Vintage Modern?

Can you really consider an EF vintage now? I don't think that it has quite hit that mark but this is certainly a unique and well executed build. I really appreciate people who can remind us that simplicity and quality are often the two best assets for a clean daily driven project.

Thinking Outrageously

So much ground has been covered from my last update.

College is over. For good. Well maybe, but at least for some time. I won't say I will never go back for another degree or graduate school. That alone accounts for some joy to become ink and notate that a four year struggle has come to an end. I wonder if one day I will become sentimental to the point of saying "those are the best years of your life." I certainly hope not, that would undermine the efforts and sacrifices that have been made by Ashley and I. Other conclusions, my internship is now completed as well. I have nothing but goodness for the people at NewSouth. I have immensely enjoyed my time with them and have gained a world of knowledge and experience.

Where is this going, well hopefully to Birmingham. Ashley and I are working on a relocation there under the same blue sky and inside a whole new city. We are both exhausted with Montgomery and its struggles and catches and hang-ups and now our years in the making desire to leave seems fairly obtainable. I've secured a good deal of help from NewSouth in finding some gainful employment inside of their publishing scene. There is talk of a fuzzy possibility with Autoweek as well. Automotive journalism. I can only take that dream so seriously, I would love to claim that title but my needs are overly met with editorial work of most any content.

Hopefully the near future will bring a new career, a departure from Starbucks, and a pleasant low stress move; surely I'm not asking too much. On top of this I plan to keep this blog roughly the same, largely automotive and self journalistic. The only difference should be that it has changing and new content. More or less I see it as an outlet for passionate indulgence. Birmingham should bring a brave new world of street culture; local features will hopefully be a standard over a rarity.

Other news: I'm off work until Monday. Heading to see Bob Dylan tomorrow in Atlanta. Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan. Can't believe that is really going to happen. Even better, heading to the show with the Mrs. and her dad. A good time should be had by all. Saturday is graduation. These four days should rank at the top of my life.

The Art of Function

Browsing through Nasioc I came across the completion of mannslayer's build. I had seen this car a while back and thought it was pretty incredible, but seeing the finished product really commands attention. This car receives serious praise for how hardcore the elements of racing function are applied. The only thing I can't stand about this build are the Rota wheels, this is clearly not a short funded project and while saving money on track wheels is certainly understandable, there is no excuse to use Rotas. Hopefully they were purchased as a cheap way to flesh out wheel fitments with the flares on, just a shame when a set of used wheels could have been just as easily used and not undermined the work of the project.

I wish vacations came with more vacations

Ever feel like you are on the verge of collapse if things don't slow down a little? Right there with you. I'm so thankful that this internship and class will be over with this months passing. My days have been on a steady decline from hard to completely exhausting. Dreams for the brevity of a 40 hour work week seem almost incomprehensible, August has no idea how great it will be.

Thankfully I was able to take a little bit of breather, Sunday was the one year anniversary mark for Ashley and I, an occasion celebrated with a few days in Savannah. Though I'm not completely set on living there, the two of reached a fairly resolute decision that we wont be staying here in Montgomery starting, well, as soon as we can be employed elsewhere. Just that short trip reminded me how weird of a place this city is, and how much I want/need to resist settling into the warm lull of familiarity. Sure we don't have great jobs to fund our transfer but we don't have great jobs keeping us here either, and that's a little consolation.

One barely related side-note, our trip finally allowed me to measure an honest tank of gas used in interstate travel, I couldn't believe the millage when the fuel light came on:

Not at all bad for a car thats entire purpose is to use fuel and go fast, I have to say I was impressed.

In other news, thanks to a crazy proposition from my father, I am now learning to operate a lightly used Nikon D80. Its incredible how sharp this thing is, hopefully this will lead to an influx of post/pictures, and past that, eventually some good pictures as I figure out what I'm doing. Till then here are two shots from work: