Category: My Life

And I’m at the airport on my way to Galapagos. This is gonna be an exciting trip but I sure wish that Charlie was coming with me.

However, it will be great to be away from him for a bit as well.

We’ve spent every single day together since I got back from Christmas. Just the time he’s at work and one day where he went and spent the day with Eric..

Things are going great. I am of Course anxious about everything and feel clingy sometimes. I wish he would express more of his feelings.

I hate still seeing fuck Eric’s name pop up on the screen. Charles told me that I should be the bigger man and reach out to Eric to kick things off with him. I told Calvin and he said no! I Told Charlie a few days later that I think he needs to be the one to start things. The night the two of them hung out they talked about me and hanging out again. Eric says he’s not ready apparently.

The biggest thing I don’t like about Charlie is that I feel he just doesn’t express interest in things. Like today was our last day together before my birthday and trip. If he had been the one leaving, I would have planned a day together. Some nice activity, dinner somewhere. etc. He didn’t plan anything.

I ask him probing questions like “where would you want our first interatnaion trip together to be”. But he never asks me questions like that.

I’ve noticed too that he’s been less “lovey” via text. Less emoticons, stuff like that. I brought it up with him the other day and we got into a bit of an argument. He said that he though things like “going to the grocery store together” were advancing the relationship. I guess so, but why does that mean you have to stop sending kissy face?

I dunno. maybe I’m just fucking childish about shit like this. I want him to send me kissy faces. I want him to say he misses me. I want him to come and hug and kiss me.

I feel like I’m the one who’s always expressing these things now.

He dropped me off at the airport today and I felt like he was being a bit emotional. I felt like he was sad to see me go. But he didn’t express it at all. We hugged, kissed goodbye, hugged some more. And then left.

I guess I”m probably just being too emotional and over thinking it. I expect too much.

He does some super cute stuff, we have good times together. We hold hands in the car, we cuddle all night long. But it’s just never enough for me. What is enough!

We have spent so much time together recently. When we’re together, I am happy. I enjoy the time but then when we are apart I am anxious AF.

I’ve seen changes already, I dunno what’s going on and my mind runs crazy. We used to text all day long, now he barely texts me at all. The last few days he’s been texting me “I got to work safe” and today nothing.

I think about it over and over again, is he getting bored. Is he frustrated.

But he does so many nice things. Like last night he picked up dinner for us.

I am leaving in a week for Galapagos. We will see how that goes. Maybe some time apart will be good for us.

We got into a bit of a tiff the other night in SF. He’s been so quiet lately, I try to tell him a story and he just doesn’t reply at all. He sits there and watched tiktoc without saying anything.

We went to a bar that night and he spent the whole night just holding onto me, putting his head on my shoulder.

I just don’t get it. I am so confused. I think things are great but at the same time I Just can’t help but think that things will end at any moment. He will say “I’m bored” and leave. Or something like that.

Top 10 list for restoration
1. Don’t completely disassemble the car the first weekend! Make a plan
first!!!!
a. Make a decision on what kind of project this is. Resto mod? Nut and
bolt resto? Nice driver? Your budget, time and resources will dictate this.
b. Create a working timeline that allows you to visualize the order in
which you will complete the car. Body before paint, engine rebuild before
decals, etc.
c. Every time you go into the garage to work, have a list of what you
want to accomplish. You will dream about this stuff…helps to get it on
paper.
d. Repair one part at a time. This keeps the project small and feasible.
Rather than looking at the engine bay and passing out….take on the
windshield wiper motor, then the wiper fluid tank, and so on.
2. Buy a set of shop manuals specific to your car. This is key to
understanding how parts go together and apart:

3. Get Organized:
a. Buy a Good DSLR camera, and take lots of photos…you never have enough.
Document the before, during and after. Organize them on your computer.
b. Plastic divider boxes for hardware. This is a better way to keep and
organize parts. Sandwich bags are only good when you are doing the initial
deconstruction. Clean them up and get them into the plastic boxes:
http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/plastic_containers/tuff_tainer/226
c. Get Shelves: in your attic, garage, closets, etc. Label boxes, group
parts and shelve them. A disassembled car takes up way more space than an
assembled car. I liked to use plastic totes…as they don’t fall apart and
stack easy.
d. Take Notes/drawings. lots of them. Keep questions together.
e. Keep a binder. Put all your questions, notes, drawings, vendors,
receipts, etc, in a binder.
f. Keep a list of vendors, with notes about each. Network locally for
guys who know what they are doing. Ask around at car shows about painters,
engine builders, etc. Do lots of interviewing. NPD is a Mustang parts
supplier…many of their parts interchange with Torino and are much much
cheaper.
g.
h. Start a Spreadsheet with expenses/source. Nice to see what you’ve got
into the car and also a running list of what you have and haven’t bought
yet.
4. Don’t rebuild the drivetrain too early: these parts come with
warranties…which run out if your project drags on. My engine sat rebuilt
for 3 or 4 years. That’s not good.
5. Bench fire/tune your engine. I didn’t do this…as I didn’t want to mess
with it. Would have been much easier and less of a headache in the long
run. For many reasons…
6. Tools: Some really nice tools to have include; Quality Air compressor,
Sand blasting cabinet, ratcheting box wrenches, dremel tool, bench vise,
good socket set, shop to work in. Harbor Freight is great for the
expendables: sand paper, rubber gloves, zip ties, etc. take your chances
with tools.
7. Learn how to paint. “Spray bombs” (spray paint) are ok…for some things.
But using a spray gun or powder coating is preferred for high impact/use
items. You can do this with a good compressor and gun…and some trial and
error.
8. Cheapo: Sometimes going cheap is not good. I learned this the hard way
with a distributor. Pay a little more for key components that are rebuilt
correctly.
9. Use the TC Forum: ask lots of questions; refer to past posts, etc. I
learned so much on there!
10. Have fun: easy to get caught up and frustrated. Take breaks, work on
easy stuff and come back to the hard stuff. These projects are not easy,
cheap or perfect…otherwise everyone would do one.