You saying it flipped a switch is so true. I had a similar thing last week when my neighbor, who I barely talk to, brought my trash cans up the driveway in the rain. It was such a small thing, but it made me realize I'd built up this idea that everyone just keeps to themselves. Now I catch myself seeing those quiet good acts all the time, like someone holding a door from far away.

Man, that reminds me of a guy who fixed his own bumper with zip ties. Looked wild but it held for years. Some old school methods just stick around.

Yeah, soap and air is the only way. We pressurize the whole system to about 30 psi with air, then spray every single weld joint with a heavy mix of dish soap and water. Even the tiniest pin hole will blow a bubble you can see from across the room. It takes ten minutes tops and finds the problems before you waste all that time filling with water. Skipping it is just asking for a nasty surprise during hydro.

Picking the wrong tool is the worst. I once tried to use a router bit for a job that really needed a dado blade... let's just say the project became kindling.

Weirdly, my best ideas stick around. Forgetting them just means they weren't that strong to begin with.