Last year my gas station receipt came to exactly $20.00... I took a picture of it because it felt so satisfying. Those weirdly perfect numbers just hit different for no real reason.

Last year I traced a dead outlet for three hours in my own house. Finally found a hidden junction box behind the kitchen backsplash, wrapped in ancient cloth tape. @the_claire, that rat story is too real, sometimes the fix is just as weird. I keep a cheap borescope in my tool bag now for exactly that kind of wall ghost.

Honestly, that "tighter finish" thing is just crew talk, wood always works better when the heat makes the slab set up fast.

My first firing with that fast stuff was a nervous 200 degrees for like, four hours. I was so sure it would crack I barely left the boiler room. @the_wyatt, you calling it cheating is spot on because I definitely felt like I didn't earn it. The old refractory would have needed a whole week of baby steps. This new mix just sat there like it was no big deal. It kind of messed with my head after twenty years of treating every patch job like a fragile egg.

Forget the year, @avery_jackson, that storm was pure chaos and cold pizza for three days straight.