Wait, was it actually a bucket of water? That's not a wake up call, that's an assault. I can't believe any job thinks that's okay. Straight up unhinged behavior.

My cat always knocks pens over, @wade_mason52, messing up my plans.

People forget the dry run is your only REAL proof the program actually works right. Watching it move in air shows you tool paths, clearance, everything. That lathe crash is just the extreme example, most times you get lucky but waste hours fixing small errors. Skipping it is pure gambling with someone else's money and equipment. The few minutes you "save" become hours of cleanup or reprogramming. It should be an unbreakable rule, like locking out a machine before working on it.

I know! I totally thought the same until I saw someone do it live. Watching it work changed my whole approach.