Hi folks!

I haven't been in here so long it feels like I'm visiting distant relatives. I read through some posts and it brought back memories. I just wanted to pop in and say hi to all you folks. I feel bad for not being here...you guys were my car family.

Life has taken quite a turn. I made one the toughest decisions in my life. That was to quit a line of work I was not proud of. While it was a triumph for my personal morals, it has left me with practically no income. And as you can imagine, it's not real fun to chat about a car you can no longer even afford to own. Besides, I've been so busy with school and part-time TV employment (I'm a weekend weather guy!), there hasn't been much to devote here even if I wanted to.

So...Hi Guys! It's good to be around. If anyone needs help from an Internet jack of all trades, I may be able to help. Check out my brand new free hosting venture at http://www.250Free.com . It's in pre-release testing right now.

As for my car? Well, I haven't sold it yet. I really don't want to, but I don't have much choice. I had it on eBay ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...314087&r=0&t=0 ) and it hit $28,001. Not my reserve of $30,000, but higher than I was expecting. I received a maximum personal offer of $29,500. I should probably take it. But I'm having the hardest time letting go of this car. I love her.

It's good to see everyone. I'd love to hear from you.

Oh yeah, I'm going to be in San Francisco for a day next Wednesday. If you have any suggestions for what to do or see, I'm all ears. Otherwise, it's an 8-hour guided tour which I'm really not eager to do.

Take Care,

Brian

 

As long as you know you made the right decisions, then no car can stand in the way. Best of luck to you and nice little video clip on your auction.
Bay area? Guided tours suck. You see but cannot DO. Hit the Winchester house down the road. Alcatraz is cool. Check out the party district. One day? Man you need one month,

 

Hey,

Thanks for the reply. I'd rather see fewer things and actually get to take it in. I just don't know what to see. Yep, one day isn't much, but it's all I've got.

Night,

Brian

 

sorry to hear that dude... im sure its all for the best and you'll start making some good money soon

hope you can stay on clublexus for a while!

 

Yeah, don't leave us!!!!!!!

 

It's great to hear from you Brian! I hope you find something more fulfilling and that gives you enough money for ANY Lexus you want. You're a brave man!

I'll tell you one thing, you have got to have THE best ebay auction site for a vehicle I have ever seen. It's so complete. One can tell by reading through it that you love your car. The video clip just takes the cake - the song it perfect! I'll bet it means a lot to you right now too. What did you use to mix the video and sound? I really like it - I hope you don't mind if I download the clip

-Nick

 

Thanks for the pat on the back Sasha, Richie, and Nick. I may hang around for a few days, but I'll probably be too busy to be a regular after school starts. *sniff, sniff*

Nick,

Thanks for the complement on the auction. I was looking at folk's auctions and I looked at what I would want to see if I were buying the car over the Internet. It worked out pretty good, as it was one of the most popular in the GS section when it ran. And everyone I talked to said my car looked awesome, and the extras were what made them interested. I kind of trumpeted my car's add-ons as adding to the overall experience (which they do). A lot of folks hide the fact that their car is modified, afraid it will take value away. But I figured, why not make sound like a true driver's car? So I put that stuff on the ad first. I think it bid up so well (respective to others in that section) because of the extras and the way I advertised them. And feel free to download the clip.

Oh yeah, the video. I threw that together in Adobe Premiere 6. I used my Canon GL-1 DV camera in progressive mode when I captured the pictures of my car. I then imported the DV material and selected the individual frame I wanted for each picture of the car. That took hours. Since I had the footage, the video clip was a natural choice. I took a few clips, edited them together, and threw one of my favorite U2 songs underneath. It was real quick and dirty, as you can reference by the flashing that takes place between each A/B transition. That's something that happened in the Window's Media compression that I never bothered to look into. But the video helps to make the sale. Heck, maybe I should sell cars on eBay.

Brian

 

Really! There's an idea.

One intriguing thing about the car is that, while it has modifications, the car is presented in a stock-looking form. Like the wheels. You have the 17's, but the orig. 16's are on the car and the 17's are extra's. It's like a GS, "build it how ya like it" package." Hell, I'd love to buy a GS, but I can't even afford the .99 cent burger!

-Nick

 

If you do nothing else while in San Francisco, take a ride on a cable car at night... breathtaking.

 

...says the man driving the 99 RX.

Back when I was in the 'other' business, I knew a guy who started selling cars on eBay and was making a good side income off of it. I do have family who are, and have been in the car business, so it's in my blood somewhere. The only bad thing about me is that I'm not near any major cities. But I could probably contract a good transportation service.

Mumbles,

Thanks for the suggestion. I take it San Fran is pretty safe at night.

Does anyone know how the bus system is there? For cost and convienence, I'm not going to rent a car. I figure it would be wiser and much cheaper to Bus into town. I'll be coming from the Airport Marriott and don't how long the ride will be.

Thanks,

Brian

 

That was the **** business, wasn't it? Good luck man.

 

Whats wrong with pr0n business?

 

Hey Brian

Good luck with the new career! Choosing a career that you really enjoy is something that all of us dream of, but most of us never find!

By the way-Enjoy some brewski's in S.F. but remember
Don't drive

Good luck man!

BayState GS

 

bitkahuna,

Oh, how I miss your blunt-ness. No, it wasn't the **** business. I ran a celebrity fansite. It just happened to have a small nudie section that made me a great deal of money at one time.

BayState,

Thanks for the advice. No worries about me driving. But don't worry, I won't do it drunk and I'll remember to wear my seat belt!

Brian

 

Brian,

The concierge at your hotel should be able to take care of you. It's about a half hour drive to downtown from the airport. You might be able to get an airport shuttle of some sort to take you into the city.

A tour may be the thing to do if you only have one day. There are just too many things to see; Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39, the Embarcadero, Union Square, etc. You might want to check out the Sony Metreon with the Sony store, etc. It's one of my personal favorites downtown. Not sure if you're into art, but there's the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) nearby the Metreon.

Have a good trip.