Tbh, the "you're doing it wrong" energy from random old guys at gas stations is exhausting. I had a guy in Oklahoma tell me I was ruining my pork shoulder by not adding brown sugar at the start, and I was like, okay thanks, but my family already ate it and liked it. It's just food, not a life or death competition. I get that experience matters but pumping up BBQ like it's rocket science is a bit much.

Did you ever have a friend who took that advice and ended up ghosting everyone for months? It's rough watching people buy into that stuff without checking the fine print first.

Chasing symmetry instead of function" - I mean, sure, that sounds nice and all, but most horses I work on are crooked to begin with. If I spent more than a minute watching them stand around I'd never get through my day. Bill probably had time to philosophize because he's been doing this since bell bottoms were cool.

Maybe you're paying for less clutter and more confusion instead.

Did he try loosening the boot before sealing the zipper?