Warning: I keep seeing guys skip the second coat of mud on inside corners

Just finished a punch list on a big condo job where every single inside corner was cracking after 6 months. The other crew only did one coat with paper tape and called it good. My old boss in Tampa drilled into me that you need two thin coats minimum, letting each dry fully, or the tape just pops. How many of you actually do the second coat versus trying to save time?

My cake was too dry for years until I swapped one thing in the batter

I've made the same vanilla cake recipe from my grandma for maybe ten years, and it always came out a bit crumbly and dry. Last weekend, I was out of vegetable oil and used the same amount of full-fat sour cream instead on a total whim. The cake baked up so moist and tender, it was a total game changer. I'm still kind of shocked it made that big of a difference with just one swap. Has anyone else had a win with a weird ingredient swap like that?

My old coal forge cracked right down the middle during a big project

It happened last Tuesday while I was working on a set of 12 fireplace tools for a client in Boise. I had the fire really hot to weld some scrolls, and I heard a loud pop. The cast iron firepot split about 4 inches. I had to shut everything down and finish the job with my backup propane forge, which was not ideal for the work. Has anyone else had a firepot fail like that, and what did you replace it with?

My brother-in-law swears by his $300 'smart' coffee mug and I think it's the dumbest thing ever

We were at his place in Denver over the holidays and he spent a solid 20 minutes showing off this mug that connects to an app. He kept saying, 'It holds the perfect temperature for three hours, Tara, you don't get it.' I watched him check his phone to see if his coffee was 145 degrees while it was sitting right in front of him. The whole thing just felt like solving a problem that doesn't exist with a gadget that creates new ones, like a dead battery or a broken Bluetooth chip. I told him my $15 thermos keeps coffee hot all morning without needing an update. He just shook his head and called me a Luddite. Has anyone else had a family member go all-in on a gadget that just seems pointless to you?

I took my telescope to the desert near Sedona and the Milky Way looked like a painting

The sky was so dark I could see the dust lanes with my own eyes, not just in a photo. Has anyone else found a spot that made a familiar object look totally new?

Looking for a broker who helps with closing costs?

We have our down payment saved up, but closing costs in our area are brutal right now. Are there any lenders or brokers known for having low fees or ways to reduce the cash needed to close?

My book club in Austin argued about 'The Great Gatsby' for a full hour

Everyone kept saying Gatsby was a tragic hero, but one member, Sarah, said he was just a rich guy who made bad choices. She pointed out he spent over 300,000 dollars in today's money just to throw parties for a woman who didn't care. It happened last fall at our usual coffee shop meetup. She said, 'He built a whole life on a lie, that's not romance, it's sad.' I actually agreed with her, even though the group thought she was being too harsh. Has anyone else had a member completely change how you see a classic book?

Tbh, I always used synthetic brushes, but a cherry cabinet's streaky finish convinced me to switch to natural bristles.

Best fire pit that can double as a grill?

I'm looking for a good quality wood-burning fire pit for the backyard, but I'd really love one that has attachments or grates so I can cook over an open flame. Any suggestions?