My old roommate used a bone saw to cut PVC pipe and the landlord still hasn't found all the plastic bits in the yard.

Yeah, the hardware store ones dry out so fast...

Honestly, I keep a little reference card with the common slip colors right in my field kit.

Wow, "like a grocery store threw up" is such a harsh way to put it. I actually love the look of full, natural bouquets with lots of different greens and textures. That mix of colors and shapes feels real and garden-picked to me, not stiff or fake. Changing your whole approach based on one comment seems like a big reaction.

I once spent two hours on a leak that needed a single turn of a wrench. My own personal time vortex.