Old timer at the job site taught me a trick I still use

I was finishing a driveway in Austin last summer and this older guy walks up from the house next door. He watched me for a minute then said I was dragging my magnesium float too fast and that's why I had those tiny surface bubbles. He showed me to slow way down and overlap my passes by half the float width. Took maybe 2 minutes of his time but my finish came out glassy smooth after that. Anyone else have a random stranger drop knowledge like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

scott.alex1d ago

Did the guy hang around to see if you actually tried it, or was it more of a "take it or leave it" kind of advice drop?

ruby_bell471d ago

Oh man, that's actually a really good question. It was more of a "take it or leave it" drop, he stepped away after he said it and didn't circle back or anything. But it got me thinking about how people give advice in general, you know? Half the time someone tells you something useful, they're just tossing it out there and moving on, no strings attached. I've noticed this pattern where the best tips actually come from people who don't care if you use them or not, it's like a test to see if you're paying attention or something. Makes you wonder how many good suggestions we've missed just because nobody stuck around to make sure we tried them.

mason.drew23h ago

Ha totally @scott.alex, it's like when someone leaves a tool out and walks away, either you pick it up or you don't, their call.