Underground Car Guy

The Tie of the Day The Passport Tie Got this tie on vacation to Washington D.C. in 2004.  It makes me think of the times I have traveled out of the country.  I have been to Mexico, The Cayman Islands, Honduras, Belize, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.  I guess you can count Germany on the list, since I was born there.

Like most Americans, I am not a stranger to the game of Soccer.  Most people would not know it, but when I was 13, I played full back for my schools team.  We were so good, that we went undefeated in the city and won the Championship of the city.  We were only scored on once and that was in the Championship game. The next year I was bulled by a Mexican kid, that was not even on the team the year before, so I did not play on soccer team at all. My next experience with soccer would be on my mission.  Soccer or as they call it around the world Football, was one of the main sports played over there.  Every kid played, and it seemed like we got into a match with them everyday.  It was fun, and here I am playing this game in a suit and Doc Martins. Plus during this time in 1990, Ireland had qualified for the World Cup and did well.  For almost a month we did not get in to teach when a match was on.  But then again, If it was the FA Cup or Champions League or some major match, we did not g

The Tie of the Day The NASA Tie: Kennedy Space Center Got this at Kennedy Space Center, almost 10 years to the date.  We were back there in late June of 2004 for the Launch of the rover Opportunity to Mars.  At the time, my sister worked for ASU/ NASA, and had worked on the landing site for both rovers.  We stayed in Coco Beach.  We had a fun time while there. We had a VIP dinner at Kennedy under the a Saturn 5 rocket.  We toured the center.  Went to Daytona International Speedway, Epcot, and the beach.  But they had a problem with the rocket, and we missed the launch.  Still a good family vacation with my sister, and parents.  

I read the other day on Facebook, that a guy from my last ward has written a book.  I really don't know what it is about, but it is a fictional book, and it is a series.  I have always wondered if I could write a book and what would it be about.  I did some manuals for my business, but writing something that could be contained in over 200 pages, I don't know. When I read, it is usually non fiction, something about history or a biography.  I would not know where to start.  Maybe I should write about politics?  Talking with my friend Del Mar, we talked about how bad politics has gotten, and that George Washington was a very principal man.  And that most Presidents until Franklin Roosevelt never served more than 2 terms of office.  Here is the idea of the topic, what was the thinking of Roosevelt at the time.  Was he just seeking political power, or was it just for the good of the country.  If he had not died near the end of World War Two, would he have ran for a fifth term?

Dunluce Castle, 1990.  Taken with my Minolta X700. One of the things that I have always loved is taking pictures.  I can always remember having my own  camera growing up.  A good old Kodak point and shoot camera.  So I have a lot of pictures of all of our trips.  I guess taking a picture was my way of telling a story, when I really did not like writing it down. When in high school, I had to choose electives to take.  I did not like shop, or wood working, or working on car so my choices were very limited.  And than there was all the art classes.  I did not see myself as an artist.  So my choices were limited to drawing  (engineering) and Photography.  And this was my two choices all through high school.  So I carried a camera bag and a plans tube. Delicate Arch 1995.  Taken with the Minolta X700 With the Photography class, this meant getting a real good camera.  We had neighbor down the street that took picture professionally.  He came down and looked at what the course re

The Tie of the Day The Sun, The Moon and The Stars

This Father's Day is  little bit different for me this year.  I have had a falling out with my dad and he does not really want me around.  He sees me as someone who is ungreatful and lazy.  I just want a father to love me for who I am.  But I do not think that is ever going to happen. My dad did not have an easy life.  When my dad was born in 1947, both of his parents were older.  I know that him and his father did not get along.  He told me at one time he had gone out and bought a car and was going to fix it up.  His father did not approve so he went and sold the car. It did not get any easier when he joined the Air Force, and w hile stationed at Mountain Home, in Idaho, he meet my mom.  Before he was being transferred to Germany.  He decided to marry my mother, and also change his religion.  His parents flew out and and stopped the wedding.  But lucky they were married a week later. Growing up my dad worked in the loan department for a bank, worked in real estate.  But he

Growing up, since I was 5, there has been one constancy in my life.  My sister.  That August before she was born, I was asked in primary, at church, that I would have someone coming to my house really soon.  My answer was my grandparents.  The real answer was my sister. Over the years, I really did not know how to play with this person who was younger than I was and sometimes I just did not understand what she was saying.  But I needed someone to play with and I did not see any problem with putting you in a clothes basket and pushing down the stairs.  I thought it was fun, but she cried.  I still like push her in things.  Like my little wagon.  Still did not see why it was wrong to push it with her down the hill in the back yard, and into the woods. My sister was always more talented then I was at playing musical instruments.  I struggled to play the violin, when she was always competition for first chair.  I only played violin, up to the 6th grade.  She was even better at the p

At one point in my life, I really wanted to work for the government.  I want to make a difference.  Politics has always been an interest for me.  As I was growing up, I always remember my grandmother working almost every election.  So when I became 18, it was important that I should be able to exercise my right to vote. Art Doane, one of my high school teachers, also got my mind thinking about the current events of our time.  He would always start the class off, with what was going on around us.  I read the newspaper every day back then, and so I was part of the class exercise almost everyday.  But what really did it for me was seeing, "Mr. Smith goes to Washington."  The idea, that a common man could go to Washington and bet back the establishment was an attractive idea.  So my plans was to go to BYU and earn a degree in Political Science.  But I went on my mission and changed my mind.  ASU and Architecture.  But that changed and I was back to Political Science.  But no B

Well the past few days I have been told by people close to me to, "grow up".  Here is the problem, what is grown up?  No really, I want to know.  Because for a long time I have been trying to feel my age or act my age, and I guess I am not doing a very good job of it.  Is there a card that you get when you achieve being grown up? For 22 years I was married.  I worked at the same company for 17 years.  I got my degree in Political Science.  And I served a mission in a foreign country for my church.  But at 44 almost 45, and I still do not feel grown up.  I have lost the married of 22 years with no child, lost my job when the economy went south, and I have a degree that I don't have a clue what to do with.  So I am truly lost. The feeling of not being grown up, did not bother me in my 20's.  But when I reached my 30's it started to bother me.  I was still going to school and married with no kids.  The no kids thing really bothered me, and at times made me f

As a member of the LDS Church I have not always followed all of the tenants of the faith, and maybe this is not just an LDS thing, but for me prayer was not that important to me.  I was taught to pray like everyone else at a young age, but to do it daily has always been a struggle, and at one point I did not even pray for years unless I was asked to do so at church. Growing up I would always use the example of praying for the right things and use the experience I had when I was about 11 or 12.  I ran for student council president.  There was like five of use running, and I ran a pretty good campaign.  The night before the vote I prayed that I would win. Well you can guess what happened.  I did not win, but I only lost by one vote.  I do not think that my pray was a righteous prayer, because I was not praying for the right thing.  After that I did not pray that much, but it was not because of this experience.  Was it just laziness? At 19 I went on my mission to Ireland.  Let me

The Tie of the Day: From Hilo Hattie 

I learned when I was racing not to drive angry, because most of the time you will get hurt or you will hurt someone and tear up some cars.  I think the same needs to be say about writing.  Some one is going to get hurt. When I wrote the blog,  " Can you Depart Divorce as Friends? ", I was a little angry at my ex.  Are we friends, I really do not know.  We do not talk, but she does text me from time to time to remind me that I have to take care of some bill here or there, but there is really no chit chat, that goes on.  I can not even remember the last time I saw her, and I think that might have been the courthouse back in January. Look I am not happy at all to be divorced.  It was not what I wanted.  And you know, I really did not fight it.  I let her have everything that she wanted.  And I had things that where said about me that was not true and had personal stuff shared to friends that I would have never shared with friends.  She is the one who left and left on her ow

The Tie of the Day: June 4 Paisley This is a tie I bought when I was on my mission.  A Dunn's Store Special!  So is this a good interview Tie to wear?

A few weeks ago one of my room mates got and X-box One.  the latest and great new toy from Microsoft.  The game that came with it was Forza 5, and he went out and bought Battlefield 4.  I had not played games in a few months, and forgot how rapped up you can get into them. One the first night of having the game we were playing Fozra 5, a racing game.  What a big mistake that was.  But I found myself entertained not just playing again, but also watching.  Sitting back and helping Dustin move around the track better. In a few day he bought Battlefield 4.  I had played a lot of Battlefield 3 before my wife left me.  What else did I have to do, she did not want me around or doing anything, so I spent many an hours playing.  At one point we worked it out, and I was playing 2 Hours everyday. Playing Battlefield was amazing.  I was doing things in this game that took me for ever to achieve in 3.  Either I have become a better well rounded player or the dumbed down the game for people l

To start a new racing season with a new car was a different experience.  I had grown to really like the Golf with all of it little problems here and there, it was a pretty stable car to race, with the right wheels and tires.  We went out to the first event and things just did not seem right.  After practice I brought the car in and dad went to check the oil and found a problem.  I big enough problem that we had to pack up and go home.  First time ever, I went to and event and get a did not start. We go home and get the problem fixed and go out to the next event.  I go out and shake down the car and everything seems fine.  I go out to Qualifying and put the car the field in 8th.  In the race I am starting on the outside role and as we come around the tower we get the green flag.  As we started the outside lane was right up against the wall.  The car in front of me did not get a good start and I could not move to my left.  we made it back to the tower and it was a really tight pack of

The Tie of the Day!!! Turtles