Those first 500 cuts definitely humble you in a way nothing else can. I remember being about 150 cuts in and thinking I had it all figured out, then some guy sat down with hair that was parted on the exact opposite side from what I expected and I basically had to start over mid-cut. The notebook thing is smart though, wish I had done that because now I just have a blurry memory of all the bad haircuts I gave in 2021. That moment you described about a regular bringing their kid in, that hit hard. I had a dad bring his son to me last month and I was more nervous than my first day behind the chair because now I had two generations to mess up. You're right that it means way more than some viral Instagram reel ever could. Keep tracking those numbers, it really puts the whole journey in perspective when you can look back at the mess you used to make.

Jesus, 0.3 degrees? That's insane. I would've never guessed such a tiny tilt could wreck a whole slab. It makes total sense though, math doesn't lie. That's the kind of thing that keeps me up at night now.

Guilt and morbid curiosity held me hostage.

You know what, @keith_rivera19, I used to be a total gas forge snob. I thought coal was just messy and old school. But then I watched a buddy of mine forge a whole set of tongs on a coal fire, and the way he could dial in a specific heat spot way faster than I ever could on my propane burner totally made me rethink everything. Now I'm running a hybrid setup with a small gas forge for light work and an old rivet forge for heavy stock, and I'm still getting the hang of it.

Whoa, $2.50 for a cookbook that old? That's insane!