It took me forever too until I stopped forcing myself into one camp. Watching with subs on my laptop rewinded scenes constantly, but dubs let me actually follow the story, so I just pick whichever is easier that day.

...and honestly I love that yours came with a surprise story, mine came with a death threat recipe. Bought a 1970s garden guide and tucked in the back was this typed note from some lady named Ethel about how her neighbor's zucchini was "poisoning the block with its lies." Took me three re-reads to realize she was serious. The book also had a handwritten recipe for "venison surprise" that just said "step one: catch the deer" and nothing else. I framed that page, it's the best art in my kitchen now. So yeah, yours is weird but at least the casserole had a plot.

Honestly, the SSA has a job to do and if a company’s gone under, they can’t just take your word for it. A shoebox of W-2s is pretty flimsy proof without any matching payroll records, so I get why they made you jump through hoops. Maybe the real lesson is keeping digital copies with the tax filing software instead of relying on paper that could get lost.