simplicity

[MEDIA PUSHER"]

some days can be really tuff, especially when you can't seem to see the light. from time to time we all can feel very dissatisfied with the circumstances that life has left us. (maybe the reason we so heavily and commitedly modify our whips) We can feel desperate and alone, taking much of what is around us for granted and it astounds me that we can't all relate on the pure obserdity of the life experience. my girl seems to never be able to see that light, and it has driven us apart, spending weeks in misery over the forces we cannot reckon with. I'm in debt, my car needs much attention that i can't give it, im over educated, under appreciated and completely frustrated. and though it defies the laws of reciprical inhibition which so otherwise govern my existence im content, im happy, i took a moment to think about a few simple pleasures that i would have otherwise taken for granted, these are the things that make today like the next, sublime.

1. tearing through the longer, windier, less congested route to work this morning
2. spending the weekend with friends spraypainting your name five feet tall
3. internet radio
4. mojitos
5. writing to friends in far places
6. bass
7. remembering barcelona
8. being able to laugh with a friend who just rolled their jeep five times across the freeway
9. fresh trees, vinyl, two turntables and microphone
10. forums to share opinion, save money, and connect with like minded enthusiasts

thanks for everything ti.org, hope everyones having a good day

simplicity walks the fine line between elegance and plainess

[cali-ti]

without the bad days and **** that happens to us, would the bright spots and happy, gleeful moments be what they are? without pain and disappointment, without failed relationships and lost loves, would we feel the "rightness," happiness and joy when we find our true love? we need the spectrum to live life to its fullest so realize the pain and low points for what they are ... a contrast to the reciprocal. God bless you man, glad you can see the little things for what they are while you're in the process of pain and loss. you'll be fine ... you ARE fine ...

[aceyx]

if i wake up in a bad mood, i look at my hands: if i have all ten fingers, i should be happy since i have, at the very least, my health.

the day i wake up with eleven, i'll be ecstatic.


always look to what you have, and realize that there is always someone with less. also, learn to share.

[mickd]

These last few weeks have been so tough, work, things to do at home, people failing to keep commitments. I had been kinda down, then I think to myself, the bad times have passed before, and they will again. I sometimes lose sight of this. Sure enough, this last week started getting much better, and I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I found the key is not to give up, in life we never get what we can't endure. It is so great to have a club as ours here. It's so good to hear someone talk about the real worth of life, and get off the technical stuff. Thanks for your post, it really hit home. If nothing else, we should all be thankful to for the road that brought us to our 318ti's, we could be walking or riding the bus. And I'll second the turntables and vinyl.

[cali-ti]

do we perhaps have some audiophiles (as well as bimmerphiles) here? it wouldn't surprise me ... people who tend to gravitate to things of quality in one area, tend to do it in others as well. that goes for people of quality too. you are who you surround yourself with. i'd rather have a few quality people around me than a plethora of casual acquaintences or those who really don't care about me. find that silver lining, even in the bad times. with all the **** that's failed or failing on my car lately, i could very well have NOT found some of them and been much worse off (like the rear brake hose that was wearing through ... it could have blown when i really needed it and gotten in an accident). it could always be worse. some of you may not believe in God, nor do you need to ... i saw a good quote awhile ago, "God will either strengthen our backs or lighten our load." goes along with nietzsche's "what does not kill us, makes us stronger." i think the key lies in just continuing to move forward, it WILL get better eventually and then you'll have gained a strength that you likely might not have discovered or known about before.

[MEDIA PUSHER"]

thanks, everyone, for the comments, it seems there really is a wealth of wisdom to be found in this clique, not only from a technical view. I'm sure this is in no small ties into the mentallity that makes up the ti enthusiast, whether you yearn for an understated sleeper, a classy hatch, a rare pure bavarian, or americas bastard bimmer, we are a rare breed that must share some pragmatic connection. and of course where ever you find a car enthusiast there will be an audiophile close behind.

[L84THSKY]

I couldn't agree more, that is why I am a HUGE Jackson Browne fan. His music is all about seeking truth and self discovery.

Here is a quote from a song of his:

"Everyone I've ever known has wished me well
Anyway that's how it seems, it's hard to tell
Maybe people only ask you how you're doing
'Cause that's easier than letting on how little they could care
But when you know that you've got a real friend somewhere
Suddenly all the others are so much easier to bear"

My girlfiend can be very negative and cynical at times. She gets it from her mother. Seems misery loves company. It can really annoy me at times.
I've found that things are only as bad as you make them. A positive attitude goes a long way.

There have been days I feel sad or depressed, and I don't know why. What I do in those cases is do a quick examination of my current situation. If I can't find any reason to be depressed, I shake it off and convince myself that I'm fine.

As for quality, don't think I only hold high standards on my car. All my 15+ pieces of stereo equipment are made in either Europe, or USA exclusively. My motorcycle is pure British made and all of my 12+ cameras I use and collect are all Made in Germany.

I love vinyl records, I have over 500, that are preciously protected. A fellow airman sold me his Thorens (Made in Lahr Germany) turntable back in 1987, while stationed in Germany. It still brings me joy using that solid wood body classic.

Originally Posted by cali-ti

do we perhaps have some audiophiles (as well as bimmerphiles) here? it wouldn't surprise me ... people who tend to gravitate to things of quality in one area, tend to do it in others as well. that goes for people of quality too. you are who you surround yourself with. i'd rather have a few quality people around me than a plethora of casual acquaintences or those who really don't care about me. find that silver lining, even in the bad times. with all the **** that's failed or failing on my car lately, i could very well have NOT found some of them and been much worse off (like the rear brake hose that was wearing through ... it could have blown when i really needed it and gotten in an accident). it could always be worse. some of you may not believe in God, nor do you need to ... i saw a good quote awhile ago, "God will either strengthen our backs or lighten our load." goes along with nietzsche's "what does not kill us, makes us stronger." i think the key lies in just continuing to move forward, it WILL get better eventually and then you'll have gained a strength that you likely might not have discovered or known about before.

[madfronter]

Everyone is affraid in their own lives.

If you could be everything you want to be you would be dissapointed am I right?

Its hard to remember to live before you die.

Above are quotes from Modest Mouse.


I know I get down on life a lot but I always try to be positive. I feel like I am taken advantage of a lot (mostly at work), I feel like Im not where I want to be in life, I'm in debt, my girl moved to New York, I live in PA and we havent see each other in months, I broke my wrist doing a 20 foot table top jump on my snowboard and had to use my 3 weeks of vacation time from work so I could have surgery and get back on my feet and Im still in physical therapy. So that means I cant take off until 2006 though I went to lake tahoe for a week durring those three weeks to visit my step brother and snowboard that was a plus (even though I had to pussy foot it the whole time so I wouldn't fall on my broken wrist). I could complain about so much in life but it just makes me sad but sometimes its hard not to think about this ****. There are always things that make me happy though, like visiting my niece, nephew and sister, seeing my girl even though its few and far between visits, driving my car/maintaining my car (with and without my Dad), posting things on 318ti.org, listening to music like Modest mouse when I down or just all the time, hanging with my real friends, snowboarding, thinking about planning the next snowboard adventure somewhere in the world and so much more. I know with me there's a lot more things that make me happy then make me depressed you just have to remember to think about that suff when your down.

This is a great post MEDIA PUSHER.

[L84THSKY]

Where in NY did she move to, maybe I can visit her for you?

Just kidding.............

Originally Posted by madfronter

my girl moved to New York, I live in PA and we havent see each other in months, .

[madfronter]

Focker....

She lives in Brooklyn but you couldn't handle the spice.

[robcarync]

wow...a few days ago i had a really bad day...it was tuesday...and this is a loooong story...

school was fine...and afterschool it got pretty bad.

me and my friends decided to go fishing at bond park (local park), and that is a dumb idea because there isnt a damn fish in there it seems. well we are looking for a spot...and i step in a mud sink hole and cover my brand new flip flops in mud (and my leg almost up to my knee). then we started fishing...and well not even a nibble on the line. i was sitting there bored..and playing with my tackle box knife (bad idea), and it snapped shut on my finger and sliced my thumb REALLY deep. i didnt get stitches or anything, but i left a trail of blood on the sidewalk walking to the boat house bathroom and used about a whole roll of paper towels to keep it from bleeding. i just super glued it shut...

well that evening i went to my girlfriends lacrosse game...and they lost 17-3 to some high school from new york...it was the first time our school lost a girls lacrosse game this season (numer 1 in the state), but NY takes lacrosse a bit more seriously...so that wasnt too good either...but it upset my girlfriend and my friends on the team more than it upset me.

so after the game, i was walking my GF to her car, and she was practicaly running away from me...i ask whats wrong and she says something about its already late and she has homework to finish and whatnot. well we get to her car, i try to give her a hug and a goodnight kiss and she ducks into her car and says she has to go. hmmm oddness. so she stares me down as she drives away, and im clueless.

i go home bummed about my slit thumb, wasting my afternoon without catching a fish, my muddy new flip flops, my girlfriend seemingly mad at me although she blames it on homework, and then i find out some more cool stuff!

my air force ROTC scholarship that i had received was pretty much non existant anymore because the department of defense disqualified me because im allergic to cats. what else i had found was that my request for a waiver had been rejected too! thats right guys, they pulled my scholarship because im allergic to cats. i had a full 4 year scholarship to the college of my choice (NC State college of engineering), and they said 'wait! hold on! we cant have someone allergic to cats have a scholarship!' what was even more lame is that they said im still allowed to participate in the ROTC program, just im not allowed to have the scholarship. WOW.

then my girlfriend calls me, and i ask why shes upset with me. she says shes not...then blows up on me about how im like her shaddow because she cant do anything without me being there because she feels like im suffocating her because i went to her lacrosse game. apparently 'nothing' was wrong...i found that kind of lame too, since i go to the lacrosse games not just to see her, but i like lacrosse too, and i am friends with LITERALLY EVERY girl on the school lacrosse team, and they like me supproting them at their games, but apparently my girlfriend didnt think it was so nice of me...

so thats my rant of the year....wow...i tried not to be to bummed...and somethings end up getting worked out

im closer to getting my air force scholarship back, since my mom works with a fellow that is a colonel in the air force that went to the air force academy, he made a few select phone calls and now they are planning on waiving my allergies...

and who knows about my girlfriend...all i know is she had a lacrosse game today...and i definently thoght it best to stay at home...

[cali-ti]

girlfriends in high school are just that ... high school girlfriends. don't take it too seriously you'll both move on and see other people and you'll look back and think, "that really wasn't much of a relationship ... can't believe it was even worth getting upset over!" ... that's my view of stuff from that "era" in my life, lol. it may not seem like it to you now, but high school is pretty much of a big joke. just get through it and then get on with your actual life. i talk to basically ONE person i went to high school with and he's my best friend. not that i wish ill will on anyone else when i say this, but i really don't care what any of the rest of them are doing. if i did, i'd keep in touch with them.

i was going to suggest you proceed to push people about your scholarship. you've obviously worked hard to get that and don't let some stupid a$$ reason keep you from getting it. fight for what you want. if nothing else, they'll respect you for it. call people constantly and move up the chain-of-command as far as you need to, appealing to their common sense and logic. eventually, someone has to see that dropping you for that is freakin' ridiculous. make it happen! improvise, adapt, overcome!

[97Hellrot318ti]

Originally Posted by robcarync

im closer to getting my air force scholarship back, since my mom works with a fellow that is a colonel in the air force that went to the air force academy, he made a few select phone calls and now they are planning on waiving my allergies...

I almost didn't get my Navy ROTC scholarship because my mother persuaded my doctor that I had seasonal allergies. I was actually just sick, during allergy season. The doctor prescribed allegra, claritin, or some such crap, and it didn't do anything. I've never had a problem with "seasonal allergies" since. I had to have my doctor look over the record of prescriptions and see that the medication was only prescribed once, and I never visited him again about allergies. It was ridiculous! Anyways, waivers are a NIGHTMARE, it's all about how much patience you have with paperwork, and how many times you are willing to run it through the system. I have a friend who got a waiver for ADD somehowm so I guess anything's possible. Also, having an 0-6 lobbying your case can never hurt. Don't sweat it for now, I'd say things are looking good for you.

[robcarync]

definently things are looking a lot better than they were a few days ago...they waived my allergies...but they still said they have some other concerns...so im waiting for a nother disqualification letter from the department of defense so i can work on a rebuttle or a waiver for that...

as for high school stuff...yeah it loses its relevance once you grow up and such...but to me it just seemed like she got mad at me for no reason or for something that she could have tried to talk about rationally instead of blowing up on me...but as my pops says:

"when argueing with a woman, logic and common sense go out the window"

on the flip side of that, my girlfriends parents have been dating since they were 14...so who knows whats going to happen in the future...but right now im trying to enjoy my last bit of high school