My Career (to Date) as an Automotive Journalist: The Beginning

In 2012, I was working a desk job that I hated.  I realized whenever I had a free moment I was reading about cars, watches or menswear.  In fact, I started this blog about those three exact things.  I knew I had to make a change.

I already had my bachelor's degree in management and a brief check of the classes I would need to finish to get a second degree, albeit an associate degree, at Austin Community College revealed I only needed nine more hours!  I soon enrolled in an online continuing education class that would teach me how to write for magazines, quit my soul-crushing flunky position and turned in all of the required ACC enrollment paperwork.

One of my classes - Critical Issues in Journalism - was on-campus and taught by a local news anchor.  He was so passionate about politics and the history of journalism that I felt kind of lucky to be in the class.  Even if I don't share your interests, I can absolutely respect and smile at your enthusiasm.

When it came time to write my term paper, I was, at first, tempted to write about Richard Nixon, whose career fascinates me.  However, I didn't want to write about Watergate or all of the hackneyed topics associated with "Tricky Dick."

I was going to go out on a limb and try to start my automotive journalism career early by writing about the media biases and practices applied to and exploited by the late John Z. DeLorean.  (That A-quality paper can be found here.)

Notttt you!

My second class was News Writing I.  Luckily, I was able to take it online.  That didn't make it any easier, though.  Some of the assignments were real nail-biters.  My failure to grasp certain points in assignments was reflected in my grades, but I didn't make those mistakes again.  I ended up bumping along and learning my way to an A. 

I soon got involved with ACC's student newspaper, the Accent.  I proposed writing about male campus fashion, an interest that was not represented at the time.  (The next semester I would write an automotive journalism article for them.)

I finished the semester with As in both classes and by writing about another one of my interests: James Bond.  My review of the movie "Skyfall" would lead to my winning 2nd place in Critical Review from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association.  (The awards ceremony took place in April of 2013.  I had no idea I was even up for an award, so I didn't attend it.  Ah, regrets...)

I had no idea how career-shaping my next (and final) semester would be.  And you won't know until you read the next installment in this series (coming soon)...

I Took My Time Machine to the Mechanic, Part Two

When I last left you in this two-part series, I had just taken my Omega Seamaster, model 2301.21, to Russell Korman for a repair estimate.

The shop is in North Austin and shares a parking lot with a block of other shops.  When you walk in, you see an armed guard behind a counter.  Kind of intimidating, but comforting at the same time.   You'll see the usual glass cases full of glistening stones and shiny baubles and gleaming timepieces.  Among those watches are the Rolex and Omega brands, a rare sight in a retail store in Austin.  A few years ago, Omega pulled out of Ben Bridge stores and Bailey Banks & Biddle stopped selling watches altogether.  So, Russell Korman is like a candy store for a watch nut, especially one who owns/enjoys Omegas.

When I dropped my Seamaster off for a quote, I was told I would receive a call with the price and necessary repairs and parts within a week or two, if I remember correctly.  I was thinking they would get back to me with a figure higher than the amount I paid for the watch itself.  When the call finally came, I was told my baby would need a "Clean, Oil and Adjust" (of course) as well as a new mainspring, reverser wheel and bearing; the original bearing had worn down to a malfunctioning shape.  I asked if I could keep the parts they replaced and my contact at Russell Korman gave the in-house watch repairman a note to set them aside for me.  I also requested, as part of the estimate, the cost of replacing a missing link pin and tube which had been replaced by the previous owner with what I could only guess was part of a paperclip.

I was pleased to learn that all those repairs, including the new link pin and tube, would cost about half of what I had expected they would, partly because they would give me a discount for having the repairs performed and the link pieces installed at the same time.  The Omega-authorized technician would adjust my watch to run within COSC chronometer specs (-4 seconds/+6 seconds a day) and the shop would provide a one-year warranty for the work performed.  Also, if the watch ended up not keeping time to my satisfaction, I could take it back in to have it tuned to my individual wearing habits.

I put down the necessary 25 percent deposit over the phone and Russell Korman set about ordering the required parts.  I was told to expect a call in four or five weeks telling me to pick up my revived timepiece.  

The day after I received that long-awaited call, I made the trek up north.  When the sales person brought out my watch, I noticed something about it looked a little different from when I had brought it in.  Could it be?  Yes.  Yes, they had refinished the case, bezel and bracelet!  The best part?  There was no charge for it.  That saved me about 150 dollars and transformed my watch into like-new condition.  It's never looked better.  Hopefully, I won't need to have it mechanically serviced for another five to eight years.

At one point, I had given up on ever owning this watch.  At another point, I had resigned myself to never having it work again.  Now, it's back, working perfectly and looking as if it just came from Switzerland. 

Please forgive the borders - I took these pictures from my Instagram page.

Back and better than ever.

My old gaskets and what I assume is my watch's original reverser wheel.

Big thanks to Russell Korman Jewelry.  If you're in the Austin area and want to see some beautiful watches or have yours worked on, give them a visit.

If you're reading this, which watch brands do you like?  Which brands do you own?  

"Le Mans" Movie Night at the Long Center

     After much weather-related going back and forth Thursday night, my friends Dan and Sarah and I went to watch a free showing of the Steve McQueen classic "Le Mans" on the lawn in front of the Long Center.  I thought it would get rained out, but that didn't happen.  However, the rain that did fall earlier brought a stretch of severe humidity in its aftermath.  Ugh!  

     I think others had my same fear.  I thought there would be a ton of event staff and patrons there, but the potential for rain must have scare a lot of them off.  There were two race cars present and a few girls in skin-tight red dresses handing out World Endurance Championship flags and pocket notebooks before the movie started.  Yay for swag!

     On the way to Sandy's Hamburgers, we came upon a Ferrari FF parked at the bottom of the stairs of the Long center, courtesy of Ferrari of Austin.  I must say, it's certainly a departure from traditional Ferrari styling and body styles - and that's not a good thing.  I couldn't seem to find an angle from which the car looked good.  I never thought I'd miss the 612 Scaglietti.  However, it was nice to see the 651-horsepower oddity "in the metal" for the first time.

     After dinner and returning to our cars to pick up a folding chair and a blanket, we walked back to the lawn and discovered the Long Center started the movie early.  We probably only missed five minutes or so.  It was just as well that we did.  "Le Mans," while rife with what I would imagine were cutting-edge filming techniques and breath-taking crashes (no CGI in 1971),  failed as a movie.  There was very little dialogue, no chemistry between Steve McQueen and Elga Andersen and too many shots that lasted WAAAAYYY too long.  "How many shots of the crowd do we need?!  We get it!  They're there to see the race."  It almost felt as if the director was going to spend the 24 Hours of Le Mans just showing audiences people sleeping on the ground and guys in weird hats.

     Despite that, my friends and I had a good time, especially once the air cooled and the breeze rolled in.

     Did any of you catch the "Le Mans" showing?  What do you think of the movie?  Who's going to the races at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend?

I Went Back to School...for the Second Time

As part of one of my upcoming freelance articles, I went to Driveway Austin on Saturday to take part in its Foundations of Road Racing course...in my father's stripped-down 2003 Toyota Corolla.  *sarcasm* Whee!  *sarcasm* 

Since I'll be doing a separate piece on the course for my local paper (stay tuned to Watches, Whips and Wardrobe for that article), I'll keep things here brief and simple, but I will give you a little eyecandy that won't be in my newspaper story.

My main take-away from the course was that you should do four things (among others) when you drive around a track, as well as public roads:

1.) Consider where (front to back, side to side) and when you transfer the weight of your car, which is shifted around by throttle, steering and brake application and affects your tires' grip.  If you don't manage your car's weight shifting properly, it can work against you and slow you down.  It can even make you spin out.  I should know.  It happened to me!
2.) Always look ahead.  If you're approaching the entrance to a curve, you should already be looking at the apex.  When hitting the apex, look for the exit.  Connect the dots as you go.
3.) Strive for consistency.  Dissect the track into sectors, then give yourself goals for each one.  Once you're able to meet those goals, you can start knocking off lap times very close to each other.
4.) Be smooth.  Never jerk your steering wheel, stomp your brakes or jab your throttle.  All of those actions can upset your vehicle's balance by shifting its weight in counterproductive ways.

A couple of tips from yours truly:
1.) Drink plenty of water.  You will sweat it out, especially if you keep your A/C off to be gentle on your car.  Intense concentration and nervous energy, combined with plenty of leg, foot, arm and hand movement and blistering track temperatures of 140 to 150 degrees will leave you a perspiring, stinky mess...and a smile on your face.
2.) Remove anything that can move around or make distracting noise from your passenger compartment and your trunk.  I made the mistake of thinking my trunk wouldn't be a problem since its contents couldn't shift and hit me.  There were gobs of my dad's tools and gardening and building supplies in there which I had to unload in front of my fellow students.  Not cool.

Now for that eyecandy.  When I was in pit lane, I had to move my car so that the track crew could unload a storage container.  Once its doors were swung apart, I got a glimpse of the candy red, wide-ended beast within...

Of course it's red!

Hmmm...  This doesn't look like a street-spec 458 Italia...

This car must be a real "Challenge" to drive.  (Wocka wocka!)

 

As you might expect, this Ferrari sounded amazing.  My classmates and I got earfuls of its loud, angry V8 wail.  Just by watching it dart and jink around the track like a 4-wheeled laser beam, you could tell its suspension must have been as stiff as a jet fuel martini.  The driver had to have been rattled, but I'm sure it was worth it.

I got a nice little surprise at the end of the day.  Driveway Austin's owner, a former Le Mans racer, gave us all our own mementos to commemorate our day at the track...

What about you all, readers?  Do you have any performance driving training?  Any plans on attaining it?  Feel free to share in the comments section.

I Took My Time Machine to the Mechanic, Part One

     In 2008, I got my first "big boy" job out of college.  I was making the most money I'd ever made in my life, so I decided it was time to buy the watch I'd been lusting after for the past eight years: the Omega Seamaster Professional chronometer, model 2531.80, aka "The James Bond Watch."  I did my research to make sure I got an authentic specimen on eBay, and I've been enjoying it ever since.

Omega Seamaster Professional, model 2531.80.  Cue the James Bond theme music.

     Flash forward to 2009.  I'm still at my big boy job, trapped in a mind-numbing tax code training class. My fellow inmate, Paul, notices the Bond watch on my wrist.  He says that he, too, owns an Omega and that he'll wear it the following Monday.  Monday comes and we both try on each other's watch.  His is an older model Seamaster, a cross between a De Ville and a Seamaster.  The white face and two-tone gold-and-stainless-steel construction make it dressy, but the metal Seamaster bracelet and the wave pattern on the dial keep it somewhat sporty.  I instantly start wondering if Paul would consider selling his timepiece of the last 10 years.  However, given my lack of cash at the time, I do not give voice to my curiosity.

     To my pleasant surprise, Paul approaches me a few weeks later, giving me first dibs on purchasing his watch.  I make a cash offer he rejects as too low.  He proceeds to list the Seamaster on eBay and I resign myself to buying that model Seamaster a few years later.  Flying out to visit my buddy Jacob in California takes my mind off the near-miss.

     The day after I returned from California, I received a voicemail from Paul.  In a fit of sentimentality, he decided to return the money to the winning eBay bidder and hold on to the watch that he loved.  However, he ended up contacting me because he was hard-up for money and absolutely needed to sell the watch.

     I met Paul and his young daughter over lunch the next day.  Paul honored my original offer (which was less than what he would've received from his eBay buyer) and I went home with a time-telling trophy.

Omega Seamaster, model 2301.21.

I still thought it was beautiful, scratches and all.

     

     I enjoyed my second Seamaster for several months and one night...it all ended.  I heard something pop when I was winding the watch and from that point forward, the watch wouldn't wind or keep time at all.

     Thinking it would cost more to fix the watch then the amount I spent on it, I never looked into getting it fixed.  I would pretend it worked when I wore it...to sleep.  

     Earlier this year, my mom convinced me to take it into the Russell Korman jewelry store for a free repair quote, just to see if it would cost as much as I thought it would.  And that is where Part Two of this tale picks up.  Look for it soon...

My First Writing Award and My New Writing Job!

     Hello again, everyone. 

     I've been busy lately.  I won 2nd Place in Critical Review with the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association for my review of "Skyfall" in last winter's print issue of Austin Community College's Accent student newspaper.  Special thanks to my wonderful, talented editor, Era Sundar!  I've attached the scans of the piece below:

Page 1.

Page 2.

    
     I've also been given the opportunity to keep the blog and facebook page for Austin-based Last Act Theatre Company's newest play, "The Happy Couple."  (I'm also acting in it, as Billy.)  I'll keep readers and followers updated on character and play developments from the rehearsal process through the show's run.  Check out Last Act Theatre Company's blog, here, and its facebook page, here.

A Little Spring in My Step

     I'm excited about March 20th, the first day of spring.  I've enjoyed wearing lambswool sweaters, corduroy pants, camel hair flat caps, my beard and colorful scarves this winter, but I find spring clothing a lot more fun (and plentiful in my closet).  I love the texture of seersucker, the coolness of linen, the "pop" of pastel pinks and lavenders, and the refreshing, clean look of white bucks and accessories (like the Swatch White Rebel). 
     Being a hard-liner for things that mean nothing to others, I won't shave my winter facial hair until the first day of spring.  I'll also wait until March 20th to break out some very spring time shoes (I'm looking at you, linen) that I haven't worn yet: the Johnston and Murphy Ellington Wingtips.  Jos. A. Bank had a great sale on these that I stumbled across, so I had to get them.




Johnston and Murphy Ellington Wingtips

   I think these shoes will go well with this outfit...



     A little info: These Ellingtons started life as the Dolby wingtip saddle shoe last year.  I spoke to the manager of the J&M store a couple of months ago and she told me the only difference between the Dolby and these Ellingtons is the material used for the sole.  So glad they decided to keep this design because I didn't get a pair of the Dolbys in my size when I had the chance.
     So here's to spring!  I hope you all have a wonderful one full of good times and wonderful memories.

P.S.  If you've never checked out Jos. A. Bank before, take a look at their site.