1/9/08

I went and got new contacts last night. They went back to a similar prescription to the one before last without astigmatism correction. I have to do a bunch of blinking to get the letters on the screen to stop stacking up on top of each other in a weird fuzzy double vision thing. It isn't debilitating, but it is a tad annoying. I may have to go back and ask for the astigmatism correction after all. We’ll see, or not as the case may be! Ha. So I get a call from John this morning asking what my plans for Barbara are. I said, “Um, I don’t know, drag racer, land speed car, that sort of thing.” He asked why he bought the Toyota when I could have sold him that instead. I confessed that Barbara was so far off my radar, having been promised to so many people and sitting off in the corner like she is, that I totally forgot about her. I don’t know we’ll see where that goes I guess. He can probably make a little profit, or even a large one for that matter, by selling the Toyota as a running car then use Barbara while having his 510 painted. I don’t really see him as a B-210 daily driver kind of guy for long term, but Juan never knows. I guess I'm back to Barbecue Bob as the V8 recipient down the road. John was concerned with the hydraulics in Barbecue Bob going bad from sitting too long if we don’t do something soon. I said the front brakes need to be upgraded no matter what because I was able to overcook them even with the L-20b. Any engine we put in will be stouter than that, so big brakes are a must. I'm thinking 280ZX front and rear because I already have the brackets to put the discs on the rear and the fronts are an easy peasy strut swap. That sounds like a good name for a band. “Ladies and gentlemen, straight from their world tour, it’s Easy Peasy Strut Swap!” “Hello Cleveland!” Oh, sorry. I digress. Not to mention, that was funnier in my head. So, where was I? Ok, Barbecue Bob, I think at this point in time, is back on the roster with the V8 and 280ZX brakes. Barbara needs to be the shop whore. I need to get her up and running with a Weber carburetor, header, and zorst, slammed on those Cragar SS wheels, and let her be. No, John needs to get her up and running with those items so he can drive her while his 510 is being painted! We need a shop whore car. I suppose Fifi could fill that role but mom and I sort of consider that her truck. I keep it full (-ish) of gas and ready to do her bidding, even though she can’t drive it. I need to teach her to do that some day. She’d never use it though. Well, it is a good thing to have around, I guess. I need to “poop, or get out of the Ganges” with regards to the shop. I need to have a word with my, oh crap, what is he, my second-cousin-in-law? Yeah, Becky’s great grandparents are my great grandparents, our grandfathers were brothers, and her dad and my mom are first-cousins, making us second-cousins. I need to speak to her husband about what the “city” of Boyd considers that tract of land. I guess I shouldn’t give Boyd a hard time about its size if I'm looking to schmooze zoning and permits and such. Anyhoo, I need to talk to him about what I can build and where. I'd like to build a huge assed building that can be subdivided internally so I can rent out spots to my buddies for their projects. I want at least two bays with lifts, along with a machining and work bench type area, further segregated with HVAC. I want a small “apartment” to be used as a weekend getaway for me and my cohorts off in one corner. I'm thinking a bunkhouse type room, kitchen/dining room, bathroom/laundry room, and TV/living room sort of affair. If it slept four to six, I think it would suffice. Of course a master suite with a separate bath would be nice, but not necessary. We’ll see. The more I think about the shop in Boyd, the more I like the idea. John made the rather “Brokeback” point that if I built my shop for me and my stuff at my house; I'd never really get to see my friends very often. The “community” aspect of DLR is a strong selling point. Ok, I think before this gets too lovey-dovey chick flick, I'm going to call it a rant. Hey, there’s another band name! “Say, cats and kittens. Welcome to the coffee house. Snap your fingers for Lovey-Dovey Chick Flick.” Ok, perhaps not.