I just hit 500 sourdough loaves from my starter and the number hit me hard

I named my starter 'Bub' when I began three years ago, and I've kept a little notebook logging every single bake. I opened it up this morning and saw I'd just crossed the 500 mark. That's 500 weekends, 500 times shaping dough at 5 AM, 500 times waiting for that oven spring. It's not just a number, it's proof I stuck with something when I could have quit a hundred times. The first fifty were awful, dense bricks my dog wouldn't even eat. But around loaf 200, something clicked with my folding technique. Now, hitting 500 feels like I'm not just a person who bakes bread sometimes, I'm actually a baker. Has anyone else tracked their bakes and been shocked by the total?

Showerthought: I heard a guy at the supply yard say 'a perfect wall is a boring wall'

He was talking about a big custom home job in Sedona, saying the small flaws give it character. I get the idea, but I STRONGLY disagree. Our job is to build things RIGHT, not 'interesting'. A wall that's out of plumb or has messy joints isn't character, it's poor work. I spent three days last month fixing a 'character' wall that leaked. Has anyone else run into this mindset on a job?

I had to choose between paying off a card or saving for a down payment

My credit union in Phoenix offered me a personal loan at 8% to pay off a $5,000 credit card balance. The other option was to keep making minimum payments and put all my extra cash into a house fund. I chose the loan. My score jumped 40 points in two months because my credit utilization went from 85% down to 10%. It felt wrong to take on more debt, but the math worked. Has anyone else seen a big jump from fixing their utilization, or did I just get lucky?

My first script counted trees I planted online

I wrote a basic program to log tree planting efforts for a local group. It used variables and user input, which was perfect for a beginner. What other eco-coding projects have you tried?

Had to use a secret code with my comic shop guy to avoid buying duplicates, felt like a secret agent or something lmao

Tbh, air fryer salmon doesn't have to be dry, here's how I nailed it

Lots of folks claim air fryer salmon always turns out dry. I disagree, last night I cooked some at 375F for 8 mins with a thin lemon slice. It was perfectly juicy and had a nice crisp skin. Imo, timing is everything, and people just need to experiment more.