check the vent before you swap the thermal fuse" is the kind of thing you learn the hard way. Buddy of mine swapped two fuses in one week on a Whirlpool, customer kept calling back mad. Third trip he finally pulled the vent hose off the back and a giant sock of lint came out, thing was so clogged the dryer was basically cooking itself. He said the old timer at his shop told him the same thing years ago and he just never listened.

Tapping the caliper saved my Shimano too, night and day difference.

Watching half the group nod along to a book nobody read would drive me nuts too. My club has the same problem, we picked a 500 page history book in September and I'm pretty sure only two people made it past chapter three, but everyone shows up with opinions anyway. It's like we're all performing for each other instead of actually talking about the book. Your sister is blunt but at least she's honest about it, which is more than most people in my group can say.