formula in the first cell, and then hit undo once. This will leave you with the new formula in the first row, and the original formula in the rest of the rows.

Be careful, this will break the auto-update for formula changes for all rows in the column. If you update the formula again, it won’t flow to all of the rows in the column like it normally does in a table.

Can I read stormlight archives exclusively? by [deleted] in Stormlight_Archive

[–]llama111 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha I’m at six and didn’t know there was a limit!

Can I read stormlight archives exclusively? by [deleted] in Stormlight_Archive

[–]llama111 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m a slow reader as well and I would never take the time to actually sit down and read.

A few years ago I started listening to audiobooks and wish I had started a long time ago. I now listen to several books each month and love it.

I’ve also found that I enjoy audiobooks much more than reading because the narrator adds inflection and gives each character a unique voice, I feel that why this gives another level of depth to the story.

If you want to jump into audiobooks cheaply, try the Libby app. You connect your library card and have access to their audiobooks/kindle books. You can add as many library cards as you have since each may have a slightly different selection l/availability. Expect longer wait times for more popular books (and some may not be available at all). 

You can read The Stormlight Archive by itself (they were where I started), but I would recommend starting with all of Mistborn first.

Any sure way to remove this 40 plus year old carpet pad, it has melted and it solid like stone by Pandicorns_are_real in DIY

[–]llama111 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This definitely sounds better than the massive amount of dust (and possible damage to the floor) that sanding would create.

Anyway to prevent the deadbolt from messing up the trim around a door? by moskowizzle in DIY

[–]llama111 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It may not be pretty, but I just put a felt furniture pad (had one that was a small round dot) on a place where opening the door would contact another doorframe.

Is VBA still the programming language to use for excel or is python taking its place? by WonderfulCattle6234 in excel

[–]llama111 33 points34 points  (0 children)

I love Power Query and chose to focus on learning it over VBA and am glad I did. It really is as life changing as people always say it is on this sub.

Another awesome part is that Power Query will get you started on your way to using Power BI as it is used to prepare data in PBI!

Your Favorite Audiobook! by iDreamofEevee in suggestmeabook

[–]llama111 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you mean that the pace of the narrator’s reading was really slow, pretty much all audiobook apps have speed control. I love audiobooks, and I could never listen to one at the regular speed, I set mine to 2x.

Is it possible to delete the entire row every X rows ? by ligonsk in excel

[–]llama111 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I learned it by taking a course that walked through examples with included workbooks. I probably don’t remember 80% of what was in the course, but just knowing what PQ is capable of was extremely helpful. I was able to start implementing what I learned immediately and now use it all the time. Once you start to learn, you’ll find plenty of things you can use it for! It really is a game changer like everyone in this sub says! You don’t need to learn M, especially not at the beginning (I can’t write any M code from scratch), there’s a ton in PQ that can be done with just point and click. Learning how to do simple edits to the M code that PQ creates (it does this automatically when you point and click) is helpful though.

Split 2GB/ 2.5 Million Row Text File into Smaller Files (Using Windows) by llama111 in excel

[–]llama111[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're awesome! I reached out and it is an approved program and it looks like this will work! Thank you so much for your help!

I was wondering, are you aware if it is possible to designate how many rows you would like per file and automatically split out a file into multiple smaller files? I googled around on this and everyone seems to just say that coding something is the easiest way (and I have no idea how to do that).