For years I figured tasting raw batter was just something nervous bakers did, like it was a crutch for people who didn't trust their own recipe. Then I brought a chocolate pie to a potluck that I'd somehow made with garlic powder instead of cinnamon, and watching folks take polite little bites told me everything I needed to know. Now I taste as I go, even just a small spoon, and it has saved me more times than I can count. That salty brick story got a laugh out of me, but honestly the quiet fork set down is the worst review a person can get lol.

I used to be in the camp that a lens pen was just for dust and nothing more, so I never tried it on real haze. Then a guy at the Columbus camera show told me the same thing about slow circles and pressure, and I gave it a shot on a hazy Helios 44-2, maybe 30 seconds of work, and the film came right off. Now I keep one in the drawer next to the microfiber cloths. For fungus though I still go with a 50/50 mix of peroxide and ammonia on a cotton swab, kept away from the edge, then wipe it clean fast so it never sits on the coating.