Monday, January 12, 2009

Insanity may be the only reasonable alternative.

I just don't want to be the guy at the end.

Recent survey results show that 5% of women think their ass is too big.
10% think their ass is too small.
The remaining 85% say they don't care; they love him, he's a good man and they would have married him anyway.

Did you know about this? I didn't.
Google 411

Yeah, I got it wrong; the Cardinals will be playing the Eagles here for the NFC championship. I was giddy with elation. Tickets for the game sold out in six minutes. They make the Super Bowl and I might just have to get that flat screen HDTV.

When I'm in charge of the world anyone who replaces vinyl or carpeting with tile will be required to pull up the baseboards first. When they run the tile right up to the baseboard not only does it bury the bottom 3/8" of the baseboard but it makes it really difficult to get those baseboards out, as I want to do as part of the bathroom remodel.
The baseboards are, however, removed. The wallpaper is all off and the holes in the walls patched. At some point tomorrow I'll prime the walls and then paint. Before it's all done I'll install new baseboards, bead board wainscot and molding, new switches, outlets & covers, and new towel bars. Pam will decide if it gets a new light fixture. Ideally we'd replace the vanity and 70's countertop but for now they're serviceable and not horrible...like the wallpaper I took off.

I learned today that stone washed jeans are WAY out of style.
Makes me wonder what else I don't know.
(I don't think I've ever owned stone washed jeans, but since I don't know for sure what they are they could be the one pair of jeans I currently own.)

My dilemma:
Since High School I've wanted to build a car. Something with some style, a head turner. I've had the privilege of owning a couple of really nice rides, including a '59 Olds 88 2-door hardtop that grabbed attention everywhere I went. But aside from a carb rebuild and some cosmetic work it came as a driver. (The best $1 I've ever spent.)
I'm also looking ahead to the time when I can get rid of Stealth Reliabity and replace it with something more economical, something that gets mileage into double digits.
God, in his infinite wisdom and sovereignty, has not seen fit to bless me with unlimited wealth. That means I'll probably never get to build that Cobra kit or restore an early 50's Chevy.
But a classic ('67 or earlier) Beetle? That's a doable project. New OEM-spec parts are readily available, the cars are simple enough that you don't need a Ph.D. in automotive engineering to work on them (think Model T of the mid-20th century) and a sharp looking classic Bug makes everybody smile.
So what's the problem?
Do I buy a "driver," a Beetle in good condition that's probably had some work of unknown quality done to it but is still a reliable car that's also a head turner? It would give me a quick alternative to Stealth Reliabity and fit into a more immediate gratification. Or do I buy a "project," a rough Beetle in need of substantial work but with the potential to be a good amateur restoration?
A restoration always costs more than buying the finished product done at someone else's expense, but that removes the fun of the work. It's the journey more than the destination. Besides, driving a head turner that's somebody else's work puts at least a temporary hold on your man card.
Feel free to weigh in on this one. I'm not doing anything in the foreseeable future. But I like to think about it so I'm ready when that perfect deal comes along, whichever option that is.
Whaddaya think?

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