It's funny how that works, isn't it? We see the same thing with streaming services now, where having fewer choices often leads to actually watching something good. Getting really good at the rules of a few games and finding all the hidden stuff in them is way more satisfying than just learning a new setup every time. It makes me wonder what other things we own, like kitchen gadgets or books, we'd enjoy more if we just stopped buying new ones for a while.

Learned this after installing my own gate sideways once.

Man, you hit the nail on the head. There's something about doing it by hand, like tuning a carburetor or developing film, where you feel every little change. But then you need to get things done for a bigger project and automation just takes over, even if it feels a bit hollow. I miss the connection of the old way, but my time is so split now. It's a real tug of war.

My landlord in college had us fix a wave with a rented stretcher from Ace Hardware. It took two people, one to stretch and one to hold the edges down. If your neighbor ignores it, those waves just get BIGGER over time. Seriously, spending twenty bucks on a rental is way cheaper than replacing the whole carpet. Hope they listen to reason before it becomes a tripping hazard.

My buddy had a seagull problem like your bird story. A whole flock decided his load was a landing strip and his spotter just pointed up, useless. That's when he finally made us all learn PROPER signals, no arguments.