Found a wild stat about banned books in our club's latest pick

Our group is reading 'The Handmaid's Tale' and I looked up some background. I found out from the American Library Association that it's been challenged or banned in over 50 school districts just in the past two years. I had no idea it was still that actively targeted. It really changes how I see the discussion we're having about its themes. Has your club ever picked a book knowing it was controversial like that?

Got a reality check on my torque wrench technique from a lead mechanic at the hangar.

Serious question, has anyone else ditched the bone folder for a teflon folder on leather bindings? I swapped last month and the difference is insane.

PSA: I chose to sister the floor joist instead of replacing it and saved a full weekend of work.

After finding a soft spot in the living room floor, I spent about $40 on a 2x8 and a box of structural screws to reinforce the old joist, which was way faster than tearing out the whole subfloor.

That time a brick arch started to sag before the mortar set

We were building a fireplace in a house in Springfield, and the wooden support for the arch slipped about an inch. I saw the center bricks dip right after we laid them. My partner held the center up with a trowel handle while I jammed some quick wedges under the support frame. It held, but we had to re-check every joint before we could walk away. Has anyone had a support fail like that and how did you fix it on the spot?

My dad told me to skip the first smartwatch and wait for the second generation

Back in 2015, I really wanted the first big smartwatch that came out. My dad, who fixes old radios, said to hold off because new tech always has problems. I waited and got the second model a year later for about $250. It had a much better battery and didn't crash like my friend's first version did. Anyone else have a piece of tech advice from a family member that paid off?

Pro tip: I found a 10x hand lens was way better than my phone's camera for checking mineral cleavage in the field.

Had to choose between volunteering at the Mesa Verde dig or the new Roman villa site in York

Picked Mesa Verde for the Ancestral Puebloan pottery, but the travel costs were way over my budget. Anyone have tips for finding funded volunteer spots in North America?

A guy at the hangar told me my torque wrench check was pointless

He said just doing the annual cert wasn't enough, and I needed to track the wrench's use count against its calibration cycle. I started logging every single use in a notebook after that job in Tulsa. How do you all keep track of tool cycles to stay ahead of calibration?

The worst week of my life started with a horse named Tank

Last Tuesday, I had a big draft horse named Tank come in for a full set of shoes. He's usually a gentle giant, but he was off that day, and I missed the early signs. While I was working on his front left, he shifted his weight and came down right on my foot. I heard a pop and knew it was bad. The owner rushed me to the clinic in Redmond, and they told me I broke three bones. I'm out of work for at least six weeks, and my whole crew is scrambling to cover my regular clients. The worst part is, I've worked with Tank for years and never had an issue. Has anyone else had a normally calm animal just have a bad moment like that? How do you handle the mental block when you get back to work?