Grandma-level pork is the highest praise there is. I'd probably just start crying at my stall.

Totally get what you mean about money feeling fake now. I've noticed this weird thing where the easier it is to pay for something, the less real the cost feels. Swiping a card or tapping your phone just doesn't have the same mental weight as handing over actual bills. It makes spending way too easy and disconnected. Your cat story is the perfect example of how physical cash forces you to actually deal with the stuff, for better or worse.

Yeah, that's the real killer with those old books. Like @david_craig said, just a good bag and board from the start makes a huge difference. I've seen so many copies where someone just left it in a hot attic or a damp basement for thirty years, and the pages are all brown and brittle. The staples rust out and stain the cover, or the whole thing gets warped. It's a shame because a little basic care would have saved them.

Agree completely, tools only work as well as the person using them. I've seen folks blame software for problems that a quick tutorial would fix. Learning the basics first saves a lot of frustration.

Listen to the wood before you trust it, man. That clean snap Matthew mentioned is the universal sign for "I am ready for brisket." If it just gives a sad bend and weeps some weird sap, it's basically whispering "I will ruin your weekend." My neighbor once used wood that smelled like a wet basement and we had to order pizza.