Update: I was charging way too little for my editing time

I had coffee with a friend who does freelance graphic design in Austin last week. She asked me what my hourly rate was for editing, and when I said $35, she just stared at me. She said, 'You're cutting together entire stories for less than I charge to tweak a logo.' It hit different because I never really compared my video work to other creative fields. I've been undercutting myself for years without even realizing it. How did you all figure out what to charge when you started?

PSA: I switched from a 4-inch putty knife to a 6-inch taping knife for spreading floor leveler and it's a game changer.

My brother-in-law showed me his 'smart' doorbell and it was a total mess

We were at his house in Phoenix for a family thing last weekend, and he was super proud of this new video doorbell he installed. He pulled out his phone to show me the feed, and the video was so choppy and dark you could barely see anything. He said, 'It's supposed to have night vision, but it just shows a black square with two glowing eyes if a cat walks up.' The app kept freezing, and the motion alerts were going off every five minutes for no reason. He spent over $200 on it, plus a yearly fee. It really made me think about how many gadgets get great reviews online but just don't work right in a normal house. Have you ever bought something that got rave reviews but was totally broken in real life?

Vent: A simple plank replacement in a Phoenix condo turned into a two day nightmare

The client had one damaged vinyl plank in the middle of the room, and the whole floor was glued down with that heavy duty pressure sensitive adhesive. I figured an hour, tops. It took me six hours just to cut out the old plank without wrecking the ones around it, and another four the next day to get the new piece seated perfectly. What's your go-to method for pulling a single glued plank without making a bigger mess?

Finally got a clean shellac finish on a curly maple tabletop after three tries

I used to brush on a 2-pound cut straight from the can, which always left streaks and dried too fast. Last week, I switched to a 1.5-pound cut and applied it with a pad in tight circles, like I saw a guy do in a video from a shop in Asheville. The third coat went on perfectly clear. What's your go-to method for tricky grain like curly maple?

I thought those magnetic hoof testers were just a gimmick until a vet in Boise showed me one.

He found a subtle abscess my regular testers missed, and now I keep a set in my rig. Anyone else have a tool they doubted that actually earned its keep?

PSA: A client in Denver said my post caps looked like 'little hats' and now I always use a flush cut.

They pointed out the overhang on a cedar fence I built last fall. Anyone else get a comment that made you change a small detail permanently?

Went to the old steel mill site in Pittsburgh and the story on the ground is way bigger than the 'new jobs' headline

Showerthought: I was wrong about needing a fancy setup for sourdough starter

For years I kept my starter in a special jar in a warm spot, feeding it with expensive flour. Last month my fridge broke for a week, so I just left it on the counter and fed it regular store-brand AP flour. It got way more active and bubbly than it ever did before. I think people overcomplicate the environment and ingredients way too much. Has anyone else had a starter thrive on basic stuff?

Took me almost a full shift to figure out a weird swing drift

Honestly, I was on a site in Dallas last week running a 150-ton crawler, moving some big concrete panels. Everything was fine until after lunch, when the crane started drifting about six inches on its own every time I swung left. Ngl, I thought it was a simple valve issue at first. I spent two hours checking the swing brake and the hydraulic lines with the oiler, and we couldn't find a leak or a bad connection. The super was getting antsy. Finally, my rigger noticed a tiny, fresh grease smear on the swing gear ring. Turns out a new guy on the ground crew had greased the swing bearing way too much at lunch, and the extra grease was causing just enough slip in the connection. We cleaned it off and it was fine, but that whole thing ate up like seven hours. Has anyone else had a simple fix hide behind a problem that looked way bigger?