Register the second you hear about an event. From what I've seen, popular tournaments can fill up overnight. I missed a local league last year by waiting until morning. Now I set an alarm for registration day. It sounds silly, but it works. Saves a lot of hassle.

My utility knife solved that edge problem.

Back in '09 at a camp in Oregon, I watched a guy use his truck's heater vents to dry a soaked rifle. He laid all the parts on the dashboard and cranked the heat for an hour... said it worked better than waiting. Makes you wonder what people will try when they're in a hurry.

Ranunculus stems are hollow and super fragile. The_alex is right that a quick boil seals them better than cool water.

It's like that with a lot of stuff. People get stuck on a brand name because it's what they know, even when the generic version does the exact same job for half the price. I used to buy the same expensive batteries until the store brand ones lasted just as long in my remote. Sometimes you just need to be pushed into trying the cheaper option.