My buddy had 60 something in his queue and finally just made a rule that he can only add one new show for every two he finishes. Sounds strict but he says it stopped the endless scrolling.

Tbh the part about him hearing the snap from the hallway is what gets me, because that means he was standing there waiting for it. Dude knew exactly what was up in that attic and still let you climb up there without a word of warning. That's not an accident on his end, that's a test. I bet half these homeowners get a little kick out of watching you discover their weird stuff on your own. From now on I would straight up ask before I even pull the ladder off the truck, like what am I gonna find up there, because some of these attics are basically museums nobody visits. You handled it right offering to fix it though, that probably saved the whole job.