Found a trick for fixing torn endpapers with wheat paste and tissue paper

I tried this last Tuesday on a old textbook from the 1940s. The endpapers were split right at the hinge. Mixed up some wheat paste, cut a strip of Japanese tissue, and brushed it on thin. Let it dry under weight for 24 hours. Held better than any tape I have used. Has anyone else fixed hinge tears this way or do you use something different?

Got told my brush work was 'sloppy' back in 2019 and it still sticks with me

I was cleaning a flue in a 1920s house in Portland and the homeowner watched me the whole time. He was a retired mason and told me I was tearing up the terracotta liner with my wire brush. At first I was defensive, but he showed me where I was digging into the joints instead of just scrubbing the soot. I switched to a poly brush for most of the interior work after that, and reserve the wire for heavy creosote only. Now I check every flue for glazed liners before I even pick up a tool. Has anyone else had a customer who actually knew more about the job than you did?

Vent: I thought meditation was total BS until I hit a wall last week

I had a huge plumbing job go sideways on Tuesday, three toilets backing up into a basement, and I was shaking with stress by noon. A buddy dragged me to a 10 minute breathing exercise on YouTube, and I swear my heart rate dropped enough to actually think straight again. Anyone else have a stress hack they were dead wrong about at first?

Fixed outlets backwards for 10 years before I caught it

Was doing a new construction rough-in for a 3 bedroom house in Austin last June. Got all my receptacles in and was moving to the next job. Customer's wife called me over and asked why the ground pin was on top. Told her that's how I always did it. She pulled out her phone and showed me a code reference about upside down receptacles being a safety issue in certain situations. I had been doing it wrong since I started in the trade back in 2013. Felt like an idiot but at least nobody got hurt. Now I check every job spec before I start. Anybody else have a basic thing they did wrong for years without knowing?

Client told me my home office looked unprofessional in a Zoom call

I had a big client meeting last Tuesday and they straight up said they could hear my kids in the background and saw my messy bookshelf. I was pretty embarrassed but it made me rethink my whole setup. I moved my desk to the spare bedroom with a solid door and put up some cheap acoustic panels from Amazon for $40. Has anyone else had a client comment on your workspace and change things because of it?

TIL the hard way about light pollution at the Joshua Tree star party

I drove out to the Joshua Tree star party last month, thinking my new camera was ready for some deep sky shots. About an hour after sunset, a huge RV pulled into the spot next to me and left their bright white LED awning lights on all night. It completely washed out my 20-minute exposure of the Orion Nebula, just a big white blob. In my experience, you can't assume everyone at these events knows the rules. Now I always scope out my shooting spot early and pick one far from the main parking area. Has anyone else had to deal with this, and what's your backup plan when someone ruins your dark site?

My old boss in Portland told me to always use a 12 inch brush for every flue

He said it was the only way to get a good clean, but on a job last week I found a flue that was only 8 inches wide. I had to run back to the truck for the right brush, which wasted almost an hour. Anyone else run into a flue size that really threw them off?

Just read that a dedicated workspace can boost freelance income by over 20%

I found this stat in a report from a university study I was skimming yesterday, and it honestly surprised me. I always thought my couch setup was fine, but maybe having a real desk area does more than I realized. Has anyone else seen a real change after setting up a proper spot to work?

I thought those magnetic wristbands for holding screws were a total gimmick, but my brother-in-law in Phoenix made me try one on a deck rebuild.

My new smartwatch bricked itself during a firmware update last night

Every review said the update was quick, but I spent over 4 hours on a factory reset and support chat just to get it working again. Has anyone else had a simple update go this wrong?