Where'd my change go?

One thing that I really, nay, truly enjoy about writing this blog is that it keeps me honest. I have to ask myself, every weekend, what the hell did I do to keep this project going. I've got to have something to update. 

Last weekend, I was smoked. My slow-to-motivate hindquarters pulled the motor last weekend, which involved renting a cherry picker, along with a pressure sprayer (for the house, thanks honey for doing the work on the house), using said cherry picker, then returning it the next day - for heaven's sake! I had to hook up my cheap trailer to the Forester to haul around my rented equipment. Any other person would've been able to keep up the pace, keep working, keep cleaning up equipment, keep the candle burning. Nay, yes twice now I've used the word, I was able to clean up the garage, but this week... this week has been an clean up week - translation: I didn't do anything, well mostly nothing. 

I pulled the carpet today, which took me all of 20 minutes of getting my hands grimy. No greasy, half-chewed finger nails, no antifreeze-induced headaches, no oily footprints around the garage. I pulled the carpet in the front and back seat areas.

Dirt, not just dusty dirt, I mean there was enough that I considered putting it in my garden. 

Holy geez people, let my floor board be a lesson to you - maintain your possessions! The way I see it, most people spend a ton of money on 3 things in their lives - education, house, and car, I refuse to allow parents' costs into my 3 investment triangle theory. Likely, you will earn more money in your lifetime thanks to your college degree. Likely, your house will be worth more when you sell it than when you bought it. You car, on the other hand, will likely not be worth more money or earn you money, so it depreciates. To make matters even more dire, most people spend money on a new, or at least new to them, car on a regular 3-4 year basis and each time you spend more money than you did the time before. For most people, your car will cost you money to own and maintain and when you're sick of it, if you're lucky you won't owe more than it's worth. So for the sake of everything holy, maintain your most frequently depreciating investment! Spend time washing your car. Spend time vacuuming your car. Spend time appreciating your depreciating investment.

Organic-rich soil, not dirt, soil.

I know my truck is 28 years old. I know it has seen two hundred, thirty-six thousand miles, but there is really no reason for there to be standing dirt under my carpet. The standing dirt was really more bog-like. I'm surprised I didn't find a squirrel under my carpet padding or at least a gnome tending his garden. I found golf tees, styrofoam peanuts, carmel corn (that Wally, my dog, found and quickly disposed), quarters, nickels, dimes, corroded pennies, and spent .22 shells. 

Spend .22 rounds and beer bottle cap - nice

Golf anyone? 

This week I will continue along my let's-not-get-hands-too-dirty and continue stripping the interior. I am seeing my project come together, which just reinforces, to me, the need to keep your pulled parts/equipment in an orderly manner. I have pulled so much little screws and parts that if they weren't diligently labeled everything I would be freaking out right now. 

I have an iron in the fire for an engine that I'll leave for another time. I'm seeing that as this project progresses, I see potential for other avenues for the build to go so it's difficult for me to completely know exactly what motor I want in it. Ah, it's part of the fun I suppose.