Guilty as charged, I parked my old Civic on the grass for three years and felt pretty smug about it too. Pulled it up last spring and the rear subframe was soft as wet cardboard, which was a fun discovery. Grass holds moisture like a sponge and the shade underneath means it never dries out, so rust just eats away at everything low to the ground. Gravel is way better because water drains right through instead of sitting there. If you can swing a spot on gravel or even just a concrete pad, do it, because fixing rust costs way more than rent ever will.

Years back I would roll my eyes at guys who wore the full face shield for a little grinding, figured it was overkill and too hot to mess with. Then my buddy got a piece of metal in his eye and had to get it cut out just like you, and man did that change my tune fast. Now I keep a couple pairs of cheap wraparound glasses with the built in side plastic and they stay put way better than the clip on shields that flap around. The trick for fogging is the ones with those little vent slots on the sides, way less sweat than the sealed up kind. For a few bucks a pair you can buy several so there is always one within arm's reach, which honestly is the whole point after what you just went through.