c/dreams-we-left-behind

Vent: My old guitar amp finally gave out after 30 years

I had a 1975 Fender Twin Reverb that my dad gave me, but last Tuesday the transformer blew during a practice session and it's not worth fixing. The repair shop in Austin quoted me $600 for a new one, and that's more than I spent on my last car. Has anyone else had to let go of a piece of gear they thought would last forever?

Ditched my dream of being a musician after bombing an open mic in Austin

I was 22 and thought I had the whole singer-songwriter thing figured out. Practiced for weeks, drove 3 hours to Austin, and got on stage at this little dive bar on 6th Street. First chord I hit, my guitar string snapped and I just froze, like a total deer in the headlights. I mumbled through half a song before walking off, and that was it, I never picked up a guitar again. Anyone else have a moment where one bad night killed a whole dream?

The diner downtown swapped their old grill for a flat top and something changed

I used to stop at Pete's Diner on Route 9 every Saturday morning for 8 years straight. They always had that greasy old flattop grill that gave the eggs a crust you just can't get with Teflon. Last month I walked in and saw a shiny new smooth top, and the pancakes came out pale and rubbery. I guess the old one finally gave out after 20 years, but now the whole place feels like a different restaurant. Anybody else notice a spot lose its soul after one piece of equipment got swapped?

That moment my pressure washer blew a seal in the middle of a driveway job

Was in Harrisburg last Tuesday. Third driveway of the day. Customer comes out, says 'looks good so far'. Then pop, hiss, water everywhere. Seal blew out on my old Simpson. Had to pack up and tell the guy I'd be back Friday. He was cool about it but man, I felt like a clown standing there with a dead machine. Anyone else have a tool die at the worst possible time?

Just crossed 1,000 hand-cut dovetails without even noticing

Counted them up last night while organizing my old projects and realized I never actually wanted to be a production woodworker like I thought I did back when I started the first one 12 years ago, anyone else hit a weird milestone on a road they already left?

I finally have to admit my dad was right about my art school dream

My dad told me 10 years ago that going to art school was a waste of money for what I wanted to do. I got so mad at him, told him he didn't get it. But last week I was talking to my old classmate Kevin who actually went to that same school I was looking at, and he said he's still paying off $40,000 in loans and works at a print shop. It hit different hearing it from someone who lived it, not my dad trying to crush my dream. Has anyone else had a parent's advice turn out to be right way later?

Dropped $2,800 on a CNC plasma table and barely used it after 3 months

I had this dream of building custom metal furniture for extra cash. Bought a Langmuir CrossFire table with a Hypertherm plasma cutter, set it up in the garage. Turns out I hate dealing with the cleanup and warping issues more than I enjoy the cutting part. It just sits there now, anyone else buy a big tool for a side gig that never took off?

Overheard my nephew say he's 'too old' to start learning piano at 22

I was at my sister's house last weekend and her kid, who just turned 22, told me he wished he could play piano but it's too late to start. I almost choked on my coffee. I'm 47 and I bought a used Casio keyboard off Facebook Marketplace for $60 about 6 months ago. I can play maybe 3 chords badly and I'm still working through a beginner book from the library. It made me think about how I gave up on wanting to be an artist back in high school because I thought I missed some imaginary deadline for getting good. Has anyone else run into this weird mental block where you convince yourself a dream has an expiration date, even when nobody's enforcing it?

Found out I spent $4,200 on guitar lessons for a hobby I quit 8 years ago

I was going through old bank statements last night trying to find a receipt and stumbled on a payment to a music school in Portland. Added it up out of curiosity and realized I had taken 14 months of weekly lessons before I dropped it completely. Did anyone else ever do the math on a dream they walked away from and get surprised by the total cost?

Just realized the pottery wheel I bought in 2015 is still in my garage untouched

I was cleaning out the garage last Saturday and found that old Brent wheel I bought on Craigslist for $400. I had this whole plan to quit my receptionist job and sell mugs at the local farmers market near my place in Charleston. But then I took one class, threw like three lumpy bowls, and my teacher said my centering was 'aggressive.' I got embarrassed and never went back. Now the wheel is covered in dust and I still can't center clay to save my life. Anybody else have a hobby they bought all the gear for but never actually did?

Which side wins: the week I actually landed a client vs the week I bombed a demo

I had two weeks last year that really stand out in opposite ways. The good week was August 2023 when a small shop in Portland signed my proposal after I pitched them for 6 months, and I earned $2,400 from that one deal. The bad week was October 2023 when I prepared for a big demo with a local bakery chain, showed up with the wrong presentation file, and they ghosted me after hearing half-baked numbers. What makes me debate this is whether the high from landing that client was worth all the stress of the bad week dragging me down. The good week had me feeling like I could do anything, but the bad week made me question if I even belonged in this field. Has anyone else had a stretch where one win felt fake because of a bigger loss right next to it?

Pro tip: quitting the 9-5 for freelancing was a total mistake in my case

I spent 2 years saving up $14,000 to leave my desk job at a marketing firm in Austin. Thought freelancing would give me freedom. Nope. Spent 8 months hustling for clients on Upwork and ended up making less than minimum wage. My buddy Kevin stayed at his corporate gig and now he runs their whole department. He works from home 3 days a week anyway. The security of a steady paycheck beats the "freedom" of stressing about rent every month. Has anyone else here jumped ship and regretted it?

Trade school vs college debate: I picked wrong and it cost me $30k

I spent 4 years and $30,000 on a communications degree I never used. Meanwhile my buddy finished welding school in 18 months for $8k and landed a job making $55k right out. I'm not saying college is worthless, but why do we push everyone toward 4-year degrees when trades pay better right now? Has anyone else done the math on what they actually got back from their education choice?

I always thought screenwriting software was a gimmick until NaNoWriMo last year

For years I told myself that writing a screenplay was just about having a good story and typing it out in Word. Then I signed up for a local writing group in Austin during NaNoWriMo 2023, and the organizer suggested I try a free trial of a dedicated program. I figured it would just add extra steps, but after three days of using it, I realized how much time I wasted on formatting and page breaks. The software automatically kept my spacing, character names, and scene headings correct, which let me focus on dialogue and pacing. I finally finished a 90 page first draft in 25 days, which is way faster than I ever managed before. Has anyone else who avoided these tools for years finally given one a shot and found it helped?

Still torn on whether to try woodworking or just keep watching videos

My uncle told me at a family BBQ last summer that "buying a $200 table saw is cheaper than therapy for a bad idea," but I've already spent $150 on clamps and haven't cut a single board yet. Does the cost of failing scare you more than never starting, or is it just me?

I finally gave up my dream of being a painter when I was 22

Used to spend every weekend at the easel in my tiny apartment in Seattle. Oil paints everywhere. Had a chance to show at a small gallery but froze up. Sold my brushes to a student last year. Now I just sketch on napkins during lunch breaks. Anyone else have a creative dream they quietly walked away from?

Rant: Everyone says follow your passion but my art dream was a disaster

Back in 2018 I quit my job to paint full time here in Portland, and after 3 years I only sold 7 pieces total. Last month I had to ask my landlord for an extension on rent because I was broke. Why do people act like chasing a dream is always worth it when sometimes it just ruins your life?

Three weeks to fix a toilet and I still don't know what I'm doing

I decided to replace the flapper in my toilet because it was running nonstop. Thought it would be a 20 minute job but I ended up buying three different flappers from Home Depot over two weeks because none of them fit right. Turns out my toilet is some weird Kohler model from 2005 with a specific part number. Has anyone else spent way too long on a simple home repair that should have taken an hour tops?

Went back to my hometown bakery last week and saw my old dream sitting behind the counter

I used to dream about opening my own little pie shop in Portland after high school. But there was a 45-year-old woman running the place with such calm confidence I realized I had buried that thought years ago. Has anyone else had a random moment like that where you see your old self in someone else?

That one Sunday morning at a diner in Boise changed how I think about my old band dreams

Warning: That 'custom' guitar I ordered online in 2018 looked WAY different a year later

I ordered a supposed custom shop telecaster copy from a builder in Nashville back in 2018 for about $900. When it arrived, the flame maple top was bright and the finish was perfect, it was gorgeous. But after about 14 months sitting in my living room, not even in direct sunlight, the whole thing turned this weird greenish-yellow color and the top started cracking along the grain. I think he used some cheap nitro lacquer that wasn't cured right, or maybe it was mixing with the wood's oils. Anyone else have a guitar body or piece of furniture totally change color on them after a year or two?

Threw $400 down the drain on a pottery wheel I never used

Back in 2021 I got it in my head that I was gonna take up pottery as a side hustle. Spent $400 on a used kick wheel from some guy on Facebook Marketplace who swore it just needed a new belt. I drove 2 hours to pick it up with my buddy's truck. Got it home, set it up in the garage, and realized I had zero clue how to even center clay. Took one online class and my pots looked like lumpy ashtrays. That wheel has been sitting in the corner collecting dust for 3 years now. I keep telling myself I'll try again but honestly I think I just wanted the idea of being a potter more than the actual work. Has anyone else bought into a hobby that turned out way harder than you expected?

Finally cracked a 90 second mile at 42 years old

I used to dream about breaking 3 hours in a marathon back in my 20s but then life happened (kids, job, you know). Last Saturday during a local 5k in Austin I ran a 5:37 mile split and realized I'm actually faster now than when I was training seriously. Has anyone else found that letting go of a big dream led to surprising little wins like this?

Turned 40 and realized I'd spent 15 years saying 'someday' to writing a novel

I hit 40 last month and it really hit me hard. For 15 years I kept a notebook with character sketches and plot outlines for a mystery novel set in a small coastal town. I even picked out a pen name and told my coworkers I was working on it. But I never wrote more than 30 pages total across all those years. The number 40 just made me realize how much time slipped by while I was waiting for the 'perfect moment' to start. Now I'm wondering if I should actually try to write it bit by bit or just let the dream go. Has anyone else had a milestone age make them face a long ignored goal?

Tried switching to noise cancelling headphones for mixing and it completely wrecked my bass levels...

I picked up a pair of Sony XM5s about 3 months ago thinking they'd help me focus on my music production. First few mixes sounded amazing through them. Then I played my tracks on my car speakers and the bass was almost nonexistent. The headphones were boosting low end so much I was cutting it out without noticing. Went back to my old Sennheiser HD280s and had to redo everything. Has anyone else had their trusted gear totally throw off their workflow like that?