Nah man, I gotta disagree. The difference on my Milky Yellows was night and day, totally killed the scratch and made them sound way deeper. Maybe Box switches just don't benefit as much but lubing made a huge difference for me.

God, yes. I had the exact same thing happen with my cat Oliver. I thought I was being a good owner just keeping his bowl full so he never got hungry, but the vet gave me that same look when she weighed him and asked how much I feed him. He was 14 pounds and she said he needed to be around 10. It was honestly embarrassing because I had no idea free feeding was such a problem for indoor cats. I switched to measured portions twice a day and it's been a game changer, but the first few weeks he acted like I was starving him to death. He would sit by his bowl and cry at me like I was the worst person alive. Now he's down to about 11 pounds and the vet is happy, so it was worth the guilt trip.

Got a buddy who swears by using an old spaghetti strainer for sorting tiny seeds from sediment in the lab. Tried it myself once and ended up with more pasta sauce on my samples than actual results. Still, the colander trick is solid for field work, just spring for a dedicated one unless you want your chili to taste like a paleo site.

Right? It's wild how something as simple as a better tool can COMPLETELY change a routine. I had the same thing happen with a new kitchen gadget, now I actually cook breakfast instead of skipping it.

Read a study somewhere that said practicing with strangers actually works better because they don't have any of your backstory in their head. Makes sense to me. Friends and family already know what you're good at and where you struggle, so they accidentally go easy on you. A stranger will ask follow up questions that catch you off guard, which is more like a real interview.