103 lines
4.0 KiB
HTML
103 lines
4.0 KiB
HTML
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<!DOCTYPE html>
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<html lang="en">
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<head>
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<meta charset="UTF-8">
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<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
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<title>The Split Case | Austin Hood</title>
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<style>
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:root {
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--bg: #1a1a1a;
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--text: #e0e0e0;
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--accent: #d4a017;
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--font-main: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;
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}
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body {
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background-color: var(--bg);
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color: var(--text);
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font-family: var(--font-main);
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line-height: 1.6;
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max-width: 800px;
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margin: 0 auto;
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padding: 2rem;
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}
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h1, h2, h3 {
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color: var(--accent);
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margin-top: 2rem;
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margin-bottom: 1rem;
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}
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h1 {
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font-size: 2.5rem;
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letter-spacing: -0.05em;
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}
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p {
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margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
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font-size: 1.1rem;
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}
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img {
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max-width: 100%;
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height: auto;
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border-radius: 8px;
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margin: 2rem 0;
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box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);
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}
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.quote {
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font-style: italic;
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color: #b0b0b0;
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border-left: solid 4px var(--accent);
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padding-left: 1.5rem;
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margin: 2rem 0;
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}
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footer {
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margin-top: 4rem;
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padding-top: 2rem;
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border-top: 1px solid #333;
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text-align: center;
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color: #888;
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}
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a {
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color: var(--accent);
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text-decoration: none;
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}
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a:hover {
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text-decoration: underline;
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}
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</style>
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<script defer src="https://analytics.4ort.xyz/script.js" data-website-id="d3ed927c-888a-4a6c-ae5f-0b1c613ddf5b"></script>
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</head>
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<body>
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<header>
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<h1>The Split Case</h1>
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<p><em>My First Slip — and the lesson it taught me.</em></p>
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</header>
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<section>
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<p>It was the summer of '98. I was twenty-four, fresh out of the trade school, and I thought I knew everything there was to know about rebuilding a manual transmission. A local kid named Marcus came to me with a '78 Ford that wouldn shift. He needed it running so he could drive to the dunes for the weekend. I told him I could have it fixed by Monday.</p>
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<img src="https://images.pexels.com/photos/27665740/pexels-photo-27665740.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=650&w=940" alt="Mechanic's hands working on an engine" />
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<p>I tore that transmission apart. Cleaned every gear, inspected every bearing, and rebuilt it with the care of a watchmaker. But in my hurry, I skipped the final torque spec on the case bolts. I thought "close enough" would do. I didn't have a torque wrench handy, and I told myself I'd tighten them up later.</p>
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<p>Monday morning, Marcus came to pick up his truck. I handed him the keys, feeling proud of my work. But the moment he put it into gear, I heard it — that sickening <strong>crack</strong>. The case split right down the middle. Metal everywhere. The gears scattered across my shop floor like confetti.</p>
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<div class="quote">
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"Every mistake is a door to a room you never knew existed."
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</div>
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<p>I felt like a fool. Marcus was disappointed, and I was ashamed. But that mistake? It taught me more than any textbook ever could. It taught me that "close enough" ain't a standard in this shop. It taught me to check my work twice, to respect every single bolt, every torque spec, every little detail.</p>
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<img src="https://images.pexels.com/photos/7564870/pexels-photo-7564870.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=650&w=940" alt="Mechanic working on an engine" />
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<p>That split case became my "First Slip". But it also became the foundation of everything I do now. I never cut corners. I never skip a step. Because I know that one little mistake can cost you everything.</p>
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<p>If you're a craftsman, you've got your own "First Slip". Share it. Learn from it. And remember — every mistake is the first draft of your next masterpiece.</p>
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</section>
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<footer>
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<p>Made with care by Austin Hood in Whitehall, Michigan.</p>
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<p><a href="index.html">Back to my homepage</a></p>
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</footer>
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</body>
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</html>
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