Yep, a good level saves more than just one job, it saves your back too.

@carr.abby finger trick works until your calluses hide that one microscopic burr that decides to ruin your day. Loupe or not, I'd rather look like a paranoid weirdo checking every tooth than explain to my boss why we need to reorder a $200 endmill. At this point, I'm half convinced half the trade is just finding ways to avoid blaming ourselves for stupid mistakes.

Wait, you really think that's "dramatic"? 25 years to break even in Phoenix sun is straight up math denial.

I used to think people were just complaining too much about bad luck, but that April week changed my mind. My car died on I-75 right near the same spot you mentioned, and I sat there for three hours watching a family play tag in the breakdown lane. My phone battery hit 5% just as I tried to call my boss, and the job I had been waiting on for two months sent me a rejection email the next morning. It felt like the universe was running a glitchy program that just kept looping. I never really believed in "everything happens for a reason" until that week made me stop pretending.

Did your buddy actually let glue dry or did he just slap it on like mine did?