Okay but the "suffer through the slow parts" line is a bit off. It's not about suffering. Those whale chapters in Moby-Dick are where Melville builds his whole weird world. You're supposed to get a little lost in it, like being stuck on a ship with nothing but weird facts and big thoughts. Skipping them is like fast-forwarding through the quiet parts of a song just to hear the chorus. The noise at the end only makes sense because of the quiet that came before.

Guess it depends on the situation.

My old vacuum cleaner did that, it was like running a space heater all day.

Ever tried just frying it up, @oscarb71?

Got a pair of Merrell hiking shoes that are my go-to for wet days. They look like normal sneakers but have a waterproof membrane. Kept my feet dry through a flooded crosswalk last week. The tread is good for slippery sidewalks too.