Honestly, tech failures in the middle of nowhere are the WORST. I remember my headlamp dying on a night hike, and we had to use phone lights which drained our batteries too. Ended up stumbling back in the dark, totally spooked. Now I carry like three backup lights, it's ridiculous how one thing can snowball. Makes you really appreciate old school gear that doesn't need batteries.

Totally get the "forgetting plot points" thing. My own memory is so bad I once started a show's new season and spent twenty minutes convinced a main character was a brand new person. I had completely forgotten his entire arc. Now I just wait and mainline the whole story in a weekend like some kind of plot addict. It's the only way I stand a chance.

Arizona gets some fierce summer storms... did your cousin say how far down the fulgurite went into the sand? I read that the shape tells you about the lightning path... like if it branched out or went straight down. The glass can be really brittle too... sometimes it falls apart when you dig it up. Was it complete or in pieces? Just curious because those things are like natural snapshots of a split-second event.

Oof, I feel called out by this whole thread. I once forgot to set my alarm and slept through a dentist appointment, so maybe I'm the problem. It really is the tiny things that trip you up.