My local bakery switched to a digital menu board last year. It cycles through the same five pictures all day. I miss seeing the owner's handwriting on the chalkboard with the daily special, you know? That automation felt like they gave up telling me what was fresh. Your story about the customer calling really shows that. People can tell when the human touch is gone, and they start to think the heart of the business is gone too.

Your whole setup just died?

Ever try those compression gloves the_patricia mentioned?

Remember when a permit was just a piece of paper and not a second mortgage? Now you need a city planner's blessing to hammer two boards together. My neighbor's shed paperwork weighed more than the shed itself. We've traded common sense for a filing fee.

Oh my god, that is a DISASTER waiting to happen. The sugar in that pineapple would just melt and drip everywhere, like hot lava glue. You'd open that air fryer to a crime scene. I can already picture the burnt, sticky goo welded to the basket. That guy is braver than any soldier.