Disagree with you here. Seen it happen myself with an old square left in a truck bed in Tucson. 120 degrees inside a closed cab for hours is way hotter than 150 outside, aluminum gets weird around 200. That square didn't just buckle from pressure, it literally warped in the middle from the heat soak. Guess it depends on the alloy, but some of those cheapies are soft enough to fold if theyre thin. Not saying you're wrong for your experience, just saying mine was different.

My take is that the issue isn't so much skipping the hot fat as it is the order you mix things. I make gravy all the time and I always whisk the flour right into the hot drippings first, then slowly add the cold milk or broth while whisking. That way the flour cooks out and you don't get that raw paste texture. Your method of putting flour in cold milk first just makes a thick slurry that doesn't blend right once it hits the pan. My mom taught me that trick after I had a few lumpy batches myself.

My camera bag is basically a black hole for half-shot rolls. I once found one from a family reunion and my cousin's kid in the photos was now in high school. It's a nice surprise, but it also makes me wonder how many other rolls I've lost to old coats and bags over the years.

Man, I hear you. I've done the same thing on longer jobs when the water was clear. That manual is written for the worst case, like you said. If you're not chewing through mud and sand, a solid visual check halfway through the day has always been enough for me too. It's all about knowing your conditions. Those saved minutes really add up by the end of the week.

Honestly that whole plan was doomed from the start. Lounges check for same day boarding passes like every hour. Trying to fake sleep just makes you the main character in a security training video. Tbh the universe charged you the idiot tax with that motel bill. We've all had a cheap idea blow up in our face though.