u/IvyDamon

I have been at my current job for about a year and a half. Overall I like the work and my teammates are solid. But my direct supervisor has a habit of presenting my ideas and completed projects to senior leadership as if they were their own. At first I let it slide because I thought maybe it was just poor communication or they would eventually give credit where it was due. But it keeps happening. Last week I built a presentation from scratch, ran the analysis, designed the slides, everything. In the leadership meeting my boss presented it and said we have been working on this and here are our findings. No mention of me at all.

I have tried gently redirecting in the moment by saying things like oh yeah when I was pulling that data I noticed xyz. That did not seem to change anything. I am worried that directly confronting them will damage the relationship or get me labeled as not a team player. But I am also starting to feel invisible and resentful. For people who have been through this, what actually worked? Did you talk to your boss directly, go above them, or just find another job? I do not need a parade in my honor but I would like the people who evaluate my raises to know what I actually do.

 I've got a second floor bedroom with original horsehair plaster that feels solid in most places but has a few spots where the wall gives slightly when you press on it. Not a crack, not a bulge. Just a little movement like the keys have pulled away from the lath. I'm worried if I ignore it, the whole section will eventually separate. But I've also heard that chasing every little flex can lead to opening up a bigger can of worms.

For people who have dealt with this, do you inject adhesive through small holes and use plaster washers? Or is that overkill for spots that aren't actively failing? I don't want to tear everything out and go to drywall because the texture and history matter to me. At the same time, I don't want to be patching something every year that just needed a proper fix now.

I've watched some videos from plaster magic type products but they feel expensive for what they are. Has anyone had luck with regular construction adhesive and washers from the hardware store? Or do you just leave it alone until it actually cracks? Would love to hear what worked for you and what made things worse.

i run a small solar install crew in QLD, 6 vans nothing huge. always thought safety was for office workers with clipboards. like yeah wear gloves, dont fall off a roof, done. wrong apparently.

one of my best sparkies, been with me 3 years, calls me on a sunday night. says he cant work for me anymore. i was like what did i do, pay you late? no. he says mate the way we work scares me. i been having nightmares about that old tile roof last week and tbh i didnt even remember that job. some cheap install, steep roof, cracked tiles, we didnt use a harness cause it takes too long. we just did it always did it no ones fallen yet.

but this guy said he talked to his brother who does commercial work. and his brother told him i should have full safety management system, regular briefings, incident reports. like for real? for a 3 man crew changing inverters?so anyway he quit. good sparkies are impossible to find btw.

i was pissed at first but then i start reading. turns out if someone falls off my ladder im personally on the hook. like not just the company buut me. house goes bye bye. so maybe he had a point.

called consultant that a mate from perth recommended. came out for a morning, looked at how we work (not how we should work) and wrote down 7 changes. a better way to tie off ladders, a cheap harness that takes 2 mins to clip, a simple checklist before we start.cost me 1500 bucks. one of my guys laughed when i brought it out first day. called me a safety sally whatever.

im not suddenly a safety guru but i sleep better. and my new sparky who just started? he mentioned on day one that he liked that i had proper systems in place. didnt even know i was being judged on that.any other tradie business owners here ever lost a good worker because of safety stuff? or am i the only idiot.

also what do you do day to day. are you doing toolbox talks (god that word makes me cringe) or just hoping for the best.and for the non tradies, do you check safety stuff when you hire a builder for your own house? or you just trust them and move on.

what everyones doing cause im still not sure how far to take this. dont want to go full corporate but dont want to lose another good bloke.Thanks guys

I've been trying to get better at cooking and I noticed I taste everything like five or six times before it's done. Sauce, soup, even just rice. I'll taste when I add salt, taste again after simmering for a few minutes, taste right before I think it's almost done, then taste again after adjusting something. I'm not talking about unsafe stuff like raw chicken or eggs obviously. But I feel like I might be going overboard. My roommate saw me taste a tomato sauce three times in ten minutes and asked if I was okay.
Is this just a beginner thing where I don't trust myself yet or do experienced cooks also taste that often? Part of me thinks it helps me learn what actually changes during cooking. The other part wonders if I'm being neurotic and should just trust the recipe more. When do you know it's time to stop tasting and just let the food cook?

I'm slowly working through my 1920s foursquare and I've hit a wall with the interior trim. The previous owners painted over what looks like original wood with at least three layers of latex, and underneath I can see hints of shellac or varnish. Part of me wants to strip it all back to bare wood because I love the craftsman look. Another part of me knows stripping miles of trim is going to take forever and test my patience. I've tested a few small spots with a heat gun and it works, but it's slow and messy. There's also the lead paint risk to think about. For those who have been through this, how did you decide whether it was worth the effort? Did you strip just the main living areas and paint the rest? Or did you paint over and convince yourself the original wood wasn't that nice anyway? I'm torn between authenticity and my sanity. Also curious if anyone has tried those infrared strippers or soy gels. Do they actually save time or just cost more money for the same hassle? I'd love to hear what you did and whether you regret it.

I'm looking at my first storage rental and I've read the basic tips about climate control and access hours. But I'm worried about the things that only become obvious after you've already moved your stuff in.

For people who have been renting for a while, what questions do you wish you had asked the manager before signing? Things like how often rates actually go up, or if there are any hidden fees for after-hours access. Also, is it worth asking about how long the current manager has been there or the turnover rate of tenants? I'm trying to spot problems before I'm locked in. Any advice on what to look for in the lease agreement that people usually skip? I'd also like to know if there's a way to tell if a facility is going to raise rent aggressively within the first year. Thanks.

I used to think outbound communication was one of the simpler parts of web apps. Send the email. Trigger the SMS. Schedule the reminder. Done. Then the product actually started scaling 😭

Suddenly communication logic turned into its own infrastructure layer:retries,background jobs,webhook timing,delivery failures,duplicate sends,async state drift,timezone edge cases,race conditions between workflows,users replying after the app state already changed,messages arriving in the correct order across multiple channels (I'll leave this list of thing to consider cause maybe someone would read this post and take notes)

The weirdest part is how fast notifications stop feeling like a frontend/product feature and start feeling like distributed systems engineering. One delayed webhook or stuck queue suddenly creates: stale onboarding messages, duplicate follow-ups, broken automation chains, support tickets from confused users, workflows reacting to outdated state.

And the more automation you add, the more fragile the orchestration layer becomes.

And maintaining outbound messaging + voicemail workflows internally was becoming way more operationally complex than we expected.

Honestly gave me a completely different appreciation for communication infrastructure in modern apps. Users see “a text message” or “a reminder.” Underneath it there’s usually a ridiculous amount of async coordination trying to make sure the right thing reaches the right person at the right moment without accidentally spamming or confusing them.

I am storing some old computer equipment and stereo components. Nothing museum grade, but stuff I would like to keep working. My current standard unit gets very hot in summer and damp in winter. I have seen mixed opinions on whether climate control actually prevents damage to electronics. Some say as long as humidity stays below sixty percent, standard is fine. Others insist that temperature swings cause condensation inside components. I am in a region with humid summers and freezing winters.

Is climate control worth the extra monthly cost for electronics, or am I overthinking it? Also curious about putting electronics inside sealed plastic bins with silica gel packs inside a standard unit. Does that work well enough? I would rather not pay double if simple precautions do the job. But I also do not want to open a box of corroded circuit boards next year. What has actually worked for you long term? I would love to hear from anyone who stored computers or stereo gear for more than a year in a standard vs climate unit. Thanks.

I’m renting an outdoor unit for furniture and boxes. The place seems clean, but I’ve noticed some droppings in the back corner of my unit. I’d rather not use poison because I don’t want dead mice rotting somewhere I can’t reach. Traps are an option, but I can only check the unit about once a month.

Has anyone had real success with things like peppermint oil, steel wool, or ultrasonic repellers? Also, do plastic totes actually help, or can mice chew through them anyway? I’m storing wool blankets and clothes, so I’d really like to avoid damage. Would upgrading to an indoor/climate-controlled unit help at all, or is that not much better for rodents?

I’m in a rural area, so field mice are pretty common.

I’ve been renting a unit at a larger chain facility for about 6 months now, and I’m starting to worry about the typical rate hikes people talk about. I’ve heard that some places increase prices pretty aggressively after the initial move-in rate, and I’d like to stay ahead of that if possible

For those with more experience, is there an ideal time or strategy to either delay or minimize those increases? For example, does it actually help to call and ask for a better rate before an increase hits, or is it more effective to wait until you get a notice? I’ve also heard that occupancy levels at a location can impact flexibility, but I’m not sure how to gauge that as a renter.

Another thing I’m curious about is whether moving to a different unit within the same facility (or even another nearby location from the same company) is a realistic workaround, or if that ends up costing more in the long run

Would appreciate hearing what’s worked (or not worked) for others dealing with chain storage companies

I’m trying to figure out whether I actually need a career change or if I’m just dealing with burnout in my current job. I’ve been in the same role for about 4 years. At first, I was learning a lot and felt motivated, but lately everything feels repetitive and draining. I’m less excited about projects I used to enjoy, and even small tasks feel heavier than they should.

At the same time, I’m not sure if the issue is the job itself or just how I’ve been feeling overall. Outside of work, I’ve also had less energy and focus, so I’m worried I might be blaming my role when it’s actually something else going on.

For those who’ve been through this, how did you tell the difference between outgrowing a role and being burned out? Did you try to fix things within your current job first, or did you start exploring new paths right away?

I’m hesitant to make a big change without understanding the root cause, but I also don’t want to stay stuck too long if it’s a sign I’ve plateaued. Would really appreciate hearing how others approached this.

 I am looking at a few different facilities in my area and trying to narrow it down. Pricing is fairly similar across the board so that is not the deciding factor. What I am struggling with is the gut check. I have visited three places so far and they all looked fine on the surface but something felt a little different about each one that I cannot quite put into words.

For those who have rented long term or worked in the industry, what are the small details that actually signal a facility is well managed? Things like how the gate functions, the condition of the hallway lighting, how the staff handles lock checks, or even something as simple as whether the bathrooms are clean. I noticed one place had a lot of dark corners in the camera coverage and nobody mentioned it. Another had units with dust caked on the door tracks like they had not been swept in a year.

I am not looking for climate control advice or price per square foot. I mean the subtle operational stuff that tells you the owners care about security and upkeep versus just collecting rent. What should I look for on a second walkthrough that most people overlook?

I'm looking at storage units and trying to decide between climate controlled and standard. I live in an area with hot summers and cold winters, but I'm mostly storing furniture, boxes of clothes, and some kitchen stuff. Nothing super sensitive like electronics or artwork. The climate controlled units are about 30% more expensive. Is that actually necessary for typical household items, or do facilities just upsell it? Has anyone had bad experiences with moisture, mold, or heat damage in a standard unit? I'm leaning toward saving the money but don't want to regret it later. Curious what others have learned from experience.

On paper everything looks clean - routes, time windows, load balancing. Then real life hits: traffic, missed pickups, customers not ready, last-minute changes… and suddenly dispatch is playing whack-a-mole all day.

What’s been bugging me lately is how much of this still relies on manual adjustments. Like yeah, we have systems, but half the time drivers are still reordering stops in their heads (or just winging it).

Curious how you guys handle this - do you trust drivers to optimize in real time, or try to lock everything down from dispatch?

I know the standard advice is just to move to a local place when the big chains hike prices every few months. But moving everything is such a pain, especially if youve got furniture or boxes stacked floor to ceiling. Im wondering if anyone has ever successfully called up their Public Storage or Extra Space and just said look, I cant do $175 for a 5x5, match my original rate or Im out.
Did they actually budge or did they just call your bluff?

Trying to figure out if its worth the awkward phone call before I rent a truck.

Ive been renting from one of the major chains here in Tucson for about 18 months now. Started at $89 for a 5x5, then $110,140. Last month they hit me with 175 lol and I just sat there staring at my phone. No email warning, no notice, just a charge. I called they gave me the usual speil - market rates, dynamic pricing, we adjust based on demand. corporate talk for because we can and you're already moved in. thing that gets me is they know moving everything out is a pain. They count on you just accepting the increase because hauling all your stuff to another place isn't worth the hassle. started looking around at smaller local places here in Tucson. Talked to a few owners directly. Some of them care about keeping customers long term instead of squeezing every dollar. Found one place called Tucson lock storage that seemed decent but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.

What's your experience with local vs chain? Or is this just how the whole industry works now?also I'm curious - has anyone successfully negotiated their rate with a big chain? like called them and said match my original price or I'm leaving?

Im trying to figure out if its worth moving everything or if I'm just gonna end up in the same situation six months later somewhere else. Thanks for any advice guys