PSA: Watch out for rotten fence posts near old oak trees

I was out on a job last week in rural Georgia replacing a section of split rail fence. The homeowner wanted me to pull up some old posts near a big oak tree, and I found the bottoms were completely rotted out from moisture trapped against the roots. Took me twice as long to dig them out because the roots had grown around the concrete. Has anyone else run into trouble setting posts near big trees?

My grandma's tuna casserole with crushed potato chips on top... my roommates think I'm crazy

I whipped up my favorite childhood comfort food last week in our shared kitchen, and my roommates gagged when they saw the soggy chips and canned tuna mixing together. They said it looked like something a cat would eat, but honestly it reminds me of Sunday dinners at my grandma's place in Detroit. Am I the only one who actually likes this soft, salty mess over fancy mac and cheese?

Spent 45 minutes trying to fade a guy's cowlick before I realized I was making it worse

Kid comes in with this wild swirl right at the crown and I'm over here going at it with my clippers for almost an hour before my coworker walks over and says 'dude just blend it with shears.' Has anyone else wasted way too long fighting a cowlick before giving up?

That time on a job in Austin I had to rip out 3 hours of work because I skipped the string line

I was working a retaining wall in Austin last fall and got in a hurry. Thought I could just eyeball the first course and everything would level out. Three hours later I had a 40 foot wall that looked like a roller coaster. Had to tear the whole thing down and start over with proper string lines. Has anyone else had to eat a big loss like that because you skipped a basic step?

I bought a cheap headset press tool back in 2015 and it bent on the first use

I mean, I was just starting out at a small shop in Tucson and wanted to save a bit of cash. I found this no-name headset press online for like 35 bucks, thinking it would do the job. The first time I tried to press a headset into a steel frame, the main rod just bent sideways. It was totally useless. I had to stop the job, order a proper Park Tool one, and eat the cost. That set me back over a hundred dollars total for the good tool after wasting the first thirty five. It really taught me that some things you just can't cheap out on, especially for daily shop use. Has anyone else had a specific tool fail on them right out of the box?

Just blew $200 on a 'premium' blender that can't even crush ice properly

My old cheap one worked fine for years, but I fell for the marketing. Anyone else get burned by a brand that promised way more than it delivered?

Remember when you could fix a door ding with a hammer and a block of wood?

I spent about $600 on a decent stud welder and slide hammer kit a few years back. It felt like a big cost at the time, but it saved me on a job for a 2018 Silverado with a deep crease in the quarter panel. Without it, I would have had to cut and weld, adding hours. Now I use it all the time. What's the one tool you bought that felt expensive but paid for itself fast?

I just spent $45 on a writing prompt book that was basically recycled internet lists

I saw 'The Writer's Block Breaker' at Barnes & Noble and thought it would have unique ideas. It was literally just 200 pages of stuff like 'write about a haunted house' and 'describe a character's morning routine'. I could have found better prompts for free on Reddit. Has anyone found a prompt book that actually gives you something fresh to work with?

I bought a $20 rice cooker at a yard sale and it completely changed my weeknight dinners.

My hostel in Bangkok gave me a free breakfast ticket, but the line was always crazy long.

I got there at 7 AM on my second day and the queue was already out the door. Instead of waiting, I walked two blocks to a street vendor and got a full meal of rice and pork for about 50 cents. It was faster, cheaper, and way more authentic. Anyone know other cities where skipping the included hotel food is actually the better move?