42 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY NOVEMBER 30-DECEMBER 6, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com FACE TO FACE Josh Galutira is self-taught. He also created his own job, turning his hobby of repairing consoles, computers and other electronics into his company, What’d You Break. “I used to do it out of my garage and just put ads on Craigslist and work that way,” recalls Galutira, who was born and raised in Marina, which is now home to his shop. Galutira worked in construction and landscaping before starting his own business. Both his mother and his wife, Salena, motivated him to branch out from the garage. “I was scared to just go out and start my own business,” Galutira says. “They believed in me and gave me the chance to do it.” And it worked out. What’d You Break will turn 10 in February 2024. In September of this year, it was voted the Best Computer Repair Shop for the first time by readers of the Weekly. Galutira is confident of the quality of work, no matter the type of device. “I work on pretty much anything that you can plug into the wall,” he says. Weekly: How did you get interested in repairing electronics? Galutira: Curiosity. I got in trouble for taking apart my parents’ VCR—that is where it all started. I had a heck of a problem putting it all back together. I always break things down, think a lot about things. I have to see how it works. I would study diagrams on the internet. But not a lot was on there back then—not like it is now. I wish it was. When I install modchips, a lot of them come with instructions on where the solder connection points are. How did people find out about you? I was modifying computers and building computers to upgrade them. Some of my friends were like, “I’ll buy the parts. Can you do it?” One thing led to another, I’m modifying computers and modifying game consoles. The game consoles had a lot of problems overheating and I knew how to fix them. That’s what really got me into the gaming community, especially with the old Xbox 360s. They have this thing they called the red ring of death, and I got real popular on Craigslist being able to fix those. Do you have a repair horror story? The only one really is with the VCR, because that one felt like so much pressure to get that thing back together and make it work. Yeah, I was pretty stressed, but I definitely had enough time. I was grounded, of course, so I had enough time to figure it out. It eventually ended up working, but it took a few days. What’s the most interesting excuse for breaking something? It was because of the Raiders. They threw the remote at the TV. We get those a lot. Yeah, yeah—I’m a Raiders fan too. At least about 30-to-40 percent of people throw a remote or phone out of rage. Your workplace looks cleaner than I thought it would. It wouldn’t if you would’ve come earlier [laughs]. We did a lot of cleaning up. It’s an organized mess, though. If it’s not messy, you’re not working. I mean, that’s just the way it is. You don’t have time to keep things organized. Messy means you’re busy. So that’s usually a good thing. How do you keep track of all the screws and tiny things? I try to map everything out and that’s why having these magnet sheets makes it nice, so the screws don’t roll around. You can even just take pictures of them and then move them around. Makes it kind of easy. What do you do outside of work? We like to play pool a lot, and darts. We’re in second place in our [darts] league right now at The Otter’s Den. We play over there every Wednesday. We have a team of six. There are like eight other teams from different areas around Seaside, Monterey and Marina. We try to practice at least once a week. We have a dartboard out on the porch and go out there and throw some darts. Is there a secret to darts? It’s always lined up—shoulder, elbow, wrist are all going to be together when you throw. It’s like you dip your fingers in paint, and you’re trying to flick that paint right there on the wall, onto the canvas. That’s what you want to do. And it’s worked for me. You work with different tools. Which is your favorite to work with? My soldering station. I love micro-soldering—soldering small components, using a microscope to do it. You try to have a steady hand. A soldering iron is my best friend. What’d You Break is at 218 Reservation Road, Marina. 883-2349. Game Changer Josh Galutira’s interest in upgrading consoles and repairing electronics became a career. By Celia Jiménez Josh Galutira sets laptops, cellphones and tablets on trays with magnetics sheets. This helps him to organize the electronics he’s working on and keep all the small pieces together. DANIEL DREIFUSS SAMMY Hi, I’m Sammy. I’m a 7 ½ -year-old snow white gentle giant with long legs and golden eyes. I just lost my human unexpectedly and now need someone to love me forever. I love windowsills, warm laps, and food. I’ve been told I need to shed some of my 18 pounds, so as much as I hate to say it, I need someone who will ignore my pleas for second breakfasts. I’m pretty shy, so I prefer a quiet one- or two-person home. Can you help me? If you are interested in Sammy, please fill out an adoption application at www.gocatrescue.org. If you’d like to sponsor our next ad, please call or email goldenoldies@gmail.com 831.200.9700 www.gocatrescue.org Jaxon Want to meet Jaxon? Please fill out our online adoption questionnaire. Things to love: 2 years old - 41pounds - male - Australian Shepherd Mix Handsome Jaxon would love nothing more than to join you for lots of walks, hikes and maybe even runs! This young lad gets along great with other dogs and would enjoy joining an Aussie experienced family who knows how to keep him active. Ad sponsored by Arnold Shapiro and Karen MacKain. Thank you, POMDR, for our dog, Higgins! If you’d like sponsor our next ad, please give us a call. 831-718-9122 | www.PeaceOfMindDogRescue.org P.O. Box 51554, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
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