Oh man that's rough. But just a heads up - the big Nashville flood wasn't in '95, it was May 2010. That one hit really bad. My parents lost their whole first floor and had to rip out everything.

Three days into a family road trip I watched all of K-On with my niece and had the exact same experience with slice of life anime. It's funny how being stuck somewhere with nothing better to do can crack open a door you never even thought to knock on. Kinda makes you wonder how many other good things we pass by just because we had a lazy first impression.

My $160 Victorinox broke after six months of home use, so I'd argue that discount bin knives are a gamble, not a gem. That soft steel you like for quick sharpening? It's exactly why that edge won't last a year of regular work - it's just wearing down faster than a decent mid-range knife. I watched a buddy go through three clearance specials in eight months before he gave up and bought a single Mercer. Maybe your $18 find works for chicken and pork butts, but try breaking down a tough brisket or a deer, and that soft steel will roll on you. Cheap knives are fine for light tasks, but calling one a go-to for heavy butchery is like using a butter knife to chop carrots - it'll work for a bit, then fail when you need it most.

Some shows seriously commit to the bit though, not my fault if yours is just boring.

That surveyor sounds like someone who's been around the block a few times. My first drafting mentor told me something similar when I was fresh out of school working on an old warehouse downtown. He said "stop measuring twice and draw once with your eyes first." Took me a while to realize he meant trusting your judgment about the space before you even pull out the tape. That one piece of advice probably saved me more time than any class I took because it taught me to see the whole building instead of just the numbers.