My comic shop guy in Phoenix called me out for only buying number one issues

For years, I only picked up new number one issues, thinking I was getting in on the ground floor. Last month, the owner at my local shop saw my pile and asked why I skipped the rest of the story. He showed me a run of 'Daredevil' where the best stuff happened after issue five. I felt pretty silly for missing so many good books just to have a bunch of first issues. Anyone else get stuck on a collecting habit that made you miss the actual stories?

Thought I could make a week of soup in an hour. Took three.

Wanted to use up a cheap bag of dried beans. Forgot to soak them overnight. Tried the quick soak method. Boiled for two minutes, then let sit for an hour. Still took forever to get tender on the stove. The whole pot simmered for over two hours before they were edible. Anyone have a better trick for dried beans on a tight schedule?

Just realized I haven't used a hand router template in over a decade.

Back in my dad's shop, we'd spend a whole afternoon making a perfect plywood jig for a set of drawer fronts. Now I just draw it in the software and the CNC does it in ten minutes. Do you still keep any of those old hand jigs around, or is it all digital now?

Vent: Everyone says the Orion Nebula is the best beginner target, but I think the Andromeda Galaxy is way better

I took my new 8-inch Dobsonian out last week and spent an hour on M42, and honestly, it was just a fuzzy gray blob. The next night, I pointed it at M31 from my backyard in Phoenix, and the core was so much clearer and more defined. For a first real deep-sky object, seeing that oval shape of another galaxy 2.5 million light-years away beats a glowing cloud any day. Has anyone else had a better experience with a different 'beginner' target than the usual pick?

PSA: I spent almost $200 on a 'rare' variant cover that turned out to be a fake.

I bought it from a seller at a con in Atlanta last year, and he swore it was a legit misprint. I got it graded and the company flagged it as a reprint right away. Has anyone else been burned by a fake comic they bought in person?

Tried that viral 'cold perm' technique from a stylist in Miami

I mean, I followed the steps exactly from that video, used the same L'Oréal Pro Series rods, and left it on for the full 25 minutes. The client's hair came out with this weird, frizzy wave at the roots but the ends were bone straight, it was a total mess. I had to do a corrective color gloss just to calm it down enough to style. Has anyone else tried this method and gotten a weird result, or did I just pick the wrong hair type for it?

Changed my mind about that pricey facial steamer

I spent $350 on a fancy one but my old bowl-and-towel method works just as well for my clients. Anyone have a good use for a barely-used steamer now?

My bird feeder pole snapped clean in half during that big windstorm Tuesday night

I woke up Wednesday morning and found the whole thing on the ground, seed everywhere. It was a cheap metal pole from a big box store, maybe lasted two years. I had to zip-tie it to the fence post just to get it standing again for the chickadees. Anyone have a recommendation for a really sturdy feeder pole that can handle Midwest gusts?

Remember when you could just listen to the motor? Had a governor rope jump the sheave in a 1970s Otis traction unit in an old bank building downtown. No fault codes, just a weird hum and a car that wouldn't level right. Took me half a day with a stethoscope and a mirror to find it.

I used to think sanding between coats of poly was a waste of time

For years, I'd slap on three coats of polyurethane, no sanding in between, and call it done. The finish looked shiny and felt smooth enough to me. Then, about six months ago, I took on a big table project for a friend in Denver. After my usual three-coat method, the light hit it just right and showed a ton of tiny bumps and dust nibs I'd never noticed before. My friend, trying to be nice, said it looked 'handmade.' That was the tip-off. I went back, sanded the whole thing lightly with 320 grit, and put on a final coat. The difference was night and day. It went from looking okay to looking like glass. Now I see that skipping that step was making my work look amateur. How many of you actually sand between every single coat of a clear finish?