Classic. Found a whole peanut M&M in my last one. The things that end up in there are wild.

Did you end up going to Isle au Haut? I took that mail boat ferry and it was totally worth it for the quiet trails and rocky coast views without the crowds.

Okay but "had to give a presentation" is doing a lot of work here. I mean, was it really a have-to situation? Couldn't you just say the wifi was bad or move the call? It feels like a choice to do it from the beach at noon. Maybe it's just me but that whole scene sounds like a problem you could have avoided pretty easily.

Man, that spider arm failure is a known killer on those Samsung front loaders. You're right, they basically design them to be thrown out. For simple fixes, I've had good luck with basic Whirlpool top loaders from the big box stores. The parts are still common, and you can usually get a repair manual online. Speed Queen commercial units are built like tanks too, but you pay for it. Ever look into whether a generic part might fit your Samsung from a third party seller?

Sounds like a lot of fuss for a bit of shine.