Yeah my $1000 router table still gives me gaps grandpa's chisel could fix in ten minutes.

Yeah so I had basically the same thing happen but with coolers. I kept buying those cheap styrofoam ones from the gas station and they'd fall apart after like two trips. Last summer I finally caved and got a rotomolded one for like $200 and it kept ice for three days straight in the Arizona heat. Then a chipmunk chewed through the drain plug the second time I used it and I had to spend another $15 on a replacement part. So I guess my point is even the expensive stuff finds new ways to fail on you eventually.

That email inconsistency thing is brutal and so easy to miss until you're already deep in it. Did you end up catching all the edge cases like middle initials or work vs personal email accounts that slipped through, or did you have to go back and patch those later?

It's the same universal truth as upgrading from IKEA to real furniture in your 30s.

Burnt piece of toast" - that's exactly how my arms looked too. The real unsung benefit nobody talks about is how steamer baskets make it way easier to meal prep a whole week's worth of veggies without having to stand over a hot stove every single day.