I get what Riley says about standing your ground, but sometimes a simple cable tighten is all that's really needed. Not every worn part is a total emergency. It feels like there's a lot of fear mongering around kid's bikes now. If the brake still stops the wheel, maybe it's okay for a little while longer while the parent saves up. We can't expect everyone to pay for top repairs all the time.

Oh man, @kaih94, I always blamed my gun skills for hazy finishes, but your humidity point totally changed my mind. Why did I never think to check the booth conditions first? Now I get how something that simple can mess up a whole paint job.

How is it that smart plugs have more dramatic connection issues than a teenager with bad cell service? Mine acts like it needs a personal day every time the wifi hiccups, leaving me in the dark literally and turning basic troubleshooting into my weird new hobby.

Two years ago during that brutal cold snap, my car wouldn't start at all. I always thought dielectric grease was just extra stuff you didn't really need. But after chiseling ice off the battery terminals for an hour, I had to admit I was wrong. Now I smear a little on every connection, and it's one less thing to worry about. Why do we always learn the hard way with this stuff?

I mean, mulching after you do that cut can really help keep the soil from getting compacted again. I almost killed a houseplant trying to fix its roots, so I'm definitely no expert.