tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52337150415251212302024-03-13T17:49:05.004-05:00Tole's PlaceWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-24324081083762204102023-10-07T10:59:00.003-05:002023-12-20T16:41:25.185-06:00Make It Aluminum They Said - The FinaleStarted it up this morning around 10 AM and let it come up to operating temperature. So far, so good.Decided I needed to road test it to make sure it would hold under a load. Also gave me the chance to burn the rust off of the brake rotors. Still it runs.Took it to get an inspection so I can renew the registration that has been out since February. Local PD is standing in the parking lot of the Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-55753121577141904012023-10-06T14:43:00.002-05:002023-12-20T16:41:00.156-06:00Make It Aluminum They Said Pt. 2 Today was the day to re-thread the spark plug hole on the 2003 Grand Marquis. The procedure is pretty simple. The kit comes with a bore, a tap, and the steel sleeve insert.It has enough sleeves in the kit to do an entire engine, and believe me that if I ever build one of these for a car I WILL do all eight as part of the build.Like I said, it's pretty simple. Crank the engine around until Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-82604782487575031422023-09-18T09:59:00.002-05:002023-09-18T19:04:11.921-05:00More Car Fun A while back I bought a 1999 Mazda Miata for my youngest as their first car. It rough and that's ok because it IS a first car. The only thing I knew I had to fix was the convertible top and to find the parasitic draw on the battery.Let's start with the top. Here's a picture of what I was starting with:This makes the fourth Miata top I've done and as a buddy of mine said, "The Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-5396564890183758322023-05-24T16:15:00.033-05:002023-05-24T16:21:44.014-05:00Breakfast, Cause a Man's Gotta Eat!With working out and trying to lower my weight and blood sugar, I've been on a high protein diet for a couple of years now and to say that I've run out of ways to make eggs interesting would be putting it lightly. Last week I decided to add some Kent Rollins Original Seasoning to my usual list of ingredients and man are they good! Thought I'd share it with you. In a smallWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-14454750766929099212023-03-09T09:12:00.003-06:002023-09-20T16:42:16.446-05:00Chronic Pain So one of the results of the last year's worth of strength training is that I have learned to live with almost constant pain from the arthritis/bone spurs in my hips. Except for when it's a stabbing pain, it's mostly just background noise now. Here's the part that freaks me out, and I'd be willing to bet that any of you who have chronic pain in your life can identify with this. Any Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-81477871639737544162023-02-24T09:55:00.007-06:002023-12-20T16:40:21.702-06:00Make It Aluminum They Said So this weekend I get to do something I've never had to do in all the years I've been turning wrenches. I get it. I do. Aluminum is light and it's strong enough to take the stresses of an internal combustion engine. Having said all of that, I've never had cast iron blow a spark plug out of a head and take the threads out with it. Apparently this is a common occurrence with Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-51474442715725432822023-02-22T09:33:00.001-06:002023-02-22T09:33:07.911-06:00Stroke Risks We recently had to have the entire fire alert system replaced where I work. The actual install wasn't awful, but now we're in the testing phase. The first couple of days involved setting off the alarm over and over from each smoke detector and pull station. Then came the making sure the alarm could be heard everywhere in the building. Now we're at a point where we don't have to have Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-62591028860723567482022-11-25T09:56:00.003-06:002022-11-25T10:44:16.061-06:00Now What Do I Do?My writing and posting here has been terrible. I know it. Since April my mind's focus has been taking care of my dad. When I wasn't at work, I was taking him to some doctor or running to the local ER to meet him after a fall or some other episode. We moved in with dad in April because he'd been falling quite a bit. Talking to his neighbors I now know he fell many more times than he ever toldWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-47591948576638839932022-09-08T08:10:00.004-05:002022-09-08T09:17:45.827-05:00Thankful Thursday On my way out of town this morning a local sheriff with his lights flashing blew past me like I was sitting still. It was the unmarked drug interdiction unit so I figured it was an early morning drug bust somewhere in the country around my small town. I really didn't think anything else about it.As I was driving the sun started to come up and when I topped a hill I stopped and took a Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-32802045099685316152022-09-02T18:12:00.001-05:002022-09-02T18:12:08.850-05:00Friday Funday I love the Friday before a long weekend. Boss is letting us out early. Mainly because he wants to leave early too. Honestly I have a great boss.I hit another milestone in my strength training today. Leg press hit 225. I consider anytime I hit a new weight that's all 45 pound plates a milestone. Felt good. All of my other lifts are progressing, so I really can't complain.Since I'm getting Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-39574844095800439792022-08-25T14:52:00.002-05:002022-08-26T16:36:36.492-05:00Tole's Gift UncoveredOk, so I have written a little. This is a continuation of the post from Sept 2020 called Training...Kind Of. In this little snippet Serilla helps Tole uncover one aspect of his gift. Let me know what you think.WayneThe rest of the day was spent working on my access to
my gift. Serilla went over the runes I had learned that would let me discharge
any magical build up. That set Valsh on edge.Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-32991412424764808242022-08-25T13:59:00.003-05:002022-08-25T13:59:55.614-05:00New Anthology Out and Where the Hell I've BeenIt's been two months. Must be time for me to post something again.Ok, first thing's first. I have a story in an anthology to benefit our local library. There're actually two volumes, both worth reading, but my contribution is in the first. Here's the links:The Haunted Library Anthology: Volume 1The Haunted Library Anthologies: Volume 2Give them a read. All of the authors are forgoing any Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-88002120960268920602022-06-16T12:51:00.006-05:002022-06-16T12:51:42.358-05:00Liberty Con Update Much like Tulkon, I am not going to be able to make Liberty Con this year either. Still holding out hope for FenCon in September.Y'all be good, and if you can't be good, be sneaky.WayneWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-49295497590238326332022-04-28T10:26:00.002-05:002022-04-28T10:26:11.120-05:00Tulkon Update Due to circumstances WAY beyond my control, I've had to cancel my trip to Tulkon. I'm still sending signed books that will be at the North Texas Troublemakers booth.LibertyCon is still on the itinerary though, so if you're there, track me down.Wayne Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-77650158972097471752022-04-26T09:48:00.003-05:002022-04-26T14:56:40.915-05:00Ok, This Bugs MeI'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this, but it really bugs the hell out of me when someone leaves a mediocre rating on one of my publications without leaving a review. I understand it may not have been your cup of tea. Hell, I even understand that my story writing and editing skills are still as rough as 36 grit sandpaper. BUT, if you're gonna ding me at least tell me what you didn't like. I Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-80193075680167756522022-04-13T10:15:00.003-05:002022-04-13T18:58:13.997-05:00News From the Edge Ok, I've been quiet for WAY too long. There's been a lot of big stuff going on that has kept my attention elsewhere, but I'm at a point where I just have to stop and let some of the pressure out of my head. Ready or not here we go... Personal shit first. My progress on being a healthier me is Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-25808377144443002522022-01-03T11:23:00.001-06:002022-01-03T11:26:03.724-06:00New Anthology is Out Back in September, I posted a chunk of a short story I was writing for a second volume of Tales Around the Supper Table. Well, it went live a couple of days ago, so here's the link. As of right now it's only available on Kindle, but a dead tree version is pending.Buy it for the Kindle HERE.Same link will work for a hard copy once it is available.Hope you enjoy it.WayneWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-42067965506572869132021-10-29T21:24:00.000-05:002021-10-29T21:24:14.507-05:00Fun Drive Home On my way home from work today there was a "dude"
cutting through traffic in his Acura TL. Car looked nice and had a sporty
sounding exhaust, but the way the guy was driving it was kind of ticking off
the crotchety old man in me.
We ended up side-by-side at a light and he sat there revving
his engine. I, of course, took it as a challenge, so I staged up. Foot on the
brake and throttle downWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-19655663637923263182021-10-15T12:54:00.005-05:002022-04-13T09:52:50.116-05:00Another Trip Around the Sun Today marks my 52nd orbit. Had to renew my license and hear the nice lady say she was changing the hair color from BRN to GRY. Dammit. Oh well, like they always say "any day above ground is a good one." On the upside, I'm actually losing weight for the first time in my life. Down about 15 pounds so far with about thirty left to go. Goal is to keep thatWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-43601779510055797352021-09-30T18:35:00.001-05:002021-10-01T06:09:34.266-05:00Throwback ThursdayThis is 16 year old me helping pull the reusable parts out of a buddy's 68 Mustang that was in a an accident. We called him Hoss. The parts went into another 68, called Hoss 2, which as coincidence would have it is still in his possession. Well some of it is. Over the years, this part or that has been scrounged from it until all that is left is the unibody, doors, trunk lid, and glass. Its aWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-11044340188438678172021-09-29T14:54:00.000-05:002021-09-29T14:54:18.505-05:00Wordy Wednesday So it appears that there is going to be a second volume of Tales Around the Supper Table, and I've been asked for a submission. I've been having a really difficult time writing lately and my lack of posts here can serve as evidence. I've managed to wring about 1300 words or so out of my brain so far. Still waiting to see if this thing is going to develop Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-35035865511382598852021-09-27T12:55:00.001-05:002021-09-27T12:55:41.211-05:00Manic Monday I got to start my Monday with my HR hat on. Always a fun way to kick off the week. I looked at the clock on my pc about the time I got the last little bits nailed down from crises 1 through 3 only to realize it was time for lunch. Got an invite from OldNFO to go to a new cajun/seafood place called The Catch. An invitation I was more than happy to accept. Blackened Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-13456632449529630332021-09-13T16:35:00.003-05:002021-09-14T18:06:34.646-05:00I'm BustedSo I finally got my first one
star review. It was on Here There Be Pirates, and it is glorious. I have to
admit that at first I was mildly ticked off, but the more I thought about it
the funnier it got. I clicked on the name of the reader and found that the one star review is his bread-and-butter. That's pretty much all he does. Please allow me to share it here in its entirety:
I read this.
ThenWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-15964330771695338822021-01-13T14:59:00.007-06:002021-01-13T18:15:42.235-06:00Reflections of a Grumpy Old Man I'm a grumpy old bastard.
I'll admit it. It seems, though, that I have been getting progressively grumpier
over the last ten years or so. The other morning as I was getting ready for
work, I made eye contact with myself in the mirror and came to a realization. I
was not always the angry, cynical, pessimistic shit that I am now. In my
younger days, I was a much happier guy. Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5233715041525121230.post-47769729082930138382020-11-09T14:42:00.001-06:002020-11-09T14:42:15.563-06:00What is This Free Time You Speak Of? I have been derelict in my writing duties for the last month. Well, not so much derelict as much as a looked down and when I looked up again, a month had passed. The last month has been one of those "one step forward, two steps back" situations, and it has just damned near worn me out.My wife and I have had to admit my mother-in-law to a long-term care facility due to her health. I Waynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17485627630494437750noreply@blogger.com1