Lord of the Castle

I picked the Toyota up from the mechanic today.
The smell of fear is in the air…the fear of having made the wrong decision in rebuilding it.
My senses are working overtime.
“Was that noise there before?”
How should I know?
I wasn’t listening! I bought this car for $1,150! If it was there, it was NOT a problem!
However, now that I have [...]

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Although I am getting better, I frequently suffer from missing tile syndrome. I first read about this psychological defect in “Happiness is a Serious Problem” by Dennis Prager.
Imagine looking at a beautifully tiled ceiling. Now picture realizing that one tile is missing. My instinctive response is to find it and fix it! However, if I am not careful, that missing tile can [...]

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As soon as we  leave our apartment complex and turn right to head east on the lightly traveled 133rd Street, we cross a main North-South street. On the north corner, a development of houses that sell for $500-750,000 begins and extends for the next 1/2 mile. Over that same 1/2 mile stretch on the south side of the street, there is another nice apartment complex on [...]

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I called the North Hollywood company to get the tracking number for my Toyota engine. It will be delivered to my work address next Monday.
My mechanic is going to charge me $800 to replace the engine. However, he will charge the same amount to put in both and engine AND a transmission.
With each passing day, the [...]

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I have needed an engine for a car that I owned only two times in my life. Both times, I bought a book and learned how to rebuild them.
Tonight, I picked up the phone and bought a JDM engine from a company in my old stomping ground, the San Fernando Valley in California, without having ever [...]

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Yesterday, I tried to link to a post about my most recent problem with my MacBook Pro laptop computer. I didn’t succeed because I never told you the story!
I back up my entire computer semi-regularly onto my Time Capsule. However, that is still a hard drive and, therefore, is subject to failure. So, about twice a year, [...]

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The Toyota’s engine is toast…
I can’t say that I am surprised. I thought there might be real trouble when I first heard the knock.
The thing that is really trying to eat away at me is the cause…
I didn’t check the oil! How basic can you get?
I have replayed it over and over again in my mind.
The [...]

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Last weekend, I discovered that I had, not one, but three flashlights that didn’t work.
I have two that are police type flashlights powered by regular “D” batteries and a third that is powered by a rechargeable battery used for cordless tools.
The first two are mysteries to me. I can’t figure out why they don’t work. [...]

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I did something that I have never done before…
I bought survival food!
In 1994, I lived in Northridge, CA. I was at the epicenter of the Northridge earthquake. But, since there was no advanced warning, I had not made any special preparations.
When the quake struck, I was pretty much on my own. As bad as that [...]

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It is getting cold here in KC. I told you that we have already had our first small snowfall.
The cold changes my morning routine.
Instead of warming the car up for minute, I have to wait for several.
Oh, shoot…there’s ice on the windshield.
I found the scraper and got to work. By the time I finished, the [...]

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