Cayman S Ready for the track…

We haven’t had much time to get the Cayman S going but this week we did get the PSS9s, H&R sways and GT3 seats in there. James Wong is taking it back to the track to see how many seconds he can shave off of his best time in it previously with stock suspension. Should make for an interesting test and it’ll hopefully be good for marketing. The car is an absolute blast to drive- even if it doesn’t have much power.

Last night’s movie was “Running With Scissors” on Blu-Ray. Speechless. Some of the lines in there were absolutely crazy. The movie was a very dark comedy/biography about some writer I’d actually never heard of but it was an A+ for shock value, that was for sure. It had Annette Benning, Brian Cox, Gweneth Paltrow, Ray Fiennes and a few other familiar faces and it ended up being two hours well spent.

Back from a long break…

It’s a late Friday night and I’m still awake and finally remembered my password for this blog. It’s been ages. Make it months since I’ve said anything but to be honest this past few months has been one of the most stressful, busy and time-taxing periods of my life. In the past, I have no doubt that I would have had more energy to deal with everything that has happened but certainly not the experience or the patience. I do feel older and less energetic than I used to but I’m happy to have gone through what I’ve gone through. Work has been so challenging. I look back sometimes and wonder how on Earth we did it? For two people to be able to go through the amount of volume of work that our shop entails is honestly pretty amazing. I’m constantly reminded of that by some of our closer customers and by other competing shops that do about half the volume with 4 times the staff. It’s safe to say the business is very proffitable and that we’ve really built up a great reputation over the past 18 months but clearly we have to figure out a) how to sustain this and b)what do we do or change in order to grow? I’m not even sure which way to go. We’ve dabbled with making our own products and actually luanched our first test-run product (a fire extinguisher kit) that we’ve already sold 25 units. Now these are very niche products but it was a good test bed for how things will go should we do higher cost/production items in the future, which I honestly feel we need to do.

 My mum was here for Xmas and the New Year and I was really happy she came. I feel I’ve matured more and more and our relationship has only gotten better as a result. She’s more understanding of my ways in terms of diving into work and obsessing. She’s always been very supportive of whatever I have chosen to do but sometimes our communication has been so poor that neither of us really sees what needs to be seen. Happily I think that stuff is in the past but I only wish I was a more patient person. Dealing with these shady vendors, strange clients and other small-business related beaurocracy has made me so short and snappy that I wish I could go back to being somewhat “chilled out”. The trouble is I have to be all “tough” and ready to go to war on a daily basis that taking the armor off is so hard to do.

 Joan’s been accepted to USC so she is going to pursue her movie “thang” and I’m happy that I’m able to support her. She supported me to get me started with this Car stuff and even before that supported me with my Computer crap. She’s been a rock. Always has and always will. I’m going to miss her as she’ll be spending 10 weeks (mostly in LA) away from home and coming back on weekends but I know it’s worth it to her. It seems like she’s always away these days for one reason or another, right now her sister donated a kidney so she’s been gone virtually for 3 weeks supporting her and helpind where she can. Somehow though she managed to come through and prepare the company taxes for us. She never ceases to amaze me. She just knows how to do just about anything… It’s such a relief that shit is over with for 2005. Next up is 2006…

 It’s her birthday tomorrow and I’ve bought her a few things. Some diamond ear-rings, that screw, yes you heard that right, screw-in so that she doesn’t LOOSE them anymore! Clutz! I got the company to buy her a nice PC for her office upstairs (at the shop) and that was a big thing for me. In 1997 her company, Mango Grits, bought me a Laptop at one of my lowest points after I had been screwed over by Voodoo Extreme. That laptop enabled me to continue and start up my own web site, which I then subsequently sold for a few million. The way she did it and without question, when she didn’t really have the money was something that I’ve always wanted to one day do in return. I’m hoping that by getting her set up with a new PC for editing/video and other stuff that she’ll get her script going and just generally use her office upstairs.

Anyways that’s it for now. It’s almost 4am here and I’ve had about 4-5 hours sleep at the most now for days on end so I’d better hit the sack and try and find the time to update this blog daily or else… I find it hard enough to write my stupid column for CPU magazine these days let alone spend all of 5 minutes per day doing this.

Back again

Took some time off, I mean from blogging. I was busy before but I got so swamped/stressed/tired I didn’t even have time to complain about it. It’s settled down a bit today so I’ve got some time to think about a few recent events.

1)We “won the lotto ticket”. Well not quite but as our sales guy at the Porsche dealer said it was a pretty good return on a $1000 deposit some 18 months ago. So last night James and I specced out our GT3RS. Green, black wheels, etc… I think we’ll PR/keep it for a short time and flip it. The dealer already wants to buy it off us for 30K over but we shall see just how crazy the market gets by June of next year. I cannot remember a Porsche that has had so much hype/marketing and other BS to make so many people so fiesty and crazy about a car. Only 228 are coming to the US so it is very limited so for now I guess it’s like we got a VIP invite to some flashy party. An expensive one though.

2)Watched a couple of Blu-Ray movies but only Talladega Nights was something I will remember. I had a real laugh and I needed it.

3)I got pounded by customers/vendors this past two weeks bleeding me dry. It was certainly challenging and I’m getting sick and tired of the dishonesty and politics. It’s got to a new level where I think to myself, “I don’t care anymore”. I’m now about half way up the “I don’t care anymore” mountain.

4)We’re doing an Engine swap on our C2. Long story but it’s free so away we go again…

5)I’ve been a shit-head to Joan this past little while as a result of pressure/stress from work. Not happy about it and last weekend it finally came to head. We had a good fight (not good in the sense of nice) and finally talked things over and moved on. She needs my support right now as she’s stressed about her sistser (number 3 sister) and her surgery. I’m going to give it to her no matter how beat up I am from work. And actually this past week has been better than a long time between us so perhaps it was a good thing after all to hash things out.

 6)My mum is coming to visit and I’m pretty excited about that. In the past I’ve been a real dork when she’s come. It’s hard to understand why because I love her to death but somehow I just can’t seem to show it, prove it and end up hurting her in the process by being an idiot.

Back at the Doctors

Man I how I hate going to the doctor. I really do. Luckily Joan came and sat with me while they weighed, prodded and asked away. Even did an EKG. The new GP is pretty nice to be fair but the entire time I was very uncomfortable in a small hot and stuff room. Very claustrophic indeed. Take this off, take the off, sit here, hold this, do that etc.. Not my idea of fun but so far I check out ok. God forbid anything is ever wrong with me and I may as well just jump off a cliff to avoid any visits to a doctor. Yes I’m a complete panzie. One interesting thing is she gave me some “new” thing for the migraine hell I’ve lived with since the age of 13. I guess it doesn’t hurt every few years to try whatever else is new and improved. Can’t hurt to try I guess.

 Work is still kind of slow- not that we don’t already have too much work here but other than scheduling a lot of stuff for January including 997TT Stage IVs I’ve been doing odds and ends and selling HREs. Fun.

Speakers.. more Speakers…

Oh geez so the other two surround speakers arrived so that makes more than I can count in the movie room. Tried the whole set up out yesterday on “Uncompressed DTS ES” (or whatever BS format it is these days) on the Blu-Ray version of The Wild. OK so that was a weird kids/animation movie. I’m not sure most parents would have been ok with some of the innuendos but it had its moments. The visuals were great and so was Eddie Izzard but otherwise I lost 1.5 hours.

 I really can’t wait until the Xmas season is over. I’m getting jaded with the guys that want to save one whole DOLLAR….

Black Week Down

Another night, another movie… last night James and I watched black hawk down on Blu-Ray (what else!). I remember liking the movie the first time but what a difference in Blu-Ray. The shots of the choppers flying over the coast were expensive and obviously impressive. I also had no idea Orlando Bloom was in it. Well he had a 5 minute part and was the first soldier to go. James hadn’t seen it so it was worth watching again. Once again it shows why even in 1993 the US was percieved as weak by the Muslim world. We came, we did nothing, we stirred up a hornets nest, had soldiers taken hostage and ran away instead of fighting back at the right time. Oh well. We’re paying for it now I guess.

 Joan’s friend Cliff is here for a while so that should keep her happy. He’s going to help her set up her office.

 I got through the doctor’s today. No I don’t have cancer nor do I have anything that needs removing. Phew! But man I must be getting old. The doctor looked like she was 15 years old so that’s like half my age…

Busy Busy

I’ve been so busy that it’s been hard to even find the time to string a few words together. Thursday we got our first 997TT done and it seems like we’ll have a few more on the horizon. Friday was absolutely crazy with walk-ins but somewhere in the mix we finished our white 996TT. When I say finished it’s not really finished but it’s driveable. We also started to take apart one of our favorite customer cars. Too bad really because we never got to take good pictures before it’s put back to stock and sold.

Yesterday we actually took the White 996TT to Santana Row and met up with a bunch of car-nuts and impressed the pants off of them. They haven’t even ridden in the car yet so that’s a good sign. I also brought my black 996TT and I believe it might well be sold. I shook hands with somebody but he said as long as I can wait for him to sell his E55 he’s game. He said he wants it flashed, wheels and some suspension as well.

I did manage to relax a bit last night, after some Sushi, I watched Ice Age II on Blu-Ray with Joan and James. I’m pretty fond of that 3-D style of animation. It was laugh and in 1080p stuff like the mammouth’s fur was certainly in your face. It moved nicely too!

Ugh

James got the white TT mostly done. It really needs to have the clutch slave fixed but other than that it drives, moves and looks good. I added some more carbon fiber flair to it last night so she’s a looker alright.

I also finally got to see Clerks II. I knew it wouldn’t be quite as good as the first and it had the effect of making me feel old and “uncool”, which I think was the most important points of the movie. Not that the movie was or is important but ragging about Star Wars isn’t as cool as being a Lord of the Rings fan boy. Or is it? Had a few laughs but not too many.

Today should be oh so much fun. Starting off with a difficult customer and a first-time 997TT flash. I have to take the ECU out and bench flash the darned thing. I’m sure he’ll be hovering over me like a hawk which will make it even more fun. After that I have to go pay the doctor a visit on the other side of town and then come back and do more work. Wonderful.

Oh James and I gave ourselves a pay raise. How nice. The company gets to pay more employee taxes and then we give even more money to the fed and state. Yippee!

People

It’s funny on the one hand I’m apparently “wonderful” when it comes to dealing with people (so I have been told) and as you know they come in all shapes and sizes. I’m not talking physically and merely referring to their egos. So whilst it may appear that I am doing my job and taking “good care” of all of them they can be the most assanine, stupid and spoiled bunch of XXXXX the planet has ever seen. This saps a lot of energy out of me and right now isn’t helping me to write and submit my column for CPU Magazine. In fact, I’m so tuckered out I feel like just nodding off. That is of course assuming the phone isn’t ringing off the hook.

 Ah well, the car is going really well now. Needds some stuff but it runs, drives and looks half decent. So we sort of have a 996TT again. I can’t for the life of me sell the other one so that’s proving to be “fun”. In other car news, James and I decided we’re going to the the “green” on the GT3-RS.

Quiet Time off

Had some real quality time off to do just about nothing. Hadn’t had a few days like that in a while so I took full advantage and was a lazy sod. On Saturday night we went to see the new Bond movie with James (our James). It was a lot better than I had expected and quite enjoyable. The first scene had some of the crazziest run/chase/jump sequences I’ve ever seen. Not realistic but since when has James Bond been realistic?

Sunday I watched the Raiders loose- again. Say no more.