I mean, is it really that cool though? Like, yeah it's nice someone noticed, but isn't it kind of weird how people act like just owning a reliable old car makes you part of some special group? I see it all the time with those XJ Cherokees, they're just 90s SUVs with decent motors and a lot of plastic. It's not like your buddy built it himself or rescued it from a scrap yard. He just bought a used car that happened to be cheap to fix. Idk, I feel like the 'unspoken club' stuff just makes people feel better about driving a car that's rusty and gets 15 mpg. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems more like people want to feel special for making a practical choice.

The worst possible time" nails it, @thomas_roberts. I read somewhere that sewing machines have a mean streak, and I honestly believe it. I was just telling a buddy how my brother's truck's alternator gave out on the way to pick up lumber for a fence job, and it's the same kind of bad luck. Four days of hand winding bobbins is basically a test of your soul, I think I would have lost it way before that.

Loose connections cause like half the problems in everything, not just cable (think of your phone charger or garden hose). It's humbling to realize the fix is usually stupid simple.

Hard disagree, constant noise drives me up the wall after an hour.

Reese, that book club argument is completely relatable. I was in a similar standoff a few years ago over a mystery novel and we nearly came to blows, or at least passive aggressive emails. I think the worst part was realizing halfway through the shouting that I had forgotten to finish the last three chapters, so I had no real standing in the fight. It really does come down to trusting the author to earn that big reveal, and my track record with finishing books on time is not great.