Yeah that bit about vacuums erasing memories really hits, @jake_young. I cleaned out my own grandpa's old workshop and my hands were black with grime and soot by the end. For a second I just sat there with it on my skin, it felt like a direct link to all the times he must have done the same. Washing it off felt like closing a book. You can read about how hard they worked, but that dirt makes it feel true.

A notebook? You did a French link stitch on a notebook? I have seen people do that on leather or thick paper, but a regular notebook seems so flimsy. After all those crooked tries, I am shocked you got it clean on that surface. It must have taken a crazy amount of patience to not tear through the pages. I would have given up after the second try on something that thin.

Totally agree with @the_troy, gear isn't everything.

On my uncle's farm in Texas, we built miles of fence without a string line most days. I see the value in them for sure, but I've always trusted my own sight and years of practice. That prank proves how a group can be tricked, yet on your own you develop a feel for what's straight. Sometimes pulling a line just adds extra steps to a simple job. I worry new folks might lean on tools too much and never learn to judge by eye. For me, tools are aids, not rules, and experience often beats a string.

Wait, he solved a lawsuit in just a year?