Colfax spots at 2am tend to attract the kind of staff who think they're running a philosophy seminar. But a barista saying you look tired is not exactly a wellness lecture. He made a comment and asked twice, which is a bit much, sure, but we're talking maybe 30 extra seconds of your night. I've had bartenders cut me off and cab drivers tell me about my love life, and honestly that's just what you get at those hours. If the decaf thing really bugs you, the move is to try the place two blocks down and see if they just hand you the cup. Not everything needs to be a line being crossed.

Emergency fund was really just my grocery money wearing a disguise" hit hard, mine got exposed by a dead alternator.

Man, tube testers are the move if you can find one at a swap meet, got mine for $30 and it's saved me plenty. Next time just pull the tubes and test em before you hand over cash, dead tubes are the easiest thing to spot. $85 stings but hey, you got a working console out of it so that's a win in my book.