A $130k salary on a $600k mortgage? That is pure insanity.

The fake rubber snake got me. Reminds me of how often the real issue turns out to be nothing like what we were told. People call about a bird, turns out it's a ringtone. People call about a leak, turns out it's a cat peeing on the floor vent. Half the job is figuring out what the problem actually is, not the one you got called for. Anyone who's done house calls long enough has a stack of these stories. Maybe it's just me but I kinda like those calls better, they make a good story later.

That "staring at it for 5 seconds" thing hits home. My buddy Dave went through the same deal with his chainsaw, of all things. His old man used to make him clean the bar and check the chain after every single use, and Dave hated it, thought it was a waste of a Saturday. Fast forward to now and he's the guy cussing under his breath when he skips it and the saw bogs down halfway through a log. Funny how the stuff we rolled our eyes at as kids turns into the stuff we can't work without.