State of the Author, September · 4:09am Sep 4th, 2022
As most everyone knows, I went to Everfree Northwest last weekend, and I took the train both ways.
Which was an adventure on its own.
I did a couple solo panels and a group panel at EFNW, all of which went well. Met a lot of people, some old friends and some new people. One guy (whos name I can't remember) had a custom Cherry Berry plush with her aviator hat.
I got back late Wednesday night, and had to go to work Thursday morning. It was more chaos than usual; one of the other guys decided to just take the week off for reasons. We got a loaner mechanic for some of Thursday, but he had to leave early, and left behind a Silverado with the transmission mostly installed. Also he lost my 15mm socket, but luckily the other guy found it the next day.
Friday I checked out the front end on an early 2000s Silverado. The customer wanted to fix everything it needed in the front end, although as soon as he found out what it needed in the front end, he downgraded his desire to just the parts that were ready to fall off.
Brake lines were super crusty, and I had to move one of them to install an upper control arm. I was worried it might leak, and it did. As soon as I took the truck for a test drive, the red brake warning light was on and the brakes weren't very good.
Customer wanted to take the truck for the weekend, so rather than replace all the lines (which it needed), we were going to just replace one . . . until I lifted the truck and realized that the tiny little leak I caused wasn't why the brakes were bad, that was the massive leak in the rear. Also another small leak in the front. Also the rear brakes are metal on metal. Also the front brakes are almost metal on metal. So guess what I'm going to get to fix on Tuesday? (He didn't take the truck for the weekend)
Saturday I went to visit my parents and we sailed on Lake Michigan. It was a perfect day for it, and we weren't the only ones who thought so; there was nearly a traffic jam at the harbor entrance. And then we were on the open sea.
Too soon, we had to sail back in—today was not the day to sail to Wisconsin (especially since I have to work tomorrow morning).
There'll be a lot of blogs coming up; I've got to sort through some pictures I took from the train. There should also be some stories and updates; besides the gorgeous scenery a train ride through the mountains offers, there's a lot of flat land which offers lot of time to write as well.
(Just imagine the trees in the background are moving)
I was waiting for this blog, just to hear about your train trip... Then you didn't give us any fun details and I was sad.
Then you went sailing and I wanted details... But there weren't any and I was sad.
But hey, you got your socket back, so I'm happy about that!
Is the 15mm socket one of the really popular ones (as in, used for alot)?
I've always wondered - for the high end sets can you order replacements for individual sockets?
At least the other guy didn’t loose your 10mm socket.
5683866
10mm is the most popular one, and yes, you can order individual sockets. But then they don't match your set, ave that's the worst thing ever.
I too have reached the age where parts are crusty and leak. I feel for that Silverado.
5683877
George Burns epigram on the subject
"I've reached the point where what don't hurt, don't work."
As a Boomer, I know what he meant.
Well, both you and Estee survived.
(For Estee it was close, but they pulled through.)
If you had a hybrid set which was just the closest matches between Imperial and Metric, what selections would you have, and would any of them actually fit anything these days?
I have enough fun just traveling in the UK wher if youre healthy you can Walk accross the country in a day. Or at least from the most remote point from the sea, to the sea. Given the US is well over an order of magnitude larger? Yay Nopr. the only way I would visit would be in a personal transport fleet that would make any militery annoyed they couldnt afford it.
It was good seeing you at EFNW! Going by the number of people who didn't recognize me, I'll clearly need to take a page out of your book and get a distinctive hat.
TBH I think you have inspired a lot of us to attempt the train ride at some point, even more so than Silver Glow did. Glad you made it home safe, bro.
5683908 Well, if you're wearing a mask that might help. You could also print your own shirt!
It took literally all summer, but I finally got my roof fixed after the storms last May.
And literally the day before the roofing guys started the job, we had more storms and fallen branches and a possible tornado or two nearby. Luckily, no extra water intrusion, but I still need to do some interior drywall repair.
I definitely need to hear what sort of boat your folks have.
I should see if my folks are gonna do any more sails before the end of the season....
I would love to watch Torque Wrench chew out some human schmuck for his terrible automobile upkeep.
Looking forward to your train blog!
Sorry I couldn't join you in Seattle for the con. I still had tons of stuff to do here locally. I would have loved to go to a pony con though.
Empire Builder, I assume?
Sailing on Lake Michigan, huh? Reminds me of that story about Celestia visiting an island in the lake. Wonder if it's updated recently.
5683862
That'll come--it's gonna be two blogs, they're both going to be several thousand words, and there will be pictures. Gonna take a while to put them all together.
Sorry . . . I suppose I could have said more about that, but then it was an uneventful sail (which is a good thing, although it doesn't make for a good story).
That does make me happy ;heart: I hate losing tools, and I hate it even more when someone else borrowed it and then lost it.
5683866
Yes; on domestic cars (Ford, GM, Chrysler) it's a very common size for medium-strong bolts. Like on the transmission job the tech was doing, the torque convertor bolts, exhaust manifold nuts, transfer case nuts, and transmission bellhousing bolts are all 15mm. In fact, in a couple of my 3/8" drive sets, the 15 and 13 (another really common size) are the most worn.
You can. Most reputable tool makers that I know of offer all their sockets and wrenches individually. There are a few oddball sockets that I own that were purchased that way--I didn't need a full set of that type of socket, but I needed one specific one. 1/4" swivel for small hose clamps, 3/8" swivel for GM 3.8L lower intake bolts (and oil pan bolts); 12mm 12pt swivel for Ford universal joint bolts, and a 19mm chrome medium deep socket for the coolant temp sensor on a Cadillac 4.6L. I've also got an extra T60 for rear disc brakes on GM W-body cars, because they frequently broke.
5683867
This is true. I've got a whole rail of them--some years ago, NAPA ran a meme promo where they'd sell you a rail of 10mm sockets so you'd 'never lose your 10mm again', and of course I bought it.
5684028
But stuff like the boat makes a difference! Monohull, catamaran, 20 footer, 60 footer, how was the wind, water, did you see any interesting boats or sea ponies? How about a pegasus fishing?
5683869
?
You can order matching ones, usually. Sometimes they won't be an exact match if it's an older socket and they've since re-designed them, but they'll be nearly the same. A lot of my socket rails have replacement sockets due to breakage (yay for lifetime warranties) and in most cases I doubt you could tell them apart from the originals.
5683877
Heh.
It should have had brake lines done about a year ago, and that's on the customer for not getting it done.
5683884
I'm not there yet, luckily.
I just skimmed Estee's blog post, and yeah . . . fun times. I dunno what Fate has against Estee.
5683907
It depends on how much you liked rounding off bolt heads.
As I recall, the close matches in a normal set are 5/16=8mm, 3/8=10mm, 7/16=12mm, 1/2=13mm, 5/8=16mm, 3/4=19mm. 13/16=21mm, and 7/8=22 mm. There are a couple other kinda close ones as well, if it's a bolt that's not too tight you can make it work. Sometimes for rusty things, I can use standard as a half-size (i.e., a slightly rounded 15mm might turn with a 9/16 socket on it).
Some of the really cheap sets do double up between standard and metric, so they might include a 1/2 inch socket but not a 13mm.
I don't think it's possible to get coast-to-coast on the US mainland with any ground vehicle, although if you're willing to break a bunch of laws and traffic is in your favor, Cannonball runs have come close to the 24 hour mark, maybe under (I don't remember what the record is).
If you're willing to accept the Great Lakes as coast to coast, I've done it before, watching the sun set over one lake and then driving across the state to watch the sun rise over a different lake the next morning. Could do it the other way, too, which I will at some point.
For another adventure I've never done, you could drive around Lake Superior, and watch the sun rise and set over opposite shores of the same lake. That's a nine hour journey with a border crossing, so you'd actually only be able to do it in the summertime.
5683908
Thanks!
Be smarter than I was, and make sure it's one that packs easily for transport on an airplane or a train--I really need to build a custom hatbox for it.
5683925
Dude, if you can get the time off, it's totally worth it. Just wait until you see some of the pictures
5683930
This one's held up to storms so far, which is nice. I'd hate to have to fix it so soon after it got replaced.
Yikes.
We've had a bunch of heavy storms roll through this year, but none of them have done any significant property damage to me. Keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way.
5683973
I'm pretty sure it's a Beneteau 28 or 32, but I'm not entirely sure.
If they do, hitch a ride!
5684000
I'd be one of the one's she'd chew out.
"How long has the check engine light been on?"
"Well, I'm not sure, I've only owned it for four years."
5684003
There's gonna be two! And they'll have pictures! Lots of pictures!
5684010
That is a shame--it's pretty close for you, isn't it?
There's next year! They haven't announced dates yet (AFAIK), but it'll almost certainly be in August.
5684020
Yup, you assume correctly. And the Wolverine to and from Chicago (from Jackson, MI).
If I wanted to make a real long trip out of it, I could have taken the Southwest Chief or the California Zephyr and then ridden the Coast Starlight up to Seattle.
5684042
ooh Benetau are lovely boats, and a nice small size for a couple people to sail around. My folks had an Alberg 32 when I was growing up. I'll have to ask what they have a share in now ^^;
As to going out I'll definitely try. :)
5684031
Okay, those are all fair points. It's a 28 or 32 foot monohull, I think it's a Beneteau. Gentle wind, good sun (I got a minor sunburn, and we weren't out all that long). As we were going back into harbor, we passed a really serious-looking black sailboat headed out, and there was also somebody going out under sail rather than motoring through the channel, which was really bold considering the amount of traffic. More pontoon boats than I expected, and some of them were also faster than I thought pontoon boats should be (I don't know much about pontoon boat technology, though). No sea ponies.
Also no, unfortunately. I did see a Coast Guard helicopter go overhead, and it did not have a rescue pegasus on it, either.
Sometimes when it's not too crowded around the harbor, we'll see cormorants fishing.
5684049
I really miss being out on the water. It's been too long for me. That's one hell of a choice leaving the harbour under sail on a busy day. I wonder if pontoon boats are becoming more popular or if they all just decided to go out today.
5684022
Yup!
Yeah, me too.
It hasn't updated, but I worked on the next chapter some on my way to EFNW.
5684053
Yeah, I don't get to spend as much time as I want to, either. Once a year if I'm lucky, and sometimes not even that.
Judging by how they were doing, it wasn't a case of overthinking their abilities; it looked like they knew exactly what they were doing and how to handle their sailboat in heavy traffic.
I wouldn't be surprised if they were getting more popular. They're probably cheaper than a similar-sized conventional boat, and it looks like some of them are even fast enough to pull a tuber or a water skiier.
Glad you made it home safe!
Looking forward to hearing more details and seeing some photos from your trip.
Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me, and soon I will be free
5684046
The Empire Builder was where I got my start writing pony fiction about 10 years ago. I was on there from Chicago to Portland (so I took the other branch in Spokane) back in June 2012 with no internet for 48 hours. Creativity was sparked from the boredom. Had another 48 to write on the return journey.
"Which was an adventure on its own."
"[proceeds to not tell us about the adventure]"
I kid. Mostly. :D
I am low on time at the moment, anyway, and that sounds like something you might already be planning to put in a later blog also anyway. :)
(And having now read to the end of the blog post, yep, sounds like it. :))
(And then confirmed in the comments. :))
"Also the rear brakes are metal on metal."
...And I'm guessing they're not supposed to be?
[does a bit of research]
Ah, yeah, looks like. Thought it also looks like many automobile brake shoes before 1970 sent asbestos dust into the air, which, uh, yikes.
(And apparently cast iron brake shoes are less universally used than I thought in modern railway applications, too, though I had difficulty finding much in the way of detail, at least compared to how much I wanted, in the time I spent searching.)
Glad it sounds like things have been going pretty well for you, even if work's had some rough patches.
(In other train-and-convetion-related news, by the way, my trip to Ponyville Ciderfest is now basically fully booked for travel and accommodation (all I have left to get there are local transportation in Chicago for my time there after the con, which I'm planning to get in Chicago, and the MTA train from my local station to New York Penn, which I plan to get later this month once the trip comes into the sixty day ticket validity window). I haven't registered for the con itself yet, still trying to decide some details there, but I'm hoping to get that done in the next few days -- and in theory, since I already have a room booked in the same hotel as the convention, it would be pretty easy to just register on site at the time.
Really hoping external factors don't spoil things, as this looks likely to be quite a fun trip otherwise.)
5684047
) texted me that their current boat is a 32' Catalina, and the old boat was a 28' Benetau.
So my Mom (who reads my blogs and stories
5684201
First blog has lots and lots of pictures! Third blog also will! (the one at the con won't; I don't tend to take all that many pics at cons).
I really need to get some more free time on a nice summer day, and spend a lot of time on the boat. A few hours a year just isn't enough.
5684202
Yeah, there is a lot you can get done on a train if you want to, and it's more comfortable than an airplane for it. I think my total word count was somewhere around 10-20,000 words written, along with pre-reading two stories for other authors and doing some long-overdue work on Onto the Pony Planet.
5686648
Ooh lovely! My Dad was here recently and showed me pics of our old boat. She was falling apart and we sold her to a guy who has spent the last five years lovingly restoring her and I swear to god, she looks like a million bucks and he's so proud and happy.
Hoping I'll make it down to sail before they gotta haul the boats out for winter. n_n
5684343
First blog's up with lots and lots of pictures. Took me a long time to sort through them all, find the best, and post them to FimFic. Not to mention uploading a couple videos to YouTube as well.
Yes to all those things. These days they don't use asbestos in brakes anymore, but there are still warnings about it, because if you were working on old-enough brakes there might be asbestos dust. Also, I'm sure the dust from newer friction materials isn't great for the lungs, either.
There are a wide variety of friction materials (brake pads/shoes) used depending on the application and intended use. It's very complicated. These days, ceramics are the most popular, 'cause they work well and don't make much visible dust, and they have a long service life. The downside is that they wear out the brake rotors more than other friction materials, but in most cars there isn't enough material on the rotors any more to make them machineable once the pads have worn out (cost savings and weight savings). That's why these days brake jobs are usually pads and rotors, rather than replace pads and resurface rotors.
I'm still in a generally cheery mood from the trip, so that's nice.
Huzzah! Looking forward to seeing you there! I've got my hotel room booked and con tickets bought; I'll be driving and I'll be there late Friday, all of Saturday, and the morning on Sunday.
It sure should be! And given the time of year, the weather could be anything, both along the route and at the con itself.
Your story comments about breaks on cars and trains got me thinking:
New ablating materials are less bad than asbestos but are not good. Now-a-days, we have have electric vehicles; so now, regenerative breaking makes sense. A fratetrain at its capacity, looses enough energy when it stops to power a n home for a week.
Soon, electric vehicles will outsell other vehicles. They will need maintenance and repairs. ¿Are you ready?
5687181
Most electric cars have them (possibly all), to get back as much energy as they can when they brake. Some of that is on the driver; there's a limit to how much the batteries can take at once, so hard braking will still have to use friction brakes (and I believe you need friction brakes to come to a complete stop).
Unless they're electrics, that power can't be re-used, because there is no battery that can take that much juice all at once. Most locomotives have dynamic brakes, which are essentially regen brakes, although they just dissipate all that energy as heat. Somebody figures out a way to make a battery (or system of capacitors or whatever) that can handle the power input could probably make a bunch of money. Although it would be useful to first check all the ways it's been tried and failed before.
We're already working on hybrids. Don't see any reason why we couldn't work on pure electrics if there were enough of them in our area to justify buying some of the new tools we'd need.
5687310
1 word:
SuperCapacitor