Now Playing: Forza Horizon

Welcome to Horizon! A festival celebrating the love of automobiles. Oh, and there’s plenty of music and a lot of hot girls showing off their assets (preferably on my car please). For years, the Forza Motorsport series gave me the opportunity to race in some of the hottest cars on the most popular tracks in the world. Horizon takes a completely different approach and delivers one of the best driving experiences alongside Test Drive Unlimited. Yes, the game is that good. For a time I had my doubts about Horizon, but those doubts were quickly dashed once I got behind the virtual wheel of my Dodge Viper and started driving for the first time. I love this game.

PROS:

Open World Driving
Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games take the Forza we all know and love and moved if out to the open world. Colorado becomes my new racing playground with tons of events to compete in and plenty of hidden treasures to find. Of course there’s also those times where I just want to drive on the open road and explore allowing me to enjoy the experience of driving rather than forcing me into race after race. Forza Horizon lets me do what I want whenever I want and I like that.

I Want Cars…Lots Of Cars
Now I’m not going to find the hundreds of cars that I would have in Forza Motorsport 4, but what Forza Horizon offers in terms of badass rides definitely suits me just fine. Horizon features some of the best muscle, sports, and exotic cars on the road, or dirt, for me to race or just cruise around the countryside with. There’s also the opportunity to restore older cars (found in hidden barns) to use as well. Cars also show real damage from crashing and hitting walls making for a sense of realism in racing which is a huge plus for me.

Wide Variety Of Events
There is always something to do in Forza Horizon. Your GPS will point you to upcoming races to advance your status in the championship, but there’s also other events to take part  in. PR Stunts, rally races, illegal street races against random drivers on the road, and even speed challenges from random radar cameras. Better yet, how about racing against an airplane. I kid you not. Just the mere thought of that type of event channels my inner Doug Masters from Iron Eagle. I got a real kick, as well as an adrenaline rush, doing these showcase races taking in planes, helicopters, and even hot air balloons. Sure it’s a novelty, but being told that your faster than an airplane is pretty damn cool.

CONS:

Lack Of Customization Options
The one thing that the Forza Motorsport series is known for is endless customization. Paint jobs, vinyls, aftermarket parts upgrades, and tuning so you get the most performance and handling out of your cars. Forza Horizon is more like Forza Motorsport Lite. Sure you get all the exterior goodies as well as some upgrades, but the tuning is missing. That kinda sucks. The upgrades can also be one a double-edged sword, because most races will not allow you to use your upgraded vehicles meaning that I’ll have to downgrade or pick another ride.

Opponent AI Can Be A Little Too Easy
If you want the biggest challenge that this game can give you then I would suggest setting the difficulty to “Hard” because anything lower is just too easy. Yes, I like to finish in first, but I felt like the opponent AI wasn’t putting up too much of a fight especially towards the end of the race. It was like they were begging me to pass them just to make me feel better. Another suggestion is to not stay with the default options. Customize your racing options so that you can score as many bonus credits as possible.

SO HOW DOES MY 2012 CHEVY CAMARO ZL1 HANDLE:

Once I acquired enough credits I went right to purchasing my car. The 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1. I kept the car in my actual Victory Red color and changed out the rims, and painted them black to look exactly like mine. Keeping the car in it’s original stock I took it out in the open road and it was fantastic. Driving high speeds was exhilarating and the handling was brilliant and responsive. I could really see the sense of speed coming from the supercharged engine delivering 580 horsepower and 557 pounds of torque. I also switched into cockpit view and the look was absolutely authentic. It really felt like I was driving in my car.

IN CONCLUSION

Forza Horizon sticks to the roots that made the previous Forza Motorsport games fun to play. Add on a spectacular multiplayer experience to the fun and engaging single-player game and what I have is racing gold despite a couple of flaws. Horizon makes me feel like I’m at an over the top car show, and that’s pretty cool. This game has a lot to offer making it great for if I just want to have a casual drive to balls to the wall hardcore racing just to show off how badass I am behind the wheel shouting out “Move bitch! Get out of my way!” The big question I ask myself is if Forza Horizon is better than Test Drive Unlimited? I would have to say “Absolutely!”

Developer: Turn 10 Studios, Playground Games
Platform: Xbox 360
Players: 1-8 (online multiplayer)
Price: $59.99

The ZL1 Chronicles: One Month Later…

So here I am a little over one month removed after making the trade of my 2011 Camaro SS and acquiring the 2012 Camaro ZL1. I must say that I’m really enjoying the ride. The amazing LSA supercharged engine delivering 580 horsepower and 557 lbs of torque makes this car a force to be reckoned with both on the streets and on the track. Now that I’m one month in driving this awesome piece of automotive engineering let me share with you some of my experiences in the ZL1.

First off, I’ve noticed an increased police presence. From the first time I drove my new car home to today I’ve seen more state troopers and local cops on the road both on speed traps or trailing my car hoping to write me a speeding ticket. So far their attempts have failed (knock on wood), but they continue to try. I guess this is what I get for buying a red car. Color makes all the difference and red equals a target to the cops. It’s a lesson learned for me, but to be honest I love the color of the car even if it wasn’t even in my top three colors that I was interested in.

Second, I’ve seen an increased amount of wannabe racers wanting to take me on. It really makes me laugh when someone pulls up in the shitty Honda, rev the engine a few times, and make their challenge to me. Recently at a street light at Port St. Lucie a Honda Civic pulled up to me, rolled down his window, revved the engine, and challenged my ride. All I had to do was rev my engine and I watched the window of the jackass in the Civic quickly roll back up. C’mon people, are you serious! You have no chance. Do me a favor and stop embarrassing yourself.

On a positive note I love all the attention I’ve been getting. Heads are turning everywhere as my car drives on by on Hutchinson Island. Everyone at work asks questions about my car wanting to know about the power and handling. I even take questions from random people at traffic lights who’ve never seen the car before, although I’m sure they’ve seen plenty of Camaros out on the road. I think it’s great that people are so interested making my purchase of the ZL1 even more exciting then the day I rolled out of the dealership.

So what are my plans in the following months. Well I plan to continue to show off my ride in car shows once my time at the St. Lucie outage is over. I joined Space Coast Camaros and plan to attend a few events towards the end of the year so people can get a glimpse of my ride up close. I still can’t get over the fact that I was able to acquire the car I’ve been chasing for months. The Camaro ZL1 is awesome and I just can’t get enough of driving this amazing car and it’s only been one month. I’m sure there will be plenty of adventures down the long road ahead. Now if I can only get the damn weather to cooperate with me when it comes to washing and waxing my car.

Clip of the Week: Hennessey Camaro ZL1 vs Hennessey Cadillac CTS-V “Hammer Wagon”

The ZL1 Chronicles: Welcome Home #595

Finally! After months of excitement, anxiety, disappointment, anger, and constant debating the wait is finally over. It has happened. The roller coaster ride has ended. The 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 is all mine. For the final time I said goodbye to my 2011 SS that brought me nothing but great memories. Now, I officially welcome the beast. 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 #595 is here and she kicks some major ass.

When I made the trip to Bob Steele Chevrolet the only thing that crossed my mind continuously was that I was heading back to “eBay Chevrolet.” The same place that made me mad about the price bump and lousy trade offer. I kept my cool when I arrived and this time it was a new salesperson that I got to deal with. It looked like this experience was going to be much better, and it was.

After the casual meeting with Will it was time to check out the car. Victory Red was the color and the thought entered my head that this car is the exact same car that was here three months ago. It was! Sounds like these guys were desperate to make a sale especially at GM Employee Pricing. I already knew what to expect from the car and with no test drive allowed I had to make a decision. Should I commit? Well all that depended on the trade in value of my Supercharged SS.

With all the upgrades installed by GM I knew that their previous bullshit offer was not going to work with me. I didn’t expect much and kept my expectations rather low. Thoughts rang in my head that disappointment was soon to follow. At least they’ll give me a gas card for my troubles if there was no deal. The pressure was all on them to deliver. Then the offer came in and the shock went across my face. Wow! this trip was worth it. They made the offer I couldn’t refuse. I made a call to my mom back home and told her there’s a new car on the way. She thought I was nuts, but when I told her the offer I got for my car she was happy. I immediately told the salesman to get the paperwork. This ZL1 is mine.

After the commitment of buying the car was implemented it was time for the drive, and what a ride it was. The ZL1 shifted and idled so smooth which was much better than the SS. The handling on the turns was amazing. Of course the best part was the drive itself especially when I took it on I-95 and surpassed 120 mph off the on ramp. The adrenaline was rushing at an all time high and the smile on my face continued to grow. My excitement was on par with The Dukes of Hazard when the General Lee did one of it’s famous jumps. The only thing the other cars saw on the road was a red blur speed right past them.

Once I was handed the keys it was time to say goodbye to my Black 2011 Camaro SS. She was a beauty and for a minute a tear went down my eye. I said once before that I would keep this car. It was a sad moment to hand over the keys. At one point I was a little reluctant, but the transfer was done. I did have one request and that was to do a lineup with both cars. Will said they were going to do it anyway. When my ZL1 was ready she stood right next to my SS. I took a few pictures in between both cars and then started up my SS for the last time giving it a few revs of the supercharged V8 engine. It was a great send off. Now it was time to get in my new ZL1 and drive off into the sunset.

As I drove home to Palm Bay for the official revealing to my family I knew that they were going to be happy with my purchase. While driving back All I could think about is that I’m now part of an elite club. Sure there’s a few people who own a Camaro whether it’s a V6 or V8, but I’m the only man in town with a ZL1. That puts me on the top of the food chain as Mustangs will choke in my smoke as I see them in my rear view mirror. It’s time to make some new memories and this time I’m sticking to my word that I’m keeping this car. Seriously!

The ZL1 Chronicles: They’re Back Again With Another Offer

Just when I thought I was over…they find a way to pull me back in.

So here I am, back at my day job when all of a sudden I receive a phone call. This call comes from Bob Steele Chevrolet. Yes, the same dealership that wanted to fuck me when it came to buying the 2012 Camaro ZL1. It’s been almost three months since the disaster of eBay Chevrolet that took place in the dealership. Now they’re back with a new offer. Part of me wanted to tell them to go fuck themselves, but after listening to what they had to say I then became slightly intrigued.

Employee Pricing!

Is this just another useless ploy, a last ditch desperate attempt to get me to buy, or were they sorry for the crap they caused a while back and really wanted me to have the car? I questioned the motives of the dealership, but my interest was there. Just maybe a sale is a possibility. More of a long shot of course especially considering the work that I’ve already put into the car. Why am I considering the offer? Because it’s a ZL1 of course! The car was in stock and ready to move. Then I saw the car on their website something hit me. Is this the exact same car from the last time I was there? Did they not sell it yet? Maybe I need to investigate this a little further.

While the below sticker offer is quite enticing I still have a couple of other areas where the numbers are a bit off. Trade in value. Last time the trade in allowance given to my 2011 Camaro SS was $24,400. I wasn’t going for the lowball treatment. I want more and I know they’re more flexible on that. The other issue is my upgrades. I added a supercharger, wheels, and exhaust all factory installed and warrantied by the dealership. I have a lot of money invested there and I’d like to see something back on that. These two areas are make it or break it for me.

Just think if they didn’t pull their greedy bullshit price gouging three months ago I would have already had the car at the price I wanted, and all the upgrades would’ve never been necessary. Now I have a lot to think about before Friday’s meeting. To buy or not to buy? This is the dilemma. Currently my answer stands at “No!” However, all it takes is just a little nudge and everything can change.

Before and After Photos of My 2011 Camaro SS Upgrades

After all the crap I went through in the past couple of months of trying to acquire a Camaro ZL1, I gave up on the search and decided to upgrade my own ride. My 2011 Camaro SS has been upgraded with a new Edelbrock “E-Force” Supercharger, Flowmaster Exhaust Package, new 21″ OEM Black Wheels, and I added a Four-Gauge Cluster which was not originally available in the 1SS model. This is only the beginning of the work. Next up is the window tinting, leather interior, and some new Chevy bowties with black and billet. Check out these before and after photos.

A big “thank you” goes out to the parts and service departments at Rosner Chevrolet in Melbourne, Florida for helping me out with all the upgrades so far.

Edelbrock “E-Force” Supercharger

Flowmaster Exhaust Package

New Wheels

Four-Gauge Cluster Added

Startup Video

The ZL1 Chronicles: The End Of The Road

Six Weeks. Fifteen dealerships. After all the insanity the end of the road is finally here. It’s been a roller coaster ride, but now I’ve reached the end of a journey that maybe wasn’t really needed. Seriously speaking, the whole search for the “Holy Grail” known as the Camaro ZL1 was nothing short of a monumental disaster. A lot of time and effort put in to a dream that would not come true. Of course, I’m not going to call this a total loss, because it made me appreciate what I already have even more than ever before.

Let me rewind the clock back about one year ago. While I was working during my first stint up in Alabama I came to a decision to get rid of my Ford Mustang. Sure I enjoyed the car, but there was one thing that really bothered me. Everyone has one. The Ford Mustang is nothing more than a popular yet common muscle car. You never really stand out from other people unless you own a Shelby GT500. Just think about it. Take a drive and count how many Mustangs you see in a five mile radius and you’ll get my point. Now I did consider buying a 2012 Ford Mustang GT at the time, but a certain Ford dealership in Dothan, AL was trying to fuck me by coming up with their own interest rates, but that’s a story for another day.

I always had in mind getting a Camaro. Like the Mustang, the Camaro has a strong tradition. I really became sold on the fifth generation car after watching the Transformers movie, however you couldn’t buy the car at least until 2010. Well I went to the Chevy dealership and there she was. The 2011 Camaro SS. I took a test drive and I was immediately in love. Sure the salesman thought I would be an impulse buyer and try to fuck me in the process, but I had other plans. Four other dealerships and the specific car I was looking for. The upper hand was mine and I made five dealerships fight for my business. The end result was the price went down. Two weeks later the V8 bad boy was all mine putting a smile on my face. Everyone around town was now looking at me and what I had.

Why do I mention all of this. Because at the time I made a statement. “This is my keeper. I’m not buying another car.” I was one hundered percent satisfied and for all this time I kept to my word. That is until another car crossed my path. The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The top of the line. The ultimate Camaro. Speed personified. When I first gazed eyes on it online I couldn’t turn away from the screen. I had to wipe up all the drool over the sexiness of this supercharged V8 car. If the SS is “The Beast,” then the ZL1 is “Godzilla.” I then thought about my statement and realized that I was about to do the one thing I said I wouldn’t do. I cheated.

For the past few weeks the ether was high. The juice was worth the squeeze. However, what evolved as I went from dealership to dealership started to eat away at that juice. It even made me think twice about what I already had. The mere thought of cheating raced through my mind like a disease. I kept asking myself if this was really needed. To trade one Camaro in for another. I must be out of my mind. Dealerships kept making promises they couldn’t keep. Even the thought of ordering a 2013 model year gave them the “cha-ching” look in their eyes as they would ask for security deposits of $500, $1,000, or even $10,000 just to see how serious I was. These people were sizing me up just to see if I had the green or wasting their time. I’m sorry, but I’m not giving a dealership $10,000 of my hard earned money just to order a car that’s not even made, or on a hunch that the car might possibly show up in around six months. Nothing was guaranteed. Shit, it was only last week when I finally stepped foot in the ZL1 and then the dealership tried to fuck me with the paperwork. It was then when it finally dawned on me.

What the hell was I doing?

It was at that moment, after six long weeks of wasted time, that the dream came to an end. I needed to move on. It was time to let the ZL1 go.

Throughout this whole excruciating process I always wondered if I was doing the right thing. What if I just changed my mind and decide to upgrade my own ride. My 2011 Camaro SS looked like she was begging for more. Superchargers, exhaust packages, leather interior. The options were endless. That’s when I made the decision to keep what I had and upgrade instead. When the first upgrades we’re completed last week I had a smile on my face for the first time in what felt like a long time. I put ZL1 type upgrades into my car and it feels so good. The acceleration is faster than ever before. The roar of the supercharger wakes up the whole neighborhood. The looks I get from people as I drive by is priceless. The comments of “nice car man” are back. All I could think about was how I made the right decision. In the end, the juice was definitely worth the squeeze…with my own car.

The ZL1 Chronicles: They Called Me Back!

Ok car sales people, we all know how the game works. When a customer strolls in looking to make a purchase of a new or used car your goal is to make sure you keep them there as long as humanly possible. We all know those long waits they make us go through just so they can talk to the sales manager to see where they can profit most from. The other rule is to never let you leave. Leaving customers lead to possible lost sales…or do they?

In my last episode, I stormed out of a dealership after they tried to fuck me over with a $10,000 price bump along with offering $4,000 less on my trade. Add that all up and you have $14,000 in profit which would give this salesman plenty of pizza and beer for a year, or at least a trip to Las Vegas where he can blow his money on the craps tables and hookers. Now don’t get me wrong. I love the new Camaro ZL1, but I don’t love it that much when a dealership wants to publicly rape me in the process.

Now I’ve already decided that the ZL1s “juice” is no longer worth the squeeze. The ether is gone and I’ve moved on to upgrading my 2011 Camaro SS. Actually as we speak the crew at Rosner Chevrolet has already put on the new 21″ black wheels which I showed off on my Twitter and Facebook pages. They’re also installing a brand new Edelbrock E-Force supercharger as well as a Flowmaster exhaust package (spared no expense). Of course this is only “Stage 1” of the process to personalize my Camaro. “Stage 2” only requires minor details and will be performed at a later date.

Well before I go completely off topic let me go back to the salesman bravado of never letting the customer leave. While this particular salesman let me leave the dealership, I guess he had a change of heart in the next 48 hours that followed. That’s right. The son-of-a-bitch called me back and still wanted my business. So here’s what went down over the phone earlier today.

“Hello Brian, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry that we were not able to put you in the new ZL1 a couple of days ago. I was wondering if you were still interested in the car.”

Now I didn’t want to tell the guy that I wasn’t interested, or making the upgrades to my current ride (at least not yet), so I decided to play along. “Well, let’s see. I drove all the way to your dealership to buy a car only to get publicly humiliated and ass raped at the same time while you smile your way to the bank with the profits. Hmm…I really don’t know anymore. Do you think I should still be interested?”

The salesman replies “Well I apologize for any inconveniences that took place. I realized that maybe we got off on the wrong foot in the negotiations.”

“Negotiations? What negotiations? What I distinctly remember is the $14,000 you all tried to rip me off on, and then tell me what this car would go for on eBay.”

“Well Brian, I think that we can come to a better deal today. I saw the website and noticed that you were correct all along. We believe that the customer is always right. I’m willing to sell the car at the original price that was found on the Chevrolet website.”

Wow, what balls this guy has. Now he wants to come clean. So I ranted on. “So let me get this straight. At first you wanted to rip me off, then say that you were wrong, and now you want to offer me the car at the original price that it should have been in the first place. Wow, what happened. Did the truth fairy come by and tell you that you needed to stop the sleazy salesman lies. Is your sales manager low on crack and didn’t get his fix? What gives?”

“Well Brian we knew that you were really interested in the ZL1 and we want to sell this car to you.”

“Now you want to sell the car to me. What happened to Alabama man? Did he have a moment of clarity after slapping his wife around after a night of bowling with the guys and telling her that he can do whatever he wants? Did someone on eBay reject their bid? Did a Craigslist buyer change their mind? C’mon, you guys are eBay Chevrolet. With your overinflated trendy prices you should have no problem selling cars.”

You would think that the salesman would get a little upset and hang up the phone, but he didn’t. He took insult after insult from me. There must be some sort of incentive he gets for selling me the car. A day off, steak dinner, hookers, something other than the commission. He replied “I understand that your upset, and as I stated earlier we want to sell this car to you. My question is what would it take to get you in this car today?”

“Well lets see, hmm…you took off the $10,000 price hike to give me original price. Well that’s no good enough. I want full trade in value for my car and I’ll be willing to buy the car at $56,000 out the door.”

“Brian, I can’t go that low. My sales manager won’t approve that.”

“Of course you can. I don’t care about your sales manager. Remember that you want to put me in the car today, and you’ll do anything to make it happen. Well that’s my deal. Time is money my friend, and this deal won’t get any higher.”

“Well I guess we can work out something, but let me ask you that if I can’t get him to agree right away, up to what price would you be willing to pay?”

I knew this was coming, “Ah the old “up to” game. I love this one. Well what part of $56,000 out the door and full trade did you not get? Now the price is $55,000. Do you want to sell this car or not?”

“Brian, we can’t go that low. I guess you really don’t want the car. I don’t think we can do business anymore.”

The cat was finally out of the bag. It was time to end this conversation. “I knew we couldn’t do business when you tried to sell me a “bare bones” ZL1 at an overinflated price. Besides, I really don’t want the car anymore since I’m upgrading my own ride. I have to go now.  I wish you the best of luck in selling that car, and tell the gold folks at eBay Chevrolet that I said hello. Good day sir!”

That was all. No more battling sales people for a car I don’t want. As I’m writing this I just received a call from Bill Schultz Chevrolet in Fort Pierce, FL and they have a black 2012 ZL1 in stock that they want to sell me. How should I reply to them?

And the hits just keep on coming.

The ZL1 Chronicles: When Things Are Too Good To Be True, They Usually Are

OK, so I thought that ordering a 2013 Camaro ZL1 would be the way to go. However, in the past week several dealerships were trying to offer me a 2012 model. While my excitement peaked I still decided to keep my cool just in case they were all full of shit. Well it turns out that they all were exactly that. So it was time to make another decision. Do I stay the course, or move on to greener pastures with my current Camaro SS? Well here’s my story.

As I was getting ready to leave Alabama, Rick Hendrick Chevrolet continued to call me about their shipment of ZL1s. In a previous entry I mentioned how they were full of themselves because the cars never arrived. That is still true to this date. No cars, no business…period! Sadly, they never really got the message very well because they keep on calling me for customer satisfaction surveys. Now what part of me would be satisfied when you don’t have the cars that you promised?

Back in Florida, I received a call today from Bob Steele Chevrolet in Cocoa Beach. they had a 2012 ZL1 in stock and ready to sell. At first I thought that it was too good to be true. Turns out that when I arrived they actually meant what they said. There she was in the color of Victory Red. “Victory!” is what I claimed. I sat in the car and was instantly in love. Godzilla was here for real, and it was everything that I wanted. Now the salesperson a wanted to bring me in for the sale. Get the paperwork ready man. Let’s make a deal!

Now before you all think I went into this deal blind, let me assure you that I did all my homework before arriving. I knew the price of the car, what I could work the dealer down to, as well as the value of my trade. I was ready to make the deal until the paperwork arrived and that’s when the ether left the room. How did I feel? Well this clip will sum it all up.

This is when you learn that when things are too good to be true, they usually are. The fucking was now underway. I don’t know what was up with this salesman, but you could smell the shitstorm coming from a mile away. He arrives with the paperwork from his sales manager which now shows a $10,000 bump in the price of the car. This was only just the beginning. I then look down to see the trade in value of my car and see that it was $4,000 lower than what the average value is for my Camaro SS.

I said, “What no anal lube. I mean seriously, if your going to fuck me at least bring the grease monkey over so that I can feel a little easier about this.”

As I once again take a look at the paperwork, I tell him that this is not the price that is offered on the Chevrolet website. He then looks dumbfounded while still telling me that this is the price. I tell him to check his facts again. He responds by saying “do you know what these cars go for on eBay?”

I told him “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that I was at eBay Chevrolet. Your supposed to price a car based on it’s value, features, and options and not on trends. eBay and Craigslist do not determine the price on a car!”

The salesman then says “Well I have a person in Alabama who is willing to pay $7,000 over the price for this car.”

I replied “Well if that’s true then why hasn’t he bought it yet? What really irks me is the fact that you want to get another $3-7 thousand on top of that from me.”

He replies “Well this is the best that I can do.”

I then tell him “Oh I’m sorry, but where does it say “sucker” on my head. Better yet can you please get me the phone number of the dealer your sales manager gets his crack cocaine from so I can have some of what he’s smoking.”

I then stormed out of the dealership laughing along the way. No way am I buying from them or anyone. I’m not even ordering a new one. The ether is gone. For the last month I’ve been filled with disappointment only to notice that I already have a Camaro. My 2011 Camaro SS. I’ve always loved my car even if I felt like I was cheating on her and almost ready to replace her. She’s been loyal to me all this time and now it’s time to make up for it. Upgrades! I went to Rosner Chevrolet in Melbourne, Florida and they took care of me right away. I ordered some new black wheels and a supercharger for my 6.2 Liter V8 engine giving me the horsepower I want to measure up to the ZL1. Now my excitement has really peaked and I don’t have to wait forever for it. By this time next week my Camaro will now be “Godzilla!”

I’ll post some pics when it’s done.

All My Bags Are Packed, And I’m Ready To Go

It’s finally here. The layoff checks have arrived and now it’s time to head home. It feels like I’ve been here forever. I was only expecting to work three weeks as a traveler here at Brown’s Ferry Nuclear plant. What I got as almost seven weeks. All that extra money sure does feel good so I’m not going to bitch about staying longer than I expected. However, I’m really excited to make the trip home.

Now before anyone starts saying that it’s bad to get laid off let me explain. You see, as a union electrician getting laid off is more like graduation day. Congratulations, you made it! Here’s your prize…two checks and unemployment compensation as you await your next job. Basically, every job I take I work myself out of one. It all ends up as a circle repeating itself over and over and over again. sure it was rough in the beginning, but now I’m actually quite used to the endless merry-go-round.

So what do I do now? Well, I would have to say that it’s time to kick back and relax. It’s almost summertime. Summer movies, the beach, women in bikinis, and getting my new 2013 Camaro ZL1 to cruise town in. Most of all I plan to spend some time with family and friends. I’m sure the kids will love the fact that I’ll glow in the dark as a result from working all these nukes in the last couple of years which will provide hours of fun as well a way to never get lost in the woods in the darkest night. Ok, I’m just kidding. Nobody glows in the dark from working a nuclear plant…right?

As I leave Browns Ferry and move on to my next job at St. Lucie Nuclear Plant in a couple of months I take with me the knowledge of continuing nuclear industry experience. I’m actually quite comfortable working in a nuclear environment. Working in a contaminated area wearing a “duck suit” is actually not that bad, although it does get pretty hot wearing all those layers. Sure at first it’s a little scary as you hope not to get any on you, but after awhile it’s a mere afterthought because the chances of that happening are very slim. I’m always “clean” when I pass the scanners and leave the area. Also my industrial working background knowledge has increased due to working with more “experienced” journeymen. They really like teaching us younger guys even if they now consider us “spoiled.” Seriously speaking, working at a nuclear plant is more of a slower pace than most other jobs. There were times where I spent an entire day doing absolutely nothing and getting paid for it. Easy money! Take that 9-5ers! Sadly, If I ever go back to a commercial job down the road I’m sure that I’ll be in for a reality check. i may even get the message of “Go back to your nukes.” Ok, enough shop talk for now.

As I leave here I say “So long Sweet Home Alabama and hello Central Florida!” After a twelve hour plus road trip I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed and hang out with people I know with a few games, cold beer, and some fun times under the sun. Vacation here I come, and you’ve never looked better. Now to deal with those unemployment office people about my benefits.