That nail polish smell is just the starter being hungry and making alcohol, which is normal this early on. Once it starts doubling fast like yours is doing, the good yeast takes over and the smell fades into something more like yogurt or sour beer within a week or two. Keep feeding it twice a day and don't toss it, rising that hard in 6 hours means yours is a fighter lol.

Yikes, glad your neighbor caught it before anything actually caught fire. I had the same setup on my headboard and ended up swapping to a timer plug plus those stick-on clips that hold the wire a bit off the wood, which keeps things way cooler. Takes like five minutes and you stop thinking about it, so worth doing if yours are still pressed flat.

Give it a shot and see how it feels. Sitting there for a few minutes before you lift can help you chill out and get your head in the game. Most people jump right in and wonder why their first set feels off. Ten minutes seems long though, so maybe start with two or three and build up. The guy might just like the quiet, but there is probably something to it.