the secret of steel

 Is no longer at my neighborhood Ace Hardware.  The store is a train-wreck, always, and they haven't restocked the steel rack in a couple of years, real talk.  I could go to other stores, but I was getting a good discount at the old one.  I can't afford full retail prices.  All good things must come to an end. 

 I need just a couple of sizes of flat strap, 3ft - 4ft long, before I can get started on the outriggers for the hoist cart, but I will probably end up with 8 ft or so, from McMaster, we'll see.  For the weight, McMaster's prices are not terrible, last I checked.  The scrap yard is cheaper, but I am still having a lot of pain and I don't feel up to the trip out there.  Heck, I've bought small pieces of steel off of eBay when I found the right price and free shipping.

 We'll see, but I'm done shopping at my old store. My old manager seems to think it's okay to treat me like shit compared to total stranger customers, just because he knows who I am.  Familiarity breeds contempt, apparently.  He knew he couldn't handle the big city, he said he should have moved back to Small Town, MN, but he didn't, and 'the big city' broke him.  Can you imagine how he'd have faired in NYC??