Kirby Morgan band mask vs. a cheap knockoff - not even close

I spent 6 months diving a generic budget band mask from some online shop, thought I was saving $800. Switched to a real Kirby Morgan SuperLite 17 last month on a job in the Gulf. The difference in comfort after 4 hours underwater is night and day, plus the comms actually work without static. My buddy Dave still uses the knockoff and complains about jaw fatigue by lunch every single shift. Anyone else waste money on a fake before going legit?

Saw my dad's old hometown in Ohio and realized how much funeral customs shifted in 30 years

I drove through Mansfield last week and stopped by the cemetery where my grandpa is buried. Back when he passed in 92, the whole town showed up with casseroles and sat in the parlor for three days straight. Now my cousin told me they do cremation and a two hour service at the funeral home on a Tuesday morning. What happened to the open house mourning period, and is it just a Midwest thing that faded out?

Wasted $60 on a password manager that didn't even work for my setup

I bought a yearly subscription for some fancy password manager last month after seeing all the ads. Turns out it had zero support for the browser I use at work, so I could never auto-fill anything. I spent three hours trying to set it up before giving up and requesting a refund. The company kept pointing to their refund policy and said I missed the window by two days. So now I'm stuck with a tool I can't use and $60 down the drain. Anyone else get burned by a subscription that looked good in the ad but fell apart in real use?

Chat with an old farrier in Kentucky changed my mind on hoof boots

Ran into a guy at a clinic near Lexington who said he uses them for 90% of his foundered horses instead of shoeing. I always figured boots were a crutch, but he showed me records from 60 horses over 2 years. Has anyone else tried making boots a permanent part of their rotation?

My tent zipper blew out during a storm in the Smokies last October

I was camped at Elkmont around midnight when the wind picked up and my main zipper just split apart. Had to use paracord and a trash bag to jury-rig the door shut for the rest of the night. Has anyone found a reliable way to fix tent zippers on the trail or do you just pack a backup shelter?

Serious question, why do people still use checks for business payments?

I work at a small supply company in Austin and last week a vendor tried to pay us with a check for $2,400. It took 5 days to clear and almost bounced because they forgot to sign it. I know older folks are used to them, but with Zelle and ACH transfers being instant, why risk the delays and mistakes? Has anyone else dealt with this or found a way to push clients toward digital payments without offending them?

Just found out my landlord can't ban my emotional support dog in Santa Ana

I was digging through the HUD guidelines because my landlord threatened to evict me over my ESA. Turns out California Civil Code 54.2 and federal Fair Housing Act both protect ESAs even in no-pet buildings. My landlord tried to say I needed a special license but that's total BS. Has anyone else here had to fight their landlord over this in Orange County?

Saw a guy in a Berlin cafe get his phone taken over a meme...

I was at a spot near Alexanderplatz last month and this guy at the next table was showing his friend a picture. It was just a simple edit of a famous painting with a speech bubble. A cafe worker came over, looked at his screen, and told him he had to delete it or leave. The guy argued for a minute but then just shut his phone off. It wasn't even a political figure, just a joke about art history. Makes you wonder what counts as 'harmful' now. Has anyone else seen something get shut down that just seemed totally harmless?

Talked to a plumber at the supply house who said he charges a flat $350 just to show up now. That's wild.

So I was reading about banned kids books in a Florida school district...

I found this list online of books pulled from a county near Tampa, and one of them was a picture book about a gay penguin couple. The crazy part was the reason given... 'sexual content'. For a kids book about penguins finding an egg. I just stared at my screen for a solid minute. Has anyone else seen a reason for a ban that just made zero sense to them?