"I spend money on weird stuff" is pretty much this site's motto, isn't it?

I had to look up the specs of an old job today, because we're working on something similar, and I got curious and wanted to see how it looked on Google street view. Yep, there it is:

So I started checking out some of my other signs, and found a few. Most of the signs I design are interior ADA/Braille type stuff, but the exterior ones are way more fun to work on...

These two are cooler looking at night; the letters are halo-lit on both.

And this monster is 13 feet long and weighs about 400 pounds. We had to hoist it into place with a forklift.

A year ago today, I bought my '95 Corolla for $500. I gave myself a challenge to see if I could keep it on the road for a year only spending another $500, not counting fuel or insurance. Well, today is one year, and I'm still under a grand, at $962 total.

I've only put about 5000 miles on it in that time, granted, but that's daily use for most of the year (I only worked form home for about six weeks), two trips to the Gorge, and one trip to the coast. Average fuel economy over that time has been around 28 mpg, which means I've used about 178 gallons of gas over the year. Figure the average price has been around $2.50 a gallon, and that puts my fuel costs at around $450 for the year.

Insurance is nearly nothing; I think our multi-car discount almost makes up for the basic liability insurance on this thing.

What surprises me most, however, is that I acually like this thing. It's kind of a fun car to drive. It handles pretty well, in that loosey-goosey old-car way, and while it's not what you'd call quick, the engine has a good growly note to it that makes it fun to wind out in second and third gear getting on the highway. Hell, I'm even getting used to the "Toyota Racing Taupe" color.

So what now? Well, I think I might start throwing a little money at it when I can. It's just a couple hundred shy of 250,000 miles, and I think it's got a lot left in it. Fixing a few things rather than living with them (the non-functional high-heam headlight switch, for example), and refreshing some functional-but-tired mechanical bits (struts and suspension bushings) would make it even nicer to live with, I think. I'll probably leave it ugly and beat-up on the outside, at least for now; it's relaxing to drive a car that I don't need to care about in parking lots.

It's a new feeling for me: I own three vehicles, all three run, drive, and are street-legal, and I don't want to get rid of any of them, and I don't want to buy anything else. (At least, not until I have more garage space, then it's Fiat X1/9 time.) So I guess I'll just keep driving them and fixing stuff.

So happy anniversary, little Corolla. Glad you're here. Long may you run.

...but damn, look what these kids are driving! Both of these are a good 10 years older than their owners. Hope the little shits appreciate them... (j/k, they're both good guys.)

Usually my job as a "sign guy" is pretty dull. But occasionally, I get to work on a big cool intricate project, and it is such fun to watch it come together. This is a monument sign for a new high-end hotel being built. It's a powder-coated steel cabinet with a tongue-and-groove cedar face. Ths cedar will be stained a medium brown, and then the name of the hotel will go on in polished stainless steel letters.

I've been working on this project for over a year now, from design meetings with the architects and owners, to getting permits from the city, to working with the metal fabricator. I designed the whole sign package for the entire building, from this big monument right down to the restroom signs, but it's this big thing I'm most proud of. I can't wait to see it finished and installed.

The only trouble is that seeing this come together kinda makes me wish I was still working out in the shop, instead of up front in the office...

@kleebrz Every time this "but modern cars are so much faster" argument comes up, I have the same thought: So what? I'll take cool over fast, and engaging over predictable, every time.

Friend of mine posted this on FB. More than a little truth in it.

That's not a Jeep. This is:

If you can't hose out the interior, or stick mangets to the dash, it doesn't count.

This is what trucks are for:

And in case you're wondering what the river rock was for, new driveway lights:

Behold, the green machine, in all its 4-speed manual, ex USFS glory...

@rusty-vandura I don't often eat leftovers for lunch (scared of the office microwave), but we make sure my wife has lunches. I usually just make a sandwich.

We frequently cook things that we can get 2 full dinners out of, too: crock pots of soup, or a lasagna, or something. Since it's just the two of us, food like that goes a long way.

Bampor would make a great name for a D&D character. I'm picturing a dwarven fighter.

Just got my second dose. First one knocked me on my ass all day, so I took the day off.

But in a spectacular display of bad planning, I need to take my wife to a doctor's appointment before I can go home and rest.

@beefchips Ford Econoline or Chevy Express van, in white, slightly beat-up, with ladder racks and logos from some generic-sounding plumbing or electrical contractor.

@nauraushaun I think I had a Matchbox car of one of these...

@chariotoflove That'e impressive. My record was 7 in a Rabbit, but that was out of necessity; we took two cars to the beach at Wisconsin Point and the other one broke down, so we had to get everyone back to town. 7 people in a Rabbit, at 2 am, over five miles of dirt logging roads to get back to the highway. Ah, to be young and stupid again...

@highlander Bah. CEL on one of these is just its way of saying "hi." Any little thing sets them off, just plug in a code reader and clear it.

@flatisflat TheT-bird and the J10 would make a hell of a 2 car garage.

@hugz Decent car, a little boring, but reliable and comfy. This is overpriced by a thousand or two, though.

@pixel What about belts from some convertible from the '70s? I think those had the retractor on the floor, and the shoulder loop attached to the seat back. I don't know if it could be adapted to a different seat, but it's worth looking into.