Don't chase the contract, chase the conversation" is one of those lines that sounds simple but actually flips everything. What nobody talks about is how rare it is for that to work when the follow-up isn't tied to some specific deadline or quota. Most reps treat calls like a checkbox, so when Dave called you three weeks later without any pushy angle, it probably stood out because it felt human. Maybe the real lesson is that a follow-up only lands if you actually remember what the person said back at the show. Otherwise it's just another scripted touchpoint, and everyone can smell that a mile away.

People always cheap out first, then pay double to fix it. Story of everything.

The tarp under the footprint is legit, I've done that same bowl fold trick on the Olympic Peninsula and it saved my whole trip. I'd say make sure the edges are tall enough, like 2 or 3 inches folded up, otherwise water just finds its way around...

Is it just me or is everyone these days convinced that watching something happen is the same as stopping it? It's like people think a camera is some magic shield instead of just a witness. I see it everywhere, not just with security systems, people leave their bikes unlocked by a window with a video cam pointed at it. Cameras are great for finding out what happened after the fact, but they never stopped a single break in. The whole point of an alarm is to make the bad guy leave before he even gets your stuff.

You said it yourself, the "special formula" is just mineral oil with a fancy label and a big price tag. I switched to the cheap pharmacy stuff years ago and my clippers run just as smooth, plus it does the same job of keeping rust off the blades. Save the extra cash for something that actually matters, like better scissors or a coffee fund.