Miami humidity wrecked my dough too - had to drop hydration by 15%.

Oh come on, I gotta disagree with this whole "keep your mouth shut" thing. Honestly, that kind of thinking is why young guys get stuck running the same boring machine for years. If you just sit there quiet and hope the old timer hands down his secrets like some kind of grandpa wisdom, you're gonna be waiting forever. I've seen way too many guys waste years hoping someone gives them a pat on the back instead of actually pushing to learn. Asking questions shows you give a damn about doing the job right, not that you're annoying. Sure, don't bug him when he's in the middle of a tricky dig, but after break or when you're waiting for the barge to move, that's your chance. Most of these old guys actually like talking if you show real interest, they just don't want to be bothered by someone who doesn't care. So go ahead and ask, the worst he can say is "leave me alone" and then you're no worse off than if you said nothing at all.

Jumped on that train hard last year. I was paying $250 for a WeWork desk in Austin and realized I'd spent maybe 10 actual work days there in two months. Found a little taco joint near my apartment with patio seating and an old guy who runs it who just nods at me when I walk in now. I set up shop for five hours, buy a $4 breakfast taco and two coffees, and nobody bothers me. The owner actually saved my spot one time when I ran to my car for a charger. No networking, no awkward small talk at the kombucha tap, just me and my laptop and a surprisingly solid wifi connection. My back does hurt sometimes but honestly the wooden chairs at the coworking spot weren't any better.

It's funny how the old school rules that sound too simple to matter end up being the ones that bite you. I've noticed this pattern with everything from paying for car repairs to hiring movers - when someone asks for a big chunk up front, it's usually because they need it to cover their own problems, not yours. That 10% rule was probably born from someone getting burned back when a handshake meant something, and now we're all just relearning the same lesson. I've started applying it to other stuff too, like never prepaying for a full season of yard work or putting down more than half on custom furniture. Your mileage may vary, but I've found that when people won't work for a small deposit, it's often a red flag they're not planning to finish the job.

Ugh yeah I've been there. I started showing people my astro shots on my phone instead of a big screen, makes a huge difference. @jake_sullivan it's more about patience than gear honestly just a solid tracker and a basic DSLR gets you there.