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{{define "title"}}{{.Post.Title}}{{end}}
{{define "description"}}A life update covering the last couple months.{{end}}
{{define "keywords"}}blog cars mopeds computers Concours{{end}}
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<h1>Blog</h1>
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<article class="postContent">
<h2>{{.Post.Title}}</h2>
<p>It’s been a crazy school year.</p>
<h3>The Good</h3>
<p>Let’s start with the good, even if we’re going out of order.</p>
<p>I moved in early, bought some new old tech, participated in the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit, and got to attend a couple Cars and Coffee events at <a href="https://pasteiners.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pasteiner’s Auto Zone Hobbies</a> with my car and moped.</p>
<p>I got to sit on an old Harley-Davidson WLA from WWII that one of the participants brought to Cars and Coffee. That was an incredible experience even if I didn’t ride it. No spring-back on the throttle or spark advance for these old bikes, which I didn’t realize. It’s absolutely on the short list for motorcycles I own post-graduation now.</p>
<figure>
<img src="/static/media/What_A_School_Year_So_Far/Recycling_Center_Haul_Aug2023.jpg" alt="Used MacBook, two ThinkPad X230 Tablets, two iPod nanos and an iPod Mini on a table." />
<figcaption>Recycling center haul.</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure>
<img src="/static/media/What_A_School_Year_So_Far/Ruckus_Dream_Cruise_Night.jpg" alt="Me on my engine swapped Honda Ruckus riding down Woodward Ave." />
<figcaption>Dream cruise.</figcaption>
</figure>
<iframe width="100%" src="/static/media/What_A_School_Year_So_Far/https://www.youtube.com/embed/hH2_DILzsgU?si=StGW_tSF-_jo8x7J" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen>
</iframe>
<figure>
<img src="/static/media/What_A_School_Year_So_Far/300E_Cars_and_Coffee_Aug2023.jpg" alt="My 300E next to an SEL." />
<figcaption>Cars and Coffee.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I kind of glossed over the Ruckus being ridden. For those that know me, this is an accomplishment. For years, it has sat in my garage with the engine pulled out. Right before school, I finally cobbled it together for one of the local moped events, rode it for the rides, and was able to bring it to school.</p>
<p>Skipping ahead, this year’s Detroit Concours e’Elegance was at the DIA again across from my school, and I was prepared. I was able to drive a 1970 American Motors AMX with a 4-speed manual and a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS convertible with the two-speed “Powerglide” transmission. Both were great cars.</p>
<figure>
<img src="/static/media/What_A_School_Year_So_Far/AMX.jpg" alt="Me in a 1970 AMX." />
<figcaption>1970 AMX</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The hosts of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheCarmudgeonShow" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Carmudgeon Show</a>, a podcast that I listen to religiously, were there doing a live episode, and I was able to meet them and get a picture with Jason Cammisa, one of the hosts. My friends threw a surprise birthday party for me earlier in the year, and they made me a cutout of him, so we brought it along to show. We even made it on the <a href="https://youtu.be/3LKYu9Zx5zU?si=3b0mdqynvITaJkEs&t=41" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">live recording</a>.</p>
<figure>
<img src="/static/media/What_A_School_Year_So_Far/Jason_Cammisa_Instagram.jpg" alt="Instagram post by Jason Cammisa of Hagerty. Image shows Jason, a life-size cardboard cutout of him, Alex Scerba, and Rex Jo standing next to eachother with Jason making a funny face. Post text: " />
<figcaption>Jason’s Instagram post.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Skipping ahead more, on the weekend of mid-terms, a large group of my friends and I went out for dinner and did less than legal things on the fantastic roads in Hell, MI. It was a very fun night.</p>
<p>And last weekend, my girlfriend and I made costumes for Halloween and dressed as Snow Miser and Heat Miser from “The Year Without a Santa Claus.” I hand-sewed the shirt which was fun, and she made the hats out of cardboard.</p>
<h3>The Bad</h3>
<p>With that in mind, the powers at be decided, “you’re having way too much fun kid.”</p>
<p>On the first day of class, my moped broke down on the side of the road and got stolen while I had to attend our sponsor’s kick-off event that I was on the way to. Looking back, I could have tried a couple more desperate things to get it to start, but I was already running late to the event and that doesn’t usually have you in a sound state of mind. So after all the work of getting it to a finally running state, it found its way to the void. I reported it to the police and everything, but I don’t expect to get it back in one piece, or ever get it back period. Maybe if some idiot tries to register it or crashes it into a police car I’ll get lucky. It probably got pulled apart though, so whatever.</p>
<img src="/static/media/What_A_School_Year_So_Far/Ruckus_Finished.jpg" alt="Front shot of my modified Honda Ruckus." />
<p>Then, last Tuesday, I decided to drive to the other campus. School work has been a lot, there was a personal situation going on that I won’t be sharing, and I’ve been getting not as much sleep as I should. I figured I would go to class a bit early to get caught up with my work since I was a bit behind. I left the garage, headed down the road, and as I crossed over the bridge I looked up to realise the light I was about to go through was red. That’s not something that happens for me. I don’t go through red lights. But this time I did because I noticed only right as I was about to cross the stop line. Unfortunately, it was rush hour and less than a second after realizing the light was red, an SUV hit me on the front passenger side. The only good things here were that we were both uninjured and my ancient airbag didn’t deploy. Both cars were totaled. The other driver’s airbags did deploy, and we both had major structural damage.</p>
<figure>
<img src="/static/media/What_A_School_Year_So_Far/300E_Crashed.jpg" alt="My modified Mercedes-Benz 300E with siginificant front passenger side impact damage." />
<figcaption>About 10 minutes after the accident.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I didn’t know anyone local, especially someone who would keep a car carcass for several months, and the police told me that if I couldn’t get it off the road in an hour, they would have to tow it to the lot, where I would have to pay for the tow and overnight fees for as long as it sat there. I couldn’t afford that, so I had to take it to a junkyard. My title is in Wisconsin, so that made it a bit tougher. I was also not in the best state of mind when choosing a junkyard to take it to, and relied on the towtruck driver who also didn’t really know what was in the area. Long story short, I accidentally took it to junkyard Hell. It’s a place where the employees want to die, and cars are crushed whether they should be or not. I got a whopping $250 dollars for the 300E, even after informing them about all the new, still undamaged parts in the rear sub frame, and the wheels. I was pretty pissed about that, so I grabbed what I could carry in my friend’s WRX that he drove to the yard with me in. I couldn’t get the wheels. Later I realised they never gave me a receipt and I left a CD in the player. I forgot to go the next day, but the day after when I went back, they had already crushed the car and sent it out to be ground up. Employees admitted that many vaulable, clean cars get crushed there all the time, even if they could be resold. They only kept the wheels and tires, and I had to buy back the wheels if I wanted them. I couldn’t let them stay there, so I paid the $85 they wanted with the money I already got from them to begin with. It took them 10 minutes to find the paperwork for the car because they were so disorganized. Don’t go to <a href="https://americanautorecycle.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">American Auto Recycle</a> if you’re in Detroit. It’s funny they talk about environmental friendliness, because they aren’t that. Go anywhere else that at least resells parts. The last thing we should be doing is throwing away valuable parts that could keep other cars on the road.</p>
<p>Here’s a <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jBzMAYSUr1iyqzvw05TvIi3IfiXpPiYq?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">photo collection</a> of all the pitures I had of my 300E under my ownership. If has some that are missing, feel free to email them to me and I’ll add them to the collection. I don’t know how long I can go without a W124. They’re great cars to work on, tinker with, and learn from.</p>
<h3>The Rest</h3>
<p>It’s definitely been a mixed year so far, and it’s only two months in. Luckily, I have great friends that are extremely supportive and understanding. We’ve had lots of great memories so far, and everyone that’s said anything has been extremely serious about helping in whatever way they can to get me to the store for groceries, or even borrow cars. I’m taking a mandatory couple weeks off before I accept an offer to drive, but knowing that I have such great friends has been one of the few things keeping me going.</p>
<p>Let’s hope for a normal, moderately eventful rest of the school year. Who knows, maybe the CJ-7 and XS650 will make a Detroit appearance in the spring.</p>
<p>Uploaded: <time datetime="2023-11-01">2023-11-01</time></p>
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