Oh man, my buddy found this old comic book in his attic last month, just sitting in a box of his dad's junk. He was so pumped, said it felt like winning the lottery.

It's the same with cast iron pans and good knives.

That built-in sense of pride is a real thing people forget. Slapping together some lumber means you'll always look at that island and remember making it work. A store-bought piece is just furniture, but something you built fixes the exact problem you had. That custom fit for your pans beats a perfect finish any day.

That reminds me of a plumber complaining about "tense" pipe runs.

Honestly, calling it "back to square one" feels off. You built skills and contacts for six months, that doesn't just disappear. The ghosting sucks, but that's a them problem, not a reset on your progress.