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About Me
As a man thinks, so he is. Some people are never. Recent Posts
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CarSpace Alternate RouteTurn off the nav system, crumple up that MapQuest printout, and let's find out where the next random turn may take us! Aug 24, 2007 - Move In Day
She's very excited, as can be expected, and having lived here in Happy Valley for over 30 years, I'm gearing up myself for the 7 mile ride into chaos. Roughly 40,000 students and their families and friends will be descending on us over the next day or so to get settled in for the academic year. As you can imagine, this creates some interesting situations, traffic and otherwise as cultures and driving styles smash together. (Hopefully not too many times in a literal sense!) Downtown State College is built around two one-way streets, so over the week I'll be prepared to encounter at least two or three folks travelling down those streets in the wrong direction as they try to get their bearings. But that's all the grace time they get as the first home football game is just a week away and 100,000 more fans and their vehicles will be added to the mix. My favorite move in moment though always happens at the grocery store. This happens every year just like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano. I'll find myself in line at the grocery store behind a group of guys who are doing their shopping for their first apartment. They'll have two shopping carts filled, at a minimum, as they think they've figured out how to minimize trips to the grocery store. They're basking in the glow of being so much smarter than their mothers who would go to the store at least once a week. And there's always a ringleader, the one who came up with this fool proof plan, and he surveys the pile of supplies and says... Do you think we have enough milk to last the semester or should we get a few more? I never have the heart to save them from themselves. Besides, why should I deprive myself of an annual belly laugh? Some things you just have to live through to learn from your mistakes. As you can see, we've managed to fit all of my daughter's gear into the Versa to make one trip, and there's even room for the two of us! I continue to be impressed with this car's carrying capacity. So we're off into the insanity. Our baby is going away to college. Wish us luck! On your own at last
Aug 19, 2007 - Glory Days
The guitar player with the really cool mirrored sunglasses on the left is yours truly, back in the day! The vocalist is Andy, our band was named Scotch, and this was taken during an outdoor concert called Movin' On held on the lawn of the HUB at Penn State. The photo dates back to the spring of 1977, and while it's fun to remember those rock and roll days, there is an automotive twist to this story. Saturday morning we headed to The Student Bookstore so my daughter could pick up her books for fall semester at Penn State before the crush of students arrives next Friday. While we were downtown, I happened to wander into the Music Mart and was looking at all the goodies, when I came across a small Fender guitar amp at a decent price. Behind me in the photo you'll notice a rather large (and loud) amplifier with a speaker cabinet containing 4 - 12" speakers. That baby rocked, and still does, but over the years it became less of a joy to haul around due to its size. Well, the Fender amp was very tempting, and after reminiscing about things musical for a while, the proprietor said that he could sell my amp on consignment. So I bought the Fender and drove home. Did a little cleanup on my old amp, then took the cargo cover out of my Versa and the speaker cabinet stood right inside the cargo area no problem. Drove back downtown, parked in front of the music store and dropped off the amp. After we left the store and were getting into the Versa, the owner followed us outside to say goodbye. He looked at the Versa, scratched his head and said, "You got that cabinet inside THAT?" I keep telling people how much room the Versa has inside. Some of them are starting to believe me. Ah, those were the days
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