Nice to See StevieB: Stevie's Choice

By StevieB
 
It is like Sophie's Choice; yet with less Nazis.

If you have been reading my blog for the last year, not there has been a lot of reading, you know that I've been in the market for a new vehicle. This has meant two auto shows, countless trips to a plethora of dealerships, and endless conversations. Weekly the car-breeze would shift. To spare you the well-worn details, I have always been a 4X4 gay. Then, four years ago I traded in the Jeep for a four-door sedan. This was under the guise of growing up into a tie wearing man, and gas milage. Gas at the time was right around $27 dollars a gallon, if I'm remembering correctly.



Now it is time to finally stop debating and make a choice. Although; I sort of wish Doctor Mengele was forcing me to choose between the two vehicles I have selected. It would make it easier. So, I made America's Memorial Day as the deadline. I'll either get one of the two choices, a Toyota Tacoma or a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.

The Tacoma is easy, I will just choose a color and be done. The Jeep has so many differing options and packages, it may take the entire day of Memorial Day just to pick a package. Mr. Mike and I spent the day yesterday driving to three dealerships just to plan out what options I even like on a Jeep.

Knowing me, if I just don't spin around in a circle and point to a car, I will never make up my mind.

Talk about gayboy first world problems.

This post originally appeared on Steven Bennet's website Nice to See StevieB. Republished with permission.

Nice to See StevieB: Lazy Days of Summer

By StevieB

This is my favorite time of year. Pride is over, and Independence Day has been celebrated. Now I can just relax and enjoy the summer without any plans. With the Homo-sex-companion-partner distracted with his new love, I’m free to do whatever I desire this lazy time of year.

I guess it’s true, in what they say about the seven year itch. We celebrated our seven year anniversary with my partner falling in love with someone else. Being reassured that It is a completely different type of love, I now I find myself in a triad relationship. Not that I’m totally happy with the endless chain of boxes arriving from Amazon with presents intended for his new infatuation.


It all started on Patrick’s visit to Denver, as Pac and I wandered down Denver’s 16th Street pedorite mall, I received an urgent call from the other half. He understood the importance of my time spent with Patrick, yet urged me to leave the fun and come meet someone very special to him. That was the day that changed our lives forever.

As I was first introduced, I realized that I wasn’t really jealous of the way my partner of seven years gazed across the deep pearlescent of her ebony glow. I wasn’t jealous because it was a different kind of love entirely. No partner can satisfy all the needs and desires, to think one can, is foolish. So, this was the day I met Sue Ellen. Yes, like from the television show, Dallas. All of his cars are named after characters from this TV show. I believe I have blogged about Mark Grayson, in the past.

Sue Ellen is an ebony goddess, 1968 Plymouth Fury. She now spends its days sitting in the Forney Museum of Transportation in Denver, yet she is never truly out of mind. The lazy days of summer, for me, are spent taking slow and sunny runs around Cheesman Park, and hours upon hours spent needlessly at my favorite coffee shop. No real commitments until the end of August. Whatever I’m doing to waste my time, I always know that he’s out there somewhere, on an deserted highway; with her. Yet completely safe in the knowledge that she get stored-away and he’ll come home to me.

This post originally appeared on Steven Bennet's website Nice to See StevieB. Republished with permission.

Nice to See StevieB: Mopar Mistake

By StevieB

Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard stated, “You must do something, but in as much as with your limited capacities it will be impossible to make anything easier…you must, with the same… enthusiasm make something harder.”

I thought of this early yesterday morning when upon giving Fuzzy his birthday present, I discovered that I have proven Kierkegaard’s philosophical belief of what’s easy to obtain isn’t worth obtaining. See, I was very excited about my birthday present for my homosex companion partner. I had acquired this gift so easily and cheaply off the interwebs. A Mopar cold air intake for his Dodge Challenger. His 2012 Dodge Challenger. In case you're wondering what a cold air intake is, I’ve provided an illustration. It’s a butch air cleaner… it ups your fuel efficiency, but mostly makes you feel superior to other dudes that own the same car. Like wearing a store bought dress to prom, instead of having to sew your own.

The glow of happiness gleamed off the chromium intake nozzle as my mature partner bounced around the kitchen. Happy at his new toy he screeched “I could put it on right now!” He said as he gently stroked the giant “M” on the Mopar box. “Wait! This isn’t right.” My head turned sideways, like a grey hound attempting to understand the Electoral College. “This is for the ’04- ’10 Hemi engines. You know I have a ’12.”

I could not admit that I hadn’t the foggiest idea that they made this particular car accoutrement different for different year cars.Being too busy to actually walk into the Dodge dealership and ask, or even call my bud, Mike, a Chrysler/Dodge mechanic, I just pulled up Mopar.com at work one day and ordered what looked right.

“Anything worth doing, isn't easy, but that is what makes it worth doing.” I mumbled under my breath as I handed the box containing a cold air intake thingy by Mopar over to the lady behind the counter at the UPS store. The box on its way back for whence it came, and me on my way to the Dodge parts counter.
This post originally appeared on Steven Bennet's website Nice to See StevieB. Republished with permission.

S.A.C.K. Fundraiser for Project Angel Heart and Rocky Mountain Arts Association

A Sunday Afternoon Car Klub Fundraiser will be held August 8, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Lowry Town Center at East 1st Place and Rampart Way, Denver/Lowry 80230.

The Sunday Afternoon Car Klub is holding its first-ever charity car show, with proceeds from ticket sales and entry fees donated to Project Angel Heart and Rocky Mountain Arts Association -- $5 tickets for spectators, $15 fee for participants. Trophies and ribbons will be awarded and refreshments will be available! The Sunday Afternoon Car Klub (S.A.C.K.) is the Denver chapter of Lambda Car Club International, which includes over 2,200 GLBT members in 30 local regions who share their passion for everything automotive!

Among cars scheduled to be shown are: 1956 Buick Caballero Wagon, 1956 Lincoln Premier, 1964 Buick Special Wagon, 1964 Porsche 911, 1968 Camaro RS, 1977 Lincoln Mark V, 1978 Audi Fox, and the Denver Police Department's own MADD Corvette.

Project Angel Heart delivers over 800 meals a week, providing life-saving nutrition to clients living with life-threatening illnesses in the Greater Denver and Colorado Springs areas.

Rocky Mountain Arts Association ( www.rmarts.org) is the umbrella for Denver Gay Men's Chorus, Denver Women's Chorus, Out Loud: the Colorado Springs Men's Chorus, Mosaic Youth Chorus, and Gravity Defined Theatre.

Gentlemen, start your engines

What better place to talk cool cars than leaning under the hood of a brightly painted, fully chromed custom street rod against the cool mountain backdrop of beautiful Gunnison, Colorado? Combine that camaraderie with an arts and crafts festival across the street for a winning combination of the 21st annual Gunnison Car Show and the High Octane Arts & Craft Festival on Aug. 22 – 24.

Longtime automotive TV show host Sam Memmolo, currently executive producer and host of “Two Guys Garage” on SPEED, will be at the Gunnison Car Show on Aug. 22 and 23 to receive the Lee Iacocca Award. He also wrote and hosted the successful TV shows “Shadetree Mechanic” and “Crank & Chrome,” both on TNN. Memmolo and his wife, Diana, live in Georgia and are hot rod collectors. Also new for 2008 is that the Gunnison Car Show will be the first car show in the United States to be carbon free.


Prime vintage and custom cars will be on exhibit and on the roads of the Gunnison Valley during the 21st Annual Gunnison Car Show, Aug. 22 – 24. The event, sponsored by the Gunnison Car Club, includes a cruise-in, free street dances on Gunnison’s Main Street, an open car show, poker run, and breakfast cruise to Crested Butte.

The show’s theme is “Cool Cars. Cool Mountains.” It celebrates the combination of Gunnison’s comfortable August temperatures and the many custom and collector cars on exhibit. The show traditionally attracts vehicles from throughout Colorado and from several surrounding states. “The show is all about family fun,” says Gunnison Car Club President Mike Callihan. “In addition to hundreds of great cars, there are many, many fun things for the entire family to enjoy.”

Schedule
The car show kicks off in downtown Gunnison on Friday, Aug. 22 from 5 – 9 p.m. with a ‘50s-style cruise-in and concert. A portion of Main Street will be closed to regular traffic during the event, so there’s plenty of room for more than 150 show cars to park where they can be viewed by the public. The popular Kansas City band “The RumbleJets” will be playing for a free street dance for the public.

The full car show runs from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23 at beautiful Jorgensen Park. Surrounded by trees, green grass and water, this is an “open” event, which means any vehicle in any condition—from barely moving to full blown restoration—is welcome. It’s not unusual to see exotic, one-of-a-kind custom street rods, high performance sports cars, tricked out pickup trucks and a gaggle of British cars all parked together on the lawn.

Food, games and contests are also a big part of the day that typically showcases more than 300 vehicles. Judging of the cars continues until midday, when an awards ceremony is held. A poker run through the streets of Gunnison after will be held after the show, followed by a street dance on Main Street featuring Gunnison’s own Rock Bottom Band.

On Sunday, Aug. 24, approximately 125 cars leave Gunnison at 7:30 a.m. to drive the scenic 28 miles to Crested Butte’s Elk Avenue, the town’s colorful historic business district. Elk Avenue is closed to traffic on this morning so that the vehicles are available for viewing while their owners enjoy a gourmet breakfast at one of Crested Butte’s fine restaurants.

Admission to the award-winning Gunnison Car Show is free to the general public, but there is a registration fee for cars that are entered. Car show proceeds are donated to community causes. For more information and to register, check out the Gunnison Car Club’s website at www.gunnisoncarclub.com.

Going Green
The Gunnison Car Show will be the first car show in the nation to be carbon free. Using data from MIT and University of Washington and the guidance of staff from www.carbonfund.org, organizers determined that the 330 cars that typically attend drive a combined total of 99,000 miles getting to and from Gunnison, generating 63 tons of carbon. With other elements of the festival such as generating electricity for bands, restaurants preparing meals and more considered in the analysis, the event’s total carbon impact is nearly 81 tons. In response, the Gunnison Car Club has purchased carbon-offset credits from www.carbonfund.com, which will be used to plant trees.

The club also is working to reduce solid waste. For example, food vendors must recycle, use compostable paper products and provide a written plan about how they will reduce their solid waste impact.