Ah, if I'd only had this 10 years ago...

Susan came to town and complained that I post too much car crap on my blog. Yeah, and??? :-) Check THIS out. In my never-ending quest for the sweetheart car that’s been babied since day one, I was cruising 502StreetScene.com and happened upon this jewel. This is a ‘Classic’ Sentra SE-R, with the original 140hp engine swapped for a Japanese SR20VE pushing at least 190 hp, probably more. Black and very clean, this thing could probably go for years, if we could keep the rust away. ...

2005-07-18 · 1 min · Harold Combs

don't laugh...

My friend scott has a ‘92 Honda Accord wagon for sale, with only 41k original miles, from one owner (his grandfather) Pics: Told my mechanic about it, and he said: “92 w/41k miles? buy it.”

2005-07-17 · 1 min · Harold Combs

MINI upgrades

Bella reports that the MINI’s current tires are about worn-out (well, the 3 that are original…had to buy a new one when I took it to Cincy a few weeks ago), so I’m looking around. Rather than buy another set for the 15x5.5" rims I’ve got on the car, I can do this: Get a set of Kosei K1 Racing wheels, 15x7" And the wrap them with a set of Kumho Ecsta 711’s in 215/55R15: ...

2005-07-13 · 1 min · Harold Combs

Coffee is such a good thing

Yes, it stains your teeth and addicts you, but man, my synapses are firing this morning. Brought the Palm Zire back from the dead. I’m working on a wedding, a rally, a honeymoon, two projects at work, housework, yardwork, buying food for the house, and looking for a car for W. My brain asploded a week ago, and I need help. It’s sitting on the charger right now. Speaking of organizing…check out this site. Can’t wait to look @ it tonight. ...

2005-07-13 · 1 min · Harold Combs

Rental Car review: Toyota Echo

Ah, the unloved Toyota Echo: Basically, this is the car that spawned Scion. Styled by Toyota’s California design center as the replacement for the utilitarian Tercel, this bug-eyed, misproportioned design is the camel of the automotive world: Better in most respects than competitors, but it’s UGLY! And so it is…these same underpinnings form the chassis of the Scion Xa and Xb. It has tiny wheels, but since it only weighs 2000lbs, the 108hp engine feels powerful. ...

2005-07-11 · 1 min · Harold Combs

Can blogging be a hobby?

I was recently filling out a registration for Hi5, which seems nothing short of a pyramid scheme to me, and one of the fields there was ‘hobbies’ I entered the standard–autocross, photography, computers–but I thought, you know I blog an awful lot. Seems like I can’t go a day or two without spewing my inner Harold all over this forum (Still militantly devoid of comments…you wanna debate me, email me. These are my own thoughts, damnit!) ...

2005-07-11 · 2 min · Harold Combs

The car business...part deux

Shout out to Jack Kain Ford, they gave me my money back with no questions asked.

2005-07-11 · 1 min · Harold Combs

Back on the grid: I have a landline...

My new house is back on the old copper wire, suckling at the teat of BellSouth. 570-8486

2005-07-10 · 1 min · Harold Combs

the saga of the wayward oldsmobile

I’ll give you the short version: On friday, I came to terms with a dealer on a 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue with 44k miles. I picked up the car Saturday after waiting THREE HOURS for the F&I guy to get his crap together. I took the car to Mike Jansen and he said it was..umm..okay. It’d been in a front end and rear end collision, including replacement of the a/c condenser and the radiator. Also, the driver’s side front suspension had a bad ball-joint. ...

2005-07-10 · 1 min · Harold Combs

A morning prayer...

Lord, I hate everything about being awake and being at work right now. Give me the strength to persevere the grandstanding, the prima donnas, the power hungry, the reluctant, and my own ego until 5 pm. Amen.

2005-07-08 · 1 min · Harold Combs

Firsts

After a rather disgusting first a moment ago, I want to reflect upon the “firsts” I’ve had in my new house. First time mowing my own lawn. I don’t despise it (yet), but we’ll see how the newness wears off First time weed-whacking my own place. I still don’t like this, but I did get a pretty neat trimmer: First prayer said around my dinner table. This was an AWESOME moment. ...

2005-07-05 · 1 min · Harold Combs

Quote for the day

“Harold, Did you get dressed in the dark?”

2005-07-05 · 1 min · Harold Combs

Man, I wish my fridays were like this:

The Car Lounge: What are your friday’s like? Basically, Fridays at LXK are the “nothing can get done today” day. We don’t believe in having reasonable backups in place for people on vacation,, so summer days are nuts.

2005-07-04 · 1 min · Harold Combs

a magnificent weekend

All is well, the sun lowers, and my sprinkler tries to water my scorched lawn as I contemplate a wonderous weekend of rest, re-centering, and accustoming myself to my new house. Last night, I really felt awesome as I watched a thunderstorm to our east from my back porch, clicking away my Voigtlander on the tripod, trying to catch that elusive lightning shot with the shutter held open on ‘Bulb’. ...

2005-07-04 · 1 min · Harold Combs

Amazing film: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"

Just watched Jack Nicholson’s opus One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and I’m moved by how big this “little” film was. Nicholson playes R.P McMurphy (“Murph”), a petty con-man who talked his way from a chain gang into the insane asylum. The supporting cast is a who’s-who of character actors: Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, etc. On a level, it’s the same plot as “Cool Hand Luke”: Wiseguy gets into trouble, imprisoned by some sadist, and yet he finds a way to separate himself and enjoy his incarceration, all the while plotting his escape. It’s the same anti-establishment, anti-hero role, and it has the same tragic denoument. Also like “Luke”, this film’s hero is not the protagonist, because ultimately he’s the same static character, the catalyst for the other actors. ...

2005-07-03 · 1 min · Harold Combs

how to know you're really home

A house just isn’t a house until you find your TV remotes. Opinions on this matter differ, though :-)

2005-07-03 · 1 min · Harold Combs

Bad to bad to worse...

This is just getting nuts. We have development managers fighting project managers fighting product definition people. We have managers going behind other’s backs…crazy.

2005-06-30 · 1 min · Harold Combs

Corporatespeak of the day

“Mindshare” (n) d. ???

2005-06-30 · 1 min · Harold Combs

I hate people sometimes.

Preface: I’m sore, I’m tired, and I’m fasting in preparation for my dr’s appointment @ 12. Take that into consideration for what it’s worth. I hate the fact that an adult male cannot talk to a colleague who’s an attractive female (even though she does nothing for me) without people gossiping about them. May I just shout this: I LOVE MY FIANCEE! She is the only woman for me. I can’t generally stand other women, and this woman, in particular, over long periods of time. I marvel each day that I’ve found a woman that I not only can stand, but actually ENJOY being around and sharing my life with. ...

2005-06-29 · 1 min · Harold Combs

The new house

I sit snug and thankful in my new home, with all my stuff safely moved from my apartment to…somewhere in the vicinty of my new house. Yes, I’m living out of a box, and nothing is where it’s going to eventually end-up, but I’m here. Bad news: My GTO suffered not one, but TWO collisions today while I moved. Stu ran his trailer into my open door and dented it, and I back my mom’s dually pickup into the grille, pushing the grille in and creating a dent in the left front side of the hood.

2005-06-28 · 1 min · Harold Combs