Man, switching to a tiny travel mouse felt so dumb until I tried it.

Ever try using screw piles to jack it back up and pin it? We did that for my buddy's shed and it saved a full tear down.

That $500 rule is a solid line in the sand.

Ugh, that's the worst feeling. Do you have a printout of your key slides or even just a one-page outline? I started keeping a paper copy in my bag after a similar meltdown (seriously, just bullet points on a notecard). It gives you something to glance at to get back on track without staring at a dead screen. I also email the deck to myself AND save it on my phone as a PDF right before I start, so I can pull it up there if I have to.

Honestly, the real problem might be the room itself. If your bench is near a drafty door or an air vent, even a normal cool down can go wrong. I had a batch of cobalt rods go bad last winter because my studio heater was blowing right on my rack. Took me weeks to figure out that was the cause. People forget how much the air moving around the glass matters after it comes out of the flame.