DUG OUT THE SORRELS SUNDAY FOR THE DRIVE OVER TO ELSIE'S FOR BOWLING.  REMOVED THE THREE YEARS OF DUST AND WAS ON MY WAY.  I WASN'T CONVINCED THEY WERE MINE BECAUSE THEY SEEMED AWEFULLY BIG, BUT I KEPT SLIPPING THEM ON BECAUSE THEY WERE THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T BOTHER TO BEND OVER TO TIE THEM.  TODAY'S THREE TRIPS TO THE GROCERY STORE WAS PROOF THAT SORRELS ARE THE EQUIVALENT TO SUMMER SANDALS.

THEN THE DISCOVERY.  IT JUST SO HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT A PAIR OF THE CUTE LITTLE SOCK SLIPPERS (YOU KNOW THE ONES THAT KINDA LOOK LIKE MARY JANE'S) THAT NOT ONLY DO THE SORRELS FIT BETTER AND YOUR FEET STAY WARMER BUT WHEN YOU SLIP THEM OFF, NO COLD SHOCK AND YOUR GOOD TO KEEP MOVING.

I'M SO PLEASED WITH MY DISCOVERY I PLAN ON GETTING A VARIETY OF SLIPPER SOCKS SO I CAN FINISH THE SEASON IN MY WINTER SANDALS.

YOU KNOW THOSE MOMENTS WHEN YOU'VE PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER THAT YOU REALIZE... OK NOW I GET IT.  IT IS MUCH LIKE THE TIME I WAS IN THE PUBLIC BATHROOM, ALONE, WITHOUT TOILET PAPER IN MY STALL.  IT BECAME VERY CLEAR WHY THE GIRLS ASK THEIR FRIENDS TO GO WITH THEM. 

I HAD A MOMENT OF CLARITY THIS MORNING WHILE OUT IN THE POORLY LIGHTED GARAGE FOR MY COFFE AND CIGARETTE.  THIS WEEK I SWITCHED TO A THERMAL TRAVEL MUG WITHOUT A HANDLE.  IT IS NOW PERFECTLY CLEAR WHY THERMAL TRAVEL MUGS HAVE HANDLES.  THE HANDLE IS WHAT HELPS YOU DEFINE WHERE THE HOLE IN THE LID IS AND PREVENTS BURNS AND AWKWARD DRIPPING.

SHARE A MOMENT OF CLARITY THAT WOULD HELP OTHERS TO PREVENT AWKWARD SITUATIONS.

AM I THE ONLY ONE?  I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT NO ONE ELSE OUT THERE ISN'T THE TINIEST BIT FANATICAL ABOUT BOWLING.

I HAVE SO MUCH FUN WITH MY TEAM MATES.  THE FLAKES & CAKE MOST OFTEN MAKE ME LAUGH SO HARD I HAVE TO SNORT.  JUST LOOK AT THE FLAKES (ON THE RIGHT WITH BLUE BALLS) IN THE GALLERY.  THEY ARE JUST THAT HUMOROUS EVERY WEEK.  AND WE AREN'T EVEN IN THE TOP 5 OF OUR LEAGUE.  AND WE WOULD BE PROUD TO TAKE HOME THE LAST PLACE TROPHY.  HEY, AT LEAST WE'D HAVE ONE.

AND COME NEXT THURSDAY (AFTER TURKEY, PUN INTENDED) I WILL BECOME A TEAM MATE OF THE WILD DOGS AT CEDARVALE.  SUBSTITUTE LONG ENOUGH SOMEWHERE...  SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SNORTING MORE OFTEN.

I'D REALLY LIKE IT IF YOU ALL WOULD SHARE YOUR  STORIES TOO.

THIS MORNING MY MUSTANG WENT INTO STORAGE.  LAST NIGHT MY SON ASKED IF HE COULD DRIVE IT IN (FOR STORAGE PURPOSES) SO I DIDN'T EVEN TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DRIVE IT ONE LAST TIME.  MY HUSBAND SUGGESTED THAT I DRIVE MY MUSTANG THIS WEEK.  I WAS NOT READY TO.  I WAS UNWILLING TO MANUALLY OPEN AND CLOSE THE GARAGE DOOR ON MY WAY TO WORK.  MY SON NOT ONLY MANUALLY OPENED AND CLOSED THE GARAGE DOOR HE HAD TO MOVE MY MITSU OUT OF THE WAY.  WE DON'T LET HIM DRIVE THE MUSTANG MUCH.  NOW I'LL JUST LOOK FORWARD TO SPRING.

GOOD THING I BOUGHT A PRETTY NEW WINTER COAT.  MAKES ME WANT THE WEATHER TO BECOME COLD ENOUGH TO WEAR IT.  AND THEN WHEN SPRING COMES ALONG I HAVE A FAB CAR TO LOOK FORWARD TOO.

For the Girl that likes to go… Fast!  A woman's perspective of the GTO. 

Now it was never my intent to own a 1969 GTO Judge.  But now that one is in my life it has given me a new perspective.

I was born in 1961 so when the high school boys were able to afford cars, they were buying the fastest used cars of the era.  When I was 16/17 I was hanging out with the girl that had a 1970 Challenger.  Boy we had a bunch of fun cruisin' "main" street on Friday and Saturday nights with that car.  I had a boyfriend that owned a Ford Galaxie 500 and her boyfriend had 1969 Camero (my husband now) and his best buddy had a 1969 Chevelle.  So there are plenty of car related stories that we look over our shoulder to see where the kids are 'cause they can’t hear these stories until they're at least 25 or living independently and have their own insurance.  My history has even given me the opportunity to see a Dick Trickle stock car racing engine built from the block up and I got to see that engine blow up at the LaCrosse raceway.

So, given "my era" I appreciate cars that go fast, sound great and have sleek bodylines.  Because that has always been my motivation towards a vehicle; does it look good, because it really has to look good, does it have that distinctive rumble and can it go… fast.  And (did I mention) it has to look good.  Because in the 80's and early 90's when I could afford a car it had to look good and there were so many that didn't look so good.

Our first vehicle purchase was a 1982 Ford EXP Turbo Coupe.  Hey, we traded our completely rusted out VW Beetle for way over book value for that.  I should tell you that my husband was looking at a completely different vehicle and when passing the EXP on the lot said - if you’ll make me a great deal on that we’ll purchase it.  Of course I made no objection; it was way better looking than the vehicle we were looking at.  So we had several years of fun going fast in the little Turbo Coupe.

We spent several years with practical vehicles after the kids outgrew the car seats that were tied down to the cargo area in the EXP.  Then there was an opportunity to have a fast car from back in the day.  We were using the 35W frontage road in Lakeville during road construction and there she was – my 1971 red Ford Mustang convertible.  She has really great lines, personally I prefer the curves my '71 has, compared to the 60's.  We got her for a good price because she needed a lot of work and she goes as fast as her 302 2-barrel will allow.

Now I thought we had all the vehicles we could possibly want until we were watching the Lakefront Days parade and a black 1969 GTO Judge went by.  My husband said, "that would be a great car to have" and I said, "Cindy’s selling the Judge".  The husband was just amazed that I hadn't shared the fact that the Judge was for sale.  But I was completely unaware that my husband thought he wanted to own the Judge.  The Mustang hadn't been out of storage for at least 2 seasons.  I was sure he had lost interest in going… fast.

What I failed to understand was that my husband was interested in going… faster.  I had ridden in the Judge once prior to owning it.  It was a cool ride but I didn't have the perspective of driving it, so I had no idea what the big deal was about owning the Judge.  Now I know!  That car is so amazing to drive.  I have yet to experience another vehicle that gives me the adrenaline rush in shifting through the gears and making it go…fast.  Riding in the Judge is fun but the exhilaration is the driving of it.  Everybody needs the perspective of driving the Judge.