I always thought my flat cookies were from over-mixing, but my oven rack was the real problem.

Hot take: I think the push for wireless everything is a mistake, and a customer in Phoenix last month proved my point.

I was installing a system at a new build out there. The homeowner insisted on a fully wireless setup, no hardwired contacts at all. He said, 'Wires are for the old days, man. This is cleaner.' I tried to explain battery life and potential signal issues, but he was set on it. Fast forward three weeks, his back door sensor goes offline. Battery was fine, but something in the wireless mesh just dropped it. Had to drive back out just to re-pair a single sensor. If that was a simple wired loop, it would have been a one and done job. Has anyone else had a simple wireless job turn into a callback nightmare because of stuff like this?

I always thought our company's legal team was just a cost center until the deposition last Tuesday.

Stopped forcing daily entries and my journaling became fun again.

Letting go of the pressure made me actually want to use it.

Got asked to fix a laptop during a wedding reception... how do you handle out-of-place repair requests?

The bride's uncle pulled me aside between dances to show me his blue screen of death, and I had no idea how to react without ruining the mood.

My warped jack plane taught me to flatten soles

I always skipped flattening plane soles, thinking it was extra. But this jack plane from a flea market changed that. It had a slight warp, so the cuts were uneven. I put sandpaper on a flat piece of glass and rubbed the sole until it was even. Watching the high spots wear down was neat. Once flat, the plane cut smoothly and made thin shavings. Now, I never skip this step. It turns a rough tool into a trusty one.