Birthday Plots - part 2

So, last time I wrote about THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT. I had just been informed that the owner would accept my offer, and now it was time to pony up.

Stress levels increasing...

I pull out some money from our home equity loan, having to ask Amy where the loan book was and feigning the bathroom remodel project as the reason for needing it. It's a month before her birthday at this point, and I'm going to have to store this car someplace for about three weeks.

Luckily, a fellow P-car owner is willing to store it in his garage for the duration - and, on top of that generosity, he will drive me up to pick up the car! So, one weekday I bail out of work over my lunch "hour" to head to his place and drive - stylin in his new 993 - up to pick up Amy's car. We meet the (soon to be former) owner, do a once over, hand him the check and hit the road home.

Park the car at Chris', hand him the keys and head back to work.

Whew - step one accomplished : car obtained.

The next day, step two : register the car and get some temporary plates.

Now I've got about two weeks to nail down the plan and pop the surprise on my poor unsuspecting wife.

A quick aside about our relationship - we don't keep secrets. There is really not much that goes on with us that isn't public knowledge. So this is a BIG deal to keep this under wraps. Basically, I didn't get a good nights sleep for the whole month while this ordeal unfolded.

Anyway, I decided that the best way to present her the car would be for us to go out on a date. I spring the car on her, and she drives us to dinner. This requires three major things:

1- Babysitter for kids.
2- I somehow get the car to our house and hide it in the garage.
3- Reservations at some cool new hip restaurant in the 'burbs.

#1 shouldn't be that big of a deal as we have a variety of sitters that we can use. Also, since dinner will be late (~9pm), we don't have to worry about someone putting the twins to bed.

#3 will be a little more problematic, but also no big deal. With the wonder of the internet, I was able to find a place in a nearby suburb which turned out to be fantastic.

#2 is the real issue. I need to find someone willing to drive me to Chris' house to pick up the car - then I drive it back home and stash it in the garage. Since the blue car is in there and still broken, the garage is a mess - so not often opened. All I have to do is clean out the one side, drive the white car in and close the door.


Bah... This is boring.

Making a long story shorter : one of our neighbors was kind enough to take me over to pick the car up, and let me store it in their garage until the day of Amy's birthday. On that day, I ran home from work during lunch and drove the car into the garage. Quickly recharged the AC system (that's a story in and of itself...) and closed the door.

I've told Amy that we're going out to dinner at someplace new, and my brother has agreed to watch the kids.

Feed the kids, get the twins in bed. Amy is upstairs getting ready.

I push the white car out of the garage (so she doesn't hear the engine start) - and put the card out on the table. I also have the original "Birth certificate" of the car, which I framed.

When Amy came down, she had no clue.

Opened the card - short time of confusion looking at the key and certificate.

And then the disbelief and crying when she looked out the window.

Sometimes crying is good.

She drives us to dinner - which, again, was fantastic and drives us back home.

Happy Birthday Amy - I love you with all my heart.

Exponential decline of aesthetics

This post will be brief - and surprisingly, not related to cars.

Do me a favor and take a gander at these photographs of Germany in 1929.


Go ahead, do it now - I'll wait.

This small group of photos make be profoundly sad. Sad that we, as a race seem unable, or more likely too disinterested, to create structures, cities and homes with any semblance of artistic merit. We've become a society of maximizing the usefulness - at a tremendous sacrifice on aesthetics.

I drive 10 minutes to work each day - winding through an urban sprawl populated by strip malls and gas stations. It is certainly NOT an inspiring commute.

It's not that "we Americans" can't design and build with an eye to the interesting. It's just become one of the lowest priorities.

Imagine, waking up in the morning and walking to work past this:


We've popped the cherry on this planet. It's all downhill from here...