Soulful Serenity

To put it simply, everything the last few weeks has been falling together quite nice. Mind you I still have several things I have to figure out, but those shouldn't be too hard. The only unfortunate thing about February has been me getting sick, but it happens and at-least it wasn't the flu, since that would have taken my perfect attendance in a heartbeat.

Beside being busy this month and the phase winding down this coming Tuesday, I have been talking with my fellow car club members and they been encouraging me and are really looking forward to seeing my classics back on the road. I too, am looking forward to get them all restored but I the only that is going to slow me down from getting them complete is sourcing missing parts. I can do all the work myself. As for Upholstery, I found a text book on the topic so I am going to teach myself in the meantime and then maybe sometime next year go to Wyotech again (different Campus) and learn it to get the certification behind me.

Other than that I have been looking and finding more classic cars here and there. Some for sale, others that have sold already. The hunt for them is for me quite easy, I do not know how to describe it but I can find pretty well any car I wanted in under twenty minutes. Just if they are for sale/sold, or in the condition I want them is a complete different story.

Lately I was talking to another club member and we had discussed cars for sale around North America. We found many listing ranging in years from mid 30's to mid 50's but most of them Orphan Marques. For me to say the least, if it isn't 'rare' I do really want to own it. So all those classics made by the Big Three (Ford, Chrysler and GM) do not really interest me as much - however I am going to still save them from getting crushed since another enthusiast who loves them would buy it from me.
I am interested in learning more about Nash and Packard; Maybe something on Studebaker and Kasier Fraser too.

No wind serves a ship that has no port.

Spanish proverb

First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.

Epictetus

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.

Marshall Ferdinand Foch

Confusion, Contradictions, and Constant Change

Three weeks ago I posted a list of my new years goals hoping to accomplish all of them listed. However now it is as the carpet has be pulled out from underneath me and pretty well all my plans are up in the air. It has pretty well, got me wondering what I can do and what I should do and even how I should approach this unexpected turn of events.
Starting from the top of the list I posted.... getting a Job in the US is going take a bit longer than expected, so I doubt I can find one and get hired in Jan. It is out the window per say but it is definitely going to have to wait because I am taking a Hybrid course offered at Wyotech on Sunday's for the month of January.
I would be ecstatic if I could reduce my rent but it is a huge catch twenty two since in order to lower the rent I have to move somewhere further away from Wyotech which is going to cause more headaches due to the commute times.
Dropping my living my expenses has been for the most part successful, being able to drop it about $100 a month but I need to work on it a bit more to see if I can get it a bit lower without starving myself. We shall if it is even possible since I am unable to shop around
No news on the other two cars, which is good because I am quite busy at the moment.
I wish I could restore my 49' currently but I do not know.... it may be delayed.
The next few goals from six to ten are either going on presently or will have to wait till after I graduate.
As for looking for land near to home, I have had some mix results, good and bad. Yes I can get the land I want in the area of town I was thinking however I do not know if they will still be available when I graduate and even later once I have enough to go forward and purchase the land with of course having a little help from parents.
I am on the fence about going to the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding. I would love to go, but it is going to burn another large hole in my wallet. I know I could put the skills to good use, but will I be working on boats a lot after... that is the thing I do not know.
The last two are also on the fence, since I honesty do not have an exact fool poor way to approach this without burning myself in one way or another.

Yesterday and Today has been quite interesting, the biggest thing of the most part is I have been studying what I feel enough but the last two exams I do not know how it happened but I was unable to pass them which is really bugging me. On top of that I found out today the plan of going on weekends to take Trim and Upholstery is out of the question, instead I have to go to a different Wyotech Campus. So my plan is to grab the ASM (Applied Service Management) and then work for the summer and in the mean time re-apply to go to either Wyoming or Pennsylvania to get the Trim and Upholstery. I could add Street Rod for the metal fabrication after ASM but, do I really want to go another three months? Eh probably not worth it because I am a black smith and I bet I could just figure it all out myself.

Somedays I wish I had a more mobility financially, so I would be able to buy a probably back home and not have to worry about. It also would help me considerably since after I graduate reguardless when, I am going to open my own business. As much as I would like to work under someone or be employed by an awesome employer, I would be restricted in hours. Personally I would rather have to freedom to work as hard as I want to do on my hours so I can earn my living. Hopefully by doing is going to make it so I hire employees on sooner, with a similar worth ethic.

"The most successful people are those who are good at plan B."
James Yorke

Happy New Year -=2013=-

Over the two weeks I had to think about how was going to approach my future by choosing whether I would remove Street Rod and Custom Fabrication from my Wyotech Electives and only take Trim and Upholstery came to a indecision. Really it was probably due to the fact I wanted to get a lot of stuff done with my 1949 Hudson Commodore in a very short amount of time. Not to mention also visit friends, family and help out around home. I managed to get all the tools I needed to extract the Flathead Six engine and a compressor to remove the corroded bolts with ease. Unfortunately I did not consider to check the house wiring, only to find out after the fact, when I blew the fuse to out door circuit and all the lights in the house which happened to be on the same circuit. So due to that  I was unable to remove the front clip to my classic car and pull the engine.

As of the New Year I set myself a huge list of goals I want to complete before the year is over and here it is: (in no particular order)

1. Get a Job down in the USA in January 2013
2. Move to somewhere with lower rent and a carport or garage
3. Reduce living expenses to below $100/month (from my current 300)
4. Buy two more classic Hudson's I got a lead on last year
5. Restore my 49' Hudson in 3 months
6. Get hired at a shop in Victoria or Open my own Business
7. Get a 118 lb Peter Wright Anvil
8. Get a propane forge
9. Create my Business Plan
10. Graduate Wyotech with Perfect Attendance & Eagle Tech.
11. Start looking for land near where I live
12. Buy or Fiance the land if it meets my criteria 
13. Get accepted at Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding
14. Work for 3 months back at home and earn enough to fund my education south of the border
15. Find several more classic Hudson's and acquire them. 

This year my list of goals is the longest it has ever been, considering 2012 was only 6 things and before then it was even shorter. In a way this year is going to give my the biggest challenged I have came against in a long time but I plan on completing it without worrying one bit whatsoever. 

I'd ask or wish for more, mostly to find someone who is like minded with similar interests and view of the world but that might be asking for too much. Considering all what I want to get done this year I do not want the house of cards I am building up to come crashing down if I trip up because of love. Saying that also does not mean I am not totally against I will let it in if the chance would arise. 

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."

Anatole France

Conflicting Passions

Today was interesting to say the least. Since it was our second to last day of classes for this phase, we had to clean the shop prior to writing our final. There was a slight uproar and confusion on how it should be done which, got me questioning if there is really the career I really want to be in. On and off over the last few days I have been wondering, what if I would have gone to a Wooden Boatbuilding school instead of Wyotech since I would not have to deal with so much damn drama. Seriously! This is College not Kindergarden. I find myself question this decision since prior to coming down here I was split between either travelling all this way to learn on how to restore cars or go to a wooden boatbuilding school closer to home. I ended up choosing this route because I want to do it from such a long time. However as I was pondering this decision which will shape my future no doubt I realized that in a way it has helped me for the better coming down here. Instead of taking Street Rod and Custom Fabrication as my first elective and Trim and Upholstery and my second, I am going to remove Street Rod and Custom Fabrication and only do Trim and Upholstery. Which is the complete opposite I was thinking of doing when I first got down here, because I thought the dust from Trim and Upholstery would upset my allergies to the point I would not be able to work whatsoever.
It all came together in a way, since by coming down here I can restore classic cars (especially) Hudson's and by going to a wooden boatbuilding school I can build, paint, and upholster the boat completely.

It is definitely a lot to consider and think about, but I have two weeks to do so over Christmas. Of course I'll get as much information as possible before I make any move that will undoubtedly affect my future career.

"A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes."

Mohandas K. Gandhi

Scrying Glass

I wish I could find my way through the world without running into massive ruts or sadistic people, but that would be like asking everyone to change the way they should treat others... and that aint happening soon. Really, the road I have gone down has been rough to say the last. I have fought personal battles, spiritual and even with others all of which have shown me how the world see's me and who I am really am. Saying that I have never lost any of these conflicts to the point of falling back into the rut I, but I have came close. In some ways I really wish I could have changed the or even wish I could see how my future would have turned out if I would have done something different or if something would have worked out differently. But that is not possible, and maybe it is for a reason because the path I am heading down is best for me and all others that I have tried to travel down have re-directed me back to the road I am currently on. 

For me, planning ahead and goals are the only incentive I need to get stuff done otherwise if I would not have any, I know I would not do anything and end up in a pinch. But that trait is (for me at least) hard to find in someone else. Pretty well everyone who I have met and am friends with as far as I know only set short-term goals which can be accomplished quite easily unlike long-term which are going to take more commitment and patience to achieve. I really hope I can find someone, someday soon who see's the world in a very similar light as me. But that is like asking to find a needle in a hay stack due to the fact there is 8 billion people. Not that I am saying it is impossible, it is just really difficult. 

Going back to the road I am currently on, it was a bit of a curve of unexpected events that got me to where I am currently. I was original planning on becoming an Architect, but after graduating high school I found that kind of career quite stressful, however I still went to North Island College because I thought I could get right into the field right after graduating. Well, not really... I could yes, but I would be at the very very bottom and no places in Victoria were hiring, great. I also found out how long it would really take to become an Architect - which was completely different from what I was thinking. 

I still went to a community college for three years, taking very interesting and insightful courses and tried to get into university but maybe that did not pan out for that very reason I mentioned earlier.

I also twice I have tried looking for a sailboat. The first one I found in 2009 (Emma Jean a 32' Ketch Day sailer), the picture posted on the sale add showed her in her prime but when I actually seen the boat in person it was in need of a lot of TLC. Recently I did a search to find out what happened to her, to find out she was sold and is back on the water. I kinda wish I could have got her back then, but then again she needed a lot of work, so maybe it was better I did not. The other sailboat I was considering of buying was a 30' Catalina MK1. She had pretty well everything I was looking for, but her sale price was 4 times more than the Emma Jean. I asked me parents to help me purchase the boat but they insisted I should not. In the end I did not get her, like I said before it probably was for a reason. While I was back home before I moved to the states I had The Wooden Boat Magazine and I have also picked up books on boat building... so you know, probably in the future it is best I just buy some plans and build the boat of my dreams. 

With all the changes going on and me acquiring several classic cars to restore after I graduate I really feel this is where I should be. Add the fact I have become a huge enthusiast Hudson vehicles, my goal is to after I graduate save as many of them as I can and of course other classics from the scrap yard or from rusting away. But how many girls are there out there who would not mind getting a little dirty to pull a rusted classic out of the woods that could be restored and either kept or sold? Not very many. 

All I would love to do in the future, once everything has come together is to go traveling on my own yacht and get away from it all. Get away from the rat race of society and be out on the open ocean where all you here is the wind and the waves. But this dream shall not be a decade down the road or more, instead it should be closer to the present. So the trip on the sea would be shorter it would still be enough of a get away to appreciate everything, all the modern amenities we've got and all the beautiful classics we've got instead of complaining of what we do not.

The day will come when I am going to change the world and when it comes I promise to correct all the wrongs. Until then I am going to be working to get to that point. 

Double Trouble December

As of December I went down to SoCal to pay and ship my 47 Hudson back to Sacramento. I did not expect to have to go through those body scanners at the airport but I guess it is a normal thing down here in the US. Not saying they are bad thing, I actually found them faster than going through a standard metal dector and getting padded down. As for my air carrier I went on Southwest and bought my tickets online which saved me a considerable amount of money, which is always good. When I got into Burbank at 10am, it was a nice change from sacramento and it did have a more relaxed feel. However I am not use to seeing six lane roads and eight lane highways since where I am from back in Canada at most we will have a two lane, maybe four in some sections.

My goal is to have this my car running before I leave to go back home the day after the last day of class. It sounds a lot easier than it is... I do not know if it is 6 volt or 12 volt and plus I do need other parts. But I know I am going to be able to since some of my classmates would like to help me and work on this classic.

The last few weeks have been busy busy, so busy we have had exams every day of the week and we're only going to have a one day break on the 17th before having our class final on the 18th.

When I get back home I want to diss-assemble the front end of my 49' Hudson sedan and remove the engine. Once it is one the engine stand I want to make sure it rotates freely and change all the fuilds. I also have an interview with a local car club since when I am planning on doing as a career and the HET club I am part of would also like a copy of that interview which will be really cool.

I have already started composing my new years goals and it up to ten goals so far. It will probably grow a bit more December 31st. But there is nothing wrong that eh?

I also found yesterday a local yacht designer who has a few beautiful ketch plans which I am planning on order and building one of them in the near future. You would not believe how much the calmness of just hearing the wind and waves has one you.

Nouveau November

My first Phase came to an end on November 2nd, when we wrote our final exam and I am happy to say I got 94% on it. However on November 5th, the start of the second phase I found out my GPA for my first phase was 88%. The whole reason my grade along with everyone else's grade fell in the class was due to our shop grade, which majority of us got into our worksheets (90%) none of us got all of them.

As for this new phase, it is very busy, with an emphasis on very because we have roughly the same amount of time to get more difficult, comprehensive comps done.

 I was hoping on updating this later on in November but things happened at Wyotech and I got extremely busy. We had our main teacher go on medical leave for three weeks in November which threw our exam schedule out of wack, add the fact our secondary teacher took his place and was not as helpful to say the least.

I also got a lead on a 47' Hudson pickup for sale down in Winnketa, near Burbank California, but after hearing how much the seller wanted for it I opted for a 47' Sedan since I could get it within by budget. To keep it short, the estate sale of all these Hudsons was from a former Hudson Essex Terraplane Club member who passed away. He had 25 cars on his properity, 15 of which were Hudsons. I went down on the December the 1st to pay and get my 47' Hudson shipped back to Sacramento. My goal is to have this car running before I leave to go back home for Christmas next month.