Corrigan at Large

...and then???

2010-07-13T02:13:00.002+02:00

So Sept 20 is fast approaching...and then?

Well, i just don't know. i know what post september 20 would look like in any other year, but this year? i have no idea. that's both scary and exhilarating!

I haven't made any posts in quite a while primarily due to lack of motivation. i suppose I've been a bit busy as well with birthing classes, wedding planning (or at least watching mel plan), working on my race car, working etc. etc. but really..it's motivation

Mel and i are tearing through birthing class and doing pretty well i think. We've got 8 more until we're ready...at least, that's what they tell you. is anyone ever really ready for this?!?!?

There are so many millions of things to do over the next few months. some things seem both trivial and absolutely vital at the same time. like picking a name. on the one hand, it's just a name. people do it millions of time every day. and people with really crappy names can achieve great things.

..

what do you know, the internet even has a list!

http://www.askmen.com/entertainment/special_feature_400/407_tuesday-trivia-worst-celebrity-given-names.html

thanks interweb.

i suppose i shouldn't really equate being a celebrity to achieving a great thing. but..the crappy names list serve my purpose here.

but then on the other hand, choosing a name seems so vitally important. i have to call the kid this name. forever. so does my family. friends. it's friends (we don't know if its a boy or a girl). that's pretty important.

mel and i have a list of names (For a boy and a girl)...but it's really tough. i suppose in the end it'll have to be decided though. the kid can't be named September Twenty Corrigan.

or could it....

the house is filling up with lots of baby stuff. i like it. seems more like a home somehow. i hope this means we don't have to get a TV though. baby corrigan can watch the little Einstein video's on my computer, right!?

For a short alfa update..it's probably easiest to reference some pictures. I took all of last week off to get paint on the car. and it was a great success!! with a bit of filler, the proper paint supplies, tons of sanding and generous amounts of patience, the car is now white! despite never having painted before, it's actually fairly easy. i constructed a Paint booth of sorts in a friends shop using a temporary garage from home depot.

At this point the major body work is completely done and it's a matter of re-assembling the car into it's full on race setup. To keep myself motivated i took little red (as it's come to be known around here) to the track last saturday for an open track day. What a fantastic day and the car handles awesome. It's only limits were due to the bad second gear synchro, the street tires...and maybe the driver (just a bit). but hey, that's what Open track days are for! i hope to have the white car done so that i can use open track days next year as shake down runs. that should get me running with VSCDA by the end of next year or early the following year. now, where to put the baby seat.....

latest alfa pics..

2009 ALFA Project

oh, and Sept. 20 is not only the baby's due date but also my birthday. so i get two cakes for the rest of my life if it really comes on that day!

just kidding!!!

well, not really.

a few good men

2010-04-29T14:26:00.001+02:00

“You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth. Son, we live in a country with an investment gap. And that gap needs to be filled by men with money. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Middle Class Consumer? Goldman Sachs has a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Lehman and you curse derivatives. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what we know: that Lehman’s death, while tragic, probably saved the financial system. And that Goldman’s existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves pension funds. You don’t want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want us to fill that investment gap. You need us to fill that gap.

“We use words like credit default swaps, collateralized debt obligation, and securitization… We use these words as the backbone of a life spent investing in something. You use ‘em as a punchline. We have neither the time nor the inclination to explain ourselves to a commoner who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very credit we provide, and then questions the manner in which we provide it! We’d rather you just said thank you and paid your taxes on time. Otherwise, we suggest you get an account and start trading. Either way, we don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to!”

Vacation's...

2010-04-09T18:18:00.004+02:00

always seem to come at the perfect time. Although we had planned this one long before the events of the last few months (something about a baby...maybe a wedding too if i remember right), we couldn't have planned it for a better time. The truth is if we didn't take a vacation now, we probably wouldn't be able to get one like this in for at least a year or so!

Luck...planning..whatever it was...it was perfect timing.

Mel's offered a good recap at her blog...bonus points to whoever notices the main re-occurring theme :)

http://theworldofallthingsmel.blogspot.com/2010/04/journey-to-amsterdam.html

http://theworldofallthingsmel.blogspot.com/2010/04/amsterdam-has-been-fun-but-its-about.html

http://theworldofallthingsmel.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-love-prague.html

http://theworldofallthingsmel.blogspot.com/2010/04/praha-continued.html

As nice as amsterdam was, i find Prague a lot more interesting. It's history as a country stuffed between Germany and Russia means that its always been a country that's been viewed as a mere stepping stone to the larger enemy (by both it's neighbors). There's something about communism that i find very fascinating. I suppose it's partly that i grew up in a free (freer) capitalist society and communism seems so foreign. East Berlin was fascinating because of it's WWII history and Prague is fascinating largely because of it's post WWII history.

It wasn't but 20 years ago (21 to be exact) that the locals won their freedom. 20 yrs seems like a long time when i consider my age but in the scheme of things it's only a sliver of time. A fact that's driven home even more so when you watch the videos from 1989 at the communist museum.

Throughout the year various anniversaries were used as an excuse to protest in Wenceslas square (which begins only about 100 meeters from our hotel). Throughout the course of the year the police became increasingly brutal against the peaceful protesters. Plainclothes policeman would routinely drag out "provocateurs" from the crowd to be arrested by the swarms of armed police patrolling the streets.

As 1989 came to an end and it became clear that the winds of change were blowing as far east as Moscow, and after 20 years of rule by a puppet government of the soviet union the Czech parliament, in a pretty bold move, determined to dissolve itself rather than fight on (against the people). Since it's inception 20 yrs earlier over 250k citizens has been imprisoned for anti-state activities.

What amazed me was the video of the secret plain clothes police literally dragging people from the crowd to be arrested. Imagine if you were the guy being drug from the crowd and happened to bump into that same police officer in the square today. That kind of thing must happen all the time here but i can't even imagine how I'd react or how these people deal with that.

I suppose that history has shown us (time and agin) that masses of people can have a pretty high tolerance for a bad situation, but once the tide turns there's really no stopping them.

The velvet revolution came to pass without a single shot fired.

Cool stuff.

oh, and the re occuring theme in mel's blog? FOOD! and Water Closet's (but that's a whole 'nother story)

not so fast...

2010-03-10T01:51:00.002+01:00

buffetology...

2010-03-01T23:54:00.001+01:00

on one of his CEO's....

A hugely important event in Berkshire’s history occurred on a Saturday in 1985. Ajit Jain came into our office in Omaha – and I immediately knew we had found a superstar. (He had been discovered by Mike Goldberg, now elevated to St. Mike.)

If Charlie, I and Ajit are ever in a sinking boat – and you can only save one of us – swim to Ajit.

on Mistakes made...

And now a painful confession: Last year your chairman closed the book on a very expensive business fiasco entirely of his own making.

For many years I had struggled to think of side products that we could offer our millions of loyal

GEICO customers. Unfortunately, I finally succeeded, coming up with a brilliant insight that we should market our own credit card. I reasoned that GEICO policyholders were likely to be good credit risks and, assuming we offered an attractive card, would likely favor us with their business. We got business all right – but of the wrong type.

Our pre-tax losses from credit-card operations came to about $6.3 million before I finally woke up. We then sold our $98 million portfolio of troubled receivables for 55¢ on the dollar, losing an additional $44 million.

GEICO’s managers, it should be emphasized, were never enthusiastic about my idea. They warned me that instead of getting the cream of GEICO’s customers we would get the – – – – – well, let’s call it the non-cream. I subtly indicated that I was older and wiser.

I was just older.

on Management...

In my view a board of directors of a huge financial institution is derelict if it does not insist that its CEO bear full responsibility for risk control. If he’s incapable of handling that job, he should look for other employment. And if he fails at it – with the government thereupon required to step in with funds or guarantees – the financial consequences for him and his board should be severe.

It has not been shareholders who have botched the operations of some of our country’s largest financial institutions. Yet they have borne the burden, with 90% or more of the value of their holdings wiped out in most cases of failure. Collectively, they have lost more than $500 billion in just the four largest financial fiascos of the last two years. To say these owners have been “bailed-out” is to make a mockery of the term.

The CEOs and directors of the failed companies, however, have largely gone unscathed. Their fortunes may have been diminished by the disasters they oversaw, but they still live in grand style. It is the behavior of these CEOs and directors that needs to be changed: If their institutions and the country are harmed by their recklessness, they should pay a heavy price – one not reimbursable by the companies they’ve damaged nor by insurance. CEOs and, in many cases, directors have long benefitted from oversized financial carrots; some meaningful sticks now need to be part of their employment picture as well.

on BNSF...

Our subsidiaries made a few small “bolt-on” acquisitions last year for cash, but our blockbuster deal with BNSF required us to issue about 95,000 Berkshire shares that amounted to 6.1% of those previously outstanding. Charlie and I enjoy issuing Berkshire stock about as much as we relish prepping for a colonoscopy.

The reason for our distaste is simple. If we wouldn’t dream of selling Berkshire in its entirety at the current market price, why in the world should we “sell” a significant part of the company at that same inadequate price by issuing our stock in a merger?

In evaluating a stock-for-stock offer, shareholders of the target company quite understandably focus on the market price of the acquirer’s shares that are to be given them. But they also expect the transaction to deliver them the intrinsic value of their own shares – the ones they are giving up. If shares of a prospective acquirer are selling below their intrinsic value, it’s impossible for that buyer to make a sensible deal in an all-stock deal. You simply can’t exchange an undervalued stock for a fully-valued one without hurting your shareholders.

Imagine, if you will, Company A and Company B, of equal size and both with businesses intrinsically worth $100 per share. Both of their stocks, however, sell for $80 per share. The CEO of A, long on confidence and short on smarts, offers 11⁄4 shares of A for each share of B, correctly telling his directors that B is worth $100 per share. He will neglect to explain, though, that what he is giving will cost his shareholders $125 in intrinsic value. If the directors are mathematically challenged as well, and a deal is therefore completed, the shareholders of B will end up owning 55.6% of A & B’s combined assets and A’s shareholders will own 44.4%. Not everyone at A, it should be noted, is a loser from this nonsensical transaction. Its CEO now runs a company twice as large as his original domain, in a world where size tends to correlate with both prestige and compensation.

If an acquirer’s stock is overvalued, it’s a different story: Using it as a currency works to the acquirer’s advantage. That’s why bubbles in various areas of the stock market have invariably led to serial issuances of stock by sly promoters. Going by the market value of their stock, they can afford to overpay because they are, in effect, using counterfeit money. Periodically, many air-for-assets acquisitions have taken place, the late 1960s having been a particularly obscene period for such chicanery. Indeed, certain large companies were built in this way. (No one involved, of course, ever publicly acknowledges the reality of what is going on, though there is plenty of private snickering.)

In our BNSF acquisition, the selling shareholders quite properly evaluated our offer at $100 per share. The cost to us, however, was somewhat higher since 40% of the $100 was delivered in our shares, which Charlie and I believed to be worth more than their market value. Fortunately, we had long owned a substantial amount of BNSF stock that we purchased in the market for cash. All told, therefore, only about 30% of our cost overall was paid with Berkshire shares.

In the end, Charlie and I decided that the disadvantage of paying 30% of the price through stock was offset by the opportunity the acquisition gave us to deploy $22 billion of cash in a business we understood and liked for the long term. It has the additional virtue of being run by Matt Rose, whom we trust and admire. We also like the prospect of investing additional billions over the years at reasonable rates of return. But the final decision was a close one. If we had needed to use more stock to make the acquisition, it would in fact have made no sense. We would have then been giving up more than we were getting.

on acquisitions.....

I have been in dozens of board meetings in which acquisitions have been deliberated, often with the directors being instructed by high-priced investment bankers (are there any other kind?). Invariably, the bankers give the board a detailed assessment of the value of the company being purchased, with emphasis on why it is worth far more than its market price. In more than fifty years of board memberships, however, never have I heard the investment bankers (or management!) discuss the true value of what is being given. When a deal involved the issuance of the acquirer’s stock, they simply used market value to measure the cost. They did this even though they would have argued that the acquirer’s stock price was woefully inadequate – absolutely no indicator of its real value – had a takeover bid for the acquirer instead been the subject up for discussion.

When stock is the currency being contemplated in an acquisition and when directors are hearing from an advisor, it appears to me that there is only one way to get a rational and balanced discussion. Directors should hire a second advisor to make the case against the proposed acquisition, with its fee contingent on the deal not
going through. Absent this drastic remedy, our recommendation in respect to the use of advisors remains: “Don’t ask the barber whether you need a haircut.”

on the annual meeting...

Our best guess is that 35,000 people attended the annual meeting last year (up from 12 – no zeros
omitted – in 1981). With our shareholder population much expanded, we expect even more this year. Therefore,
we will have to make a few changes in the usual routine. There will be no change, however, in our enthusiasm
for having you attend. Charlie and I like to meet you, answer your questions and – best of all – have you buy lots
of goods from our businesses.
The meeting this year will be held on Saturday, May 1st. As always, the doors will open at the Qwest
Center at 7 a.m., and a new Berkshire movie will be shown at 8:30. At 9:30 we will go directly to the
question-and-answer period, which (with a break for lunch at the Qwest’s stands) will last until 3:30. After a
short recess, Charlie and I will convene the annual meeting at 3:45. If you decide to leave during the day’s
question periods, please do so while Charlie is talking. (Act fast; he can be terse.)
The best reason to exit, of course, is to shop. We will help you do that by filling the 194,300-squarefoot
hall that adjoins the meeting area with products from dozens of Berkshire subsidiaries. Last year, you did
your part, and most locations racked up record sales. But you can do better. (A friendly warning: If I find sales
are lagging, I get testy and lock the exits.)

on management style...

Charlie and I mainly attend to capital allocation and the care and feeding of our key managers. Most of these managers are
happiest when they are left alone to run their businesses, and that is customarily just how we leave them. That puts them in
charge of all operating decisions and of dispatching the excess cash they generate to headquarters. By sending it to us, they
don’t get diverted by the various enticements that would come their way were they responsible for deploying the cash their
businesses throw off. Furthermore, Charlie and I are exposed to a much wider range of possibilities for investing these funds
than any of our managers could find in his or her own industry.

Toyota

2010-02-04T14:16:00.002+01:00

I'm not a big fan of Toyota, i don't own any of their products nor would i buy a new one (but then again...i have vowed to never buy/lease another new car from anyone, ever again). but they've clearly got their work cut out for them with their recent quality woes.

On the one hand, they've had a hell of a run. it was bound to end eventually and that time has apparently come. with an item as complex as the automobile, and with most suppliers working to 6 sigma (ish) type quality standards, its inherent to the process's that roughly 6 defects are produced in every million parts. you design for that and then rely on your quality systems to catch the 6, but there is no product or manufacturing process that is 100% without problem. i.e. A problem of this type was bound to crop up eventually. So i can sympathize knowing that this was bound to happen and wishing that the public was a little more realistic in their expectations.

but on the other hand, they have had a hell of a run. and it's nice to see a bit of product realism injected into the public perception. maybe Toyota quality isn't really that much better than anyone else (anymore)! crazy idea, i know. It's rather easy for a company to take the level of public trust that Toyota has recently enjoyed for granted. when the public is having a love affair with your products you (can) become overly emotional about the relationship and let logic and common sense go.

as to a recall, there are a lot of monday morning quarterbacks out there questioning the timing, the decision, etc. etc. in fact most would say "when you know you have a problem, issue a recall", or "it's better to play it safe" even when you think it's a problem. that's certainly been the position with many in the media (particularly on NPR). but the simple fact is..it's not always the best course of action. in most cases a full-on recall isn't warranted (as opposed to a campaign or a service bulletin). and in the rare case that it is, it becomes a difficult balance timing wise. do you issue the recall before having a solution ready? or do you wait, sometimes weeks or months, to issue the recall knowing that defective product is out there? let's be real, a solution to a design/process defect can take weeks or months of development and testing to create.

and you must be sure it's correct.

and you have to make sure you understand the scope of the problem (how many parts may be out there and where?).

so even though Toyota may have known for a time that a recall is evident, it was probably prudent to wait until a solution was ready and they understood the scope of the problem - all the while risking further failures. a recalled product can never be un-recalled.

cold hearted? perhaps. but irrelevant.

practical? absolutely.

in the end the public will probably never know the whole story behind the product problems and the recall. these aren't the types of things that become clearly exposed in the public domain, no matter how many hearings the talking heads on capital hill hold. they're concerned about showing "concern" so they can get re-elected in the fall.

I do think a word of caution to GM (in particular) is wise at this point. a company never wins, or rather, rarely wins, by simply relying on the failure of your competition. This is not the break you've been looking for. you still have an uphill climb to get out of the hole you've dug for yourself. Realistically, is a customer who has shunned GM for toyota likely to return to GM, or switch to another automaker like Hyundai? It's ok to prey on this problem a little bit, but be careful. that type of attitude can quickly bit back when (not if) GM has it's next quality problem.

Is economics finally cool?!?!?

2010-01-26T16:23:00.001+01:00

Alfa Update

2010-01-15T16:36:00.002+01:00

So i gave myself a little Christmas present (in addition to mel's awesome gift - a compressor!!!), i got the cage work all done in my car over the break.

It's possible buy a pre-made, 4 pt cage (bolt or weld-in) for these cars, but they're really only for safety and offer no improvement in stiffness to the chassis. Plus they leave the cell completely exposed in the trunk and make it very difficult to make any real improvements to the rear suspension. Hence i decided to spend the money for a proper 8pt cage. This cage ties into the front spring perches, allows the seat to be lower in the car (Safely), protects the cell in the case of a rear end hit, and ties in to the panhard setup. Truly the right way to design something like this and in the long run this chassis will need no further improvement to make the car faster.

Here's a pic of the drivers side. The x-bars are a nice compromise for entry/egress and safety.

I still haven't welded the rear skins on because i have some more work to do around the wheel wells and windows. Plus I have some straightening to do on the skins themselves

Here's the rear of the car, i plan to run without bumpers so the square stock is effectively the new bumper. The cell was raised a few inches for ground clearance (if a tire goes flat). It's also well protected.

The roof had to come off to properly weld all the joints, so i went ahead and painted the roof and cage while i had access. hence I taped the cage to keep the paint safe while i keep working.

It's a bit cold out for metalwork, so for now i'm working on rebuilding the rear end, steering column and steering box. It's amazing how simple these parts are to tear apart and rebuild! and they're pretty stout pieces, esp. the rear end.

I'm planning on a drivers school in Sept. to get my SCCA license. I won't be driving this car but rather the school's cars (probably prepped miata's). It was them or monopost cars, but i figured the miata's would be closer to this, so better for gaining experience.

Cheers!

...and a happy new year!

2010-01-06T00:54:00.014+01:00

2009 is done, and what a year it was. we saw a new president, nationwide tea parties, pig flu, a bankrupt GM AND Chrysler, the crotch bomber, the king of pop died.....and enough "best of 2009" lists to last until the best of 2010 comes out!. Sick of them yet? Well here's mine!

I've done a little "Corrigan year in review" ever since i moved to Europe in 05, i figure why stop now?!

2009 was one of my best years ever, if i do say so. Despite spending most of the year in a drugged up stupor 3 nights a week i still managed to quite a bit.

Kick of the new year right by moving into a new house! well a rental..but it has a garage!

Mel and i also took a little trip to Omaha for the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting. it was so much fun...we're gonna go back this year! (hopefully)

http://kcorriganatlarge.blogspot.com/2009/05/meeting.html

On the same weekend that my parents and my cousin delaney drove out from NY with my camaro. I also took delivery of my first Alfa GTV. It will be entered into VSCDA group 8 (eventually).

Next up we went to Gilbao Quarry in Ohio to get mel certified to go scuba diving. It reminded me why i like warm water diving!!

then the real reason for the certification...our trip to Aruba!

I took a short trip to Germany for work...my first time back since moving back to the states and luckily most of my german came back to me!

Followed by some new babies in the family! (not mine!)

and my first China Trip

....followed shortly thereafter by a Second Alfa! I think this one should have the license plate "impulsiv"

and maybe the best part was i got to do all that wit mel. oh man, better watch what i say!

Health-wise 09 was filled with good news (unlike 08). My cancer seems to be gone and i'm officially all done with treatments. Although i can't seem to bring myself to throughout my last dose of interferon (maybe because it costs like 4g's?). nevertheless, my most recent scans have all been clean and the doc's are optimistic.

I don't want to be to premature...but i think this bullet has been dodged!

well, not dodged. This one hit me. but didn't kill me!

This year is already gearing up to top 09. With a followup trip to omaha (w/mel), a visit to Amsterdam and Prague (w/mel), and driving school in the fall...it'll be hard not to! That girl is gonna be so sick of me! And hopefully i'll be doing some track events this year while i finish prepping my GTV start racing in 2011.

Cheers to a great 2010!

Here's some of my older "year in reviews".

http://kcorriganatlarge.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-post.html

http://kcorriganatlarge.blogspot.com/2008/02/to-blog-or-not-to-blog.html

http://kcorriganatlarge.blogspot.com/2007/01/happy-new-year.html

http://kcorriganatlarge.blogspot.com/2006/01/2005-year-in-review_113615134827058242.html

What's the top web Video of 2009?

2010-01-01T23:41:00.002+01:00

acc. to CNBC....

at 1:20 comes the great line "President Obama, Are you listening?"

here's the rest....

http://www.cnbc.com/id/34514889/

watch these!

2009-12-31T04:25:00.000+01:00

Our Government underwrites failure....

2009-12-27T01:40:00.004+01:00

I'd like to compare a few articles that popped up in my reader yesterday to show the absolute lunacy and hypocrisy of our federal government.

First...the federal underwriting of failed mortgage giants freddie and fannie continues...when will it end? We've already subsidized 111 billion in losses, and now that cap has been removed only to be replaced by a new formula whereby the more that is lost...the more we will subsidize them.

I say enough already. Failing companies should be allowed to fail.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34587552/ns/business-us_business/

Next up..despite this horrendous performance the leaders of these companies continue to pull in millions in compensation! Wasn't there supposed to be pay limits for bailed out companies?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34585340/ns/business-us_business/

ah yes, here they are. the pay limits for execs like those at GM...right?

Well apparently even those pay limits are flexible if you pull the right strings.

After all, what good is a pay limit if you can't bribe your way out from under it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34577443/ns/business-autos/

Each of these articles are fine examples of what is wrong with this country. We subsidize failure and punish success. Subsidize spending and punish savings.

Enough!

Ron Paul

2009-12-18T13:54:00.000+01:00

continues to impress,

Ron Paul in 2003,

"Ironically, by transferring the risk of a widespread mortgage default, the government increases the likelihood of a painful crash in the housing market. This is because the special privileges granted to Fannie and Freddie have distorted the housing market by allowing them to attract capital they could not attract under pure market conditions. As a result, capital is diverted from its most productive use into housing. This reduces the efficacy of the entire market and thus reduces the standard of living of all Americans.

Despite the long-term damage to the economy inflicted by the government's interference in the housing market, the government's policy of diverting capital to other uses creates a short-term boom in housing. Like all artificially-created bubbles, the boom in housing prices cannot last forever. When housing prices fall, homeowners will experience difficulty as their equity is wiped out. Furthermore, the holders of the mortgage debt will also have a loss. These losses will be greater than they would have otherwise been had government policy not actively encouraged over-investment in housing.

Perhaps the Federal Reserve can stave off the day of reckoning by purchasing GSE debt and pumping liquidity into the housing market, but this cannot hold off the inevitable drop in the housing market forever. In fact, postponing the necessary, but painful market corrections will only deepen the inevitable fall. The more people invested in the market, the greater the effects across the economy when the bubble bursts."

http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul128.html

coolest snowmobile ever?

2009-12-14T15:46:00.001+01:00

China and back in 5 days

2009-12-07T19:19:00.002+01:00

i arrived in dalian, china around 9pm last monday evening after travelling for app. 24 hrs! newark to beijing, then beijing to dalian. luckily i had a driver to pick me up from the airport because the taxi situation in dalian was a bit crazy. as was the driving....it was like cairo! you would think lane dividers, trafic lights, and even driving on the right side of the road were just suggestions. thank god i was so tired, otherwise i probably would've had a heart attack.

i stayed up for to wait for 2 colleagues coming in from chicago and also to force myself onto local time. in my travels i've found that forcing yourself onto local time seems to be the best way to get over jet lag.

on tuesday morning it was off to our plant for a meeting and a tour. fun fact, apparently they have to pre-order electricity. and if they mis calculate the demand...there is none! interesting. Dalian is a city of around 6 million that was historically a popular summer destination for beach going russians. during my visit though, the fog hardly lifted enough to see the ocean. our plant and the hotel are located in a very nice area of town (commonly called the development zone) that was filled with various JV's (joint ventures), hotels and housing units for expats and locals working in the plant. it was very western in it's appearance.

around 11 we headed to the airport to catch a flight to qingdao, unfortunately all flights in and out were cancelled due to fog! actually i take that back, the custom there is not to cancel, but rather delay. so it wasn't until about 5pm that we finally called it quits and headed back into town for another night in dalian. no one could explain to me when a delay became a cancellation. with some extra time on our hands we went to this great chinese restaurant. the entire first floor was filled with fish tanks and displays of what could be ordered. a waitress followed us around taking our order while we pointed. want squid? no problem. sea cucumbers (for stamina, i was told), no problem. stingray or eel? no problem, how do you want it, raw or cooked? crazy selections, but great food!

Wednesday morning it was the same story...more fog! but luckily it began to break and we were on the ground in qingdao by 12. while waiting for our driver we had some kfc. some things are the same everywhere! once in qindao we found our driver and started the 2hr drive to rizhao. finally, we were at hyundai wia! the countryside was very rural and very poor providing an interesting contrast to the state of the art engine plant(s). nothing to share regarding the customer meeting except that it was generally very successful. so successful that they treated us to an authentic korean dinner followed by on offer of foot massages! (not from them, but at a massage parlor). and yes, a real foot massage, not "special service"...or so i was told anyway. we couldn't get in, the place was packed! so we set off for a few more drinks before finally hitting the road back to qindao around 11.

and then..

more fog!

and the highway was closed. yes closed!

our driver, and seemingly every other driver, was perfectly content to stop their car and sleep in it for the night. luckily one of my colleagues found this 100% unacceptable and convinced the driver to turn the car around, drive backwards up the shoulder to the last exit and take side roads back to qindao.

a mere 3 hrs later and we finally checked into our hotel at 3:30 AM.

that was by far, the best nights sleep in the most comfortable bed i have had in my entire life. ever.

on our last day there we had meetings with 2 seperate warehouse company's to discuss inco terms and various import/export issues which were rather unventful. finally it was off to beijing thursday night and then back to the states on friday.

My overall impressions..
food - awesome. far better that US chinese food (As expected)
tea - really good. bring some home, but get it where the locals get it.
language - in some ways, easier than english. but good to travel with a local since outside of major cities, english is not very common
money - exchange rate is around 6.5 to one (all the time). but things are cheap. the 5 star hotels we were in were only 100 or so /night. very affordable. travel with a few thousand rmb for each week you're there.

and here's a few things i learned about doing business in china...

hand the business card with 2 hands, receive with 2 hands, (actually, this is for most things..credit card, receipts etc.)
always take a moment to look at the card.
bow slightly when greeting
"special massage" or "special haircut" at the hotel is, uh, very special. (no i didn't get one, but was informed)
the koreans like to drink!
always fill up the others glass first
have a well charged, functional cell phone at all times.
travel with a local!!!!!
plan on delays. lots of delays.

2009 China Trip

What good are deadines?

2009-11-22T23:52:00.001+01:00

particularly self imposed ones?

well, they help motivate me, if nothing else. i had made an agreement with Roman (cage builder) to have my car up to him the weekend of the fifth. But that meant i had 2 days to get both front floors completely installed. I made a valiant effort..but just couldn't get it done unfortunately.

but i did get the drivers side completely installed. the fit was really good, i would definitely recommend EB's floors to anyone doing this job. I had to recontour the firewall slightly to match, but given i needed to repair a rust spot on the firewall anyway, that was no big deal. the biggest pain in the ass is trying to weld vertically! man, i wish i had a rotisserie! maybe next time..

today i got the Pass. side completely prepped..but ran out of time to weld it in. but at least it should be "drop in" when i get back.

mel and i are heading to NY for thanksgiving(!), following that are attending my niece and nephew's christening. i wonder if bri got a 2 for 1 discount?

anyway..i'm the godfather. so i better watch the movies (only 1 and 2) before i get there so my godfatherly advice is polished up.

then on the 30th, while mel drives back to michigan alone, i'm off to china. 20+ hrs of flying each way for 3 days of meetings. fun. fun. fun.

hope everyone has a good thanksgiving! life's short, so skip the turkey and go straight for the pies!!!!

i had to remake this little channel because it came off in pieces with the cross-member.

here's the piece hole i made to repair the rust and recontour the firewall.

cleco's were a big help where clamps couldnt reach

the final product (drivers side)

Here's the Pass. side all fitted, prepped and ready to be welded in,

Almost thanksgiving?!

2009-11-15T23:26:00.011+01:00

Yesterday morning mel and i took a little trip down to Detroit to plant some trees. in 20 years, jefferson will start looking really great. in the meantime..well....let's not think about that.

not only did the green twine hold the tree bulbs together..it apparently makes a good hair tie too.

I called in some reinforcements yesterday afternoon to help me make some headway. I worked on cleaning up the PS floor surrounds (welding surfaces) while my buddy roy started cutting out the DS floors. i picked up a combo break/shear and roll so i've been anxious to try it out. it came in handy while trying to make the repair section for the upper floor lip on the PS. i also cut out and welded in some new material in the tunnel section..that steel is really light gauge stuff and got pretty chewed up while taking out the old floors.

Today was a bit more of the same along with the musical additions of my neighbor, who blasted a mix of phil collins and the miami vice them (i'm not kidding) while i worked. i cleaned up the PS floor cross-member and the small piece that reinforces the front of the rear suspension to the floor (what's that piece called anyway?).

One more vacation day tomorrow to go up north and finalize the plans for the cage (hopefully)and check out a used race seat . I need to make sure i know exactly what else to do and what to bring before taking the car up for the cage. it's an hr drive..so i don't wanna do it more than once!

A day off, and some alfa progress

2009-11-09T23:36:00.009+01:00

The weather was great, the tea was warm, Black Merda was cranking on my stereo...it was a great day to be home working on my car. i finished welding in the inner sill then cut and fit the a-pillar base panel. once that was all in i welded back in the a-pillar pieces i cut out and then, finally, fit the outer sill!

One of the tougher parts was fitting in the new jack point. it's supposed to contact 3 different surfaces and unfortunately only 2 were available as the car was sitting. so i went ahead and got the cross-member out of the way and fit in the new front floor just well enough that i could get the location right and weld in the jack point.

my welding is getting better as i gain confidence and experience but these pieces today (in particular the jack point and inner sill) have to be good welds. they (potentially) carry a lot of load. so i played with the welder a bit to make sure i could draw a good bead and then went at it. as i let the car off the jack i was a bit nervous...but i haven't heard a big crash yet!!

despite it's name, i find great stuff to be decidedly UN-great. i found even more up behind the fender today!

A few pics below, the rest here,

http://picasaweb.google.com/corr0864/2009ALFAProject?feat=directlink

Another wedding!

2009-11-07T19:53:00.003+01:00

Mel and i are currently in Annapolis for a wedding, what a great location!

Papa needs a new pair of...

2009-11-03T18:24:00.001+01:00

SOCKS!

There's nothing like starting your day off with a new pair off socks..is there? For someone who loves new socks, i tend to wait far too long before actually buying them. But last night i bought some and man..it's a whole new day! Mel and i hit costco last night, for me it was the first time in 4 or 5 years stepping foot in a costco! but nothing had changed..still crates and pallets of cereal, christmas toys, TV's and of course..socks.

I went in for a CT scan yesterday, i expect the results in the next day or two. i haven't though about it much because i've already convinced myself that my little cancer "problem" was merely a speedbump in my life. my fingers are crossed.

And could this be the badest snowmobile...ever?

Why The Face!?

2009-10-29T12:57:00.003+01:00

WTF..

i'm disgusted by this,

http://themessthatgreenspanmade.blogspot.com/2009/10/stunning-wages-and-benefits-for-federal.html

aside from the fact that the federal government employes 1.9million civilians (sounds like about 1.8 million too many to me), they are paid far, far above market rates.

your tax dollars at work.....

2009-10-26T00:24:00.003+01:00

Mel fired her kiln today and the weather was beautiful outside...so it was easy to justify staying out all day!

Whoever was working the alfa line spot welding and applying undercoating the day this car was built certainly earned their money!

I finally got all the spot welds drilled along the floorpan mounting surfaces then cleaned up and shot it with primer. The a-pillar base plate i got from classic alfa looks great. Unfortunately the inner sill (behind it) was in really bad shape, but only in a relatively small area. i have a friend with a machine shop and I'm gonna see if he can bend up a small replacement panel for the inner sill. the jack point basically fell off in 1 rusty clump! nice!

At this point I'm gonna hold off on doing anything else with the floors till the a pillar and jack point are in place. the next step on the floors is to take out the cross member..but I'm using that for support right now on the dolly.

A few pics added to my folder (at the bottom)

2009 ALFA Project

Mel and i went to the cidermill yesterday along with a few friends. the weather was crappy, but the food was GREAT! damn i love the fall.

A Ride in the Volt - A shocking Tale!

2009-10-23T19:42:00.004+02:00

i wrote this a few weeks ago...just now getting around to posting though.

Well, not literally shocking. I mean, the car didn't zap me or anything.

But as a gearhead who is a firm believer that you can never have enough horsepower, what i found shocking was how much i liked the car. Before going into details..a few disclaimers.

1-i was unable to drive it. Mel brought home an IVER (development vehicle) and as such, she's the only one allowed to drive it.
2-The IVER is, naturally, a pre-production vehicle. This one had so many wires and test unit's hooked up that the back seat was hardly visible!

Other than that though, this was more or less a production intent vehicle with most parts being off tool (to my untrained eye anyway). I had an appt. for a brain MRI last night so Mel offered to deliver me to my appt. in the volt and show off what she's been working on over the past year and a half.

A few impressions,

Styling-wise the car has been watered down significantly since it's concept debut. that's unfortunate, but not unexpected given the aerodynamic driven design convergence of today's high mpg cars (in particular). It still looks good though and is distinctly Chevrolet. The tail lights weren't of the final design nor were the headlights but even with those two issues and the flat grey paint, the car looked good. It'll be nice to see a few cars with color on them as surely that will only improve things. My mind kept envisioning the car in dark blue for some reason. The hatchback opens up to an enormous amount of space, particularly with the seats down. You could easily put ski's, a bike, a few dogs...maybe even a supplemantal 350 ci chevy in the back. Just saying...

On the inside i was immediately drawn to the IP (instrument panel). It is awesome. The two displays are large, colorful, crisp....really cool stuff. (most of) The buttons function like those on an ipod..there's no physical movement but rather the activation is by way of capacitance. They essentially sense the presence of your finger. This IP is a big departure for GM, and a huge step in the right direction. This is the interface for the ipod generation. there seemed to be a lot of room inside and it was proportioned well. The shift mechanism was a bit odd, no doubt it's a concession to those drivers that expect to have a clunky shifter to move the vehicle from Park to Reverse to Drive. In this car, little more then a toggle switch should be needed since no physical drive mechanism is actually connected to the shifter.....but perhaps consumers aren't quite ready to take that leap yet.

Riding impressions

Things were a bit cramped given all the equipment in the car, but that was quickly overlooked as we started moving. Despite GM's efforts to make this car feel as "normal" as possible, its difficult to overlook the fact that this is a vastly new type of vehicle. Backing out of the driveway, virtually silent, and then heading down the street, again, virtually silent, is a unique experience. Without the engine noise masking so much of the NVH you would think all sorts of new squeaks and rattles would be heard. And they probably were there, to start. But GM is well on it's way to providing a vehicle that runs silent. There were a few whines and whistles as various pumps, servo's etc. did their job, but overall the vehicle is very quite in EV mode.

The power is adequate. Not overwhelming, but adequate for this type of vehicle. And unlike an engine, the power is very linear. There's no sense of any sort of power band. It's a cool sensation.

But what does the engine sound like? Well, it's not silent, thats for sure. With the radio off the engine could be heard coming on quite clearly, but that's not to say it was overly loud. given that the engine operates more like a generator then a direct source of propulsion, it's noise is not dependent on speed. That takes a bit of getting used to. The best comparison i can make is that it sounded like a very muted turbo prop airplane engine. There's a low level "drone" of sorts that comes to life as the engine hit's it's operating speed(s). If the radio was on i think it would be virtually un-noticable. There was a vibration that could be felt, but that was very subtle. When the vehicle stops the engine goes into auto-stop.

We didn't drive it long enough to confirm the 230mpg number, but i didn't expect to. As an engineer, i don't doubt that 230mpg was arrived at via some legitimate calculation, i just wonder under what real world conditions that could really be achieved. But I'll give GM the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.

plug in charging

Mel showed me how the plug works and it's pretty simple. if you can plug in a toaster, you can plug in a volt. It would be nice if the charge port door could be opened from outside the vehicle (there's a button inside right now), but i understand that's probably not preferable for security reasons. Maybe that functionality is on the keyfob?

A few suggestions, though admittedly these may already be on someone's open issues list,

-Fix the blinkers! they blinked too fast and seemed to operate at 2 different intervals (maybe just teething problems at this vehicle level?)
-Remove the gloss coating above the drivers IP screen. the reflection was annoying...
-Do something with the door panels! the funky design looks awful

Anyway, i hope i don't get Mel in trouble for writing all this! Even though the car is not completed yet, the vehicle i saw is a massive achievement and in it's current state, quite impressive. As launch approaches and the car is refined further, i think we can expect to see an even more impressive vehicle take shape. Given that the world seems to be moving from combustion engines, GM needs to start transitioning drivers to a new set of expectations regarding noise, feel etc. the volt seems to be a good first step in that direction. It operates close enough to a normal vehicle to not scare off drivers but provides enough of a different experience to help bridge the gap to the next generation of technology. This vehicle is a bridge for GM. To where?...that may not be clear right now, but this is GM's first major attempt at changing consumer expectations for the driver's experience and in that i think it will be a major success.

2009 09 The Volt

How many vehicles does one man need?

2009-10-21T01:29:00.003+02:00

You may think the answer is 1...but no, it's actually 4.

I've always been a truck person. I tried to fight it when i leased my audi, but it caught up with me. 2 weeks ago i bought a 99 silverado z71. You may think it's difficult to fit 5 cars in the driveway (incl. mel's), but it's surprisingly cozy! I got a great deal on it, i just need(ed) to do a little maintenance work (brakes, u-joints, etc). The real reason i bought it is that i have to haul my race car around to a few different places this fall and to borrow a friends truck once is one thing...but 4 or 5 times is a bit much. so what the hell.

Here's a pic...but now the hard part.

....What color truck nuts do i buy...

Berlin and Ilsenburg

2009-10-13T21:17:00.005+02:00

Here's some pics from in and around Berlin as well as a few from Ilsenburg. Berlin is a great city. The division between east and west is still quite visible today although it's clear that significant investment has been made in the former East.

On Saturday we visited the "ddr" museum. It attempted to give a glimpse into the life of an east German by showing products, clothes, furniture and general lifestyle info (including some crazy DDR tv!) Good stuff, but it was overcrowded and not very inviting (maybe indicative of the east?!)

On Sunday we woke up and walked about 500 meters to the site of Hitler's bunker and his death. This site is pretty hard to find because the German government is not very keen on advertising this due to the threat of it becoming a shrine for neo nazis. In fact it wasn't until the world cup was held here just a few years ago that it was identified with a plaque! The site today is nothing more then a parking lot. Underneath which remains the walls and floor of the bunker, albeit completely filled in with sand. The bunker is located on the former east and remained more or less in tact until well after the war (albeit covered over). The Russians, who controlled the east, left much of the WWII damage unfixed for many many years after the way. Hitler and Eva Braun killed themselves at this spot in Berlin along with Goebels and his family. The body's were damaged during shelling and partially burned. There was a lot of controversy and uncertainty about what happened to the bodies. Following the collapse of the wall Russian records show that after attempting to burn the bodies, the remains were buried, in secret, not to far from Berlin in Magdeburg. After a few years the remains were unearthed and cremated with the remains being scattered in a river. but even that account is contested..so we'll probably never know.

The wall itself ran right THROUGH the hotel we were staying in. Our hotel was built after 1989 but there are some buildings where the wall run's right down it, some streets that the wall cuts in two. It's incredible really to think that this wall existed and divided this city like that for so long. Some people could literally look out there window and view a completely different world. In front of the hotel was "no man's land" and only 500m's or so down the street is the Brandenburg gate! Much of the area that the wall once occupied, in this part of town, has been given to various countries for their embassy's including the US and Canada.

Of course we visited checkpoint C (or checkpoint Charlie). At one point this was a 10 lane crossing point, but today there's not much left. a replica of the original guard shack surrounded by lots of placards and info. The before and after photo's are very striking.

On Monday we visited the German historic museum. I'd highly recomend this, it covers German history...All of it!

After the three hour drive to Ilsenburg we started the actual work portion of this trip. It's too bad we didn't have just a bit more time though because the next town over is Nordhaused, famous for the "mittelwerk" where the germans built thousands of V2 rockets! they were built INSIDE a tunnel system, cut by slave labor, towards the end of the war. The allies took all the remaining rockets following liberation, after which the russians sealed the tunnels. They have only recently been opened back up and you can tour these today. It looks exactly like it did at the end of the war! Also outside of nordhausen is the small Dora concentration camp. A small but brutal example of the worst of humanity.

Maybe next time...

2009 10 Berlin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Adolf_Hitler

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/n/nordhausen/index.shtml

Guten tag vom ilsenburg

2009-10-12T18:28:00.002+02:00

I just got into ilsenburg after 2 days in berlin. i forgot the cable for my camera (Actually mel's camera) in the car...so photo's will follow shortly!

Finally!!!

2009-10-09T18:36:00.002+02:00

well, i'm finally done with the interferon! After a year of 3 x weekly shots, endless pills, doctors visits, ct scans, MRI's and rarely making it past 9PM..i'm finally done! And i have to say..i feel pretty good. :) I saw my oncologist on Monday and wasn't shy in telling that i hope i never see him again! nicely of course....but my life should be back to "normal" now. Many of the changes i made in the last year will of course have to be permanent as i will always be at a high risk of re-occurrence. Looking forward over the next year(s) I'll go in for ct scan's every 6 months and continue with my 6 month dermatologist schedule. I don't think I'm ever considered "cured" but if I'm still healthy in another year I'm considered in remission..i think. I'm not too concerned about labeling my condition at this point beyond "cancer free...apparently" :)

I also have to say that despite all the horror stories we hear about our medical system, my experience was fantastic and i couldn't have asked for better doctors. And of course I'm extremely fortunate to have a great, supportive family and girlfriend. I can't imagine how some people do this alone.

And it couldn't have come at a better time because i fly to Germany in a few hrs. mmmm...chocolate and beer! i mean....water and brocoli! :)

I'm doing it all wrong!

2009-10-04T00:03:00.001+02:00

so i've been working on my race car for many...many...many months now. and i need many more before it will even resemble a car again. But after watching these videos..i realize i'm doing it all wrong. i should just hire these guys! They build a new acura prototype in less then 22 hrs! Watch the crash..then the time lapse build video. Really cool.

ALMS: Patron Highcroft Petit Le Mans Rebuild from GrandTouringPrototype.com on Vimeo.

Brains!

2009-09-26T02:34:00.003+02:00

So just in case there was any doubt...here's photographic proof that i'm healthy.

and have a brain..

2009-09-20T19:56:00.001+02:00

I used to be able to say i was closer to 20 then to 40.

As of today, that's not true anymore.

:)

One sill down

2009-09-19T21:47:00.006+02:00

Well, one sill down and one to go!

After spending the morning fixing the dedicate outlet for my welder (breaker kept poping), I got the B pillar patch panel fitted and welded in. I wound up cutting it too short so i had to make a little "extender". In this case (non-structural) i think that's alright. Had it been the sill or something..i would've started over again from scratch. I also cut out a section of the wheel well from the rear clip to replace part of mine.

Once that was all in it was on to the sill..

and to the guys from EB spares i have to say...great work! The sill fits awesome and only required the minorist (is that a word?) of tweaking. I'd highly recomend them to anyone needing to do this repair.

Now i need to clean up and go pick Mel up from the airport!

Staycation

2009-09-19T01:48:00.007+02:00

While mel is away in Yuma (miss ya babe!) i decided to take a few days off and get some quality time in with my Alfa!

Yesterday i spent all day working to get the skins off the rear clip i bought. I was able to get them off in 1 piece and they are in remarkably good shape for being 35 years old. even more so when compared to what i cut off my car! Getting them off required drilling out about 500 spot welds and splitting all the seems. The best way to do this seemed to be a 3/16 drill bit followed by a putty knife and a sledge hammer. A bit crude..but the results were great. I started off using a screwdriver to split the metal (after drilling) but that focused the energy too much and was making the panels wiggly.

Once i got them completely off i stripped all the paint off and shot them with a quick coat of primer. Voila!

Today i spent most of the day working on the Driver side sill (the pieces under the door that you step over when you get into the car). Luckily i was able to extract the necessary patch panels from the rear clip as well. I only needed to cut the old, rusty steel out and cut the replacements to match.

This pic shows the lower b pillar patch piece where it needs to go. But i had to cut it out first and repair the middle sill piece behind it (next pic)

Here's the middle sill patch piece in place and ready to weld.

Unfortunately my welder was giving me fits all day...it popped the breaker a dozen times while i was trying to use it. After making up a heavier duty extension cord (20 amp) and not fixing the problem..i went ahead and pulled the breaker. tomorrow morning i'll replace it with a 25 amp breaker. I'm sure that's up to code...somewhere.

Hopefully i'll be able to completely finish the Driver side sill repairs tomorrow. exciting..i know.

Here's some more pics,

2009 09 Staycation

And here's some more pics of my new niece and nephew!

http://picasaweb.google.com/corrid3/MollyAndGradySBirthday9152009#

Congrats!

2009-09-17T00:02:00.004+02:00

to Brian and Maureen (bro and sis in law) their new additions!

http://picasaweb.google.com/corrid3/MollyAndGradySBirthday9152009?feat=email#

Why Google is evil

2009-09-10T22:45:00.000+02:00

I have a gmail account
a picasa account
i use google reader
i use google stock screener
i use google analytics
and of course, i use blogger.

so why is google evil? quite simply, it provides access to too much information. let me paint the picture,

about a month ago i had a lingering headache for a week or so. following that i had a serious of dizzy spells along with the feeling that i was falling. Normally i wouldn't think much of this but given my recent medical history i decided to have it checked out. one brain MRI later and i was on my way home feeling better with a CD of pictures in my hand. That's where the problem comes in. I had to wait 2 days before i get in to see my doc and get the results, all the while carrying around this CD of brain pics. what would you do?

well if you're me and your a glutton for punishment...you google "melanoma brain mri", or "melanoma spread to brain" and compare the online pics to your own.

bad idea

I'm not a doctor, i have no idea what i'm looking at. every little white spot or black spot..or any spot i perceive as being unusual is suddenly suspect.

in the end there doesn't appear to be anything wrong except for a bit of vertigo. thank god. but not thank google...you foster my paranoia!

Urban Pranksters

2009-09-08T01:04:00.002+02:00

watch out!

http://urbanprankster.com/

He's Barack Obama!

2009-09-08T00:57:00.001+02:00

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T21:35:00.009+02:00

Mel and i went over to my friend Schaefer's on saturday and went out on his boat for a few hours. The weather was perfect for some boating..some knee-boarding and even a bit of wake-boarding.

Mel was nice enough to get me mid fall!

Paris is not a fan of speed, and needed a little love to calm her down.

I forgot to post these. Two weeks ago my friend Kevin Tar came into town for a wedding and rented a new camaro..it was an automatic SS! I got a few pics next to my car before heading out to woodward for a test drive. It's impressive, even with the automatic. Putting the tranny into manual mode (to use the paddle shifts on the wheel) yields two solid gears of burned rubber!

Since mel is a doctor (almost :) )...i figured she was qualified to pull my stitches! and what a job she did..i only cried once.

I got a bit of word done on my car. I'm waiting on some steel pieces from the UK and can't do much on the sills until it arrives. But i stripped a lot more of the undercoating (that is nasty stuff!) and started to remove the skins from the rear clip i bought. There must be 1000 tack welds holding it on!

Here's a few more pics from the weekend

2009 09 Labor Day Weekend

2009-08-30T21:41:00.006+02:00

Mel went to Pittsburgh to move her sis into school this weekend, but i stayed around Michigan getting in trouble. I spent most of Saturday morning running errands, including picking up a few posters that i finally got around to getting framed. These were from my visit to the Klausenrennen in Switzerland....

http://kcorriganatlarge.blogspot.com/2006_09_24_archive.html

Anyhow, they're enormous and the cost of framing them made me drag my feet..but i finally bit the bullet. They came out awesome!

Now the hard part..figuring out where to hang them!

The remainder of the day i spent working on my car. Where did the trouble come in? Well, at some point i grazed the bare sheetmetal and it sliced me open. A trip to the emergency room yielded four stitches. Nice! Chicks dig scars..right? Here's where i left off on my car. All the rear steel is removed and I'm finally down to a good foundation. That's essentially my plan...keep cutting till i hit something solid.

Today i spent more time cutting away, this time at the passenger side sill. The entire sill will have to be replaced along with some of the substructure, but this was expected and not that difficult to complete.

2009 08 Rear Clip Removal

It's occurred to me that with the abundance of cheap property in the area, i might be able to find a better spot to work. The two car garage at our house is pretty small and i've taken up the entire thing already! I've been looking around and might have finally run across something that'll suit my needs. It's about 1200 sq ft, comes with all the equipment in the pics (compressor, hoists, tools..everything but the boring machines), its about 5 miles from my house and the price just might be right!

Corrigan Racing....i like the sound of that!

2009 Ferndale Building

RIP TK

2009-08-28T16:07:00.003+02:00

so Ted Kennedy was known, among other things, for his boston accent. If you ever watch SNL or listen to howard stern you'd here them mocking him for all of his "era's". He tended to start every sentence with an "era".

Which makes me wonder, as i look at the headlines of his passing, if some news organizations aren't having one last bit of fun with his accent?

An Era Ends With Death of Kennedy

Kennedy takes with him a time and an era

Massachusetts mulls place in post-Kennedy era

Ted Kennedy: End of one era; bridge to the next

Oh those retired people,

2009-08-28T16:04:00.001+02:00

Funny stuff!....

Yesterday I was at my local COSTCO buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Biscuit, the Wonder Dog and was in the checkout line when woman behind me asked if I had a dog.

What did she think I had, an elephant? So since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again.

(I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.)Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's ass and a car hit us both.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.

Costco won't let me shop there anymore.

Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of crazy things to say.

Great Stuff

2009-08-23T21:23:00.005+02:00

It amazes me what constitutes auto repair for some people. I was reminded of how creative people can be when i cut off the quarter panels on my alfa yesterday. Behind the steel i found gobs and gobs of "great stuff". For what purpose? i have no idea...but it sure made a big mess when i scraped it all out of there!

I also got my rear clip on Thursday. Because the rear sheet metal was in such rough shape i had a few options to fix it...all new sheet metal (expensive!), fiberglass (tough to attach), find original sheet metal from a donor car. I went for the last option. I found a rear clip for 50 bucks (+shipping)! What a deal. My biggest problem now is room. what seemed like a voluminous two car garage is now woefully inadequate!

Not sure why the pics are rotated!

few more pics at,

2009 07 Metal work

weekend cruise

2009-08-19T23:03:00.001+02:00

I was bored last weekend so i did a little driving....

or not

wanna see what the fastest production car lap on the nurburgring looks like?

well take a look!

Want More Ferrari's?

2009-08-19T18:05:00.002+02:00

well i am happy to oblige..here's a great set of photo's from Monterey showing a beautiful GTO getting airborne..then hitting the well! poor car.

Here's the rest in the series..

http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/ferrari-250tr-crash-at-the-monterey-historics/

A Bevy of Barchetta's

2009-08-19T00:13:00.003+02:00

Pebble beach presented an entire stable of my favorite car to drool at this year, so i thought i'd share it!

http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/ferrari-166-mm-touring-barchettas-at-pebble-beach/

The summer of cars

2009-08-15T18:01:00.003+02:00

Here are some pics from our visit to the Meadowbrook Concours a few weekends ago..

2009 07 Meadowbrook

And here are a few pics from Woodward ave this past week!

The first "rat rod" is a car built by my friend roys' dad. Awesome car!

2009 08 Woodward

Friday Music

2009-08-14T14:01:00.004+02:00

I tend to categorize music by when it should be listened to. I suppose it's based on the mood it elicits within my brain. SO what would i recommend for today?

Glad you asked (did't you?), here's a few,

Friday night - helmet

Best Saturday morning music - black label society - hangover music

Sunday morning - Crosby stills and nash...maybe with young.

But i'm always on the lookout for good new music and here's a few i thought i'd pass on!

Although not technically new, this album is awesome. it falls somewhere around the sunday afternoon category.

Raising Sand - Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.

Having seen Plant's recent zeppelin renditions, i was fairly well convinced that he'd lost his talent. But having heard these two together..there's no doubt he can still sing. and quite well, even at a reasonable decibel! I Highly recomend this.

Matt Jones and the Reconstruction

This was the only website i could find for these guys...you can get the album off itunes. Very unique music. Again, it's mellow (no i'm not going soft), but very creative. Here are a few songs to wet your whistle on....start with "Threadline"...there's a real variety of sound on this song. Then listen to "One Cotton Shot Short". Lastly check out "Jugulars, Bones and Blisters". The guitars and keyboards in the middle are great

http://www.myspace.com/mattspainting

Lastly, if something a little more raucous is what you're looking for, check out Black Merda. They'e an older band..but really good.

http://www.blackmerda.com/home.html

If you want something hard, but instrumental, check out the Hotel City Wreckers. This would probably fall under early saturday evening...or reeeally late saturday evening music. Couldn't find a website for these guys...

Ok..one more. Check out Starchild. The singer takes a bit of getting used too, but he (and the music) grown on you the more you listen.

http://catacombrecords.bigcartel.com/product/starchild-born-into-eternity

The last few albums can also be found for free at the following site, along with a bunch of other bands:

http://getoffmyelevator.blogspot.com/

and what got me thinking about music today? well...this...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/08/13/ST200908 1301806.html

He was playing weekly in a NYC until the day he died. Anytime you see an "LP" guitar...now you know where the name comes from.

RIP Les Paul

oh, and thank god for this!!!

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/unreleased_jimmy_page_guitar_riff?utm_source=onion_rss_dailyn

har har

When you find yourself in a hole...

2009-08-10T14:27:00.000+02:00

you stop digging, right?

Not if you're the US Government. Their solution is not to stop digging, but rather to borrow money, buy more shovels, and hire workers to help dig.

From Sec. Geithner's letter to congress last week on raising the debt ceiling,

"It is critically important that Congress act before the limit is reached so that citizens and investors here and around the world can remain confident that the United States will always meet its obligations."

We need to borrow more to promote confidence? I've been doing it wrong all these years!

Breaking NEWS: Cash for Shacks

2009-08-04T20:31:00.009+02:00

Following the enormous success of the "Cash for Clunkers" program, the government has decided to expand rebates into other beaten down markets to stimulate economic activity.

Now before the house, HR 4100, or "Money for Shacks", would offer a rebate of between 8000 and 10000 for any consumer who upgrades their old polluting home to a newer more efficient home. In order to qualify the old home must be at least 25 years old and have a total energy efficiency rating of less then 2. Each homes actual energy efficiency rating (EER) will determine the total rebate available. The EER takes into account the energy efficiency as well as the geographical location of the home. Residents of areas with more extreme temperature's will get higher rebates while residents in more moderate climates will receive less.

The energy efficiency rating, or EER, is calculated by taking the total number of rooms, dividing by the number of windows and then adding the number of appliances. If more then 50% of the appliances run on electricity, this number can be doubled. Take that value subtract out the lattitude where the home exists. Voila. Once this calculation is done and the EER number is determined, go to the government's website, www.hud.gov/moneyforshacks/eer to dtermine how much a home may be worth under the program.

Additional qualifications for the homeowner include,
-homeowner must have at least 1% equity in the home
-homeonwer must have lived in home for at least 1 month.
-homeowner must destroy old home withing 30 days of receiving rebate. Possible methods of destruction include fire, destruction by bulldozer, meteor strike or raging kegger.
-new home must have an EER value at least 20% higher then the home it is replacing.
-new home must be built on existing home's land.
-rebate is not considered taxable income by the IRS.
-Moving fees are not deductible.
-All new homes must be constructed using a minimum 90% unionized labor, to be verified at the time of occupancy inspection.

The president estimates that this move will save the country somewhere between 1 and 1.2 trillion dollars in energy costs over the next 5 years while destroying 500,000 "shacks".

"Paying people to get out of their old homes and into new, better homes is at the core of what we as American's believe in", stated President Obama.

When asked about whether he would be setting an example by offering up the White House to the program (whose EER number is measely 0.8) the president would not comment. Only saying that "while this program is good for normal citizens, different rules must be used when it comes to politicians. you know..for safety and stuff"

Tom Snyder, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, says that while he "applauds the goal of reducing energy consumption, destroying existing homes only to be replaced with newer homes is is a poor use of resources".

But we all know he's just pissed he didn't come up with the idea (and get the funding).

Thusfar the only group voicing significant opposition to the governments new found generosity is the taxpayer. But as noted by House Speaker Pelosi, "someone's gotta pay for this". Looks like the taxpayer shouldn't expect change anytime soon.

The program is intended to run until it exhausts it's 4.5 billion dollar fund, or housing prices reach their 2006 levels. Whichever comes first.

Other areas that Congresss is considering for rebates include digital music players and fast food. Although significant resistance is expected from advocates of Obamacare for any funding of Fast Food rebates.

And in other news, it looks like Timothy Geithner is having trouble selling his home even after raising the price.

poor guy, if he can't get a bailout, what hope do the rest of us have?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Home Crisis Investigation

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Spinal Tap Performance

best racing, hands down

2009-07-24T23:43:00.001+02:00

Am i an old Fart?

2009-07-10T04:02:00.006+02:00

I've been informed recently, on multiple occasions in fact, that i may be an "old man" because i don't have a facebook account. I normally don't feel the need to defend myself, but given that it's happened multiple times maybe i should.

I mean what's the point? I already have so many damn login's and websites, do i really need another? Gmail, hotmail, blogger, linkedin..the list goes on. I don't want another one. And i don't really like having a lot of personal information online.

That girl and i just got back from aruba! if only i had a twitter account...i could have tweeted about it while away. If only....here's what it would've been like -

tweet #1 - got off the plane. prnts at airprt. sign said fox and friend. i'm friend? wtf!?

tweet #2 - at htel. vry nice. need drink

tweet #3 - time to dive! wthr is great.

tweet #4 - dive went well. thnk mel's hookd.

tweet #5 - ribs for dinner! mmmm!

tweet #6 - turtle eggs in the beach! might hatch..stay tuned.

tweet #7 - does anyone read these?

tweet #8 - tour of east end. lots of cactus's's

tweet #9 - more diving..and a turtle!

tweet #10 - squids!

tweet #11 - diving makes me tired! naps evry afternoon. nice!

tweet #12 - shopping. yay.

tweet #13 - what day is it?

tweet #14 - more great food. prnts fly out tomorrow.

tweet #15 - baby beach! snorkeling. shells. awesome.

tweet #16 - nice 2 not be the only albino at the beach! but sun got me in the end. only a lttle though.

tweet #17 - one last great meal. tuna!

tweet #18 - corrigan & mel out. paris, here we come

Anyway...in english now...Aruba was great! The diving was good, the hotel (Costa Linda) was a great homebase and the weather was a nice change from Michigan in the fall. Yes, it's apparently fall here. Here are a few pics..

2009 07 Aruba

No tweets..no facebook...So am i an old fart? Well..i do turn 30 this year. Guess that says it all.

A few of the above photo's came courtesy of bill who sells his photo's at

www.undertheseaphoto.com

check 'em out!

Aruba!..soon

2009-07-06T23:23:00.002+02:00

The countdown to Aruba continues. Only 3 more days! After taking last wed. and thursday off and i've decided that 2 day work week, followed by a 4 day work week, followed by a week off, should be my normal schedule. I'll bring that up in my next review.

After spending a day helping to fix Mel's sisters' car, I made some progress on my Alfa last week. I cutout the front portion of the driver side sill and began making the patch panels. My welding skills are sorely lacking but this portion of the work won't be seen, so it's a good place to get some practice before i have to start welding body panels.

Here's a few pics of the work so far...

2009 06 Metal Work

Summer's flying by! It's hard to believe, but it's been over a year since i found out about my cancer and almost a year already since i had my surgery. I'll be done with the interferon in about another 8 weeks or so and it can't come to soon. Losing three nights a week isn't fun, especially when i live with someone whom i enjoy spending time with so much (i guess, just a little). Right Paris?

j/k babe

What better way to celebrate kicking skin cancer (i hope) then going to a sunny island for a week?!

Wait a minute...

Summertime in Royal Oak

2009-06-24T02:45:00.004+02:00

I haven't blogged in quite a while. It's hard when i go to bed at 7 three days per week! Luckily that episode of my life is wrapping up...hopefully. I've been back to the doc's (retinal opthomologist, dermatoligist, oncologist...maybe a few other oligists i can't think of) and my treatment appears to be back on track. Barring any more surprises i'll be done in September. About time! I'm really looking forward to getting some more of my free time back. Even though it's extremely hot out right now it's been almost a year since i've been up late enough for Southpark on Wednsday's! For the sake of that example, you have to ignore the fact that i don't have a TV.

My new Alfa project is progressing well. It needs far more metal work then i planned but i wanted this car to be a learning experience. I got it in more ways then i thought! I put a few more pics at..

2009 06 Body Work

The rear end of this car presents the biggest challenge. New sheetmetal is available..but it's very expensive. I've been burning up the phone lines trying to find a rear clip for a reasonable price. i've got a few leads. The rest of the car is repairable with not too much investment. The reason i have the doors cut apart is that in '73 Alfa Romeo added side impact beams and they weight about 25 lb's each! That kind of weight just won't stand for my race car! so off came the skins and out came the side impact beams.

My basic plan is to complete all the repair work then get it off to Roman Tucker (a local Alfa expert) to cage it and do a few other select mod's (panhard bar setup, cell install). I'll take it from there to finish the setup, wiring, plumbing, engine, tranny, etc. My original goal was to have it trackworthy next year, that may yet prove a bit optimistic. AT least i get to buy lots of cool tools!

Mel and i recently got a new addition to the house. NO, it's not what you may think. Her youngest sister moved in with us about 2 weeks ago. She's heading off to college in the fall and was looking for better opportunity's to make a little money over the summer. Amazingly...Michigan fit the bill! Within two weeks she had a job though, her first i might add. Good Luck Beck!

The auto industry is a bit crazy right now. One company's been in and out of bankruptcy (already?) and another one is in the midst of it. For anyone that survives the next year in this industry, looking back years from now, this year will be a defining moment in the industry, detroit, michigan and the country as a whole. From my viewpoint (as a supplier) it's been both positive and negative in many respects. New business opportunities have all but dried up however i definitely get the feeling that whatever emerges in the next weeks/months will be more efficient than the industry of the past. Everyone is getting lean. Those who can afford it will survive.

and of course it's summertime in Royal Oak! Mel and i head to Aruba on the 10th! This break couldn't come at a better time. This feels like my first real vacation since 2007 and Mel hasn't taken a trip like this in even longer. Aside from a bit of diving we plan to relax, read, and spend as much time on the beach as possible....under an umbrella of course!

Mowing the Jungle

2009-06-03T00:46:00.000+02:00

After weeks of watching our Royal Oak jungle grow and grow i finally got out the lawn mower today and got it under control. Partially. The ferns are still a bit overwhelming but they provide a level of privacy from our A-Hole neighbor..so the ferns will stay. We also don't have to worry about fertilizing this lawn ever as i found ample amounts while traversing with the mower. Thank you Paris.

On sunday mel and i also picked up some nice backyard leisure accessories. Namely some kick ass lounge chairs! We can only pull this off because our backyard is well shaded.

Royal Oak in the Spring

2009-05-21T02:10:00.002+02:00

Spring is here and the house is looking like a jungle! The landlord told us (warned us?) that there was quite a bit of flowers and such planted around the house but it wasn't until about 2 weeks ago that we realized just how much was there! The fern's are coming up fast and are over 2 feet high already. The area along the driveway has bloomed with all sorts of flowers and other green things (that's about the extent of my identification skills).

A few weeks ago i found a large container of birdfood in the garage. After filling all of the available birdhouse's i spread some in the back yard so that Paris would have some friends. Some friends..ha! It only took a few days for word to get out to every neighborhood squirrel, chipmunk, rabbit, bird, and rat? that 1023 N Maple had free eats! And when they were done with what i put out they set out attacking the plastic container eating two massive holes in the container!

I hope you enjoyed it Paris!

The interferon continues..I really wish it was overwith. Now that the weather is nice, in particular, i hate crashing so early 3 nights per week. At least it's going quickly.

Alfa progress

2009-05-10T23:47:00.003+02:00

I spent most of the weekend stripping my alfa. I got all of the engine out, suspension off, the rear end, the gas tank (which was full!..), the steering column, drive shaft, windshield wipers..pretty much anything that could be unbolted. After that i started poking and grinding on the paint to see just what i was going to need to repair. Unfortunately i found a bit more filler than i had planned..but it's not as bad as it could've been. Or as bad as i've seen on other cars. Now that i see the extent of the filler, rather than try to strip this myself I think i'm gonna take it somewhere to get it mediablasted or chemical stripped. here are a few pics.

2009 ALFA Project

Last night i gave the paint stripper a shot. It seems to work well, with only 2 applications and some scraping the entire front fender is completely stripped. I have to modify my technique slightly as the wire wheel i used in a few spots proved to be too aggressive. But aside from that...this should do the trick.

In other news, i started on the interferon again, this past week being my first full week. The first few nights were surprisingly rough. i guess our body's forget their tolerance quickly. But it's gotten progressively better while the side effects, thusfar, aren't nearly as noticeable. I'm not nearly as tired and my mind isn't nearly as cloudy as it was. I've got another 4 months to complete on this regiment but it should go quickly. My biggest disappointment is that this is happening in the middle of summer! No point in worrying i suppose..it's out of my hands.

The Meeting

2009-05-05T00:24:00.003+02:00

How to describe the Berkshire Hathaway meeting....well the name "Woodstock for Capitalists" has been tossed around before and it seems about right (ignoring the obvious issue that there were probably no capitalists at woodstock).

Picture 35,000 people packed into the Qwest center for 7 hrs of questions and answers.

The two at the front, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, already well into retirement, are seemingly the most successful pair in the world at allocating capital.

To help them along they have little more then a few cokes and some "dilly bars".

The crowd consists of everyone from 10 yr old's in business suits to Grandmothers in jogging suits.

The questions ranged from the absolutely ludicrous to the almost brilliant (along with the people it would seem)

Never have so many people been in 1 place while it was so quiet.

Nor have so many people been in the same room and remained so civilized!

The meeting started with 1 slide (which is 1 slide more than usual) that was a sale ticket for treasury bonds that Berkshire sold in Dec. The sale price left the buyer with a negative yield. The profundity of that was (hopefully) clear to all in the room and was a great way to kickoff a meeting like this during such incredible economic times. Never again in my life do i think i will see treasury's sold with a negative yield (Guaranteed loss!). Hopefully

Moving to the questions and answers the format was changed slightly from years past with a panel of 3 journalists asking questions while rotating with Audience members. The panel questions were all sent in by the public but, given the opportunity for some pre-screening, the quality was much better. Buffett and Munger had no knowledge of any questions before hand. None of the meeting is transcribed or broadcast so this is by memory (either mine or found online). Here were some of my favorite questions (some because they were good questions, others because they were so stupid as to be funny, especially considering Buffett and Munger's answers).

A shareholder asks about the federal stimulus bill, saying only 8 percent is aimed at infrastructure. He asks should not more of that bill go to real assets and put numerous people to work? Munger says "Let me answer that one. Yes!" Buffett says that should be the goal. Buffett says anytime government or anything else throws a lot of resources into something, there is a lot of slop. Buffett says the intent though, is to get a lot of money into action and used smartly. Buffett says when the consumer pulls back the way they have, government needs to step in. Buffett also says there will be consequences. "I think we should be doing it, but we shouldn't think its a free ride."

I never pictured Buffett as much of a Keynsian. Guess i was wrong!

A shareholder asks if starting a smaller investment fund today what do about high returns on some stocks? Reinvest earnings somewhere else or sit on the high returns in the name of value investing? Buffett says he would buy good companies and keep them. And not worry about the stock price. Munger more bluntly tells the shareholder that he must "Realign your thinking". The room chuckled.

A shareholder says Berkshire's competitive advantage is Buffett and Munger. Buffett says that is not true. He says Berkshire's competitive advantage is a business model that is hard to copy. Buffett says for example shareholders hold onto Berkshire stock, with little turnover. He says there is no other company in the country that has the ability to do that now, or the ability to adopt that model in any big way. Buffett says any new CEO will be dedicated to that model in the future. Buffett says managers and shareholders joining the company are immersed in that culture. Munger says a lot of corporations in America are run stupidly with profits each quarter guiding decisions. Munger says that is not the case with Berkshire.

Buffett is asked why people shouldn't just invest in companies that Berkshire invests in, and not in Berkshire itself? And why is the meeting not Webcast? Buffett says the meeting could be Webcast, but there is a lot to be gained with face-to-face contact. He says people come to see each other and Berkshire products. Buffett says in terms of buying securities Berkshire buys, a lot of peple do that. He says, though, that they don't have free float. If they had $58 billion then they would be at the same level as Berkshire. Munger says generally they would be smart to copy Berkshire's investment moves. Munger says "I think you have a very good idea." Buffett says he used to look at Graham's moves and he got ideas from them.

Buffett is asked about inflation. He says the country will have inflation, and people holding government debt in the form of bonds will pay for that. Buffett says a good deal of that debt is being held by the Chinese. Buffett says the best protection against inflation is your own earning power. He says if you are the best teacher or whatever, you will command earning power and get your share of the national economic pie, regardless of the value of the currency. The second best investment, Buffett says, is in a good company. He says people will give up their own earnings to enjoy whatever product your company is making. Munger suggest becoming a brain surgeon and investing in Coca Cola instead of government bonds.

BYD Chinese company is not early stage venture capital company, Munger says. It is a big maker of batteries, for example. Then finally, not satisfied with a couple of miracles it is now in automobile business. With zero start point and very little capital he built best selling model in China. That was against joint ventures in China. Munger says it is a damned miracle, not a speculative activity. Munger says engineering graduates are being hired at BYD who were at top of their classes. He says it is a remarkable compilation of talent. Munger says lithium batteries are needed in every utility company in America and using power of the sun will need batteries. Berkshire has invested in BYD and Munger says it is not a crazy venture. Munger says that car to be seen in the Qwest Center Omaha, the company makes almost every part in that car. Munger says it is a privilege to have Berkshire associated with a company that is trying to do so much. Munger says it is a small company but its ambitions are big. Munger says he will be amazed if great things don't happen.

A shareholder through journalist Becky Quick asks about lack of disclosurre issues around Bank of America's buying of Merril Lynch. Buffett says he wonders if he would behave any differently than Bernanke or Paulson in this matter. Buffett says it is a tough question. Munger says the decision by Bank of America to buy Merril Lynch could be second guessed. But Munger says sonce the deal was signed, the government and Bank of America behaved honorably.

Berkshire is asked about Chinese companies. Buffett says he didn't know he'd be invested in BYD some years back, nor did he know he would have invested in Petro China. Buffett says in some ways Berkshire will be restricted by ownership limitations, such as in insurance. But Buffett says it is hard to imagine not doing more in China in coming years because it is a huge market. Buffett says a Chinese officially recently was upset with the Treasury bonds they hold because the value is dropping. Buffett says he believes the Chinese official is right. Buffett says it is a problem, though not the biggest problem in the world. Munger says he would exactly what China is doing. Munger says China has one of the best financial managing systems in the world. He says China will be very hard to compete with all over the world, and that is exactly the right policy for China. Munger says that is exactly the right policy and he greatly admires the Chinese.

A shareholder asks about student loan industry. Buffett says he doesn't know a lot about the business. Munger says he doesn't know a lot either. Buffett says it has been a long time since he and Charlie sought a student loan.

There were a lot of other good questions that i don't remember, but i'll keep my eye open on the web for a better transcript. Here were the two i submitted

Given the size of Berkshires cash position, where and in what investment vehicles (if any) is that money kept? Is it with any TARP banks?

Given the tax disadvantages of preferred shares (over bonds) along with the bankruptcy disadvantage, why did Berkshire choose preferred shares for some of it's recent investments? What risk do you see of a dividend cut?

What was my feeling after leaving the meeting? I left with renewed confidence in our system and the markets (along with my Berkshire purchase). I'm already nearly 100% back into equities so my path is set (for now). But at the end of the day the true "magic" to their strategy of investing is how un-magical it truly is. Knowing that most people do not act rationally when it comes to investing, you simply be patient and never over pay for something. Over the long term, you will always come out ahead.

Mel came along as well and dare i say, had a lot of fun. I think she found the blunt common sense of Buffett and Munger (Munger in particular) was quite refreshing. Although we spent the vast majority of our time at the Qwest center we were able to hit some of the Berkshire company's in the vendor area and picked up a few little things. After the meeting we went to a show at the Omaha Playhouse. Originally i had tickets for "Twelve Angry Men" but switched it to "Rock Legends" at the last minute on the advice of the lady working the door. And it was good advice! A little Japanese food, a cab ride to the airport in the morning and we were home! Paris was thrilled to see us, well, Mel at least.

Book your flights for 2010!

Welcome to...

2009-05-02T03:27:00.002+02:00

Omaha!

I just landed in Omaha and checked into my hotel. I arrived on a commercial flight but i think i'm in the minority if the amount of learjet's at the airport is any indication. Mel couldn't get on the same flight so she'll get in a bit later. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we'll head to the Qwest center to attend the 2009 Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting. Given the recent economic issues as well as the most recent drop in book value of Berkshire i expect some great discussion during the question/answer portion!

More to come...

The Work Begins..

2009-04-26T23:22:00.002+02:00

so the first step in building this new car will be to completely strip it and make any chassis/body repairs that are necessary. With this in mind i constructed a dolly to work on the car.

All in all it came out rather well but i should have used larger casters. Home depot just didn't have that many choices. i may swap them out, but i want to see how well it rolls once i get the engine and a few other weighty objects off of the car.

Friday night mel and i went out to an awesome sushi dinner at, dare i say, our favorite sushi restaraunt, "Ronin". I had left work early on friday and gotten plates for my camaro so afterwards we headed out to woodward for a bit of custard too! On sunday we spent most of the day clearing leaves from next to the garage. With the 20 new bags we filled today we're somewhere around 40 bags total of leaves removed! It was a hot day to be out working but a nice change of pace from the rainy cold of the last few weeks. Should be interesting to see what buds from all that we raked out too.

Interior Resto

2009-04-21T02:24:00.002+02:00

After getting my car back i wanted to tackle a few projects that I've neglected for the past, ugh, 14 years. Namely, restoring the console and rebuilding the door panels. It's been 3 and a half long years since i was able to tackle any projects on my car so it was nice to get my hands dirty! I started off by cleaning up and painting the battery tray and replacing both battery cables and the battery. They were all in pretty sorry shape.

Next up was the console. It was in OK shape, all of the gages functioned but it was in need of a few key replacement parts (springs, bumpers, door) along with some select repair and cosmetic work. First step was to strip everything and disassemble it.

These two halfs cost nearly 200 bucks to replace! so i salvaged my old ones...

The finished product. National Parts Depot, a nationwide resto company, has a warehouse about 20 minutes from here. I was able to drive there Saturday AM and get nearly everything i needed to do the console and the door panels.

Here's what i found under the door panels as i began to strip them.

Stripping

2009-04-21T02:21:00.000+02:00

The old panels were in pretty rough shape after many years of use and installation/removal.

I measured everything before final disassembly to ensure the new panels fight as close as possible to the old ones. I'd heard that the new panels weren't very well made but the set i got was pretty decent.

Stripping and painting

2009-04-21T02:19:00.000+02:00

I wanted to protect the metal backing but not interfere with the glue..so i tried to paint very selectively (i.e. one side only)

Condition of the metal backing before paint.

My outdoor glue zone

I cleaned then painted the entire emblem then circled back with a bit of acetone to remove the paint from key areas.

Gluing

2009-04-21T02:17:00.000+02:00

Gluing the steel backing is the most critical part. Originally the cardboard backing of the door panel would've been pressed in with a series of punch holes. Without the equipment to do this i had to bend and pound out the old punched holes and strictly glue things on.

The new panels have 3 layers of material..the vinyl..then plastic..then foam. they each have to be glued and trimmed to fit in the right spots.

The finishing touches

2009-04-21T02:14:00.001+02:00

Clamping is critical to make sure the vinyl is tight..

The finished product. ready to be installed!

Both front panels are done and ready to be fitted to the door. This requires a little finesse (something i have tons of) and some select trimming to get the metal clips to pop into the right spot. Next up is completion of the rear panels then i'll be on the road!

Whats in store for the first drive? Take Mel for some Custard of course!!!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-15T02:42:00.004+02:00

A long time has passed with little activity here! What's been doin the last few weeks? Well....

In an attempt to downsize my stereo i recently sold my old DCM's and bought some even older Bose speakers. The Bose had blown woofer's so i got them for a steal but they were in otherwise good shape. Rather then paying someone to recone them (or buying new ones) i thought I'd try to do it myself. For 30 bucks..what the hell!

As you can see from the pics (below) the foam is destroyed. On one of the two speakers the speaker had been used like this so much that the voice coil had even become separated from the mount. Not good!

The refoam kit costs about 30 bucks and comes with new foam, the proper glue and instructions on how to clean and reglue things correctly. Cleaning is the key as 100% of the old foam and adhesive must be removed to ensure proper adhesion and sound. Before gluing, the next important thing is making sure things are centered (in the x-y) such that the speaker has it's full range of motion available and centered in the a-b such that there's no rubbing in the coil itself. After a few hrs things turned out well and my new 80 dollar Bose speakers sound like a million bucks!

2009 03 Speaker Rebuild

Onto other things..

About a month ago i started losing my vision. Rather, i started seeing spots (or maybe stars..from that girl). It turned out to be interferon retinapothy...a rare but not unheard of side effect to the interferon I've been taking for almost 8 months. As a result of my vision problems i had to stop taking the interferon immediately or risk vision loss! Not a fun prospect, risking cancer over vision..but a required choice nonetheless. However if and once my vision returns to normal i will go back on the interferon at a lower dosage and monitor things more closely. The silver lining? I've been staying up past 8 on Mon. Wed and Friday! It's a whole new world.

Onto even more things.....

The last few weeks have been very busy here in Royal Oak. To start it off, Mel and i had visitors from her family two weeks in a row immediately following her week "vacation" in Colorado. Here are some pics! Ridemakerz was probably the highlight!

http://theworldofallthingsmel.blogspot.com/2009/03/three-boys-four-adults-and-dawg.html

http://theworldofallthingsmel.blogspot.com/2009/04/miss-rebecca.html

Then to top it off my family came bearing early Christmas gifts, i.e. my newly painted Camaro! Thankfully they brought a helper to unload things, my cousin Delaney.

Never one to miss an opportunity, having access to a proper car trailer also allowed me to pick up my latest project, a 1973 Alfa Romeo GTV. It'll take me a year or so to get this together as most of it came in boxes. Despite looking for hrs, i didn't find any directions either. Here are some pics from the weekend

2009 04 Easeter, Camaro and Alfa Delivery!

Oops, i did it again....

2009-03-26T00:48:00.002+01:00

It's been quite some time since my last post...so let's see what's happened recently.

The markets gave us a bit of a bear trap. Don't get caught up.

Spring is nearly here, lots of rain in Michigan and things are turning green!

I found out my neighbor is an A-Hole. (see mel's post)

I was CALLED an A-Hole yesterday while talking on the phone at the gas pump. Whoops! (but come on, i'm an engineer, no way in hell a cell phone has enough power to generate enough static through a human to cause a spark)

I started getting spots in my vision. Turns out i have Interferon Retinalapothy. Can be permanent and cause loss of vision but i caught it early enough. I had to stop taking my cancer drugs to save my vision. So i got that goin for me. Which is nice.

Oh and as to the title? I bought another car. sight unseen. from a guy i never met.

Before anyone goes jumping all over me i must say that i learned my lesson from the last time and did my homework on the seller (reputable guy) and the car (paid for a buyers inspection from a shop). Plus i found it on an alfa romeo site and the seller was a well known, trustworthy person in the alfa community (commonly called, Alfista's). No ebay scammers.

If someone were to start a hotline called 1-800-caraholics, they'd be a millionaire off me alone by next year.

So without further adue..ado...audu....without further delay, here it is.

2009 03 Alfa Project

The last pic is of a similar car and no, my plan is not to keep it orange.

Although it does look good in orange....maybe hugger orange.....maybe with some black stripes...hmmm....

As you can see the car is almost completely disassembled. I'm buying the car and about 6 boxes worth of parts!

I always did like doing putting models together.

I got a great deal on the car. As for the shipping, there's a guy a few miles from me bringing a nearly identical car from nearly the same location as this one (and a motorcycle too) over next week! so i got the empty spot on that truck for a song. Literally, i sang for the guy

Ok, not literally.

The cards seemed to fall into place on this one. I'm just hoping my eyes weren't bigger then my checkbook!

Almost done!

2009-03-06T00:42:00.000+01:00

A bit dusty, but almost done!

2009 03 Camaro Paint Re Revisited

Color! and Stripes!

2009-02-26T00:05:00.001+01:00

If there was any doubt about my color choice..well, it's too late now!

2009 02 Camaro Paint Revisited

Progress!

2009-02-22T23:01:00.003+01:00

Finally some progress! I made a small workshop in the basement so i could start working again regardless of the weather.

2009 Chris Craft Pics

I'm second guessing my decision to go back to school for my MAE and am considering Masters in Finance instead. On the surface it seems more aligned with my interests but it's about twice as much moneywise. Hmmm..

Mel spent all day yesterday making soup, Palenta (sp?) and some small fruit containers for lunch and dinner this week. How did i get so lucky? She loves too cook and i like to eat! not to mention that she's a great cook. Her soups are great and the palenta was reeally good. Especially the second time around!

Gear Review

2009-02-15T19:55:00.004+01:00

I got a few new pieces of gear in the past year and i thought i'd share my thoughts.

Amp

About a year ago i picked up a Reeves Custom 50. This is a 50 watt all tube head that will melt your face off! Actually, all kidding aside, it's got quite a unique sound. It's designed to be an accurate re-make of the original hiwatt amps that were common in the late 70's (think Zeppelin, the who, Floyd, etc.). Although you can still buy a new hiwatt amp the construction, sound and quality have deteriorated since the original designer's and builders quit, died etc. Enter Bill Reeves. He builds these down in ohio and they do a good job offering the original hiwatt sound, quality and appearance without paying for an actual original hiwatt.

To the amp itself...awesome. The 2 channel/4 input setup allow for some cool mixing options and the master volume drives the tubes extremely hard producing a great sound with as much (or as little) crunch as you want. The only down side is the tubes (both stages) must be driven hard to sound good. So it'll make you deaf! Enter the weber mass lite!

www.reevesamps.com

The weber mass lite is an attenuator. It allows you to drive the tubes very hard but bring the actual volume back down to a reasonable level (i call this the save the relationship box). It's completely passive and is installed between the amp and the speaker box. It's got some other features like a bypass, headphone output etc. but at it's core it's designed to bring the volume down. It works great. I can get a better sound at the house or while jamming but still maintain reasonable volumes. Amps tend to offer way to much volume to be realistically used. I hardly got past 1 on the volume knob but now i can push it all the way to 10 (or 11)!

http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm

I also picked up an ABY box but it really didn't work as expected. It allows me to switch channels on the amp easier but made things sound very muddy. Unfortunately i tried to return it and the shop i bought it from has a no return policy. I guess i know where not to shop any more (MUSIC CASTLE IN ROYAL OAK!)

I think we've settled on "Hit 'n Run" for the band's name. We played out at a bar in Royal Oak a few weeks ago for the second time and we're tightening up. Hopefully we'll get out some more in the coming weeks.

It's not safety orange, it's hugger orange!

2009-02-14T01:10:00.000+01:00

2009 02 Camaro Paint

Go on VACATION!

2009-02-10T22:07:00.002+01:00

As i watch money bleed from my investments, I'm really pissed. These A-holes in washington seem intent on taking a bad situation and making it even worse. In the last few months (including today's "stimulus" and bank plan) they've commited over 10 trillion dollars to try to prop up this economy to little result. They can not create demand, when will they realize this? They can push banks to extend all the credit in the world, but people aren't willing to take on more debt. Their actions are making people and business's more unsure of the future. It's starting to dawn on the population that all this spending will eventually have to be paid back (the alternative, defailt, is unthinkable) and that our children are facing 100's of thouasands of dollars in new taxes in order to attempt to maintain our unsustainable spending habits today. They've commited enough money to wipe out nearly 100% of all the mortgage debt in the country (not that i would promote that..but it gives reference to the scale of this borrowing and spending)! Instead they're spending the money on condom programs and parks in miami, it's no wonder the country (and the world) has lost confidence in Washington and America.

Capitalism didn't fail, it did it's job. Uncompetitive companies were driven into failure, that's an important (albeit painful) aspect of capitalism. It's washington's extraordinary efforts to prop them up that were the failure. Companies that competed successfully are now subsidizing their competition (via washington). How can any company or person compete with the Fed's?

And on top of that they stepped back on the plans to allow domestic offshore drilling. Talk about kicking an economy when it's down.

I wish all these politicians would go on vacation undil '12. Or maybe forever.

New Crib

2009-02-08T16:17:00.002+01:00

It's been a long couple of weeks as Mel (Paris) and I moved into a new (rental) house. My lease was up and given the tumbling home & rental prices it presented a lot of opportunities to upgrade while maintaining costs. We went from a 1000 sq ft apt with no garage to a 1300 (ish) sq ft house with a new 2 car garage for 200 bucks more a month! That's a deal. Mel's out of town right now ( :( ) so Paris and i are a bit lost, but we're surviving. We've gotten 99% unpacked and i can finally put a few pics up without boxes blocking everything!

2009 New House

I was this close (fingers about 1mm apart) to buying an 08 Z06 on Thursday. I made the mistake of taking a look in person and driving it. But a cooler head prevailed. 2 Car payments just makes no sense right now, besides i found some really good corporate bonds that will pay me to own them, unlike a car. Maybe once i get out of my Audi i'll re-evaluate. But it's still not that bad, my other toy is about to have the paint applied!

2009 Camaro Painting

decisions decisions

2009-01-26T15:15:00.001+01:00

Hmmm...maybe i should go with black with white stripes. Or blue with yellow stripes (Sunoco car)!

Nah...i'll stick with Orange with Black stripes. It's cool in a very understated manner.

Next up i'll post a few pics of our new crib. We got all moved out over the weekend and are unpacking with gusto!

2009 Camaro Painting

2009-01-16T21:07:00.002+01:00

This will be a post about the allocation of scarce resouces and a comparison of opportunity costs. Exciting..no?

After my CT scan monday i learned on tuesday that all of the surgery and drugs has worked...or seems to have. My scan's were complete and there's no evidence of cancer anywhere! Without a doubt some of the best newsI've gotten recently. However it's kicked off a decision that must be made...a very hard decision.

I've wanted a corvette for a long time and the prices right now are getting so attractive that it's becoming increasingly difficult to not take the leap. 07 Z06's are running in the high 40's to low 50's...talk about bang for your buck! I'm extremely tempted. but contrast that with my desire to go back to school and i've got quite a dilemma

Do i:

a) buy a Corvette

or

b) go back for a Masters in Economics

This question should be the entrance exam for school!

Here's my little list of pro's and con's along with an examination of the opportunity costs.

Corvette
Pro's
-Short term happiness will increase significantly. A want would be fulfilled.
-Although asset prices are under pressure, having my money in the bank (or cd's, or equities) isn't yielding very good returns. Putting it in a corvette won't be much worse..if any.

Con's
-Ownership will cost about 58k over 5 years. Borrowing costs are about 6% and banks are paying virtually nothing to me on my money so it hardly seems like the right time to borrow. That discrepency is too large
-I'd put about 15k down so i'll lose the interest on that over the next few years as well.
-Risk of future speeding tickets is...significant. Insurance costs may go up.
-my ability to save every month would be cut in half (roughly)

School
Pro's
-School is an investment in myself. Long term happiness will increase as my future job prospects are improved with this degree.
-Initial capital outlay is far less then with the car.
-Grants/loans can help reduce the costs. 0% loans may be available.

Con's
-Decreases ability to leave this area for about 2 years.
-No garauntee that it will improve my life or job prospects, it may be a waste.
-Avg. of 2 classes per week is a lot of time. I've got a good girl and a band that need my time too!

Pretty tough decision right? For someone considering a Masters in Economics this should perhaps be an easy exercise. If you look at the allocation of scarce resources and the potential for returns..it's a no brainer. Add in that there's far more downward pressure on corvette pricing then upward and it becomes even more difficult to make a major financial outlay...waiting could only help things. School should pay back the investment with dividends. But still....a red z06 would make me REALLY happy now. If i can finance school at 0% and delay payments till after i graduate that would spread the burden out over a later time period. hmm

After all this, my decision is...

....to wait. School's admission deadline isn't for a bit and i can't drive a 'Vette now anyway. So I'll wait and keep watching the prices for another few months. But really, why can't i just do both damnit!!!

Here's a few more Camaro pics!

2008 Camaro Painting

Camaro Progress...

2009-01-11T01:17:00.000+01:00

pics speak volumes, new pics added

2008 Camaro Painting

Economics...

2009-01-09T22:36:00.000+01:00

Here's why it's called the dismal science.

Maybe a masters in economics isn't such a good idea.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T17:40:00.007+01:00

Another year down...hard to believe it! You know what that means...2008 Corrigan year in review. Unlike Time magazine and a few of the (slightly) more popular info destinations, i won't be focusing on who was the most influential or who dropped the most bombs..rather i'll focus on a year in the life of ME. This was indeed a crazy year, despite being 28 and (arguably) an adult 2008 brought a lot of firsts. I signed a lease for the first time, leased a car for the first time, got cancer, lived
(am living) with a girl, lived with a dog!, joined a new band..the list goes on. Rather than ramble though..here are a few pics!

Deep breath..here we go.

New Apartment

New Apartment Again

We went to the Redbull races..only to have them canceled due to high winds.

Camping with that girl and that dog.

Pre surgery..Me with all my lymph nodes in Chi-town with Melly Mel.

Recouping at the camp after surgery.

My recovery project...no, it's still not done.

On the way to Mel's friend Martini's wedding. Two gimps in the back...Mel driving.

Labor Day weekend at Mel's friend Jess's Farm

Thanksgiving in NY!

Mel's Bday..she'll probably kill me for uploading this pic.

What's left of my car! But like a phoenix..it will be back.

The next group are from the 2 week Christmas break. 1800 miles...over 290 pics...a half ton of fudge..what else is Christmas about?

A battle of wills.

Mel getting thanked for all the cookies!

Walking the Dawg

Miss Delaney

The best way to end a year!

Camaro Update

2008-12-18T21:06:00.002+01:00

Car is mostly stripped and 1 quarter panel's already been replaced!

2008 Camaro Painting

Tomorrow is my last day of work in Detroit...this year? Ever? Everyone in greater Detroit is on pins and needles right now while Washington debates whether or not to make loans to the failing (formerly) big 3...or is it kinda big 1 and little 1. I'm not sure what to call them anymore. With so many production company's announcing 4 week (or more) shutdowns it's not easy to ponder coming back to the office on Jan 5 and finding there's nothing to do..no-one to sell to! Scary prospects, but that's the reality we face. I've given a lot of thought lately to how i can escape this industry, it's just not fun anymore. I'd love to go back to school for a Masters in Economics but my mind isn't made up yet. All i can focus on right now is getting out of here for vacation!

Stay tuned..the corrigan year in review is coming up!

Interesting...

2008-12-11T19:30:00.000+01:00

Where can i get financing!

It's in the way you dress. The way you boogie down. The way you sign your unemployment check. You're a man who likes to do things your own way. And on those special odd-numbered Saturdays when driving is permitted, you want it in your car. It's that special feeling of a zero-emissions wind at your back and a road ahead meandering with possibilities. The kind of feeling you get behind the wheel of the Pelosi GTxi SS/Rt Sport Edition from Congressional Motors.

All new for 2012, the Pelosi GTxi SS/Rt Sport Edition is the mandatory American car so advanced it took $100 billion and an entire Congress to design it. We started with same reliable 7-way hybrid ethanol-biodeisel-electric-clean coal-wind-solar-pedal power plant behind the base model Pelosi, but packed it with extra oomph and the sassy styling pizazz that tells the world that 1974 Detroit is back again -- with a vengeance.

We've subsidized the features you want and taxed away the rest. With its advanced Al Gore-designed V-3 under the hood pumping out 22.5 thumping, carbon-neutral ponies of Detroit muscle, you'll never be late for the Disco or the Day Labor Shelter. Engage the pedal drive or strap on the optional jumbo mizzenmast, and the GTxi SS/Rt Sport Edition easily exceeds 2016 CAFE mileage standards. At an estimated 268 MPG, that's a savings of nearly $1800 per week in fuel cost over the 2011 Pelosi.

Even with increased performance we didn't skimp on safety. With 11-point passenger racing harnesses, 15-way airbags, and mandatory hockey helmet, you'll have the security knowing that you could survive a 45 MPH collision even if the GTxi SS/Rt were capable of that kind of illegal speed.

But the changes don't stop there. Sporty mag-style hubcaps and an all-new aggressive wedge shape designed by CM's Chief Stylist Ted Kennedy slices through the wind like an omnibus spending bill. It even features an airtight undercarriage to keep you and a passenger afloat up to 15 minutes -- even in the choppy waters of a Cape Cod inlet. Available a rainbow of color choices to match any wardrobe, from Harvest Avocado to French Mustard.

Inside, a luxurious all-velour interior designed by Barney Frank features thoughtful appointments like in-dash condom dispenser and detachable vibrating shift knob. A special high capacity hatchback holds up to 300 aluminum cans, meaning fewer trips to the redemption center. And the standard 3 speaker Fairness ActoPhonic FM low-band sound system means you'll never miss a segment of NPR again.

Best of all, the Pelosi GTxi SS/Rt is made right here in the U.S.A. by fully card-checked unionized workers and Detroit's famous visionary jet-set managers. Even if you don't own one, you can enjoy the patriotic satisfaction that you're supporting the high wages, good benefits, and generous political donations that are once again making the American car industry the envy of the world.

But why not buy one anyway? With an MSRP starting at only $629,999.99, it's affordable too. Don't forget to ask about dealer incentives, rebates, tax credits, and wealth redistribution plans for customers from dozens of qualifying special interest groups. Plus easy-pay financing programs from Fannie Mae.

So take the bus to your local CM dealer today and find out why the Pelosi GTxi SS/Rt Sport Edition is the only car endorsed by President Barack Obama. One test drive will convince you that you'd choose it over the import brands. Even if they were still legal.

original page at

http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2008/11/lemon.html

Economic Downturn?

2008-12-02T23:34:00.006+01:00

Who knew! I've decided to be a good consumer and get my car painted...here's a few pics!

2008 Camaro Painting

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving, i know i did. I had 2 actually. I was making up for lost time since i hadn't been to a proper thanksgiving dinner since 2004! Although i could've done with less driving (mel's with me on that one too i think) I had a great time visiting all the family and friends. And paris seemed to really enjoy uncle steve's frozen pond! To give credit where credit's due...Great Job on all the pics Aunt Jo!

2008 Thanksgiving

Turkey day!

2008-11-26T14:52:00.005+01:00

..is almost here. I'm looking forward to doing allot of bad eating! I'll also be getting a guy kicked off on stripping and painting my car.

Found this today..thought it was worth sharing. Add this debt to your budget the next time you review it.

Let Them Eat Cake

2008-11-18T13:33:00.001+01:00

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/g20-says-let-people-eat/story.aspx?guid=%7B16890CA0-2787-4576-A125-BDF4F1697E1B%7D&dist=msr_1

Nice to see our leaders actively supporting so many industries. I was worried that the wine industry would experience a slowdown. close call.

Too big to fail?

2008-11-13T20:45:00.003+01:00

Revenue – 166 Billion
Profit Margin – (13.42%)

GM Generated over 160 BILLION in sales, yet they still can’t manage to get their costs under control.

GM’s not too big to fail; they’re too big to survive. The sad reality is that given current sales, GM’s internal costs are simply far too big. You don’t have the sales you want…you have the sales you have. GM can hope, pray and plan for sales to go way up but they’ve gotta survive these lean years first and that’s not happening. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

The government should not bail out GM. That would be a poor use of taxpayer dollars. The private sector, knowing the outlook and turnaround plan for GM, will not loan them the money, nor should we (taxpayers) for the same reason. I work at a supplier supporting GM in NE Michigan, I understand the potential impact a bankrupt GM would have if it failed as much, if not better, than most…but it doesn’t matter. GM has tied up many resources and is not using them efficiently. Those resources should be allowed to move elsewhere. Other industries, companies etc. GM generates a -7.5% return on assets, that’s a poor use of said assets.

Let’s walk through a bailout scenario –
GM get’s 50 billion…this buys time.
Sales remain steady(?) in the next 5 years
GM has to cut it’s internal costs by billions so that when the 50 billion dollar bailout run’s out they can not only pay it back (with interest), but generate a profit. Cash flow must be positive. Don’t forget, GM’s already got 45 billion in debt on the books.

To do this, what can they control…
Reduce current employee wages, beneifits.
Reduce retiree benefits.
Asset sales
Capacity reduction(s)
Reductions in development costs (including elimination of redundant brands)
New product development

Will sales go up? Maybe
Will sales go down? Maybe

They can influence sales, sure, but only to an extent.

That’s the simple scenario…I’ve seen allot of efforts to achieve those changes but so far it’s not worked. It’s not been enough. Would you buy a car from a company that just required a multi billion dollar bailout?

Let’s look at a Bankruptcy scenario –
GM files ch. 11
GM presents a plan to reduce all costs inline with sales
Asset fire sale
UAW’s pissed but can’t strike.
Sales drop..tbd
GM emerges smaller and right-sized in line with their sales.
The peasants rejoice?

Would bankruptcy hurt sales? Sure, but they already suck. And who’s gonna buy a car from a company that needs a cash injection from the fed every few years.

They’re both crappy, risky scenario’s. There are no guarantee’s in life, but I’m not willing to buy their stock (nor are most apparently) we shouldn’t be forced to invest in them via our tax dollars. I’d be (a bit) more comfortable with a bailout (loan) if GM was already in bankruptcy because at least then you know everything is on the table to ensure the necessary changes can be made.

It’s easy to focus on the blame game. The unions demanded too much. Management gave too much. They focused on trucks too long. Their quality is bad. There’s some truth to all these but at the end of the day…who cares. It’s for all those reasons that they should fail. Is any of that going to change enough in the future?

Keep in mind that the government helped make this mess. Their policies towards automakers are rooted not in logic but in political pressures. The government skews markets by supporting vehicles that people don’t want and can’t be built economically (volt, for example) while vehicles with high demand and margins are taxed and pushed out of production (trucks). They’ve done everything they could do to kill truck/SUV sales and promote the sale of unprofitable vehicles. If the government wants to help long term..they’d cut fuel taxes (including on diesel and state level taxes) and offer tax rebates on profitable vehicles. But politically that doesn’t work, the greenies would raise hell.

Today, right now, the facts remain.

GM’s market share is down, and will never approach previous levels
UAW costs are un-competitive
Current/future retiree obligations cannot be funded given the sales outlook
GM has too much capacity
GM has too many redundant brands and redundant products
Development costs are too high.

The numbers confirm all this.

I made a post about GM a few years ago…I can’t help but wonder how things would be different if Rick W had read it!

http://kcorriganatlarge.blogspot.com/2006/03/near-and-dear.html

Actually that’s not totally fair. I think Rick Wagoner’s done a lot and been on the right path…it simply wasn’t enough, it was too little, too late.

What’s even more scary are the parallels between GM and our own government.

Enormous Structural budget deficit – check
Unfunded (and growing) retiree and health care liabilities – check
Huge Debt – check
Inflexible labor costs – check
Too many retirees’s being funded by too few employees - check
Generous employee benefits -check

Someone once said, as GM goes, so goes the nation. Let’s hope not. A GM failure could be catastrophic, but more catastrophic would be enormous government investment in a ship that’s already to far underwater to survive. Or a government that runs out of money and who's currency no-one wants.

As for me? I’m good. Looking forward to thanksgiving! Mmm…turkey. I’ve already told Mel all healthy eating rules are off for both of us on Nov. 26. 

Not Much to report...

2008-11-01T20:37:00.002+01:00

....but i thought i'd make a new post. It's been very busy at work over the past few weeks but i stil found a little time to make some progress on my boat project. I really thought this was gonna be a 1 or 2 month project..as of today i'm goin on 4 months. The sanding is what takes so long, well, that and the fact the adhesive i'm using is doing a better job keeping my hands stuck to the hull then the wood.

Mel and i went to a halloween party last night which was allot of fun. It's a little strange to go to a party and not drink, I'm never really sure what to do with my empty hands. I guess i know what all the DD's feel like. I do find it entertaining to listen to all the drunk conversations as a sober person...makes me wonder if all of my drunk conversations sounded so funny. Probably not.

Chris Craft pics october 08

youtube and pic

2008-10-09T19:14:00.002+02:00

I like this....note that there are 3 people in the picture.

and this....

Sell, Sell, SELLLL!!!

2008-10-08T00:06:00.002+02:00

so sayeth cramer anyway.

First off i should say that i don't condone selling right now..well, not for everyone. I actually have been asked this a few times in the last week. I must spend too much time on bloomberg at work. For most people this fall shouldn't prompt mass selling but it truly depends on your situation. If there's money invested in equities that you may need in the next 5 years (for retirement, a house whatever) then i would sell and horde cash. Never invest what you can't afford to lose. However if you don't need the cash in the next 5 years then turn to history and realize that markets in the long run will continue to perform as long as business's continue to exist.

I however am a bit of a hypocrite (don't say anything mel) because i liquidated virtually all my equities about 5 months ago. I'm not gonna pretend i saw this coming ..not exactly anyway, but i knew that our economy wasn't sounds and the cheap money policies of Greenspan would catch up. Lucky me i suppose. For someone in my position (relatively young, long investment horizon) this kind of drop affords some opportunity to really find some bargains. I plan to keep my investment strategy exactly the same...find a solid company....selling at a cheap price...go in big...hold!!! From that standpoint if you are riding this out...it would be a good time to re-evaluate where your money is and make sure the companies you own are solid.

Start with these questions...

Why did i buy this company? (hint: "To make money is a BAD answer"..or rather, a very incomplete answer)
What's it's competitive advantage?
Who are it's competitors?
Can i trust it's management?

There's a million more worthwhile questions to add...but start with those.

It's best to try to look at investing as if you're buying the whole company. Why buy a little piece if you're not willing to buy the whole company? That would be speculation. And if you're willing to buy the whole thing, would you sell your company if it went up 5%? 10%? No, most likely you'd continue to grow it until you need to sell..not just because the market says it's worth a bit more.

A few of my favorite quotes and my take on them.....i wont cite sources cause I'm lazy

"Short term markets are voting machines, long term markets are weight machines. " i.e....buy for the long term. The real value will reveal itself over a long enough horizon.

"When there's blood on the street, buy". similar to "when others are greedy be fearful, when others are fearful be greedy" i.e. situations like today may present some real bargains.

In a strange twist this fall is having some unusual impact on muni bonds. watch their returns...

As for what to do with your cash right now? Again...do you need it in the next 3 months...5 years? You can put together a CD ladder and get about 25% over 5 years guaranteed. Even just sitting on cash isn't a bad idea. I'd be very concerned with buying and commodities or other assets right now due to the risk of deflation.

ok, enough preaching. i just find economics and investing fascinating.

On a lighter note, we'll be getting some visitors this weekend. Maw, paw, mo and bro will be coming out for a long weekend. The weather is looking pretty good for a nice fall weekend and i think we'll spend sometime outdoors here in lovely oakland county michigan.

Regarding my treatments....they are progressing as planned. They don't give me any real bad side effects, just some mild stomach issues and a little light headedness, but it passes quickly. This time of year it's tough to eat well too...there's just too many opportunities to eat badly! But if I learned one nothing from AntiCancer it's that eating well is critical to being healthy and fighting cancer.

So i understand...

2008-10-03T00:13:00.004+02:00

...the solution to falling asset values (i.e. home values) is for the government to step in and by securities that the bank's hold whose value is dropping? Why should we, the taxpayers, take on these assets? at what price? for how long? For every winner, there's losers. The government saves a few banks but at the cost of investing taxpayer dollars in overvalued assets. Not to mention that anyone shopping for houses right now is HOPING for falling prices.

It's also apparently irrelevant that we don't have 700billion to spend, i think our rainy day fund was tapped...who am i kidding, we don't have a rainy day fund. We'll have to borrow the 700 billion.

Brilliant

So this "bailout" passed the house wed night, but the dow fell about 300 pts. Maybe the "market" isn't so convinced on this bill after all.

Oh, and remember this gem?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_and_Economic_Recovery_Act_of_2008

This took effect Oct. 1. This little piece of legislation (agree or disagree with it) has the potential to prop up home prices much more effectively then the new bill. But politicians and the media seem to have forgotten about this bill.

I'm (kind of) done

2008-09-24T22:11:00.004+02:00

That's right, last Tuesday i had my final high dose treatment. It's hard to believe a month went by so fast, but it did. Overall it really wasn't that bad, fatigue was my biggest issue. Much to the surprise of my doc's i worked half days through all this and i even managed to be somewhat productive at work. emphasis on somewhat....

Last Saturday i turned 29. I got probably the best birthday present I could have hoped for (aside from learning that my cancer is completely gone), i was invited by my (awesome) girlfriend to attend a wedding. Oh, but not just any wedding..a lesbian wedding. I met the two girls getting married (hehe) a few months ago and have been looking forward to this ever since. I don't have any pics right now, but as soon as i get copies i'll post a few. It was a great time. There was nothing too off the wall about it...there was a ceremony, reception, food, drinks, dancing etc...but what made it just that little bit funner was when i looked around the dance floor, it was at least 50% girls dancing with girls.

life is..not so bad. :)

Short update

2008-09-08T02:35:00.004+02:00

I started my interferon treatments about 2 weeks ago. Each day i have to go down to the hospital and sit in a chair for about 45 minutes while a bag of interferon is pumped into me. After 2 weeks of shots my arms look like those of a crack addict! I've also got to take a handful of pills everyday, they're actually quite colorful. So much so that i thought i'd put a pic up so everyone reading this can see. The injection itself isn't too bad but the first few nights afterwards were pretty rough, i had severe flu like symptoms (fever, chills, cold sweats etc.) but lately it's been much, much better. If i had a month of nights like the first night, well, i don't know how i would've survived without alcohol. Thankfully though i'm halfway done with the high dosage portion of the treatment. After this the dosage goes way down and i only need to give myself a shot 3 times per week.

I put a few more boat pics up too. This things allot of fun. I don't really have a proper workshop to work in, but i've been able to contain the mess so far. Thank god mel brought a proper vacuum cleaner with her.

An update

2008-08-27T01:01:00.003+02:00

What can i say, my life just isn't that interesting. It's been almost a year since i left Europe and i think i've written 3 posts? and not even text posts...video posts!!! like i said..not much going on.

Until now...

On June 23 i found out i have cancer. Stage III Metastatic Melanoma to be exact. I found a lump in my groin. After realizing that it wouldn't just go away on it's own i got it checked out and lo and behold...it IS a tumor (in my best Arnold accent). My first reaction was to google all the info i could find. Unfortunately the internet can be dangerous in these situations and needless to say the first few weeks were pretty tough. My online search told me that stage 3 is one stop short of Stage 4 (naturally) which is incurable. Melanoma, despite being “just” skin cancer turns out to be a pretty nasty disease, the survival rates are scary (no need to rehash them here...just take my word for it).

I was torn about whether to write about this or not. On the one hand, it's a private thing and I'm a pretty private person..why broadcast this to the world. But on the other hand, this is going to have drastic impact on the next year of my life...in fact the rest of my life...and writing about it is kind of therapeutic. Even if no-one's reading this any more.

So where am i now on all this? What's the status? Well, after 2 biopsies, 1 colonoscopy (NOT COOL), 1 PET scan, 1 body MRI, 1 Brain MRI, a bone scan and a lymph node dissection i can proudly say that i'm cancer free....maybe. The last one on that list, the lymph node dissection was the culmination of all the other tests and involved cutting out 10 lymph nodes from my groin. I had (as of last tuesday) about 12 inches of stitches and 2 JP drains coming out of my legs. In addition i had to be on crutches and couldn't drive for the last few weeks. Luckily though i had some great pain killers! Not a fun way to spend 4 weeks of summer but they cut out the offending tissue...so i got that goin for me.

Thus far i think the recovery's gone quite well. I've never been under the knife for anything so this was a very new experience for me. The fatigue, pain and overall uncomfortableness (is that a word) were pretty intense in the beginning but it's improved every day to the point where I'm completely off the crutches and painkillers, the stitches are out and both drains are out. I drove my car last friday for the first time in 4 and a half weeks. SWEET FREEDOM!!!

That's the first half of the treatment. Now comes the immunotherapy part. 4 weeks, 5days per week 1 hr per day of IV interferon followed by 1 year of self administered interferon. This might get rough. I won't run through all the boring details but this stuff has a tendency to really knock people on their ass. I'm hoping to work as much as i can through this. In fact i worked last Friday, yesterday and today! albeit partial days, but i need this to get some sanity back in my life.

So that's my story. It's been a tough couple of months but luckily i've had some incredible help and support from my family and of course Mel. I can't imagine trying to do this alone and thankfully...i don't need to. It felt good to write it down and hopefully it wasn't too bad on the reading side. I'm not sure how much i'll write in the next few months, particularly if the interferon (immunotherapy) hits me hard, but i'll try.

On the plus side, here's a few “silver lining's” that i like to focus on
-i'll probably lose some weight
-i get a handicap parking pass
-i didn't drive for a month..i.e i probably wont be over on my lease
-i got a nice boat model to build as a gift
-i didn't have to work for nearly 5 weeks, but still got paid!

Oh, the boat model. Odd thing to throw in there right? Well one of my dive buddy's back home was nice enough to donate a really cool Chris Craft model to the “help occupy corrigan during his boring 4 weeks off” fund. Donations are tax deductible people.

Here are a few pics.

Chris Craft Model

It's not done yet, but it's been allot of fun and i'll throw some more pics on as i move forward.

ELection Fun

2008-08-18T22:03:00.001+02:00

Election fun..

2008-03-13T01:53:00.000+01:00

With Spitzer and Kilpatick doing such a bang up job gathering support for the democrat's this election season, i thought i'd share this youtube video to do my part.

Good stuff

to blog or not to blog...

2008-02-05T02:52:00.000+01:00

that is the question. I didn't write that, it's a slightly modified version of something in a play by some dead guy.

In case i isn't obvious to those who've seen me i made it back from australia alive. I had a great 2 month vacation and in fact made it back to the states just in time to take another 2 weeks off. I don't know what all these unemployed people are complaining about. I loved it. But it had to end eventually and i started work back up here in MI in early January. I'm here and working like i never left. The natural question is whether to keep this thing up since i'm not technically at large anymore (at least in the national sense)...truth be told i don't know if i will or not. Depending on my motivational level it may become more of a photoboard..but we'll see. to kick it off i'll throw up a few pics of my new apartment in the gut of pontiac and also some from my upcoming beer pong tournament. 16 teams..but in the end, there can be only one.

...a few more

2007-12-11T01:36:00.000+01:00

Got some good questions, so continuing on....

Does the water in a flushed toilet really spin the other way?

YUP! incredible..i've been trying to get a video of it but its tough. particularly because i usually only remember after using the toilet and that would not make for a very good video.

Whats the food like?

Pretty good, but nothing special. Naturally there's a large asian influence on the restaurants but aside from that there's nothing reall much to brag about. Due to the historical link to Britian who are most assuradly not known for their culinary prowess the only thing that the Australians could really claim as “local” would be their meat pies and sausage rolls.

What is the rough route for your trip, how long is it?

We drove from Melbourne to Cairns. We covered about 6500 Km's over 6 weeks. It sounds like allot, but i never really felt rushed. We saw allot and were even able to continue further north from cairns to port douglas and thr Daintree rainforest since we got to cairns a few days before we needed to be there. Point of interest...The daintree is where paved roads ended and dirt roads continue on. Without a 4wd its not possible to make it any further.

How did you get that much time off?

hmm...how to answer. I'd like to say that i took a leave of absence but the more correct term would be i was unemployed. Who needs work anyway.

Here's a few more pics.

2007 11 Australia 2

Next up, the lightning round. off to the dive boat!!

Q and A

2007-12-01T23:07:00.000+01:00

Greetings from the Whitsunday's. As time marches on down under i thought that rather then giving a play by play of the trip i'd attempt to answer some questions about the country I'm in and the journey I'm on. These are questions that either have been asked, might be asked or just popped into my head while writing this. Here we go., the first installment.....

1-Where is Australia?

Just south of california. Actually, its a bit further than that. I found myself setting foot on Australian soil after 3 flights and nearly 24hrs of flying. The 3 flights took me from JFK in New York to LAX in California, then on to Sydney where, despite being in Australia, i had another 2 hr flight to get to Melbourne. Once in Melbourne i was finally at my kicking off point. That's where Bonnie picked me up from the Airport.

2-How big is Australia?

It's pretty big. Not Texas big, but big. Actually, Australia is the only country that is also a continent. Size-wise it's about the size of the entire US (excluding Alaska). However Australia contains only about 20 million people. If you compare that to the app. 300 million living in the US, Australia is roughly 1/15 as populated. Feel free to check my math on that one. Of those 20 million nearly all are concentrated on the east coast and a few spots on the west coast.

3-What language do they speak in Australia?

Ask any Australian what they speak and they will no doubt answer “English!” but don't let them fool you. They speak English in the same way that people from the UK speak English..that is, a very strange cousin of proper American english. Here's a few choice words translated from Australian to American English.

hotel – usually means bar or pub. sometimes it also means hotel though.
how ya goin – how are you
bottle shop – place to buy alcohol
ute – strange el camino like vehicle that is very popular
pissed – drunk, as in “last night i got pissed”. note: can also be used in a negative tone as in piss off...i.e. f*ck off
bugger – i'm still trying to decide exactly what this one means.
cheers - goodbye. or cheers.
Boot – trunk

i'm sure i missed 1 or 2..or more

4-What currency do they use?

Australians use a mixture of kangaroo heads and boomerangs as currency. Although it can be difficult to store and transport this sort of currency, it makes quite a bit of sense when you consider that kangaroo heads can be eaten if lost in the outback and boomerangs can be used to solve any disputes, should they arise.

In truth, the Australian dollar (where'd they get that name...friggin thiefs) is quite stable and normally sits very close to 1:1 with the American dollar. The currency itself though is quite interesting. The coins range in size from 0.10 up to 2 AUD (Australian Dollars) and decrease in size the more they are worth. The paper money is actually not paper at all but some sort of super plastic type material that is both waterproof and tearproof. I know..i tried. It is not however microwave proof which we were informed of by a teller in Echuca. Nuke it, and it shrinks and shrivels. He of course did not learn this first hand, but merely relayed it on to us from an unnamed source.

Speaking of money, Bonnie and i did attempt to visit the mint in Canberra. With visions of giant stamping machines and billions in coins at our fingertips we thought it would be a neat experience. Unfortunately it was rather lame, the highlight being the souvenir 1 dollar coin you could make by pumping in 2.50.

Brilliant.

6-Are things generally expensive there?

In short, yes. Over long periods of time one of the best measures of the relative costs of living and value of a currency was the cost of bread. More recently other commodities have been used such as a McDonald's Big Mac. I on the other hand like to use the cost of a beer. As this is something i plan to buy where ever i go i am very sensitive to the price parities between locations when sourcing a beer. By this measure Australia is very expensive. Figure on 7-10 AUD for a beer at a bar. It is true that tipping here is not quite on par with the states but that still does not account for the entire difference.

7-Any thoughts on the Australian Government?

I don't understand it, and don't really care to. It's a strange system similar to that of the UK but with allot more yelling and funny words. I didn't think that it was even possible to be stranger than the UK parliment, until i came here. The names of the parties are switched when compared to America, meaning a conservative in the states would be a liberal down under, but since we're south of the equator that makes sense. They happened to be holding elections while we were here and as an interesting side note..voting in Australia is 100% mandatory. If you don't vote you must pay a fine.

Despite their insane government and ridiculous income tax (as much as 47% i've been told) most australians seem to have an odd fondness for their government. I can understand this though, they do live a pretty good life down here..good infrastructure, anything you could want is readily available... The biggest problem seems to be the ongoing struggle with the aboriginee's. No easy answer on that one.

8-Did you go to the outback?

Yes. No. Well, i'm not really sure. There are no signs that inform you when you are entering or in the outback. But since we drove behind allot of people's houses and will cover about 5000km this trip, i have to imagine we will be or have been in the outback at least once.

9-Did you see Kangaroo's?

Yup. Even ate them..twice. We saw wild Kangaroo's at pebbly beach and then again when we went to the Australia Zoo (otherwise known as the Steve Irwin Zoo..go ahead, say it...CRIKEY!!). Petting them was interesting, the zoo has two large enclosures where they roam free and anyone is free to approach any animal and try to feed it, pet it, ride it..whatever. Well, maybe not ride it. I dont think something like this would work in the states because the zoo would be too worried about lawsuits. But down under if you were to try to sue the zoo, they would drag you over to the croc pits and settle the case early.

9B-But what does a kangaroo taste like?

Well quite good actually. it's very tender. Now before you start crying a tear or swearing about the cruelty of eating such a unique creature, understand the kangaroo's here are much like deer in the US. They're all over and often times a nuisance. We had no trouble buying Kangaroo steaks and got no funny looks when discussing eating them with other Australians. They are so plentiful in fact that the camper company we rented from informed us that we should not drive after 6pm due to the abundance of kangaroo's crossing the roadways. There was even a friendly little reminder on the speedometer in the form of a sticker that said “Kangaroo's, RUN THE FUCKERS DOWN”. I'm serious.

10-Do Australian's have small hands and smell like cabbage?

Nope, that;s gypsies.

and some people from Virginia.

11-Do Australian's drive on the right side of the road?

No, they drive on the wrong side of the road. Har har. Seriously though, they drive on the left which does take a little getting used to, particularly in the very abundant roundabouts. I was reminded of this fact this morning while leaving Hervey bay, i entered a roundabout and went right...i quickly realized my error as did some oncoming drivers. Much to my surprised and delight though they did not react like most americans would with that of a 1 fingered salute and shouted obscenity, we merely got a wave and a loud “Americans!”.

And thus ends the first installment of me answering questions that i posed to myself on the country i'm in. I've got a few more typed out but feel free to post some and i'll answer them to the best of my ability. When said ability is not good enough..i'll just make something up.

Last but not least..a few more pics.

2007 11 Australia

Off for a boat tour of the islands...

Cheers!

blogging sucks

2007-11-24T23:39:00.001+01:00

I brought my computer with me having good intentions to blog and post pics from the road. But so far i've found that i have 0 motivation to do so..not when there's beaches, bars and so much to do. But here's the quick update...I'm writing this from Brisbane. Thats about 3400Km's into the journey. Our route was roughly as follows.

Melbourne to Echuca
Echuca to Gundagai
Gundagai to Canberra
Canberra to Pebbly Beach
Pebbly Beach to Sydney
Sydney to Port Macquire
Port Macquire to Byron Bay
Bryon Bay to Burleigh Heads
Burleigh Heads to Brisbane

That route wasn't planned, we just grabbed a map and pointed the wicked camper north.

more to come...

Greetings from the future

2007-11-10T23:13:00.000+01:00

After a short stay over in NY i flew down under last week. It takes around 24 hrs of flying to get here and you not only gain 16hrs time wise but you cross the international dateline. Therefore, as i write this..it is currently 5:23 PM EST Saturday and 9:23 AM Sunday in Melbourne. So as i said, greetings from the future! Much has happened in the last 16hrs, Hillary dropped out of the campaign, Al Gore finally admitted he's an idiot and i won the lottery in 3 different countries. Things are good.

Here are a few pics from our hike in NY (Cascade and Porter) and the Great Ocean Road in Melbourne. We pickup the camper tomorrow. More to come..

2007 11 Porter & Cascade Hike

2007 11-09 Otway Fly and Great Ocean Road

vote...

2007-10-23T20:28:00.001+02:00

Hilarious

What a looong, strange trip its been.

2007-10-21T17:39:00.000+02:00

The curtains are closing, the lights dimming, troops of janitors are lined up to swoop in and clean up dropped popcorn and spilt mike and ikes…yes folks this show is coming to an end.

I was trying to think of a song that would sum things up…Truckin’ came to mind but only because of the “long strange trip” line. Then it occurred to me..”The Final Countdown” by none other than “Europe”. In reality I think the song had something to do with the end of communism, the wall coming down, nuclear disarmament..something unimportant like that. They were one hit wonders though so I don’t think they’ll mind if I hijack it for my purposes and get some more miles out of it. So here you go..

Two years overseas was a great experience that I would gladly do over again and highly recommend to anyone with the opportunity. The people you’ll meet, the places you’ll see, the new cultures you’ll be exposed to and so many other things will remain with you for life. Before I left I made a list of things that I had to do while I was over here. I’m sad to report that I didn’t make it through more than 25% of the list. But I wrote that list from a naïve position and looking back I had far better experiences then I could have ever planned for or thought of. Besides, that just leaves me with a ready made list of things to see and do when I come back. Speaking of which I have an interview in Germany next week…maybe this little European vacation will be extended. If I have to do it over again I want to find a better location. This area has allot of positivies, but It would’ve been nice to be in a bigger city with more people. My move from Liechtenstein to Switzerland last year was a big improvement but it would’ve been even better to live in a proper sized city like Zurich or Vienna. Maybe next time.

My last 2 weeks have been occupied by selling furniture, filing my taxes, and having one last beer with anyone thats up for it. We're starting to get snow here but unfortunately i wont be able to ski before leaving.

So what am I taking away from all this? Well, a bit of German language skills, a hell of a lot of great photo’s, some new friends, a new found appreciation and respect for what we have in America, a deeper loathing for the IRS and a bad case of crabs. Just kidding on the last one. But seriously……

America, here i come.

Oktoberfest!!!

2007-10-07T19:43:00.000+02:00

-The stakes are high.

If I said we'd been preparing our whole life for this that would not be far from the truth. However in truth the more focused intense training had only recently begun.

Technique was studied.
Previous champions were benchmarked.
Tests were made, results analyzed and the tests remade.
Endurance and brute strength pushed to the limit.
An athlete(s) was born.
A level of perfection was achieved never before seen in those hallowed halls.

-A place where the few carry the hopes and dreams of the many.

With the weight of the world our shoulders we entered the arena. Under the watchful eyes of millions the sweat poured out of us. In times like these a man either rises to the occasion or is crushed under defeat and driven into the deep recesses of a suicidal depression. Failure is not an option.

-The competition is intense.

Competitors from all over the world converge for this special event. Some with years or even decades of experience thrill at the defeat of newcomers. They eat the newbies for breakfast, lunch, dinner and never look back.

Only the best can enter and only the best of the best achieve greatness.

Champions are immortalized in the memories, in the photos and on the mugs of countless observers. The losers are forgotten, often left to wallow in their own spinning, dizzy, puke covered hungover worlds, never to recover physically or emotionally. Defeat will haunt them to their grave and often beyond.

I speak of course…of Oktoberfest.

Unlike Hollywood’s polished, pre packaged for the masses version of this life and death event, the actual is much closer to that eternally classic movie, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.

Two men enter.

One man leaves.

Or in this case...4 men entered....4 men left. Most of the time. We all survived but our livers (and perhaps reputations) may never recover.

Here's the official website.

www.oktoberfest.de

With only 3 weeks left this vacation came at a great time. 3 buddies from the states flew over. I picked them up from the airport and after hitting the hotel (who's rooms did NOT look anything like what they did on the net) it was off to the festival. I'd like to tell all sorts of funny stories...but i dont remember most. just going through the pics is tripping my memory on allot of whats happened. Therefore, here are some visual aids to better portray the experience that is oktoberfest. Darian couldn't figure out how to make his pics smaller which is too bad because he got some of the best ones...but i only have so much space for uploading!

Start training now folks....gotta make reservations for next year before christmas!! This is a MUST visit spot for anyone..young or old there is something for everyone to do and enjoy.

Pics from Sunday

1 Sunday Octoberfest 2007

Pics from Monday

2 Monday (not monay) Octoberfest 2007

Pics from Tuesday

3 Tuesday Oktoberfest 2007

Pics from Wednsday

4 Wednsday Oktoberfest 2007

I can only share pics from the first half of the day. Pics from the second half...well, for those in the know you'll have to ask one of us that was here. What happens at oktoberfest, stays at oktoberfest.

Pics from Thursday

5 Thursday Oktoberfest 2007

Pics from Friday

6 Friday Oktoberfest 2007

and thats all she wrote!