New Years (especially this one) seemed like a good time to go on a
long walk (we went camping in the Santa Cruz Mountains,) kick some
cans, and shoot some bb's with the old Red Ryder. As i look at this
picture, I think of Stand by Me. Yep, just like in the movie, i was on
a journey to get shit figured out-- i guess you could call it sorting
out my New Years resolutions. And, just like the movie, we even
(really) found a body (kinda) out there on our journey...
2008 was a tougher year for me. Couple rounds of layoffs at work.
Some health problems that put me in the hospital. Struggled with some
demons. Our country is in a tough spot. I say FUCK 2008, and the best
way for me to fuck it is to shake things up differently for 2009...
OK, New Years resolutions may be lame to many-- but for questionable
nuts like myself, I actually need any opportunity I can get to hit
CTRL-ALT-DEL on myself. Part of my routine has to be shaking up my
routine, or else i get depressed, go stir crazy and feel like rinsing
my mouth out with a pistol. What can I say, my parents should have
just gotten me a Pepsi, like Mikey wanted in the song, because it
doesn't seem like those trips to the psychologist during my youth ever
worked. Don't worry though, I'll be ok-- I've always done pretty damn
good at figuring it out myself.
What better way to shake up life, than to shake up where you live?
I've had the pleasure of living in a gamete of places through the
years-- in the city like East Hollywood/Los Feliz, in Michigan rural
farm country, up in the mountains in Big Bear, and currently in suburbs
of San Jose. Right now, I'm sick of the suburbs. I'm sick of living in
my cookie cutter box of a house there. This house was our first home
purchase and, even so, there is really nothing about it that excites
me.... it's really just got no soul, brother. So, it can just kiss my
black ass goodbye.
With the economy fucked and common sense suggesting one save their
money to avoid potential disaster, I've decided to do the opposite and
spend it. Housing is cheaper now, i've always wanted an older house, and the
devil on my shoulder is telling me that i gotta move. Thus, we've been
working on buying a "new" house:
This baby is an un-restored 1890 built Queen Anne Victorian Cottage
in downtown San Jose. Right now it's uninhabitable and about
everything needs to be redone. That said, it has the best attribute to
find in a project-- it's neat and nobody has fucked with it, so it's a
mostly original lost soul (bank repo) that i think is a good match for
us. The wheeling and dealing is done, offer accepted and i'm in
escrow. If this beast isn't haunted, I surely will be after working
all nighters fixing it up. I'm stoked about it.
In addition to how and where you live, I also like shaking up the
"how you get there" part... During some time off recently, I also
finished up some rides that are slightly different than the cars i
normally work on:
END OF YEAR PROJECT #1: My wife wanted "an old bike" for Christmas.
After some hunting, i found a good starter that needed a bit of work
that i got done-- it's a 1948 BF Goodrich Schwinn ladies cruiser
(Schwinn invented the fat tire cruiser in the 30's and 1948 was the
same year that the founder, Ignaz Schwinn, died:)
Yeah, i know that i've got the wrong era seat on it, but someday
i'll find one that matches right. And no, i'm not that gay-- it's a
coincidence that the colors match the new house project.
END OF YEAR PROJECT #2- My daughter had been begging me all year to
"fix the scooter" because she loves for me to take her out on rides w/
it. Being that the old motor died a long painful death, i pulled it
and put in a brand new LML 150 engine so that i won't have mess with it
much-- kinda like slapping a crate motor in a Chevy. Also put on some
whitewalls, a white faced gauge, rebuilt the brakes and redid all the
wiring & cables. Now it rides like new and hauls ass compared to
before:
The above resolutions demonstrate the best two ways to run away from my problems:
1) Run from them like you're trying to ditch the cops. Run fast,
hop some walls and change up direction quite a bit. Move from what's
comfortable and routine-- to a new, better hideout.
2) Build car, motorcycle, scooter or bike type projects and just
haul ass, leaving the problems in the proverbial rear view mirror (or
lack thereof because mirrors don't help you go fast, so they should be
taken off.)
Fight or flight, baby. Yep, many times i take the latter and run from my problems that i don't think i can't beat in a fight.
Happy New Year. I'm back from my blog break.
-scott noteboom
