The Infinite Loop of Groundhog Day
Pablo came to get me around the time Frank's shop opened. After acquiring my coffee ration for the day, I talked to Frank about stereo issues. The stereo guys had held the car for several days, even though Arbey had installed the alarm and done all the stereo wiring he had wanted to do in the first day. I know Frank wasn't trying to play the blame game, but I was noticeably disappointed. The stereo guys said they'd tint the window, and they didn't even do that.
It seems that the main struggle for these two entities is that each one wants to receive the car in its completed state in terms of the other entity's work, but neither one wants to complete the job before the other has installed all of their components. Since Allen (stereo) and Frank (upholstery) already knew each other, I didn't think I'd have to be around to manage the details of how they did their work. I admit I don't know much, but since I'm funding this venture, apparently my being around to make some sort of executive decision about every little thing was imperative.
Frank called Art, recommendor of shitty stereo guy Admir, to see if he had a person who could come out and tint the back window for me. By the point, the encasing and bracket for the TV had been made, but not installed. Since Art still feels bad about Admir trying to rip me off, he sent a guy over right away who tinted the back window on both sides so it's practically solid black. After some hesitation, I had him tint the other two back windows. I wanted to keep those clear so I could show off some pink and white curtains, but I know I'm not going to get to making those for another couple of months.
Art came over a little while later to check out the car. He wanted to talk about Admir, who I'm still in the process of suing. Apparently, he's shitting his pants over this debt he owes me, and I had to gently remind Art that wouldn't be the case if he were innocent.
As we parted ways, Art said something about the cops leaving me alone while I'm on the road, given the size and nature of my vehicle.
"Well, I would expect them to, since I don't plan on breaking any laws," I replied.
Yeah, I can be kind of a righteous fuck sometimes.
Allen came by over the course of the day, speaking mostly on administrative matters of payment and when he was going to record the car as having left the shop. I wanted to grab him and say, "Do you understand that I'm 1200 miles away from where I want to be? Did you know I'm here on my own dime, waiting for a car that has taken 10 months to finish? And instead of telling me how you're going to finish your piece of the job, you want to talk about what you're going to write down on a fucking piece of paper??"
My facial expressions must have communicated at least some of that because Arbey and another person from his shop were at Frank's that afternoon, working in tandem with Frank's guys like I wanted to have happen all along. Frank said they were pissed, but they held my car for several days that could have been productive, so they could go ahead and be pissed. Allen plainly stated that Saturday is their busiest day, so basically, my car was an afterthought. Well, we are now entering the "after" period during which you will be thinking about it.
By the end of the day, everything was almost done, but not quite. Since it's Groundhog Day, I'm preparing myself to wake up in the same hotel, maybe with some Sonny and Cher playing on the clock radio. But I'm not as mean and crotchety as Bill Murray was in that movie... Maybe...
Frank took a bunch of pictures of the car throughout the day, but I don't have them yet. The rear cabin is basically done and most of what's left is electrical and lighting-related. Here's a quick snapshot I took with my phone during one of the few short periods of the day when there weren't several guys working on the car:
It seems that the main struggle for these two entities is that each one wants to receive the car in its completed state in terms of the other entity's work, but neither one wants to complete the job before the other has installed all of their components. Since Allen (stereo) and Frank (upholstery) already knew each other, I didn't think I'd have to be around to manage the details of how they did their work. I admit I don't know much, but since I'm funding this venture, apparently my being around to make some sort of executive decision about every little thing was imperative.
Frank called Art, recommendor of shitty stereo guy Admir, to see if he had a person who could come out and tint the back window for me. By the point, the encasing and bracket for the TV had been made, but not installed. Since Art still feels bad about Admir trying to rip me off, he sent a guy over right away who tinted the back window on both sides so it's practically solid black. After some hesitation, I had him tint the other two back windows. I wanted to keep those clear so I could show off some pink and white curtains, but I know I'm not going to get to making those for another couple of months.
Art came over a little while later to check out the car. He wanted to talk about Admir, who I'm still in the process of suing. Apparently, he's shitting his pants over this debt he owes me, and I had to gently remind Art that wouldn't be the case if he were innocent.
As we parted ways, Art said something about the cops leaving me alone while I'm on the road, given the size and nature of my vehicle.
"Well, I would expect them to, since I don't plan on breaking any laws," I replied.
Yeah, I can be kind of a righteous fuck sometimes.
Allen came by over the course of the day, speaking mostly on administrative matters of payment and when he was going to record the car as having left the shop. I wanted to grab him and say, "Do you understand that I'm 1200 miles away from where I want to be? Did you know I'm here on my own dime, waiting for a car that has taken 10 months to finish? And instead of telling me how you're going to finish your piece of the job, you want to talk about what you're going to write down on a fucking piece of paper??"
My facial expressions must have communicated at least some of that because Arbey and another person from his shop were at Frank's that afternoon, working in tandem with Frank's guys like I wanted to have happen all along. Frank said they were pissed, but they held my car for several days that could have been productive, so they could go ahead and be pissed. Allen plainly stated that Saturday is their busiest day, so basically, my car was an afterthought. Well, we are now entering the "after" period during which you will be thinking about it.
By the end of the day, everything was almost done, but not quite. Since it's Groundhog Day, I'm preparing myself to wake up in the same hotel, maybe with some Sonny and Cher playing on the clock radio. But I'm not as mean and crotchety as Bill Murray was in that movie... Maybe...
Frank took a bunch of pictures of the car throughout the day, but I don't have them yet. The rear cabin is basically done and most of what's left is electrical and lighting-related. Here's a quick snapshot I took with my phone during one of the few short periods of the day when there weren't several guys working on the car:
posted by Unknown at
11:36 PM
1 Comments:
Wow! I've looked at the new Picassa photos and I have to admit, had I been drinking something, I'd have had a spit take on my hands. And desk. And keyboard. Great shot at the end of this post.
Amazing to see how far this thing has come from a gutted corpse bus. I know it's taken you almost a year and a lot of money, but I think she looks truly impressive. And pink.
What are the holes in the passenger area on the driver side for?
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