Ha thanks guys. I did this totally expecting some people not to like it, but hey, that wasn't on my list of goals ;)
So far, I feel like I've at least gotten significantly better with my angle grinder, finally figured out how to get the most out of the $20 crappy Harbor Freight vertical belt sander thing I found on clearance with missing pieces, and learned that aluminum can be a joy to work with... Oh yeah, starting to master straight-ish cuts with the hacksaw.