Friday, December 28, 2018

167 - Reading



  • This episode is going to be more like what I want from future episodes, just exploring a topic.
  • With project updates as progress occurs - a garage door update in the shop.
  • Reading, I try to read at least some every day.
  • I love reading, the use of imagination. While I watch a lot of movies and don't read many books, that's because movies are shorter. It's also easier to multi-task during a movie.
  • Reading in school.
  • My veracity for reading started in second grade.
  • The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.
  • I've read a lot of Vonnegut, working through his books now.
  • Cormac McCarthy is my favorite author.
  • Phillip K. Dick
  • Orson Scott Card
  • Books I want to read.

Friday, December 21, 2018

166 - Top TV 2018



  • Generation Kill
  • Better Call Saul
  • Star Trek Continues
  • Succession
  • Atypical
  • Bojack Horseman
  • The Haunting of Hill House
  • Bodyguard
  • Homecoming
  • The Shield.

Friday, December 14, 2018

165 - It's Still Electric



  • Where to put my 240 volt receptacle.
  • If you're doing electrical work, hire an electrician. If you want to risk your safety, this is how I wired my junction box and receptacles.
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 - closing in on the end.
  • Shop ceiling panels

Friday, December 7, 2018

164 - 240v Electrical Work



  • Finalizing details. Will be splitting a 240v circuit to 120.
  • I have a subpanel for baseboard heaters. Baseboard heaters no longer exist. Re purposing the breaker to get (2) 120v breakers and I just might add a 240v outlet to the shop for the future.
  • Dust collector needs a dedicated circuit
  • Tracking down the breaker box diagram

Friday, November 30, 2018

163 - Shop Upgrades



  • Cleaning the shop, everything has a layer of sawdust, but the dust collector should fix it.
  • Starting with a Harbor Freight DC. Look at the upgrades, options are a Cyclone chip separator, Thein baffle, filter upgrade, Rikon impeller upgrade. 
  • I'm going to make my own Cyclone, separating chips protects the impeller and keeps the filter clear. The HF filter isn't great, a Wynn filter is more efficient and cpatures more.
  • Preparing for the ceiling panels which means I need to install my ceiling mounted receptacles.  
  • Planning out all receptacles and am going to run them off a dedicated circuit. 
  • Nanowrimo is almost done and so am I.
  • Rants on scooters and entitled drivers.

Friday, November 23, 2018

162 - NaNoWriMo Thanksgiving



  • The batting cage has been taken down, it must be Thanksgiving.
  • Painting of the shop is done, the ceiling is next. I made a shelf too. The new shop will be organized!
  • Watching The Shield while I paint. Watched the last few seasons as they aired after catching up on DVDs. Later watched it all again when I bought the complete DVD set.
  • The Shield is one of my favorite shows with The Wire and The X-files. I'm not sure a new show can supplant the shows I first fell in love with like Lost, The sopranos, The West Wing. Those have been favorite for so long,  a show I saw last week can't supplant that.
  • Last week I watched Bodyguard S1 and Homecoming S1.
  • Listening to the podcast of Homecoming, I like the show better.
  • NaNoWriMo - scrapped my third screenplay and started a fourth . Outlining is going much better, I'll need more than the 10k words I have left to finish, but I may just finish it anyway.

    Friday, November 16, 2018

    161 - Shark Jumping



    • Shop project update - painting CMU
    • Prepping for paint has only reinforced the need for dust collection
    • NaNoWriMo Update- Switching up stories to write a romance screenplay. Why not, right?
    • A followup on the Kavanaugh claims from last week.

    Friday, November 9, 2018

    160 - 80s Juice



    • When do you stop being sentimental over birthdays.
    • How many days in a month do you feel down? Has that changed over time?
    • Ward's shop update
    • Rod's getting rid of his highway miles van
    • Sports cars
    • Car payments
    • If Rod won the lottery he would read the newspaper un-interrupted.
    • Writing inspiration
    • Red Dead Redemption II

    Friday, November 2, 2018

    159 - NaNoWriMo Begins


    • Halloween has come and gone. I was Battlehawk from Fortnite. I'm already thinking about costumes for next year.
    • I want to start a new project now that the Halloween projects are done. I want to do the tactical shotgun from Fortnite and I want to rearrange my shop. Not sure which one is first. 
    • Nanowrimo is upon us.
    • Voted early, no one pushing candidates, no lines, no one but volunteers.Choosing candidates is a crap shoot, but I do like to see relevent experience.
    • Speaking of which, the Mets new GM.
    • Touching a monitor that isn't touch-screen should NEVER happen, nor portrait image and videos with a phone.

    Friday, October 26, 2018

    158 - Almost Done for Halloween



    • Halloween is upcoming and I'm ready to be done. Already cleaning up the shop, close to done with costumes.
    • Thinking about next year's costume, I would like to do something Fallout related or wild west
    • Red Dead Redemption 2 is out, it will be the first game I've purchased in three years. The last game was Fallout 4.
    • I was an actor at a haunted house. I used my Twisty the clown costume.
    • The deck project is on hold until spring. I can't pour concrete in the cold, so I may go ahead and update my shop. I want to upgrade the electrical and rearrange it for efficiency.
    • I've talked about painting my truck, building a drift trike, and a cnc router. Maybe some day.

    Friday, October 19, 2018

    157 - I Saw Rhett & Link



    • I saw Rhett and Link at the NC state fair. It was a musical concert, and while there songs are silly on the surface, they are quite clever. I've been listening to their songs all week.
    • Voting is your obligation. While picking candidates feels arbitrary I've made my choices. I don't vote party line, I'm not party affiliated. I vote for who gets the job done. I also think candidates should have relevant experience. Having no experience in politics isn't an asset.
    • The Fortnite halloween costume is nearing completion.
    • I will accomplish one of my goals, an actor at a haunted house.
    • Let's talk about littering.
    • We close out with the horror movies and shows I've been watching.

    Friday, October 12, 2018

    156 - Milestone



    • The podcast has reached the milestone of three years worth of weekly episodes.
    • Rod and Eric are back to mark the special occasion.
    • Halloween costume update.
    • Differing opinions on Kavanaugh.
    • NaNoWriMo
    • Unfinished podcast projects
    • Eric completed Project Vanity
    • We're going to a hockey game... sometime

    Friday, October 5, 2018

    155 - I Made a Video



    • I edited a video for the first time in over a year. It's a promo for boxofficerefund.com These videos will be dropping throughout October.
    • I built a website in the past week: boxofficerefund.com/
    • Still working on the Fortnite costume. Working with foam, when to switch blades, getting the details right (or wrong). Using a wood burner for details, paint effects, weathering etc.
    • NaNoWriMo is coming in November

    Friday, September 28, 2018

    154 - 154



    • Updates on the Fortnite costume and some general tips working with EVA foam.
    • What I've been watching, Atypical, Bojack Horseman, American Horror Story, The Walking Dead.

    Friday, September 21, 2018

    153 - Dating a Grabboid



    • Special guest: Nico Bell
    • Fortnite costume update
    • Box Office Refund website design. Coming October it's going to be awesoem.
    • Car registration - 21 months lapsed
    • Catman statues, it's a strange world in which we live.
    • Venus fly trap project. How would you build a 4' tall
    • Shelf life for women and men in their 30s becomes talking about whether we would date a grabboid, from Tremors fame, both bipedal and worm.

    Friday, September 14, 2018

    152 - Fortnite Costume Updates & Graphic Design Project



    • Fortnite costume update - the tac shotgu was scaled correctly. The scar was way too big.
    • The Battlehawk costume has started by cutting/taping patterns to a duct tape dummy I made.
    • Got pants, boots, and gloves in the mail for Battlehawk.
    • Designing a logo for Box Office Refund, my other podcast. 
    • A logo has to read across different mediums, scale, and transform. Does it convey the brand message?
    • Adobe Kuler is a great tool to for color selection, even if i didn't use the recommendations this time.
    • The Box Office Refund website is launching in October. Staged a photo shoot for marketing photos. I wish i could do more of this, but it's time intensive. I did a Breaking Bad photo shoot a few years ago.

    Friday, September 7, 2018

    151 - Back to Projects



    • Halloween costumes will be Fortnite inspired- Battlehawk and Enforcer with the tactical shotgun and scar. I've modeled the fire arms in sketchup even though they'll be the last thing I make. They're the most fun.
    • I have the hardware for the deck, just need the wood. That project has been way too long in the making.
    • I've always wanted to make a branding iron.

    Friday, August 31, 2018

    150 - Super Heroes, TV, VideoGames



    • Talking Marvel super heroes
    • Voltron Legendary Defender on Netflix
    • Board Games
    • First day of school
    • Trollhunters
    • Breath of the Wild

    Friday, August 24, 2018

    149 - Group Work Ain't Bad but How the Marlins Treat Acuna Is



    • Group work. Nobody likes it, but all in all it hasn't been bad to me.
    • Acuna should not have been hit, and Keith Hernandez's opinion is wrong.
    • I'm not as old as I feel. It's an old person thing to say, but here we are.
    • Adults can be stupid, I'm trying not to be a stupid adult

    Friday, August 17, 2018

    148 - Video Games



    • Video games with a guest. What we have played, our favorites, and firsts.

    Friday, August 10, 2018

    147 - MoviePass and Gwent



    • MoviePass unveiled a new plan after running out of money two weeks ago. They unveiled a new, new plan this week. What is their plan? Do they have one?
    • The warped wall/climbing wall is done (except for paint)! It's a lot of fun and my grip strength will be improving over the next few weeks.
    • I've been playing Gwent, the online card game. It's fun!

    Friday, August 3, 2018

    146 - Don't Die On Me Movie Pass



    • The rain has made work on the warped wall slow.
    • Movie Pass ran out of money over the weekend. Many changes have made it less functional for me.
    • Will I renew next year? I don't even know if they will exist in six months.
    • Check out the Box Office Refund podcast. Find all the links you need on Twitter, it's on Stitcher, soon it should be on iTunes.

    Friday, July 27, 2018

    145 - Corporate Beauracracy Rant



    • I'm co-hosting a new podcast, Box Office Refund, with my friend Nico Bell.
    • Billable hours. It's a stat that means almost nothing because everyone wants it to look good and there's a whole department to monitor it. What a waste.
    • I know nothing about billable hours. My rant is conjecture, fabrication, and hypothetical.
    • Warped wall update.

    Friday, July 20, 2018

    144 - Self-Made Billionaire Youtubers



    • Kylie Jenner was recently touted as a self made billionaire. Is she?
    • She has a lot more opportunities and resources than the average person.
    • My son wants to make a Youtube channel. It's not as easy as he thinks, at least not as easy as if Kylie Jenner started a channel.

    Saturday, July 14, 2018

    BONUS: Hot Fuzz Movie Review



    • Hot Fuzz (2007) is an amazing British comedy parodying action movies.
    • Rod joins the episode for the review.
    • That scene from Spaced, the mimed guns.

    Friday, July 13, 2018

    143 - Rental Cars and Warped Walls



    • I rented a car and what a saga it turned out to be.
    • Don't accept a rental car when the employee tells you, just pump up the tire and it will be fine.
    • This drama does have a happy ending.
    • Caption contest. Do you want to know my entry? Here's the image.
    • Warped wall - Why I'm building a ramp/ladder/climbing wall.

    Friday, July 6, 2018

    142 - How Much Cheese is Too Much?



    • People say eating too much cheese will stop you up. Is that true? Does Taco Bell really run right through you? Ward ponders these questions to no conclusion.
    • The baseball all star vote. It's working exactly as it should.
    • Hereditary is a solid movie even if it isn't all that scary.

    Friday, June 29, 2018

    141 - Designated Baseball Shift



    • Why baseball shouldn't ban the shift.
    • Is NL baseball close to adopting the DH rule?
    • Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - I saw it, should you?
    • Westworld Season 2.
    • Upcoming project, building a deck; after that workshop upgrade.

    Friday, June 22, 2018

    140 - Rantings and Ravings



    • I rant about rude workplace behavior. How can some people be so unaware?
    • Being nervous can be good. I'm directing. I've never done it and I want to do a good job. Excited anticipatoin.
    • The Atlanta Braves have the best record in the National League.

    Friday, June 15, 2018

    139 - Treat the Source Not the Symptom



    • How I fixed my truck's tailgate latch
    • I got advice on covering up the problem, but I wanted to fix it 'right'
    • I have aspirations to be in the local theater guild for at least one production. I considered years ago with a focus on acting, but now I would love to design and build a set.
    • Thanks to MoviePass I've watched twenty movies in the theater so far this year.

    Friday, June 8, 2018

    138 - Why Do Rich People Drive Rich People Cars?



    • Watching HBO's latest series Succession, I ponder what determines the car people drive.
    • The How We Got Here trope, I don't like it. If your movie or episode's opening is so boring that you feel the need to include a later scene, fix it. Don't try to band-aid it.
    • NaNoWriMo 2018, ideas on a story.
    • Halloween 2018 could be Fortnite inspired.

    Friday, June 1, 2018

    137 - Don't Give It Away For Free



    • Doing graphic design at my job
    • A skill I learned on my own from which my job reaps benefits
    • I want to get paid when the only alternative is outsourcing
    • Friends and family discount is a joke. They should want to help you succeed. Why would they pay a stranger instead of you?
    • I don't charge for my time, only when my time is using an exclusive skill. I'll help you move furniture anytime at no charge
    • Doing something for a hobby versus for a job
    • Value your time and know the value
    •  Pass up work

    Friday, May 25, 2018

    136 - I Love Movies



    • I watch a lot of movies
    • Landmark viewing experiences include Ghostbusters, Terminator 2, The Matrix, Donnie Darko
    • Much older when I realized Ghostbusters doesn't end at the Gray Lady scene
    • Started watching in college. Jamie changed how I view movies. A DVD player changed my access to movies
    • My DVD collection that no longer expands
    • IMDB Top 250 Chase

    Friday, May 18, 2018

    135 - Let's Get Political, but Not



    • The political party divide
    • Two parties can't encompass all the nuance of opinions
    • The refusal to meet in the middle and creating enemies
    • Is there a fix?
    • Atlanta Braves baseball

    Friday, May 11, 2018

    134 - JV Baseball Career



    • More Fortnite
    • Little league baseball
    • High School JV team
    • Focusing outside of sanctioned practice goes a long way
    • Future baseball ambitions as an adult

    Friday, May 4, 2018

    133 - Who Directs Who



    • Fortnite updates
    • Aspiring youtube maker used Ward's blog for inspiration - and asked first!
    • Car watch 2018
    • Ward's 2018 Oscar Best picture nominee reviews
    • Do children owe their parents for the upbringing
    • I see my job as preparing my kid for life
    • Will I ever find the passion that Bryce Harper, Tiger Woods, and Jiro dreams of sushi has?
    • Always wanted a roadster blazer. It's impractical but cool unlike Jeep Commanders

    Friday, April 20, 2018

    132 - Fortnite Battlepass is Worth It



    • Eric's has a Hyundai
    • More Fortnite - The benefits of getting the Battle Pass
    • Ward is sharing his podcast knowledge with a friend starting a bad horror movie podcast
    • Running for an office, Eric wouldn't, Ward might, would you?
    • Ward hard sells Toastmasters. It's great to get better a public speaking and for becoming a better leader.
    • Eric's gay wedding.

    Friday, April 13, 2018

    131 - Fortnite



    • Fortnite
    • Eric's inducted to Fortnite
    • The video game is produced by Epic Games located in North Carolina
    • If you do well, you have to play again to match the feat. If you do bad, you have to play again and do better
    • The X-files is still going. Eric's still watching, Ward jumped ship after S11E2

    Friday, April 6, 2018

    130 - Dreams, Schemes, & Video Games



    • The joy of having your own pitching machine
    • Eric wants to talk sex dreams
    • Ward can't remember any dreams
    • Eric has dreams that make real life uncomfortable
    • The changing usage of Ebay
    • Fortnite, the reason Ward is on Ebay is for a graphics card.
    • Video games we played as kids. Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor
    • The video game systems we had as kids
    • Rod stops by at the end

    Friday, March 30, 2018

    129 - Dream Come True



    • I've never worried so much about the weather. First because I was pouring concrete (for my pitching machine) and now because I want a warm day to get in thecage.
    • The pitching machine is done and in place. It's a dream come true.
    • I did break a wood bat the first morning using it. It's pitches pretty hard.

    Friday, March 16, 2018

    128 - Standard Hulu Rant



    Friday, March 9, 2018

    127 - Get into Your Zone



    • Eric's big reveal. We're supportive.
    • Gay marriage
    • Straight talk offers 4g
    • MoviePass is awesome. 
    • Black Panther
    • The Walking Dead spoilers
    • Dave Winfield trivia - the only athlete drafted by 4 pro teams in 3 different sports 
    • 61* and Mickey Mantle's choice quote

    Friday, March 2, 2018

    126 - You Never Do Portrat Mode



    • Rod's garage project - a light to let him know when his garage door is open. It only took three trips to Lowe's.
    • Ward's sink installation also took three trips to Lowe's.
    • Garage door idea wars face off: Eric vs Rod.
    • No image should be captured in portrait mode.
    • Spring training is here and Ward's batting cage is up.
    • If it was socially acceptable Ward would run through parking lots and hallways. He loves sprinting to get the mail.
    • Fun in the airport, then and now.
    • Moviepass

    Friday, February 23, 2018

    125 - Colon Talk



    • A brief mention about the Daytona 500.
    • Eric has has feelings about when things are inappropriate, you read that right.
    • When and where to be appropriate or inappropriate.
    •  Over the weekend Rod was sweating playing golf while Ward was playing kick ball in the snow.
    • A little bit of colon talk.
    • Ward's building dice towers.
    • Concrete counter update.
    • Cross the Netflix Stream, Ward's other podcast, still exists
    • The Winter Olympics

    Friday, February 16, 2018

    124 - Scatter Ashes with your Mouth Closed



    • FOTF finally missed a week.
    • The estimate of government assistance paid to a family per day on average.
    • Even people with "good jobs" can't live within their means.
    • The leading normal is crazy. Why do we ascribe to the dream of american debt?
    • A little note on when to start investing.
    • The Cloverfield Paradox - Netflix's super bowl suprrise.
    • This Is Us - that crock pot show.
    • What do human cremated remains look like?
    • Scattering ashes, how do you do it? 
    • What to do about the resulting ash fight.
    • Close your mouth! 
    • The Larry Sanders Show - a forgotten nineties gem.
    • The Detectorists

    Friday, February 2, 2018

    123 - Scott Bakula is Awesome



    •  We've got a guest
    • Baseball Hall of Fame inducts Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, Trevor Hoffman
    • Should Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens get into the Hall?
    • The voting is largely erroneous, with advanced statistics, we can set a cut off with a few caveats
    • Politics- Trump's new DACA plan violates the unspoken 'no compromise' rule in politics.
    • David's first impressions
    • Instagram protocol.
    • Eric's new social media site: toomanywords.com
    • Sci-fi on Netflix
    • How big is your TV? Can you go too big?
    • Ward's internet security scare and why he uses a password manager

    Friday, January 26, 2018

    Friday, January 19, 2018

    121 - Project Busy



    • Ward's got a lot of projects going on.
    • Almost done with  the metal brake
    • Just finished upgrading shop lighting
    • Rearranging the shop layout
    • Concrete kitchen counters

    Friday, January 12, 2018

    120 - Last Jedi Moments & Y2K



    • Y2K
    • Non-memorable New Year's Eve
    • Mariah Carey's lack of singing
    • Ward's workshop upgrades - streamlining
    • Rod's shop
    • Ward's considering stepping away from his Netflix new site
    • Rod likes Jumanji
    • Eric has not seen The Last Jedi
    • Rod's worst moments from The Last Jedi
    • Ward and Rod's best moment from The Last Jedi
    • Main characters don't die in movies

    Friday, January 5, 2018

    119 - Put a Motor On or In It



    • Bring on 2018
    • Christmas gifts
    • Lastpass password manager
    • Getting scammed by email or phone
    • Ward's winter projects - metal brake, and pitching machine refurbish
    • The wonders of powder coating
    • The benefits of a nice RC car
    • Drift trike
    Blogger Widget