Well, I am finally getting around to this.
I'm 43 years old, a single father of two divorced for the last 10 years. My
14 year old daughter lives with her moms (but spends a lot of time with me)
and my 16 year old son has lived with me full time since second grade. I've
lived in a small town kind of suburb of LA for the last 12 years, and in
Chicago for all of my life before that. I own a small computer consulting
business developing software on the IBM AS/400. I've worked in software
development (starting on mainframes) from 1977 to present.
I must admit I'm quite a bit different than most others I have read about on
the list in one way -- I basically lived the first 40 years of my life
missing the normal "car guy" gene. While I enjoyed driving nice cars, and
driving in general, I had basically always considered them basically an
"appliance". Two years ago that changed when I bought a friend's Spitfire
basically just to do him a favor. That started things rolling a bit, but the
fever took off big time only after discovering this list. Having never
really been into cars I had no experience at all in any maintenance or
repair. A couple of months reading the list convinced me (or at least fooled
me into thinking?) that I too could learn to do all the stuff you were
writing about. So I started reading up on Triumphs and planning to some day
buy a "project car". I settled on a TR3B if I could find one in the correct
(which means requiring total rebuild) shape. Oddly enough I found a for sale
ad for one 30 miles away within a week of coming to this decision. After
some early bouts with Shipwright I soon found an empty frame sitting in my
driveway. My current cars are a 1995 Infiniti Q45 (great driving car), 1977
Spitfire (driven daily, mostly by my son), and my beloved 1962 TR3B.
My only other significant hobby is dancing. I do West Coast Swing, Two-Step,
Hustle, Waltz, Cha-Cha and basically any dance where I get to hold onto the
girl (after 10 years of being divorced I am jealous of all you guys who are
in many decade marriages. Congratulations --- I know that is a far greater
accomplishment than anything we achieve with the cars!) I enter competitions
and even was in the world championships once. All of this has only taken
place within the last 3 or 4 years --- prior to that you had to give me a
6-pack at wedding to get me out on the floor.
Well, that's more than long enough --- I apologize. Thanks again for the
list for giving me this hobby!
Dave Moag
62 TR3B
77 Spitfire
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