Oh yes, the burnt rubber phase! I did the same thing with my old Gaggia. I was so stubborn about my grind setting, thought finer was always better because that's what the internet said. My shots took like 50 seconds and tasted like licking a campfire. A barista at a shop near me finally pulled me a shot on their machine and I almost cried. It was like a completely different drink, sweet and smooth. Now I tell everyone who starts out to just watch the clock, not the grind size.

Wait, a $90 Fiskars reel mower actually cut BETTER than your gas one? No way. I would've thought those things just kinda chew up the grass or something. That's wild.

Dig into that a little more, were you already doubting yourself on the cookies before she said anything, or was it totally out of left field? Because for me, the worst part is when that voice just confirms what you were already worried about in the first place. It's like you had a tiny crack and she just... made it a lot bigger.

The backwards books thing is genius, I love it. My local shop does the same.

Oh man, I did the same thing with a steak knife and my finger still has a weird scar!