Last Tuesday, my Muji pen stopped working mid-sentence. This union talk is silly, pens are just products that fail sometimes. I had a whole pack of Bics that wrote fine until they were empty. Ink problems come from air bubbles or old stock, not collective action. Blaming it on unionizing ignores basic quality control. It's more about bad luck than some office supply revolt.

Wow, try salting them before thawing to pull out excess moisture.

Staining pine is tough, but that's the point for building real skill. Take @phoenixg64's blotchy project... those dark spots teach you where the wood needs more sanding or a thicker coat of conditioner. Fighting the uneven soak forces you to slow down and learn control with a brush or rag. Mastering pine means you've handled the hardest test for a beginner.

Could this help you understand the whole office better?

Totally feel you on the "just guessing where the lines go" part. I once spent a whole weekend trying to trace a wire based on pure hope and a bad drawing on a napkin. Let's just say my success rate was firmly in the "accidental fire hazard" category. It’s amazing how much time you can waste pretending you know what you’re doing up there.