Honestly, that "shop talk" thing is real. I had a cracked vase that looked done for, but a cold seal punty held it together long enough to get a proper repair done. The trick is chilling the punty rod in ice water first so it grabs without thermal shock. Saved a piece I would have written off.

But what if the mutual friend is ALSO out of the loop? Happened to me last year, bought a fancy baby gift and it turned out the couple had split up months before. Awkward city. How do you even ask that without sounding like you're digging for gossip?

My roommate went three years without cleaning her coffee maker lol

Ugh, "dry climates wreck floral foam" is the truth. I had a wedding in Nevada where the foam in the centerpieces was basically dust by the end of the cocktail hour. Everything just sucked all the moisture out so fast. It's such a bad feeling watching it fall apart when you promised it would last. Solidarity, it's the worst.