Adventures in Laminate Flooring Part 2

So, we actually got some planks down last night. Caveat: we only got a box of planks down. Pretty pathetic, huh? I know there are some of you who are seriously considering foregoing the nastiness of carpet for some laminate wood, so I will detail our "adventure" in this home endeavor.
We had already ripped out carpet a couple weeks beforehand. This is what we learned from the internet and our own experience laying the laminate downstairs:

1) The planks need to acclimate to your home temp for at least 48 hours. This eliminates warping and buckling of the wood due to sudden temp change. (This, I think, was the hardest part for me...waiting.)
2) You need to purchase underlayment for insulation and sound reduction, unless you purchase laminate with the underlayment pre-attached to its underside. (We have tried both, the downstairs laminate from Ikea required a vapor barrier and underlayment. This batch from Sam's Club already had it, which is SO worth it.)
3) Measure twice, cut once. HAHAHAHA. I already wasted one plank. It takes longer, but measuring again saves you in the long run. (We bought a 10" miter saw and a finer blade specifically for laminate flooring. SO much easier than a battery-operated hand saw, but we still needed to flip the plank around because the blade didn't cut all the way across. Also, you still need a hand saw to make detailed cuts for floor vents, etc.)

Cutting for the holes in the floor vents took the longest, not to mention getting everything set up and removing the baseboards without breaking them. I can't wait for L to get home from work so we can start on it again....but then again, I might just sneak off to the garage and play around with the miter saw to see if I can do it myself!

NOTE: The best thing to have for cutting detailed lines on the plank is an orbital jigsaw. Just found that out while perusing the aisles of Walmart.