Noticed the same thing at the post office kiosk last week, feels like every machine in public is designed to test your patience instead of helping you.

Does anyone else feel like this whole "I will force myself to like the cheaper thing" thing is just a different version of trying to convince yourself budget cereal tastes the same as the name brand? Sometimes the tool that costs more is just better for the job, no matter how much we want to save money.

...and that's exactly what happened to my neighbor Stan up in Bellingham. He spent 30 years doing concrete work with nothing but a string and a 4-foot level. Last summer he had to pour a sidewalk that curved around a big oak tree and he was out there for two days trying to get the grade right with his old methods. His son finally bought him a DeWalt laser level for his birthday and Stan called me that night almost mad about how easy it was. He said he felt like he'd been carving wood with a pocket knife when chainsaws existed the whole time.