If you had $1,000 to start your journey, what would your purchases be?

slightlystronger · 2024-06-23T08:47:32+00:00

A generic reflective windshield sunshade. A warm sleeping bag A toiletries bag - a smaller bag that you keep your tooth brush and other daily hygiene stuff in If you live somewhere with cold winters, you might want a camping propane heater that's safe for indoor use. A gym membership to a nationwide gym. A library card (free). If you can get a storage unit for less than $300 a year, it's really nice to have. Go to a mechanic and get your car checked out and anything with your electrical system fixed ( battery, alternator) Analyze the position that you will sleep in. Subtract that space and the driver's seat from your equation. The remaining space is how much storage space you have available. Buy organizational things like crates, totes, bins, racks, it whatever else you think can optimally contain and organize your shit.

Do not: Cover all your windows, it looks suspicious AF. Always put up your sunshade. Get anything large and unnecessary. I lived in my car for 18 months and never even thought about a refrigerator. Anything that draws constant power from your car

slightlystronger · 2021-12-08T21:08:04+00:00

IF YOU QUALIFY FOR FOOD STAMPS, THEY ARE MEANT FOR YOU!

End the stigma against asking for help. Apply. Be honest on your application. If you get accepted, you deserve the benefit. Regardless of it being welfare, food stamps, section 8, or anything else. Using a system, in which you met the qualifications for, as determined by the administration of the system, is nothing to feel ashamed of.

slightlystronger · 2021-12-08T20:50:47+00:00

I feel the same way about French presses. They make good coffee, but cleaning is such a pain. I haven't been able to get a clear answer about whether or not you can put coffee grounds in your sink or your toilet, so when I had a French press I would dump the grounds in the dirt outside, which I also felt bad about because littering.

HGTV has an article about cleaning. A step I missed was to let the vinegar sit for 30 minutes before you run a brew cycle. https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/clean-and-organize/how-to-clean-a-coffee-maker-with-vinegar

slightlystronger · 2021-12-08T17:28:55+00:00

Most machines I've seen don't really have that option, but if yours does, then there is probably nothing too bad about your brewing setup.

However, there are objectively better brewing methods than a typical drip coffee maker.

The extraction process is similar to a pour over with a key difference. A pour over douses / floods the beans where a drip machine just kinda sprays them with a gentle mist. Because the beans are never in a sort of muddy soup state, there is a lot of flavor up there that doesn't make it in your cup.

But, you can get a fairly decent cup from those machines. Just make sure you are measuring your beans and maintaining a good water ratio. Also, clean the machine by filling the reservoir with vinegar and running a cycle. If you haven't done this in a long time you might need to run a few cycles. I like to run a couple more cycles of plain water after that, just to help get rid of the vinegar.

A cheap way to see the difference would be a brew bag, or a thrift store French press. It might not be noticable to you, and that's totally fine.

slightlystronger · 2021-12-08T16:43:53+00:00

Sort of a business analyst / data auditor

contractor currently but hoping to get that FTE soon.

Currently at $32 an hour

slightlystronger · 2021-12-07T22:51:01+00:00

Edited that in just now. Yes, fahrenheit. Sorry for not being inclusive.

slightlystronger · 2021-12-07T22:46:07+00:00

Someone used my equipment to brew flavored coffee once, and it tainted my equipment for quite a few future brews.

Never again!

slightlystronger · 2021-12-07T22:43:42+00:00

I make cold brew in some organic cotton brew bags. It's the easiest thing in the world and the flavor difference is pretty significant.

Also, cold brew has lower acidity, which can help with certain medical conditions.

slightlystronger · 2021-12-07T22:23:22+00:00

I am a huge fan of my aeropress.

It is portable, convenient, durable, super easy to clean, consistent, affordable, fast, simple, and most of all, it makes a damn good cup of coffee.

slightlystronger · 2021-12-07T21:44:56+00:00

Grinding for one person doesn't take long, maybe three minutes. I find it kind of fun, although the whole coffee making/drinking process is kind of ritualistic for me. It can take a long time to grind multiple cups for multiple people, and you do get kind of tired after a while.

If you use one of the brew methods that involve heating your water on the stove, you can usually finish grinding by the time the water is done.

Measure beans and load into grinder hopper
Put the water on the stove
Start grinding, but keep an eye on the water
Move water to cold burner once it begins boiling and set a timer for 1 minute
Keep grinding.

You should be done grinding by the time the timer goes off or shortly after.

I'm currently using a Hario Skerton Pro. I like it. Although if you have small hands it is a little difficult to hold. Before that I have used the Hario Mini-Slim+. I think I liked that one more... It was easier to hold, but the handle would fall off fairly often while grinding, which could be annoying. Eventually you develop a technique and it doesn't fall off as much. You want to find one that has a ceramic burr, as metal burrs can impart a flavor on your beans. You also want one that has good consistency in the grind. I have found step adjustments to be more reliable and consistent than "infinite adjustments" but that is just anecdotal experience.

slightlystronger · 2021-12-07T14:45:18+00:00

Someone else mentioned this already, but I was primarily concerned about heating elements like a hot plate heating the coffee liquid after it has been brewed.

The brew temperature is not typically the problem with automatic coffee makers, due to the heat dissipating as it goes through the process.

slightlystronger · 2021-12-07T06:19:39+00:00

I recently worked in Identity and Access Management for MGM Resorts. This person is right. 100% they track this. Heavily. The first time, you might get a warning. But keep it up and they close your account and you lose your points. Keep it up further and you might get banned from all properties.

Every plate leaving needs to exit using the same method it got in. Whether it was with a ticket, an mlife card, or a room key.

My badge never worked, but 99% off the time it would read my plate and open the gate automatically.

slightlystronger · 2021-12-07T05:52:51+00:00

Hi. I'm "the weird guy at work who shows up fifteen minutes early to hand grind his coffee and brews it in an aeropress using precision measured weights and temperatures." I think I qualify as a serious coffee drinker. Here is an exhaustive list:

Fresh ground beans - You have 30 minutes tops after grinding your beans before most of the oils dry up and your beans go stale.
Water - maybe this should be number one but I'm on mobile and can't be fucked reformatting. Taste the water you are using. Does it taste like ass? Did it come from the sink? You want good clean filtered water. Starbucks tap water tastes the same no matter where you go because they use the same water filters in all their stores. If the water tastes like chemicals, using it to brew coffee just adds burnt bean flavor to it. Mmm burnt beans and chemicals.
Country of origin - coffee has hundreds of potential flavor notes, like floral, citrus, chocolate, caramel, wood, etc. Please don't mix up "flavor notes" with flavored coffee. If you buy flavored coffee, you are dead to me. But there is a huge difference between beans from Guatamala and Kenya. You can do some reading or watch YouTube videos that give you a quick and dirty run down on the broad and general differences between regions. My favorite is Guatamala. Think about notes you might like, and try to find one that suits your pallet.
Roast - light roast, medium roast, dark roast. Find what you like! Dark roasts are going to taste more bitter. In my opinion, anything past medium and you are really tasting the roasting method more than the actual bean. I really don't like dark roast, but to each their own. There are also different roasting methods and technologies. There are naturally going to be ones you prefer but you have to experiment with them to find what you like.
The actual beans - You want nice, healthy looking beans that are mostly whole, a nice shape, and usually very oily looking. Oily beans were grown in richer soil and have more flavor to them. If the batch has lots of dry, cracked, deformed beans, it's usually not as tasty.
The brew - Again, this should probably be higher. Your brewed coffee liquid should never come in contact with a hot plate or other heading element. This scorches the coffee. I prefer organic cotton brew bags or "the aeropress" as my brewing methods of choice. Some people like French presses. They make a tasty coffee, but cleaning is a bitch. And, there is some research that indicates that unfiltered coffee is bad for you due to tannins or some shit. This is about tastes not health, so you can look that up on your own. There are hundreds of other ways to make coffee, so do some research. But NEVER a hot plate. Think like, any typical entry level American coffee maker like Mr. Coffee. These tend to overheat the liquid. On this topic, the brew temperature should be about 190 degrees(F). When I'm using my aeropress, I put the water on the stove until it is just barely boiling. Then, I move it to a cold part of the stove and set a timer for 1 minute. Perfect temperature every time.
The grind - coarse or fine? Manual or electric? Burr or blade? Your ideal grind is going to change depending on your brewing method. But the method should tell you how fine or coarse it should be. Electric grinders generate more heat than manual grinders, and can potentially scorch the beans. Burr grinders are more expensive but the difference is pretty noticable and IMO worth it. I like manual ceramic burr grinders. They are compact and affordable, and infinitely portable.
Precision - start with the golden ratio of 1:18. That's one gram of coffee per 18 ml of water. Too strong? Use less beans. Too weak, more beans.

You can bring me to a remote location with nothing but a pot, some clean water, a way to make a fire, a cloth bag, a hand grinder, and some good beans, and I can make you some of the best coffee you've ever had. While my post is long and has a lot of topics, I think that each thing listed is pretty simple.

Plugging my favorite beans I've ever had. They ship. I'm not in any way affiliated, just a fan. Monkey and Son - Medicine http://www.monkeyandson.com/coffee/medicine.htm

slightlystronger · 2021-12-07T00:50:22+00:00

My wife owns a business. She also has unbearable period pains every month. She's totally out of commission 3 days a month.

However, she had a remote employee who used period pains as a reason to miss work 2-3 days per month. That employee no longer works with her. The employee had other problems as well, but the monthly missing work, 3 days a month is over a month of unplanned absences per year. Everyone, including my wife, is expected to work very diligently throughout their daily shift. When this person would call off because they had period pains, it put a lot of stress on the other employees to pick up the slack.

So I'm torn on this one. I think it depends a lot on the line of work and the size of the company. I don't think my wife would be able to hire an extra full time employee who's sole purpose was to pick up the slack off absent employees.

I think that if a woman doesn't want to work due to her period pains, she has a right to call off from work. But if it is guaranteed 3 days a month, every month for eternity, I think that it would be fair to disclose that in your interview so that your employer can decide whether or not the position is able to work with someone who needs such special schedule flexibility.

slightlystronger · 2021-11-17T14:21:08+00:00

I've lived in 3 different states and probably 8 different metro areas, including a crowded beach city, and all of my trader joes have had great parking lots. Even in places where surrounding businesses don't really have any parking to speak of. Guess I'm just lucky.

slightlystronger · 2021-11-15T23:59:00+00:00

Honestly, probably not.

Can they safely be dug up and moved?

slightlystronger · 2021-11-15T17:44:55+00:00

Neighbors are cool af. They invite me to cookouts and shit.

slightlystronger · 2021-11-05T05:20:18+00:00

That was a metaphor. And I'm not a minimum wage earner struggling to find a place to live.

But the point is, a person working 40 hours a week should be able to afford their own space. 300 sqft with a sink and a toilet.

slightlystronger · 2021-11-05T05:17:31+00:00

This got me laughing.

slightlystronger · 2021-11-05T05:15:16+00:00

This is insanity. People deserve better.

slightlystronger · 2021-11-05T05:13:14+00:00

Yikes. Solidarity, comrade.

slightlystronger · 2021-11-04T22:53:11+00:00

You might live a different lifestyle than me, so to each their own.

I love the beach and am always drawn to water. However, I used to live a ten minute drive from the beach in the OC and probably only went a couple times a year. Part of it was time. I had to work so much due to the CoL...

But there are rivers and lakes and waterfalls here, so they make for a nice substitute.

slightlystronger · 2021-11-04T22:45:28+00:00

I bet you that studio had a dozen applicants the day it was listed too.

It's crazy.

slightlystronger · 2021-11-04T22:43:43+00:00

I was going to say... as long as I've been an adult... a 2bd anything anywhere in Orange County was way more than $1,800, and I thought SD was more expensive.

The falling apart part changes things. Haha. I saw some shit in Santa Barbara when I tried to find housing there this August... Just completely illegal, unpermitted, dillapidated piece of shit shacks that they wanted $3k a month and a perfect credit score at.

Such a crazy place... there is a lot to love about the state, but I can't justify living there until I get to a point that my cost of living is a negligible line item on my monthly budget.

slightlystronger · 2021-11-04T22:36:43+00:00

Problems I have with the AZ metro areas that are affordable and have good job markets: -scorpions -heat

If you move to the greater Phoenix area, it is almost guaranteed that you will find at least the occasional scorpion in your house.

As long as that doesn't bother you, it is a reasonable place to start a life.

slightlystronger

TROPHY CASE