Short Stories

About

Friday, December 30, 2016

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Make Custom Peg Board Hooks

With chain link fence ties you can make custom peg board hooks.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Make a Center Line Finder

Want a quick way to find the center line of a 2x4?

Monday, November 7, 2016

Make a $5 Baby or Dog Gate

Do you need a quick, easy, and cheap baby or dog gate as in my case?

Friday, November 4, 2016

AHS - Twisty the Clown Halloween Costume

This year for Halloween I created a Twisty the Clown costume.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Luke Skywalker Costume Belt from Scraps & Metal Chain

Need a belt on the cheap? If you keep left over parts, you have everything you need.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Headphone Padding Improvement/Repair

I've had my headphones for many years. The padding had flattened and they became uncomfortable. This is a cheap and easy way to fix that.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Batting Cage Net Repair

With the batting cage in place, it was time to tackle the numerous holes in the net.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Batting Tee Repair

With my new to me batting cage construction complete, it became time to repair the broken batting tee.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Building a Batting Cage

Seven years ago I began researching how to build a batting cage. I didn't need one, I just wanted one. Life moved on and that project was shelved. Now the project is back and I have a batting cage.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Monday, June 13, 2016

WardWorks Studio Office

No, WardWorks isn't getting an office. At least, not yet.
I had a few ideas for an office that I've been wanting to get out of my head and since it's been too long since I've opened Sketchup, here you go.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Question Everything

That's the way we've always done it.
Maybe it's a good way to do it, maybe it's worth investigating if there is a better way.

The truth is out there.

Monday, May 30, 2016

Electrical: Adding a Switch and Lights

I needed more lights in my basement, so I added lights and a switch. Let me be clear, I'm not an electrician.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

How Long Does it Take to Succeed?

I'll let you know when  I find out. The length of time for success depends on the scope of your goal.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Mobile Modular Storage Cart

After building the lumber storage cart, I need a junk cart. I keep a lot of found items and need to organize it so I can find what I need when I need it.
An unorganized pile of items is a mess, an organized pile of items is a resource library.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Short Story - Time Past

Time Past
words: 1,061
Gary George stepped into the box, giving the bat a partial swing. A few cheers echoed from the crowd. It wasn’t like the roar he used to generate.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Is Windows 10 a Scam?

I now have the Windows 10 operating system installed on my personal computer, but I never gave consent or permission. How did that happen?

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

What Do You Want to Be? Why Aren't You Doing it?

There are so many things I want to do, that split my time. I'm a wood worker, film maker, writer, prop maker, podcaster, etc.

Monday, May 16, 2016

Shop Tip: Save Time Use Templates

Get more done in less time. Use a template. Even if it's a scrap piece of wood, a template saves time.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

It's the Small Things

We are defined by others. I can call myself an artist, but without corroboration is it true?

I can state I'm great at basketball, but if we played a game I would lose. That statement can't be corroborated.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Idle Projects

Starting projects is easy, finishing them is not. I've got a few projects that  I should finish, but I'd rather start a new project.
Everything I do gets modeled in Sketchup.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Your Favorite Isn't Your Best

We have our favorites. Our favorite tool, shirt, athlete, game, etc. It can be hard to separate our favorites from the best. You reach a point where your favorite shirt, the one you spent a little extra on is now faded and worn. It isn't the best thing to wear anymore when you go out.

Monday, May 2, 2016

I Built a Wall

Well, I designed a wall, and it was actually built.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

How to Blog Like Michael Jordan

Blogging is easy to start, but difficult to conquer.

Michael Jordan soared above everyone else and distinguished himself to become an icon. How can you do that with your blog?

Monday, April 25, 2016

Build a Vacuum Former

I finally built a vacuum former. I've been looking at builds for years, and I started talking about this build three years ago, but finally it happened.

If I ever build another one, this post lists everything I need and the tricks I learned along the way. To buy a vacuum former like this, I would have spent over $5,000. I spent a LOT less.


Wednesday, April 20, 2016

I'm Bad at Being Lazy

 I'm bad at being lazy. That's not a bad thing.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Build a Mini Vacuum Former

I built the larger vacuum former first, and then decided that I needed a mini vacuum former for smaller pieces and for the leftover scrap plastic from the big former.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Is My New Story Idea a Legacy?

I often get ideas of short films I want to make OR stories I'd like to craft. Even innocuous events can trigger an idea.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Workbench Riser

My workbench has been on 5 gallon bucket risers which are unstable and take up a bit too much space. I finally decided to building something better.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Why Can't Everybody Do Everything

I can go to youtube and find a video that will show me how to do almost anything. I've gotten help with car repairs, woodworking, prop making, and even video games. Anything that's creative, chances are someone else is doing it and showing you how. With all the tutorials out there, why can't everybody do everything?

Monday, April 4, 2016

Mobile Lumber Storage Cart

It's a happy little storage cart.
To organize and mobilize my shop I built a rolling lumber storage cart.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Fix that Lamp in a Few Minutes

I've had this broken lamp sitting on my work bench for years. I finally decided to fix it.
Fix that old lamp with the short.

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Short Story - I Wish I Could Remember the Other Day

I Wish I Could Remember the Other Day
words: 1087

This story was inspired by the song Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Short Story: Abe Zanarkand Rides Again

Abe Zanarkand Rides Again


[1] INTERIOR. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM. DAY.

We see ABE ZANARKAND's steely face. He's clad in a fedora and trench coat. He asks a question and then another. He raises his voice and asks yet another question.

ABE ZANARKAND:
Where were you?
What happened? 
What did you have for lunch?!

Then we see his foe. Six year old ZACH. Sitting behind a child sized desk. They're in a classroom.


ZACH points out the window, silent, unfazed.

V.O.:
He thwarts my question yet again as he points out the window. 
We've been playing this cat and mouse game for too long. 
I grit my teeth, realizing I won't be able to get any information out of this suspect, 
I ask another throwaway question.


Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Make Prop Dynamite

You can make realistic looking prop dynamite in a couple of hours using hand tools with what you have lying around your house.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Short Story - They Yearn for the Cup

They Yearn for the Cup
words: 833

Aika forced a smile as he watched his brother Mika walk away into the dim mist of the night. He felt pain in his stomach knowing it would be the last time he’d see his brother. Despite the cheering from the crowd, his parents included, he didn’t share their joy. A pressure swelled in his stomach.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Short Story: Abe Zanarkand’s Merry Quest to Determine Who Marries Mary

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and occurrences are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Abe Zanarkand’s Merry Quest to Determine Who Marries Mary
words: 939

Detective Abe Zanarkand’s entry into the florist shop was accompanied by the clatter of bells hanging on the interior handle door. The florist eyed Zanarkand from behind oversized red rimmed glasses.

Not many people could wear a trench coat and fedora in the July heat and not sweat a drop. The florist knew this meant one of two things, trouble or a lousy tip.

Monday, February 15, 2016

I Didn't Learn to Play the Keyboard

Yann Tiersen's Comptine D'un Autre ete L'apres Midi is an amazing song. Every time I hear it, I wish I could play that song.
I started an adventure to learn that song. I didn't know how to play the keyboard, though I had played an instrument in band class decades ago. That was all of my experience.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Short Story - Snowball Plight

Snowball Plight
words: 1183

[1] INTERIOR. TYPICAL BIG BOX STORE - ENTRANCE. MORNING.

Close shot on the wheel of a shopping cart as it rolls across the floor. It squeaks with every full rotation. CLYDE shakes his head, wondering how he always gets that one noisy cart. The noise of the wheel is miniscule in a store bustling with patrons and carts.
CLYDE is average looking, wearing neat, non-descript clothing and a dark ball cap pulled low. CLYDE moves towards the back of the store with purpose.

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Short Story - Cinnamon Raisins Messing with My Mind

Cinnamon Raisins Messing with My Mind
words: 2176
 Allison inhaled and exhaled deliberately. Her mind was starting to race as she wondered how much oxygen was left. It felt like she was falling asleep standing up, her body going limp and regaining consciousness before she fell. Her knees were near her chest, and she had no room to move.

Monday, January 18, 2016

My Movie Reviews Are Moving

My movie reviews are moving to a new blog dedicated to movies and television:

http://crossthenetflixstream.blogspot.com/
http://crossthenetflixstream.blogspot.com/


I write and podcast about movies and television. Thanks for checking it out!

Monday, January 4, 2016

When MDF Attacks

MDF is a versatile type of wood that's easy to cut, it's soft which is a problem with screws. How do you fix that?
Repair MDF with a dowel plug.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Revisiting My Favorite Childhood Movies

Are the movies I loved as a kid actually good? I revisited my favorite movies from long ago. Did I have good taste? Do these movies hold up?

Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd in Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters - Comedy and special eff