What Made You A Car Guy? [Question Of The Day]

Found this on Jalopnik the other day:

What Made You A Car Guy? [Question Of The Day]:

Whether we're born with an innate love of automobiles or not, environmental factors fan the flames. Just ask an Andretti. What made you a car guy (or gal for the 4% of the Jalopnik readership who is female)?


Personally, growing up in a steadfastly working class neighborhood I had little access to fine automobiles or classics. It was mostly trucks and cars kept barely running. So quirky cars like an Isuzu Impulse and Subaru Brat became my objects of affection and shaped me into a strange car guy. The next transformation came when we moved to an apartment complex in Houston and a neighbor's son, a dentist, would bring over well-worn issues of Road & Track too dog-eared for his lobby.


Reading Peter Egan, Phil Hill, and Thos L. Bryant gave me an appreciation of the finer things in life. Finally, a grandfather willing to drive me anywhere to see anything (firetrucks, classic cars, new car shows) sealed the deal. Thus I can like a new fire engine, an old rusty El Camino, and a perfectly restored Bugatti. All in the same day.
What's the source of your car love?

For me, I'd have to say it was my dad taking me to car shows, crash-up derbies, drag races, etc. From there, the cars themselves took over. The countless color schemes, smoke from burnouts, the smell of burnt racing fuel, and the revs of V8 engines, was like the perfume and make-up of a pretty girl walking by. It still makes my heart flutter. The funny thing is, it's not the ride in the car(s) that I remember. I didn't get very many of those.

I actually think I'm more a car guy now than only just a few years ago. I recently let go of all my auto-inhibitions and started taking a car for what it is, rather than how old it is, or who it was made from/by.  I have a greater appreciation for the automobile now than I ever have.

I sometimes notice how my son is attracted to cars.  I'm finding he likes many of the same attributes, but really likes trucks & Jeeps.  ...not my thing, but that's ok.  I really think this stuff runs in the blood.  Thanks dad!

Resolutions

Today a friend asked me what my spiritual goals/resolutions are for 2010. I didn't really have any definitive resolutions that were specifically spiritual so I didn't really answer the question. On the drive home I managed a little reflection time & came up with a laundry list of things that I want to do, be able to do, or accomplish this year. (Please note that sometimes it helps me think to write in the third person.)

Goals for 2010:

• Pray with both my son & my girls before they go to bed.
• Do coffee or breakfast with all my kids, but especially Carly. (Remember, God has engineered YOU to mesh with your family. You, not Mark, not Ryan, not Will, are the spiritual leader of your family for a REASON.)
• Continue with small group. It's been a while since I've been encouraged in such a way that I'm motivated to go home and lead my family in the pursuit of following God.
• Be diligent, honest, & committed to my spending plan. Understand that it's OK to revise the plan as long as we both agree.
• Join a reading plan on Youversion.com. Make reasonable attempts to stick with it. Hold laura accountable.
• Pick out a Bible verse with the kids to memorize. Attempt more as time permits.
• Pray more frequently
• Baby steps...

I also came up with a couple questions that I'd like to answer:

• When is God most apparent to you? Is it during worship? Driving, what?
• God has placed His desires in our hearts! What are YOU going to do about it?!

Sunday FAIL

Ask any parent and they'll tell you that at one point within the last week or two they've felt like a failure. Well, Sunday was the day for me. We woke up Sunday morning, and decided to ditch church. This happens on occasion, usually to do family activities, but this time, we had no agenda. (mistake number 1). We decided to go out for a walk, then on to the mall for some school shopping. (mistake numbers 2, & 3). Laura couldn't find the proper shoes for trail walking, & The Somerset Collection always makes me crabby. (I may tackle this in another post). When we got back, Laura & I did some housework, while the kids played with their friends inside, and out.

I should note that having the neighborhood over to play usually ends up with the Laura & I cleaning the shambles that our house becomes. To nip this in the bud, we decided to force the children to go outside and play. While discussing this preemptive action with the wife, it was at this time that I realized that we were both snippy, and probably should have taken naps. On, we trotted.

Fast-forward. The neighborhood kids have left, we are getting in the van to go to a group meeting, and there is stuff all over the yard, my truck, and the driveway. I don't like stuff strewn about the yard, especially while we're gone. I manage to bite the heads off all three kids to pick up their stuff, all within a couple of minutes. It struck me as a pretty-shitty-thing-to-do when I watched my once, chipper daughter, mope her way back to the van after reluctantly walking in the house to put away a water bottle. I had broken her spirit.

Laura has brought to my attention that this is one thing she wants to avoid: breaking their spirits. I agree with her. It's a line that's difficult to see while you're trying to shoehorn your children into being “responsible”. Once you cross it though, you see that joy escape from their eyes. Seeing that rips a hole in my heart.

I am realizing these last few months that, with regard to parent/child relationships, no amount of apologizing can take away the damage that's been done. You might be forgiven, but the only way to escape damaging your children, is to avoid the damage in the first place. It's in this, that I realize I am unable to do this on my own. The only way I can parent properly is to have God by my side.

Technorati Tags: parenting, FAIL

Safety is awesome, but adventure is better.

I often replace God with other things in my life. In the words of Britney, “I am a slaaaave for you”; with “you” being money, children, finances, household responsibilities, etc.

Two nights ago, I thought, “maybe tomorrow I'll actually read some scripture.” Did I? No. I thought about it twice throughout the day, but I failed. The sad thing is, I have a bible sitting here on my desk. Heck, I set my phone on it every day. I'm burying God's Word underneath my daily crap!

I've been praying for safety, and comfort for years, and God has answered those prayers. I knew could lead to a boring life, but I was willing to take that chance. I am now struggling with complacency, feel an itch to expand. Yes, I desire a stable home, job, healthy family. But, where's the joy, the adventure?

I am a very cognitive person, & consider myself aware of my surroundings. I love movies; and I know it's because I can live vicariously through the characters on the screen. It allows me to feel that thrill of adventure, pain & joy of love and family. We as humans hunger for joy & love! The cool thing is, God can provide! You just have to believe.

I can speak it, but living it is considerably harder. I was told recently that I am afraid to ask the tough questions to God. “...Break me, use me...” It's true. I can superficially ask God to use me, but since I'm not asking with my heart, I don't see anything happening. 

Technorati Tags: Britney, Jesus, faith,

The all-elusive Joy

Real Joy by Technowannabe

Joy for me is so difficult to get a-hold of. Some days I can walk throughout my day, arms wide, eyes closed, basking in God's awesomeness. Most days though, I feel stuffed in the box that is my life. Such is the working stiff. I can find joy in my kids (when they're being nice to each other), and nature, even the city in the early morning. Other days I feel like I wouldn't know joy if it kicked me in the face.

For the cognitive soul that I am, “joy” is difficult to wrap my head around. What does it mean to be joyful? What does that look like?

Technorati Tags: Joy, reflection

Pain – Mind over matter

Photo by Jake Liefer

This past Monday I took some time after work to work on the garden. We decided after pulling entirely too much grass & weeds, on Saturday, that we needed to build a garden “platform”. So, I bought a bunch of gardening timbers and was assembling the box Monday evening. I had borrowed my father-in-law's sledge hammer to drive the rebar through the timbers into the ground to stabilize the contraption. I had two hammers I was using, and frequently switching between the two. Being the lazy, fat-ass that I am, I didn't feel like bending over to pick up the sledge. Instead, I attempted to use my foot to flip up the handle to a vertical position so I could, then, pick it up. My suave move quickly turned inept, when the handle whacked my knee, hard. Acute pain entered my knee. I immediately started to limp toward the back door so I could lay down on the couch in agony. Halfway to the door I felt a little lightheaded. My thoughts turned from “OMG, this hurts!” to “seriously, lightheadedness? This is bull-crap!” I decided then, & there that I wasn't going to let the pain over-take my body. I turned around and limped back to the garden. I concentrated on ignoring the throbbing pain. A few minutes later, I was fine. A bump on the knee, but fine nonetheless.

It occurred to me that I could probably use this same technique for other things, like tattoos. I'm sure birthing women use a similar technique during labor. It's like a door has opened to a new world. I'm laying it on a little thick, but you get my point. I'm going to stop being a wimp, and suck it up, from now on.

Technorati Tags: pain, mind-over-matter, sledgehammer

Buying American ignorance

(4/1/09)

I saw a bumper sticker on a car on the way home from work today. It said, “Please don't put my flag on your foreign car.” Living in the Detroit area I see this one all the time, “Out of a job yet? Keep buying foreign!” I am SO SICK of all those stupid, ignorant stickers, and therefore, viewpoints. Have these people thought of where all their other crap comes from? Where are your clothes made? Where is your new Playstation3 made? What about your FLAG STICKER? I suppose there are a few things still made in the States, but when it really boils down to it, no one cares until it affects their selfish asses. No one seemed to give a shit where their textiles were made, and the Carolinas had a tough time when all the textiles moved out of the US.

I grew up with a father working for GM for over 25 years. He made a moderate income and had the luxury of borrowing cars from GM on occasion. I was brainwashed as a child to think GM made the best cars in the world... and when it came time for me to buy my first new car, I didn't hesitate. I went on over to the Pontiac dealer and bought a Grand Am. I really wanted a stick-shift, but it wasn't offered. I needed a car, as I had recently totaled mine. I reluctantly bought the car, even though I KNEW I was just 'settling'. When it came time to purchase my next new vehicle, a van, I was already aware of the quality problems the big 3 had with their minivans, and drove right past. I bought a Honda. My dad was “disappointed” to say the least. It was then and there that I decided I am a “consumer”. I am not forced to buy a particular brand.

I'm nearly ready to buy my next new car. This one to replace my Grand Am. The big 3 don't make a car that I like. Why should I settle all over again? I refuse.

I am a person that likes to drive. I love the feeling of a stick shift in my hand. It's like the car & I are one. (It's a little cheesy, but that's ok) I guess this is where I differ from the average American. I guess you could call me an enthusiast; I have certain expectations that I guess many other people don't.

The lines of “American made” are becoming more blurry. Many “foreign” cars are either assembled here, or have a large American content. And conversely, many “American” cars are made of a large number of foreign parts. What about the foreign car companies that are owned by American car companies; are those foreign, or domestic? These are all things that people don't consider when making ignorant accusations.

(4/7/09)

I saw a lawn sign today that read “OUTSOURCING: Just say NO” on it. (It actually referred to a school district, but this is often a hot-button topic for manufacturers as well.) I laughed a little. Not all outsourcing is bad. If there were no outsourcing, I'd be out of a job. We don't design any of the parts we make. We build to our customers' designs. Our customers want to be able to take the part out of the package and place it in the assembly. Frankly, in many cases, we make a better-quality part than what they can make themselves. In addition, large companies don't have the time or resources to manage a considerable amount of small parts. It's sure easier (read: cheaper) to track/control a part number than it is to control the design and manufacture of that item.

I'm just tired of listening to all the whining about job losses due to a many-year history of falling quality, and design. The Big 3 have dug their own hole. Why should I jump in it? I expect to buy another new car in about 5-10 years. Perhaps by then the American car companies will earn the respect they desire, and I will buy one of their cars.

Technorati Tags: auto industry, cars, mony, rant

God's cool.

8:30am

Every once in a while I realize how special I am to God. So far, today is one of those days. I started off in a funk. My heart felt lead to read the Bible a bit here at work, but it wasn't the reading of the Bible, but the “tug” I felt. (I'm also checking out Youversion by recommendation of a friend) I'm actually getting to experience what I hear others so frequently talk about.

A while back I asked God to show me what it meant to give Him my pain/anguish/frustration/anger... Slowly, but surely, I'm starting to figure that out. He's really taking the lead on this, as I am still unable to explain it. I get this peace, sometimes happiness, wash over me following said pain/frustration/etc. I am unbelievably thankful for God's patience with me. With every struggle in my gut, I feel reassurance in my heart. How cool!

I hear it's going to be 65°F today; it's my birthday (read: I am alive one more year); there's a bunch of people coming over tonight to help me celebrate; I received a zillion (10) messages on my Facebook wall wishing me a happy birthday.

It's now 4pm & this has been a difficult day. The potential for anger & frustration is there, but doesn't come to fruition. He keeps my heart open and peaceful. I'm looking forward to the blue sky, some green beer, some friends over, and a bunch of love in the air. Thank you Jesus.

Technorati Tags: birthday, St. Patrick's Day, Jesus

25 Things you probably don't know (or care to know) about me

1. My first car accident was when I was 16 & 2 weeks old.  I was hit by a drunk driver whilst "borrowing" my mother's car to cruise around with my girlfriend.  It scared the crap out of me.
2. My first job was working in a pizza place.  I lasted 2 months.  I learned a lot: don't work in the food business, & don't complain about everything.
3. I can't decide what my favorite color is.  Sometimes it's blue, sometimes it's green.
4. When I was a kid I longed to work at Lego.  It was my dream job, and I really thought I had the "stuff" to do it.  I later came to the realization that I really wasn't that good. :)
5. When I was 16 I skipped out on the family tradition of going to our church's Christmas Eve service (which I really did enjoy).  Instead I went to my girlfriend's family party (yes, the same one in #1).  It was then that I learned how much my then-girlfriend enjoyed the bottle & the pipe (if you know what I mean).  I vowed to never skip Christmas Eve service again.
6. I love dance music.  About 8-9 years ago my friend played me some Detroit Techno.  I then went to explore other types of electronic music and finally settled on dance (house, club, euro-trance, etc).  Internet radio has been my saving grace in this regard.  I've blogged about Pandora.com many-a-time.
7. I really, really, really, want to travel to Europe and see a huge, spectacular DJ show like Sensation White, Armin Only, Mayday, etc.  See #6.
8. My first car was a 1979 Chevrolet Nova; maroon, inline 6, automatic.  The trunk was rusted shut and the valve cover gasket leaked oil like a gunshot victim on blood thinners.
9. The first time I went to Canada I was 19, dumb, and asked too many questions.  I tried to make chit-chat with the Canadian border patrol.  When they were searching my car (the Nova), they found a couple of my girlfriend's feminine hygiene products in the glove compartment.  They asked me whose it was since she wasn't with me.  I said, "My girlfriend's".  They asked me to open the trunk.  I said I couldn't; it's rusted shut.  I showed the officer and that was good enough for her.  Obviously this was well before 9/11.
10. My first time having a beer cooler was during my trip to Canada (see #9).
11. I've always thought that my life would make a good movie.
12. I’ve lived my entire life in Michigan.  Although some days in the winter I’d like to move someplace warm, I don’t think I’ll ever leave.
13. I married the girl I took to my high school senior prom:

14. When I was a kid (<12), whenever I fell off my bike, I made sure to get up quickly & not make much fuss, because I felt like an idiot when the neighbors would come out to “rescue” me.
15. When I was 13, my friend & I would sneak into a quiet place in the house and listen to Eddie Murphy tapes.
16. About 4 years ago I spent a week in Amsterdam on a short-term mission trip assisting a local church called Zolder50.  Although we were there doing God’s work, it didn’t really feel like we accomplished much.  I loved the city, and want need to take my wife there.
17. I have a serious problem with authority, namely cops.  I have a feeling this is an inherited trait, which strangely, makes me proud.
18. I’m constantly intrigued by people and society.  I often wonder how people cope with their individual life struggles, and who their friends are.
19. I’m a jack of all trades, master of none. I am often jealous of people that are really good at things I am interested in, e.g. photography, Guitar (Hero), home improvement, parenting, etc.
20. I changed my own oil in every car I’ve owned.
21. I love cars like I love dance music (see #6).  I just can’t afford to own anything new(ish).
22. My first computer was a 386 DX20 with a 40MiB HDD.  It was a Christmas present in 1989, & cost about $3400.  When I installed a copy of Windows 3.1, it was 20 floppy discs, & I had to use a Stacker program to bring my HDD to 80MiB.
23. I always complain about not having any friends, but I’m not willing to do all the work to obtain/maintain them.  What to 2 married men talk about anyway, their wives?
24. When I was quite young (<6) I would sometimes play doctor with the girl down the street (per her request).  One day my buddy got busted by her mother for playing the same game, and was banned from seeing her again.  I was too little to really understand what was going on or its ramifications.  I even, often, felt uncomfortable playing that “game” but didn’t have any idea about how to express my feelings.  She & I eventually stopped playing each other when she moved on to Jr. High (she was a few years older than I).
25. Although I’m not a fanatic, I do love movies.  I prefer dramas, but I’m also a sucker for those sappy romantic comedies. 
    
26. (Bonus) I have 2 tattoos.  One on each arm.

Technorati Tags: 25 things, personal, friendfeed

Resolution update

Last week I stated that one of my New Year's resolutions was to significantly reduce my sugar intake.  Yesterday I read a great post on why people fail at their resolutions.  I had a realization that it's a combination of consistency, and in my case, moderation.  So far I've been pretty successful at paying attention to my sugar intake.  I am constantly avoiding (extra) chocolate, and other related candies.  I refuse to buy more chocolate once my Christmas stash gifts run out.  If I must have a doughnut for breakfast, I'll just eat half the doughnut.  So far so good.  I figure once I master the moderation, I can move into ridding myself of that garbage once and for all.

Technorati Tags: goals, resolutions, doughnuts, food

New Year resolutions

Photo by iirraa

Until now, I have never really believed in New Years resolutions. I figured if I don't have any resolutions, then I can't not keep them, and therefore, I can't be ridiculed. So this is the first time I'm going to make a resolution. I plan on joining millions of other Americans and am going to go on a diet. What I should really do is exercise more, but considering my schedule, it'll be easier to control what I eat. This is going to be tough. I've been eating pretty much anything I can get my hands on as of late. Sugar is going to be the main substance that's getting deep cuts. No candy canes, Hershey's Kisses, doughnuts, animal crackers, ice cream, chocolate chips, cookies (except for an extreme rationing of Girl Scout cookies), sugar-cereal, etc. It's going to be painful for a little while, but not nearly as bad if I were to continue this downward spiral.

I've also been thinking about getting the family to exercise regularly. I'd like to think as much as the kids run around all day they wouldn't need it. But I think we can all (at least) go for a walk everyday, it'll get the kids into a structured exercise routine that, hopefully, they carry on for their entire lives. This item may take a little more finesse in the logistical department.

I have a few others that I'm not placing as much weight on, but would still like to keep track of them. Here are all of my resolutions in bulk:

• Control eating
• Develop exercise plan & execute
• Take more video of the family (without fancy editing)
• Take more pictures of all the family. This includes both Laura & me.
• Create emergency savings (aka don't be stupid with the money)
  
• Expand photography skills by taking more pictures.

Technorati Tags: new years resolutions

Guilty pleasures...so?

54 by !SOY 89¡ on Zooomr

We all have guilty pleasures, although it's more guilty for men, I'm thinking.  A friend of mine has created a list of his top 5 guilty pleasure movies; one of which is Mean Girls.  I have to admit, I have several guilty pleasures.  Here are a few:

1. Mean Girls
2. Sky High
3. Freaky Friday
   
4. "One Step at a Time" by Jordan Sparks
5. nearly anything by Justin Timberlake
6. "Womanizer" by Britney Spears
7. "Disturbia" & "SOS" by Rihanna
   

As you can see, these are pretty bad. But you need to understand, I don't care. Who's judging me?  My friends? My coworkers? You?

I was talking with a friend the other day about why we're homeschooling our kids. One of the bullet-points that popped in my head was self-esteem.
   I can remember numerous times where my peers in school would give me a hard time about what I liked. I tried my darnedest to blow them off, and enjoy what I liked anyway. I wasn't strong enough. It took many years, (and a wonderful wife) to get over those fears of "what will people think?".
   I want my kids to have the freedom to like what they like, why they like it.  Not because their friends like it.

So, basically I'm exercising my right to like stupid stuff.


Pandora Radio - Listen to Free Internet Radio, Find New Music

Technorati Tags: pandora.com, guilty pleasures, music, movies, freaky friday, mean girls

Getting up the guts

Inspired by Dmom's post on getting emails to avoid Costco, I am reminded of ThanksNo.com.

I have a few friends/family members that send me email that are meaningless forwards. Ah, the dreaded "FW:" in the subject line. I could just filter them out, but I'd rather not get them in the first place. In fact, recently I received an email that I thought for sure was a personal, (hand) written email straight from the heart. It started off nice, but then melted away into a chain letter! I was flaberghasted.

ThanksNo does a pretty good job of getting the message across. Listen, I like you. You're my friend/relative/loved-one. I just don't want to receive emails like this. Please don't take offense...yadda, yadda, yadda.

The problem I'm having is, I don't want them to be offended. Which is funny, because I just said ThanksNo does a pretty good job of laying it all out. Still, these are good friends/relatives. And, I don't do well in the "too bad they got offended, that's their problem" department. Of course, if these people would read my blog I wouldn't even have to send them the link. :)

Technorati Tags: ThanksNo, friends, relatives, junk-email, etiquette

Halt the endless wanting!

Today I read this fantastic blog-post on GetRichSlowly called You Can't Always Get What You Want.  He made the distinction between wanting by itself, and satisfying those wants.  This is my exact problem.  I want to satisfy every want I have, regardless of financial consequences.  It's good to want, but not necessarily to satisfy every want you have.  This might be one of my New Year's resolutions.  "...to differentiate the wants I can/should satisfy, and those I can't/shouldn't.  Every person in the U.S. needs to read this article. 

Technorati Tags: money, blog,

Why does God gotta be teachin' me humility?

These last few years I've acquired a bad attitude. I frequently find myself judging others for their shortcomings. The funny thing is, I'm not completely oblivious to my own shortcomings, Mainly, I just block them from my consciousness. God unfailingly inserts snippets of clarity into my life on a regular basis. (I'd like to think that most of the time I pick up on them, but that could also be one of my shortcomings.)

Today's lesson is on grammar. Within a half an hour of arriving at work, I was slapped across the face with an email containing, what I considered, horrible grammar. Minutes later, I came across a newsletter that contained a word I had felt been misused: “diametrically”. (Without going into much detail, we use the word “diametral” at work all the time. Some people use the word diametrical in its place. Until today I felt this was completely incorrect, and all users should be punished.) I looked both words up on both Definr & dictionary.com to verify their use. I read the definitions, and son-of-a-gun, I was wrong.

I'm not dumb. I know the right answers. I lack the discipline to stick to God's guidelines. Being humbled, when not expecting it, can be a bitch. But humility is necessary. I found a few verses that illustrate:

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (English Standard Version)

The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4 (English Standard Version)

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Luke 14:11 (English Standard Version)

God always says it better than I do.

Technorati Tags: Jesus, humility, reflection