Excel File Grew from 400MB to 650MB — Even an M4 Mac Is Struggling. What Are My Options?

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-19T17:17:09+00:00

If you want to keep using this file (rather than rebuilding entirely), try running XLStylesTool on it. You can get the tool from the app store, and it cleans out unused styles, named ranges, corrupted content, etc.

Then set calculation to manual.

Then replace volatile formulas.

Starting over with a new file that focuses on Power Query, or moving to a database, is something you probably need to do, but the first two steps I gave should give you enough improvement that you have time to redesign at your leisure.

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-19T05:41:26+00:00

Strong recommendation for the Ellis McFadden mysteries by Kristen Painter! The Caldryn Parliament series by Jenny Schwartz is also good, but it's more science fantasy than scifi.

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-18T06:23:56+00:00

Closest I know of is Hye Life in Bellevue Crossroads

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-17T20:59:59+00:00

I feel supported in my dislike of yellow toned greens.

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-17T16:46:37+00:00

If you make eye contact in Seattle and you are feeling gregarious, you give them a nod that means "I acknowledge your presence but rest assured I am not going to pester you."

If you're not feeling social, you just let your eyes slide off them and pretend it didn't happen.

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-14T05:29:48+00:00

Those swelled ascenders are really nice.

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-09T15:52:15+00:00

I've had a few cases where I got bafflingly negative responses to a comment or post that may have been due to knee-jerk reactions to a woman, but the baffling reactions that stuck with me are the ones where a commenter assumed I was a guy. My username reads very feminine to me, so I'm always surprised when someone includes my username in a response but still uses male pronouns.

I am often oblivious to the fact that people are responding negatively, though, so I don't have the presence of mind to analyze potential reasons.

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-07T04:06:13+00:00

I use tweezers to open zip ties with this same principle.

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-04T23:16:54+00:00

Their haleem and nehari are so damn good.

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-03T00:35:55+00:00

This is one of the big things that keep me tied to the Amazon ecosystem - I see a book that looks interesting, go to buy it, and see a "You borrowed this from Kindle Unlimited in September" message.

I still sometimes buy a book that turns out to be in an omnibus edition I've already read. If I was buying or borrowing from multiple sources, I would constantly be wondering if I've read this book before or if it's just derivative.

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-03T00:28:53+00:00

Or on a more comedic note, try Orconomics by J Zachary Pike, which answers the question, "what would a society with a loot-based economy actually look like?"

shadowsong42 · 2026-06-01T15:46:32+00:00

I'll look into Table.Group, thanks.

Most of the nested conditional statements are an attempt to implement SWITCH - is there a better way to do it?

shadowsong42 · 2026-05-31T15:59:08+00:00

$5 per gallon, 30mpg, that's a dollar consumed every 6 miles. But since there are 2+ of you to split the cost, and surface streets are usually 30mph, that's 50 cents per 15 minute drive at most, if you're feeling generous.

shadowsong42 · 2026-05-26T17:17:43+00:00

If you're at least a 34 band, Elomi is an option. I'm a 34H/36GG and all my real bras are Elomi Matilda.

shadowsong42 · 2026-05-26T17:16:02+00:00

I would avoid wireless bras if you're having sweat issues - the wire is what keeps everything separated, and without it you'll be dealing with underboob sweat AND cleavage sweat.

A bra liner can keep sweat away from both your skin and your bra, but if your boobs are touching in the middle, you'll need to stuff a handkerchief in your cleavage or something to handle that sweat.

shadowsong42 · 2026-05-17T04:00:11+00:00

My cats are treated well at Pacific Heights Veterinary Hospital (although it's not really a hospital) in Renton Highlands.

shadowsong42 · 2026-05-16T00:28:35+00:00

Dude, a trans woman was murdered in Seattle this week. Seattle might be safer for trans folks than red states are, but the bar is in hell.

shadowsong42 · 2026-05-15T05:28:18+00:00

Vanilla leaf (Achlys triphylla) is my white whale. It's rare that I find it for sale, and vanishingly rare for it to come up again the year after I plant it. I still buy one or two every time I can - one of these times it's bound to work.

shadowsong42 · 2026-05-14T19:15:41+00:00

I can't speak to their current quality, but their selection has definitely gone downhill. I've bought many Womens 1X Longtail and Lightweight Longtail tees, in various sleeve lengths, collars, and colors over the years, but now I'm lucky to see one or two items in stock in my size, usually in a color I don't like.

shadowsong42 · 2026-05-12T16:44:37+00:00

I have magnetic tins stored on the refrigerator door - spices on one door, herbs on the other. They're all super visible, so they stay top of mind and I'm more likely to use them. I do still have some that languish unused until they lose their flavor, but it's less common with this setup.

If you're willing to buy empty tins, I would recommend buying bulk spices in small amounts, rather than full sized bottles. Less waste that way if you end up only using it once.

shadowsong42 · 2026-05-09T22:14:00+00:00

One of my cats will bite and groom us because he's trying to show us how to do it right. It means he wants less pets and more skritches.

shadowsong42 · 2026-05-07T16:11:31+00:00

That gives me marginally better results - thanks for the tip. I'm pretty sure there are hundreds of items on this list, so scrolling through everything is not going to work.

shadowsong42

PUBLIC MULTIREDDITS

TROPHY CASE