Did I ruin a whole roll at the beach once and try to blame it on the sand?

@hannahs71 probably had the right idea honestly. But man, those template sites were such a scam back then. What made you actually hit that buy button though? Like was there one specific template that looked so good you couldn't resist, or did their sales page just get you?

Did you look at the used market at all? A buddy of mine snagged a Launch X431 off a retired tech for about $600 and it does damn near everything his $3000 Snap-on unit does. I'd be curious to know which specific models you've been eyeing, because there's a big difference between a $500 unit and a $1500 one in terms of live data refresh rates.

Did you put it in while the soup was still bubbling hot or after you turned the heat down? That part matters just as much as the breaking up part, honestly. I always bust the bag up with my hands first before adding it to the pot, otherwise you end up with those rock hard clumps that never dissolve right. If you dump the whole bag in dry and mix it fast, you're gonna have a bad time with lumps floating around no matter how much you stir. Better to sprinkle it in slowly while stirring constantly, that way it blends smooth like a dream.

Friend of mine tried to hang a heavy mirror once. Measured once, nailed it up, and it was tilted so bad one corner touched the ceiling fan. @juliam40 your husband's got the right idea. Some lessons you just don't unlearn after 40 years of crooked shelves. At least now he can brag about being able to spot a level line from across the room.