2003: the missing year

So why exactly was 2003 considered the "missing year"? Because this shot taken of the car in storage for the 2002-2003 winter slumber was the last I saw of the car for close to 2 years.

(2002)
Why did this happen? I had so many plans for the car for 2003... what happened?

Ugliness happened. Stress happened. Within the space of 3 months at the tail end of 2002, my work environment went from sheer bliss and total satisfaction to absolute hell and utter stress. I kept telling myself that I'd need to bring the car home so I could immerse myself in the multitude of improvement projects that the car was slated for, in an attempt to forget the craziness that was going on at work. It didn't happen... my motivation at work / home / everything in my life was absolutely zero... there was just no desire at all to go dig this car out of its storage deep in a subbasement garage of an appartment complex not far from where I work.

On top of it, I had just purchased a new car (the 2003 Mercury Marauder, seen elsewhere on this site) and that pretty much kept me satisfied on the automotive front.

Every cloud has a silver lining... well, not quite. But you have to know when to recognize a cloud that might just have some of that silver lining available for the picking. In early summer, I made a decision to move on and distance myself from the ugliness that was permeating every fiber of every aspect of my workday. And what a decision it was: it was like finding an old familiar friend, and that familiar friend was me. The car enthusiast, the Trans Am nut.

So I honestly did get the enthusiasm for getting the '78 and working on it before the end of the 2003 season. In fact, at some point it even looked like I'd have no more than 3-4 weeks with the car before having to store it again. Didn't happen: work kept me incredibly busy (in a good way, I'm very happy to state) and I just didn't see the possibility of going through the headaches of digging out the car for so little time. The decision to build a new home also cemented the need to keep the car where it was for the time being. So long, 2003....

Side note to you folks "down over there"... CHILL! Life's too short to spend the better part of one's day plotting and backstabbing and partaking of big words full of hot air and meaningless excess verbiage... I feel sorry for y'all, life shouldn't have to be like this. It IS possible to enjoy one's career and one's time at the workplace. It IS possible to progress in one's career path without resorting to politics and backstabbing. No one should have to live like this...