The car is slowly moving along. Trying to get it in the shop within the next week to redo the floor. Once that is done things will move along much quicker. Most trim have been totally repainted. I am more working on the seats right now which is turning out quite well. I managed to get some matching seat belts recently by purchasing brand new ones. Ouch, they were expensive. Probably paid more for those then my seats which is scary. However the used ones were no longer the color they should be and that is not counting the fact most of them were all damaged in some way. So in the end it was better to just pay it and be happy. I also managed to get a front dual oem speaker. Back in the day you have one speaker in the front under the dash grill and it was mono. So I found a stereo equivalent to go there. I just did not want to cut holes in my door panels again. The same went for the rear package tray. My current one is all torn up. So I decided to get a new package tray but with mesh. Basically you have tiny holes cut where the speaker goes. You then need special clamps for your rear speaker. That way it does not show and everything looks nice and clean.

The more I go over the car the more confusing it gets. Had a berlinetta engine, features like the power windows, etc but had Z28 door panels and dash gauges. I noticed the gauge part just this week as I was browsing ebay. I always knew there was another dash gauge type but was not more concerned with it at the time till I realized that was the berlinetta one which for 81 had the beginnings of digital layout. Your voltmeter, gas, temp, clock were digital while speedometer and tac were standard gauges. Not sure if I will go full resto with that but I am considering it. It’s more an afterthought for later. Not exactly the most important thing needed.

I got also some insulation for the carpet which is always good. Also something that is very cool is that I got original berlinetta hub caps. While I currently have 15 inch cragar rims, they are rusted and need some love. The hub caps are 14 inch so would need the appropriate tires and rims. So I figure I will do that but that will also wait since that is a big investment right there. Again, more important things to do.

So aside from that been working on the lawn. Like it or not I have to get it done. Had Cliff help me but we only got it partially done. We did a good stretch. It’s just a lot of weeding. I have friday off so will bang away at what I can that day. Order another truck of dirt and level it all out. Hopefully if all goes well I can get to planting grass. Will do my best. Once that’s done then it’s fence time. Been check out prices. It’s pretty expensive because of the post installation. About $200 per post to have it done by someone. So I will probably by the walls pre fabricated at rona and then do the posts myself and install.

So I decided to go tan so off I went and bought some paint and most of the trim is now done. I am working on the chairs right now. The front seats will be the tan with a black middle. The middle is made of suede so was to not paint on that as it’s not your typical factory nylon. So were getting there. Meanwhile I ordered a caramel carpet which looks great. I also got a new OEM shifter plate as mine was finished and now also working on the gauges. I spruced up the gauges a bit to use a white decal which has factory fonts with LED lights which will consume less power and offer a much needed brightness to the dash cluster. Previously in the dark even when the dash lights were on, it would be a murky yellow white light which really didn’t help illuminate much.

I have most of the electrical in the car labeled at this point. Some wiring I am still trying to figure out as I am not sure if it was a standard wiring kit that included clips for other options or am I missing something. So going through the schematics to figure all that out. Will get new fuses so were fresh and will need to get some new wiring so I can patch a few breaks.

As you can tell I move from area to area as I go with the weather. If it’s nice I work on the car outside and might do painting at the same time. Otherwise I work on what I can inside and go from there. Oh god I wish I had a large garage. It is really driving me crazy have a smaller garage. We thought of expanding it but we have the bathroom and washer/dryer area behind the other side of the wall so essentially we would have to expand and shift the whole rear of the house to accommodate the change. So not sure what we will do, things to think about for the future.

I got my ram induction kit last night for my engine. Hello turbo charging! It came really dirty so will need to clean it up. There is some rust which will need to get cleaned off on the interior and two other sections but otherwise it will look great. When I have it clean I will give it a good coat of paint and then try to figure out how the fuck to install it LOL I have a copy of the original GM factory construction manual which includes all options for the camaro but it’s still not always clear. But I am still very happy.

Speaking of rust I started using a biodegradable rust remover. I was skeptical when I bought it as most rust removers are chemical. But a bottle was $10 and I am somewhat environmentally conscious so decided to try it out. Why not right? Well it freaking works wonders. I decided to test it out on the side panel ash trays which had a tad of rust as well as my cigarette lighter which had substantial rust on it. I left it there for a good two days submersed and took it out last night to brand new looking parts. Was very pleased with it all. A bottle equals roughly a half liter and basically you use it till the liquid turns black. From there you can dump down a drain or even in a sewer and it’s all good. So I am very excited about this product.

I got my front floor pans but still waiting for the rear floor pans. Once those are in I can go and get it into the shop and get the ball rolling. I really want them in asap as I want to get this car on the road tearing it up in the summer. It’s been awesome weather so would like to be able to take advantage of it. Anyways I will take some more pictures and I am even going to do a video tour of the restoration so far.

Update 1: It seem’s the rear floor pans for some reason were stuck at custom for whatever reason, therefore I should receive them probably early next week as they were released finally.

Update 2: Started cleaning the air induction. Wow, talk about grime. Normally when you buy parts, the person tends to clean them up before shipping it out to you. Not the case here it seem. I would love it if I had a blasting kit as I could then sandblast it or even soda blast it clean. However money wise I cannot do that so scrubbing it with for wax / grease remover and even sanding sections down with a 220 grit. The idea is to clean it off as much ass possible so I can paint it. Oh and for a little info, the part is from an 84 pontiac firebird however it is compatible with my engine. I may need to buy a few extra parts but trying to overall figure it’s install out. Most of it is intuitive however how it links up with the cowl is a whole other story.

The front seats I knew were an issue. For one that track was rusted like hell which is not good. Next the passenger seat shaked so a bolt was not holding the seat track right. This would be caused by the seat track on one side being rusted that it partially broke. Next the upholstery was fucked. The vinyl was in good shape but the material itself is not good having tears in it. And the foam was aged but still ok. Looking online I found that I could buy new upholstery for about $400 for the front and back seats. That is not bad but still quite a chunk of change as it doesn’t solve my seat track problem. New tracks go for about $70 a piece if your lucky and well if you want to replace the foam that is also an extra $120 a seat. So in all it was a bigger investment then I wanted to do. But I need to do something.

I managed to find some modern racer seats that somewhat have the similar shape and look as the old ones. They also came with new custom seat tracks. This sold me on them immediately. I would have a color I was going for (white + black) have both front seats and the seat tracks. Definitely a win. I figure I can look at maybe repairing the older seats and ebaying them off without the seat tracks obviously.

I then decided that the carpet bothered me. The guy previously installed his own carper. It did not end where it was supposed to in the front and on the drivers side it was not sealed correctly so it was sticking up. I also had a fear that there was something with the floor. I had already found a hole in the back which I can repair with some Bondo however I had an iching feeling there could be other holes. OMG!!

I tore up the carper to find there were lovely huge rush stains. I looked to see another insulating carper totally rust covered. Lifting it up my fears were correct. All floor sections were totally and completely rusted. The individual had attempted to install a floor pan in two sections however he did not seem to use the appropriate floor pan nor did he weld the pans in. He seemed to have used a strong sealant. Yes it was just like caulking. I poked it with my screw driver and to my horror was able to begin penetrating into the goo. I started to laugh. If I learned anything about this project is that expect anything, prepare for the worst and you won’t be mad. So I got some giggles out of it but at the same time I worried about the set back. I am tight on budget at the moment having bough many replacement pieces so replacing my floor seemed an expensive ordeal, Not just because of the floor mind you but because the carpet also needed changing.

Thank the gods for the internet. I managed to find via ebay a store in Detroit that had new floor pans for me and for pretty cheap too and cheap shipping. Soooo I ordered that. Parts should arrive within a week or two and car will immediately get brought to the shop for welding. Unfortunately I do not have access nor the skill to do that work yet.

So that aside I began ripping the dash apart to see what other surprises lurked. So far all is good and I am inspecting the wiring. I discovered 2 wires uncovered and “live” which is baffling. Considering I need to run the security system and rewire to accomodate Ripping things down to the basics is a must. I also managed to get ahold of a GM factory manual for the car which has an exploded view of the car with just about every option available. It’s pretty cool and should help me figure things out.

The doors are about done. I am doing some touch ups as some of the tape I used was a tad to strong and pulled some bits off which was annoying. The car will look pretty fly with the white and black interior…I think. I might adjust when putting it all together. I could have gone totally original colored interior but I wanted something a bit more modern while still being classic.

I got a new power steering gearbox. It’s a pretty heavy piece of equipment. I was surprised as it’s rather small but that should solve the last of the car leaks. I also got a new tail light panel. This is essentially the floor of the trunk.It also supports the gas tank. Mine is rotted out mostly so very very important to have something supporting your gas tank. I also received a new car horn as well as a new interior mirror.

I have a few more odds and ends to pick up but I am pacing it out as much as possible. I am looking at a night time mechanics course similar to what my brother is taking. I have picked up some books recently on restoring cars and been enjoying it plus with what I have been doing physically to the car. So might pursue that when Marie is done her school. I am looking for another line of work to potentially fall back on down the road as an alternative career. Who knows

It started when I was young and in elementary school. It was simply things like walking over the lines of sidewalks but escalated to making beds ten times in a row. It died down during the years and seemed to appear in my later teenage years. This time in the form of cleaning hands often as well as reading paragraphs multiple times. And lately it has been reading, moving things, checking things, etc. Just a lot more. I knew there was a problem. I was having odd emotions. Feeling guilty over things I should not, feeling bad about things that yeah I probably should have at the time but now in the future should not. So this new year it came to a point where I felt this coming at me. I could not place it. I thought it would all pass. It did before right? However it did not and things got progressively worse to the point where I would get suicidal thoughts. You know you have problems when…So I started seeing a psychologist. Now seeing a psychologist is alleviating in itself. It’s someone who is trained to listen objectively and they are trained professionals.

Going into it I thought I was just plain crazy. I had assumptions that I had OCD but I also tend to obsess over every ailment. Oh I see a link. Anyways I did not want to go in saying ok doc I have this, cure me. I explained my life situation with all the fun mannerisms I do and he just said you have OCD and there is nothing to be ashamed of.

I was happy to hear it confirmed. The evidence was there just not something you feel qualified to diagnose with absolute certainty on your own. I know, I tried. Oh I checked out google and found OCD sites but the more I read the more I thought I had all these signs. It even felt amplified. So in all help was needed and the facts had to come out.

OCD is generally a genetic disorder (wish I had a plasmid to resolve that) where your brain does not produce enough saratonin so your brain gets it’s wires crossed so to speak. You can try via therapy to resolve the issues and control your obsessions or you may take medication which is typically prozac, elavil, paxil, whatnot which are commonly used in depressions. Oh and usually depressions result from OCD as well as a side thing. Which is exactly what happened this week.

For awhile now I have had trouble focusing on just about anything. I was rip roaring with the hub, with school ideas, wanting to expand the family, fix the car, etc. Believe it or not this all did not help me at all. I would wake up tired despite 8 hours sleep and just go through the motions. Feeling detached. This week I just broke. I had started thinking of things two years ago and just felt horrible about it. Despite that all was said and done I still had the feeling but I could not control it. I had trouble keeping still and just relaxing. I would sleep but it was not restful sleep. So I decided to go to the doctors. My psychologist god bless him is on a three week cruise. Fucker!

So the doctor provided me pills to sleep if need be as well as anti-depressants. It won’t kick in for awhile but it is a start. I also have to see a second psychologist as the clinic wants to absolutely confirm it but after me explaining everything to them well, it is pretty convincing.

Suffice it to say that is what has been keeping me hidden away. Lots of crying, lots of messed up emotions and some self exploration along the way. The best way I can describe it right now is that part of my brain tries to find anything in life that has bothered me or been hurtful and then keeps processing it in my mind. Sometimes it will just plain make shit up or keep running the event in my mind and try to analyze things to make it seem bad. Anything essentially to bother me. It is almost like a voice you have trouble tuning out. It’s very hard to deal with and understand let alone explain it to others.

I was very fortunate in the support so far. I first tried explaining the OCD to my parents about two weeks ago but they passed it off as being tired and I needed to rest. Guess thats the old fashioned way of doing things lol But when I talked to them this week after my break down and explained the process they seemed to be more ears because they visually saw the impact it was having. Everyday has been a struggle but it also shed light onto aspects of my life. My shopping tendencies, my obsession on the car, buying a house, buying a computer. When all these things or events came around it was never something I could do, I HAD to do it. I invested 100% of myself to these things. Some of it was just being selfish at times. That’s a sort of blessing of seeing aspects of your life over and over. You get to learn from all your mistakes and see what made you who you are.

I have had other things pop up which helped cause the depression. Some work issues like a person from HR who when I emailed in sick by accident replied to it thinking it was something else and saying that I was a retard and being a baby. That is just among many problems with my work but it made me realize I am just not happy there. And is IT what I really want to do. Problem is I have lots of ideas. The Hub store, I have an idea for a cafe restaurant, I am interested in human ressources studies (despite my bad experience lol) as well as mechanic since I have really enjoyed working on the camaro. But thats the crux of it all right now. Am I wanting to do a particular course or path or am I being led by an obsession / compulsion. It’s very hard to say and thats also what drives me batty.

Right now it’s taking the meds and eliminating the stressers and seeing how to better handle things to reduce the anxiety. Some days are ok but you realize at some point how much you beat yourself up on things around the house. It also makes you think sometimes you bite more then you can chew. In all OCD is a very real thing. It’s intriguing from a perspective to see how it works and scary when you experience it. But like my doctor said, it’s me VS it and the sooner I deal then I can beat it otherwise it will control me for life.

Rest assured I will be back online at some point in a better capacity then I am now. It’s just a matter of time. Oh and PAX is still on just in case any of you two started wondering. I need a vacation thought if I check the hotel door six times, guide me to the tv to distract me

Last week, the mass grew again. This time it expanded around back towards her colon and even pushed her tail out of place. Her discomfort began to grow, but she seemed in good spirits. She was full of energy and life up until Friday…Friday morning she was sick. She had been chewing on my socks and even eaten a small bit, so we believed (hoped) that was all it was. We were wrong. By the end of Friday it was apparent she was losing the battle. This morning she could not stand or walk on her own, she refused to eat, we had to force her to drink water by feeding her through a syringe, and she was whimpering in pain.

So this morning we rushed her to the vet, hoping anything could be done. Turns out Jaundice had set in, most likely due to the condition she was in from the tumor and the meds. So at 12:05pm today Bonnie passed away at the Sources Animal Hospital. It has been one of the hardest and most heart wrenching things to deal with as late. It is never easy losing those you love. Bonnie was like a young sibling or even a daughter to me. No matter how much you try to prepare yourself for something like this it doesn’t help, at all…The house will seem empty without her.

Rest in peace Bonnie, there is now no more pain for you to endure. Thank you for coming into my life and bringing me so much joy.

In all seriousness, I’m not going to go all “girly” on you.  Though this picture is quite adorable…in a strange way.

In other news I really enjoyed our friday night get together. It was a blast and Runebound was a very good game. Just haven’t had too much time to write the review up but it’s on the way with pictures to boot. Yay!! The Hub is going strong which I am happy about and to add a bit more excitement to the mix I am pleased to announce that Bioware is following our Twitter. While that may not seem that impressive it’s good exposure and just damn cool in my opinion.

On the side have been thinking about increasing our friday night get togethers. Seeing how feasible it is which thus far seem’s quite feasible. Looking forward to getting some at the table role playing going and potentially with Curt depending on his availability. I am brushing up on the Exalted stuff I had, preparing play aids and delving into adjusting Fantasy Grounds. So things are moving. I think it’s just something that NEEDS to be done.

So thats what’s going on over on my side. How are things going with everyone else?

I’m sad to say that my grandmother who was bleeding internally has been given one week to live. I have been a bit upset about it but it only really hit me last night since I have been visiting with Lucas since my car is in the garage and no moving on to lifts from Marie or parents. Seeing someone slip away each day is unsettling. There is the option of a blood transfusion however if they cannot fix the bleeding then this will repeat itself and during the whole ordeal she may just loose the strength she needs.

So thats been also a downer. The Hub is doing great if people have been checking out. Lots of stories and even started some reviews on it. On the twitter side we have new followers and getting mentions but other news sites. So thats positive progress right. I’m looking forward to our friday get together. I am anxious to try out Descent. I found the quest guide and manual so reading through the manual. I hope it turns out to be an epic boardgame. I would like to get reviews done for them all to help buff up the hub and well, just have fun playing.

I might have a new PC on the way. Working on the details but should be able to get one “soon”. The car is spending a week and a half in the garage. They are going to remove all the rust from the bottom of the card while working on the bushings, shocks, etc. It’s a much needed job to be done and one step closers to getting the car to where it should be. I have been slowly painting interior pieces in the garage. It’s turning out well however I am using a white color so it takes lots of coats. You think warhammer would have taught me. I think the style ones brought into the car will look good. It will be sporty and stylish. It’s just hard to say with them not in there. However when the car comes back I will strip the interior moldings, seats, etc and get to work on fixing those up.

Looking at maybe another car for the winter but that’s up in the air. Just that convenience wise having one would be a real help with the baby. So yeah thats it from my end really. How about everyone else? Curt your married yet?

If you’d like to be an author, let me know. Furthermore, if you’d simply like to be a moderator (comments, forums), let me know. Otherwise, you’re free to create your own account and join in the community like any other.

This site is still for personal things, crazy stuff we find on the internet, and for video games and technology. The Hub is for RPGs, Board Games, etc.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?