Yin And Yang

Yin and Yang

The Chinese concept of Yin and Yang is about how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. (It’s not Ying and Yang, people; it’s Yin and Yang.)

Last night I had a dream that I would describe as Yin and Yang. I was in a hotel by myself, apparently devoid of money and the only clothes I had were the ones I was wearing. Naturally, I was distraught. A young woman who worked behind the front desk somehow sensed my situation. She whispered to me that she could help. “I shouldn’t be doing this, but nobody will know.”

She pulled out a small metal box, which I assumed contained the hotel’s petty cash, and I thought she was going to give me a few dollars. Instead, she handed me a large number of $500 bills. (Are these bills even in circulation, anymore?) Obviously, I was extremely grateful and asked her if she was sure she could do this. She just nodded; I thanked her and left with the money although I felt guilty.

The dream continued with my going home and telling my wonderful wife what happened. She didn’t believe me until I showed her the money. She was also grateful and yet felt a little tainted.

Part of me thinks this dream is a sign that I see the move to the desert as a gift leading to a better life for us, but also that I feel guilty about “leaving behind” people who are important to me. Does anyone reading care to offer an interpretation?

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From this post by Colin Windell comes this picture of the new color available for the Lexus LC, at least in South Africa.

The color is called Blazing Carnelian. Except perhaps for the front grill (dubbed “the cow catcher” by critics), I think the LC is a masterpiece in automotive design. The car has appeared in both editions of my Ultimate Garage.

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From Corvette Blogger comes two pieces of news (Yin and Yang?); the first is that due to COVID-19 causing a disruption in the supply of parts and assemblies, the Corvette production line will shut down for about a week through Monday the 19th.

The second bit of news is a “spy” photo of a 2022 Z06 in camouflage being tested at Grattan Raceway in Michigan. It is not my intent to violate any copyrights by showing this picture.

From Corvette Blogger: “The 2022 Corvette Z06 is rumored to be powered by the LT6 flat-plane-crank V8 that is currently powering the Corvette C8.R race cars. The engine has been rumored to produce somewhere around 650 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque from the naturally-aspirated 5.5L 32-valve DOHC engine.”

I have speculated before in this blog that the current base LT2 engine for the C8 could, emphasize “could,” be the last pushrod engine offered in a Corvette. Why would Chevrolet/GM put in the time, effort and money to develop DOHC architecture and yet continue to produce an “old-fashioned” pushrod engine? My 2¢.

#YinAndYang

#NewColorForLexusLC

#2022CorvetteZ06

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Yin and Yang and Yang and Yin

On this day in 2001 the Baltimore Ravens won their first Super Bowl, crushing the New York Giants 34-7. It was one of the greatest days of my life. However, I will always feel guilty about my happiness that day as that was the day my close friend Dr. Hoss buried his sister. While I don’t remember if I knew about his sister while watching the game, Dr. Hoss is the kind of person who might not have shared the news until after the Super Bowl. At that time, he was living in California, his sister was living in Maryland and I was living in Texas so we were all scattered about the country.

Dr. Hoss is a big Ravens fan and has been a season-ticket holder since his return to the Baltimore-DC area more than a decade ago. He, Dr. Zal and I have email exchanges about the Ravens although not as often as in the past.

Of course the death of a sibling should be far more significant than any sporting event, even the Super Bowl, especially if you’re not working for one of the teams involved. As I have been out of professional sports for about a decade I often find myself wondering why fans are so vested in the outcome of sports. Maybe that’s a form of “sour grapes” for me, maybe not. Still, if you’re a Chiefs fan and they win the Super Bowl on Sunday will you receive a ring? Will you receive a bonus? Did you have anything to do with the decisions made by the organization?

Oh, don’t let anyone tell you that anorexia is a legitimate lifestyle. Dr. Hoss’ sister died in her early 40s due to complications from anorexia. Believe it or not, “pro-ana” websites exist with the message that it’s OK to starve yourself.

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This post from Classic Cars gives a recap to the results of the recently concluded auto auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona. This summary is most interesting:

“It’s clear we have a collector car market that’s cooled from the highs of the previous decade, especially at the top. Yet for most car collectors — that is, those who buy cars for thousands, rather than millions of dollars — Arizona was business as usual. Barrett-Jackson drew more than 5,600 bidders and enjoyed its highest grossing week ever. Long-term owners are still realizing gains. (In the current market, owners have typically reached break-even after three years of ownership.)”

“And, as always, the best cars continued to appreciate. But price-sensitive buyers should be aware of the chill that has set in upmarket, as it could creep downward. Knowing what you’re buying and buying for enjoyment are two strategies that are as important today as ever.”

My belief is that cars should be bought for enjoyment and not as financial investments, but as an investment in the quality of life. I invest in financial instruments, in equities and in fixed income, but I buy cars that I can really enjoy.

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My feelings about this car that was sold at Barrett-Jackson are mixed. Have a look:

1990 JAGUAR XJS CUSTOM CONVERTIBLE - Side Profile - 237035

While the background is beautiful in my opinion, I’m not sure about this car. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of the Jaguar XJS (this is a 1990 model), but I don’t know if I like the wheels. Those rims are not the only custom part of the car; in fact, the car was listed as a 1990 Jaguar XJS Custom Convertible. The car has an all-Corvette drive train, probably from a C4, as the engine displaces 350 cubic inches and is mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. This custom XJS sold for $6,600 all in.

The fact that the drive train has been replaced doesn’t bother me. The XJS is not rare (over 115,000 of them were produced over 20 years) and they have never been particularly valuable. The all-Corvette drive train will certainly cost less to maintain than the stock Jaguar one. I know the wheels are an easy fix, but somehow they signal that something else about the car is off.

What do you think? Please feel free to comment on this or any other post. Please feel free to “like” any post by clicking/tapping on the “Like” button and please feel free to click on any ad for a good or service in which you have genuine interest.

#YinAndYang

#2020ScottsdaleAuctions

#1990JaguarXJS

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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It Was The Best Of Days, It Was The Worst Of Days

On this day in 1999 I moved in with the wonderful woman who has been my wife for more than 20 years.

On this day in 2004 my marvelous mom died.

For me, this day—January 9th—is a most apt metaphor for my life. I fervently wish that, just once, I could enjoy a relatively long and uninterrupted stretch of good fortune. It seems to me that such a span does occur for others.

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How to segue to something else, to anything else…

Trying to transition I will quote Thomas Jefferson via The Muscleheaded Blog:

“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.”

Once again, I hope the promise of the future is better than history.

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On this day in 1926 the first Pontiac was shown at the New York Auto Show. From 365daysofmotoring.com (unfortunately, not a secure website) is a picture of the ad for the first Poncho:

1926 Pontiac 'Chief of the Sixes' advertisement

The creation of Pontiac by General Motors as the companion make for Oakland came from GM President Alfred Sloan’s desire to create “A car for every purse and purpose.” In other words, Sloan felt that segments of the automobile market existed for which GM didn’t have a product.

LaSalle, Cadillac’s companion make, is remembered today for its styling and for being Harley Earl’s first contribution to GM design. The LaSalle was produced from 1927 to 1940. Pontiac became so successful that its parent make, Oakland, was discontinued after the 1931 model year.

The companions for Buick and Oldsmobile—the Marquette and Viking, respectively—were victims of the Great Depression. The Marquette, despite decent sales under the circumstances, was produced only for one year, model year 1930. (About 35,000 Marquettes were made.) Buick management, the GM divisions had much more autonomy in those days, felt that given the economic conditions of the day, the expense of Marquette production was not prudent. The Viking, the only companion make priced higher than its parent, limped along for three model years (1929-1931) with total sales of just 7,224 units.

Pontiac, of course, survived until the GM bankruptcy/reorganization of 2009-2010. I have written before about my affection for Pontiac and its significance in my life. It seemed only fitting to note its beginning on this day and its history fits my personal theme of the day, as well.

#YinAndYang

#LongLivePontiac

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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P.S. A picture of a recent acquisition, appropriate for today’s post.

Stan Cat Pontiac