I mean, that thin dress sock thing is exactly what tripped me up at first too. I tried an old ankle sock and it just wasn't cutting it between the slats. But yeah, a thicker tube sock works way better because it holds enough liquid without dripping everywhere. I actually cut the toe off one of my ratty gym socks so I could slide it on and off easier while swapping hands. Also, don't soak it too much or you'll be wiping drips off the windowsill for an hour. Just damp enough to wipe the dust and grime off is the sweet spot.

The part about the instructor talking about their personal life for half the time really hit home. I took a woodworking class once where the guy spent the first 45 minutes telling us about his divorce and then rushed through the actual technique. What worked for me was finding a local community college class that was cheap but structured, and the teacher actually had to stick to a syllabus. After that I started looking for courses that had a clear outline posted upfront, so I knew exactly what I was getting. Also, I asked around on nextdoor and reddit for recommendations from real people who took the class, not just the star reviews on the site. That saved me from wasting money on another talker who just wanted to hear himself go on.