Heard a writer say outlines are like training wheels. They're good to start, but you have to take them off to really ride. That free-write energy is hard to plan for.

Try a thin plastic pry tool from a phone repair kit next time, it works way better.

You say it cuts out a few feet away. Is it actually unusable or just annoying? Maybe your phone is in a bad spot, like a pocket. It probably still works fine most of the time.

Hold on, that's interesting but you might have it backwards. The clamp itself does not crack much. It is most often the hose that goes bad where the clamp sits. The steady pressure and heat make the rubber weak over time. So that small leak is from the hose, not the clamp. It is a common error because the clamp is right there, but the real problem is the hose giving out. Always look at the hose under the clamp for thin cracks.

Free museum days really opened my eyes, so I now explore neighborhood festivals for cheap fun.