knightfan26917

LOL! It'd be a great excuse for a road trip......................... Cort | www.oldcarsstronghearts.com 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

money Cort | www.oldcarsstronghearts.com 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

Gah ... Mine's Coming! (& I can't wait to get it) Cort | www.oldcarsstronghearts.com 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

* Something from my website … any creative captions for this Cadillac & kid in the snow? http://www.oldcarsstronghearts.com/2015/02/23/memory-monday-6/ In health news … if only registering, coaxing doctors to communicate with each other, coordinating schedules & receiving-executing pre- & post-procedure instructions could be listed on a resume as professional abilities, duties & experience…. 03/25/2015, Wednesday = pacemaker replacement …technically outpatient, but may have to spend a night in the hospital; a week of rest follows, then follow-up on, of all days, April 1. TBD = endoscopy & colonoscopy …these should be easy. Given other test results, tho, Medicaid-appointed PCP is concerned. Originally scheduled 03/03/2015 (Tuesday), these may be done AFTER the pacemaker replacement, depending on the Medicaid-approved gastroenterologist’s decision … tomorrow. Despite me calling multiple times, Medicaid has yet to provide a podiatrist for my feet pain or an orthopedist for my knee pain-swelling, so not sure what to do…. Cort | www.oldcarsstronghearts.com 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve "Funny how a melody sounds like a memory" __ Eric Church __ 'Springsteen'

After launching a Facebook page 12/19/2012, I finally launched a website based on that page just over a month ago (01/19/2015). It's been an enlightening experience ... haven't gotten into the detailed analytics (i.e. Google, etc.) ... yet..... Cort | www.oldcarsstronghearts.com 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

The only times I haven't driven much: After open heart surgeries ...& during this 3-year unemployment stretch..... Still, I know that weird feeling. Cort | www.oldcarsstronghearts.com 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

Seems that way ... can ya blame him!? Cort | www.oldcarsstronghearts.com 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

Same here ... my goodness, talk about a blast from the past.....! Cort | www.oldcarsstronghearts.com 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

Ha ... I'm not sorry about the MCs being sold ... glad I no longer condone FWD with what I drive. Well, maybe I am a bit ... after all, they were a part of my life for a long time. But, now, I no longer have any connections to any MC-specific message boards, groups or Email lists ... life has certainly changed. Cort | www.oldcarsstronghearts.com 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

* It’s been a LONG time since I’ve been THIS excited about something … & it feels good! It’s cool to have a platform other than Facebook to showcase my talents. I’ve been unemployed since February 2012, no income since September 2013 & almost out of $$. Hoping some self-employment considerations will work…. Remember my Nephew & Niece? They are now 6 & 2 respectively! Cort | 41.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = www.oldcarsstronghearts.com You are welcome ... & thank you! Thank you!!!

* Rather excited to present my new website [kudos to my cousin, Ben, for help & expertise], which officially debuted today, 01/19/2015, 2 years & 1 month after I launched my Facebook page 12/19/2012: www.oldcarsstronghearts.com Posts originate from the page & are automatically publicized to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts For those not on FB, this gives a glimpse at what I’ve been crafting. I look forward to implementing a few more ideas rattling around in my brain & maybe even making a go of some self-employment ideas I’ve been brainstorming…. Across the top of the main page are links to pages I created, including playlists (etc.) from my radio shows many of you heard, as well as… …OC,SH history: http://www.oldcarsstronghearts.com/about/ …me & cars: http://www.oldcarsstronghearts.com/me-cars/ …me & CHD: http://www.oldcarsstronghearts.com/me-chd/ Cort | 41.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = www.oldcarsstronghearts.com

* “Life throws you curves, but you learn to swerve; me & swung & I missed & the next thing ya know I’m reminiscing’” At least my OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS facebook page & ‘OC,SH express’ group keep me smiling, talking old cars & sparking memories! ‘81mc is in Kentucky; finalizing plans to get my 1989 Caprice Classic Brougham elsewhere for winter, tho it’d be most helpful for it & my 1979 Caprice Classic to be sold ASAP. Now, since all things must end, this is goodbye time … temporarily. NO idea when I’ll return; if you want, stay in touch with me via OC,SH (link below)! Cort | 41.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts Thank you! & yep, it sure is....

Thank you, both! & ... I sure hope you're right, Z! Cort | 41.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts

* During the last Chicago Cubs game ever broadcast on WGN radio, 09/28/2014, Pat Hughes (voice since 1996) reminisced & mentioned that, when saying goodbye, we tend to say we’ll see each other later or will keep in touch, but that rarely actually happens. I somewhat succeeded, by road tripping 2002-2011, meeting many of you along the way. I also tried to get people in this area together but stopped asking; ironically, I still want to ask if anyone wants to meet up…. I look through my pics of road trips, people, places, cars … & wonder where some, including those I thought would always be in my life, are today. Next week, I say goodbye to friends of 13+ years; they’re moving to SC 10/10/2014. It will mark the end of an era in multiple ways. With them leaving, I have to figure out where I’ll consign my 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics to sell (can’t really afford storage for the winter), where/how to put the ‘81mc in storage (lowest possible cost) & which junkyard to dump the unneeded & unwanted car parts … all while continuing the job search & starting the process of reviewing my stuff. I’d ask for help, but…. Know that feeling of the walls closing in? Yep, that’s where I’m at now! “Life can take your dreams & turn them upside down; friends will talk about you when you're not around … People make you promises they'll never keep; soon you'll know why people say talk is cheap” "I thought things couldn't get much worse, but guess what they did ... I can live on my prayers, 'cause I'm done playin' nice ... I get stronger with every step ... You push on me I'm going to push back harder, I got a whole lot more than a little bit left, so don't put dirt on my grave just yet" Cort | 41.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts

* Thank you, both! So glad I have my OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS facebook page (& related ‘OC,SH express’ group) to keep me smiling & "talking old cars & sparking memories"! Sunny, warm days (which seem to be disappearing now) make me want to just drive: sunny-day only car(s) or a road trip. Wish life was a bit slower paced & money wasn’t the basis for so much…. “Life throws you curves, but you learn to swerve; me I swung & I missed & the next thing ya know I'm reminiscin’” Cort | 41.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts

* Article about OC,SH & me, published online on my birthday, 09/19, & appeared in the 09/21/2014 print edition: http://couriernews.suntimes.com/2014/09/19/heart-felt-facebook-page/ 09/22/2014, watched “The Rockford Files”, then drove my 1989 Caprice Classic Brougham on the road for the 1st time in over a year … will make it more difficult to sell it & my 1979 Caprice Classic. Also drove the ‘81mc on the road for the 1st time in over 2 years. Odd therapy … mix of invigoration, sadness & memories. Ended the afternoon by watching “CHiPs”. Always remember. Things CAN switch in a heartbeat. Easy to support when things are well; challenging when not. Easy to hope someone is OK; challenging to reach out to them. Easy to claim to be a good friend; challenging to show it. Easy to wish you could help; challenging to actually do so. Cort | 41.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts

* Near the end of this week I turn 41. 5 years ago, while on my Route 66 trip, I didn’t think things would go bad in a hurry: 4th open heart surgery (11/11/2011), forced to job hunt, selling cars, discovering I have way fewer friends than I thought, etc. For those who take life for granted & don’t see things ever changing, it CAN switch in a heartbeat. On the plus side, starting my OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS facebook page has been a blessing, in many ways: https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts Still, I’m unnerved with much “up in the air” & unknown but trying not to worry. In the next 2 weeks, I have to sell 2 Caprice Classics or find storage for which I cannot afford. Drove a bit this past Sunday, despite gout flaring up, to enjoy the sunshine-drenched skies, but I just felt sad. “Has it all gone to waste? All the promises we made, 1 by 1 they vanish just the same … Now the days are so long that summer's moving on, We reach for something that's already gone … Of all the things I still remember, summer's never looked the same, the years go by & time just seems to fly, but the memories remain” NEW AD; 2 Caprice Classics http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/4672447173.html NEW AD; pickup or local delivery ONLY. Prices EXTREMELY negotiable; if not sold, parts dumped at a local junkyard http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/pts/4672448456.html Cort | 40.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts

* We tell others to "never say never", but then use the phrase "never forget" for 09/11/2001! Perhaps "always remember" is a bit more appropriate for Patriot Day & other things? I’ve said it’s more about people than anything, but starting to wonder.... Until a few weeks ago, it had been ~1 year & 3 months since I posted. I’ve been without a job for over 2.5 years & without income for a year (unemployment ended September 2013). I was denied disability; I am now on Medicaid, but cannot see my doctors. I’ve sold cars, with 2 more for sale now; all of my FWD-condoning MCs are gone. Otherwise, things are great; ha! Nephew will be 6 years old & Niece will be 2 years old this November. Job search has had too many misses. I’m looking for customer service, marketing or social media opportunities; trying to use my crafting creativity on my OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS facebook page to leverage social media experience. Thinking about moving to 1 of these areas: Nashville-Jackson TN Bowling Green KY Albuquerque NM Kingman-Flagstaff AZ Amarillo-Dallas-Fort Worth TX Tulsa-OK City OK 5 years ago, I was in the midst of my 2009 Route 66 road trip. I’ve been sharing pics from that journey on OC,SH daily: https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts That was 1 of many road trips I did 2002-2011 to meet people in person, including some of you. My 2 most-recent trips were in 2010 & 2011: https://picasaweb.google.com/knightfan26917/NorEasterTrekRoadTripWed08042010Sun08152010 https://picasaweb.google.com/knightfan26917/CoastToCoastRoadTripFri06242011Mon07112011 Easy to support when things are well; challenging when not. Easy to hope someone is OK; challenging to reach out to them. Easy to claim to be a good friend; challenging to show it. Easy to wish you could help; challenging to actually do so. Need to sell these 2 Caprice Classics ASAP; storage gone at the end of this month: http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/4623573271.html For these parts, pickup or local delivery. Prices extremely negotiable; if not sold, parts will be dumped at a local junkyard: http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/pts/4623575967.html "I can still hear us laughing on the front porch in the dark; there are days when I know I've traveled so far that I'll never find the road leading back to the start" "I used to love this view, sit here & drink a few ... these sleepy streetlights on every sidewalk side street shed a light on everything that used to be" "Somewhere in this city is a road I know where we could make it, but maybe there's no making it now ... I was only trying to bury the pain ... If the time could turn us around, what once was lost may be found ... We hit a wall & we can’t get over it, nothing left to relive." "It's hard to say it, time to say it, goodbye; so hard to stay, so hard to leave" Cort | 40.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts

* Road trip canceled. 5 years ago, I was in the midst of my 2009 Route 66 road trip; sharing daily pics (& notes) of that journey on my OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS facebook page! That was 1 of many road trips I did 2002-2011 to meet people in person, including some of you. 2 most-recent trips: 2010 https://picasaweb.google.com/knightfan26917/NorEasterTrekRoadTripWed08042010Sun08152010 2011 https://picasaweb.google.com/knightfan26917/CoastToCoastRoadTripFri06242011Mon07112011 Cort | 40.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts

* Start of road trip delayed (not sure yet about schedule-timeframe), but so far, stops include: Chesterton-Fort Wayne IN Sioux City IA Oklahoma City OK (possibly Phoenix AZ) Fort Worth TX Cape Girardeau-O’Fallon MO Jackson-Nashville-Knoxville TN I’ve had no job since February 2012 & no income since September 2013; looking for customer service, marketing or social media opportunities. Been trying to use my crafting creativity on my OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS facebook page (link below) to leverage social media experience. Cort | 40.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts Thank you!

* Suppose I could file this under “why didn’t I think of this before”, but instead of shipping parts sold, I am planning a road trip to deliver them … & job search, hoping a relocation will spark a more formidable change. Planned road trip (starting late this or early next week) stops: Chesterton & Fort Wayne IN Sioux City IA area Oklahoma City OK Fort Worth TX Cape Girardeau & O’Fallon MO Nashville & Knoxville TN Let me know if you’re interested in meeting along the way…. Parts to be delivered are those here: http://www.cheersandgears.com/topic/83658-for-sale-mc-parts-models/ Also, my pair of CCs are still for sale: http://www.cheersandgears.com/topic/83659-for-sale-1979-1989-caprice-classics/ Cort | 40.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts

Well, that door of sunshine needs to open up yesterday. If I don't have a job within the next 2 weeks, I'm screwed ... because once COBRA runs out, I will have NO health insurance. Then, things will be far worse than they are now. I'm ... just ... done. Generally, I'd agree with you, but..... As for my road trips, those are a thing of the past ... they were nice while they lasted. I've tried to remain positive, but that's getting more difficult. Cort | 39.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 2 MCs + '79 & '89 Caprice Classics CHD.cars + RoadTrips.hobbies.RadioShows.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts "Maybe things could work out right" __ Johnny Hates Jazz __ 'Shattered Dreams'

Yes, Roger, that IS sad that they are still in a box! I don't have the problem of having to have a wife approve of where to put things.... . Course, on the flip side, I'm not getting any ... well you know, either. *rolls eyes* BUT ... I LOVE your curio cabinets ... holy cow ... what an awesome collection. Color me a bit jealous, even. Course, that gives me some ideas about getting at least 1 curio cabinet....hmmmmmm.....where to find one CHEAP???? Cort | 39.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 2 MCs + '79 & '89 Caprice Classics CHD.cars + RoadTrips.hobbies.RadioShows.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts "How can anybody be so lucky?" __ John Conlee __ 'Domestic Life'

tongue Cort | 39.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 2 MCs + '79 & '89 Caprice Classics CHD.cars + RoadTrips.hobbies.RadioShows.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS = https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts "See what else your old heart can take" __ Rosanne Cash __ '7 Year Ache'

"We've been hurting one another & now the pain has cut too deep" __ Annie Lennox __ 'Walking On Broken Glass' Life IS mostly good, but am I the only 1 nerve-wracked? I'm contemplating whether or not to appeal the disability denial; need to receive more of my medical records & speak with a lawyer...ugh. I have time for a road trip, but no $$. [best road trip moments begin when you say "hello"...!] A couple weeks ago, we had flooding rains 1 day; accumulating snow the next. Bombing at the Boston Marathon; explosions in TX & OK. A friend of 20+ years wrote me a scathing note about how bad of a friend/person I am.... Yet, someone I recently met, knowing my affinity towards older cars, suggested I start a niche business. I've contemplated that before (or some sort of road tripping or radio-related endeavor), but not sure ... so many ideas & possibilities with not enough starting $$. My future looks bleak, but sometimes determination (or something else...) kicks in. But, I need help: I'm still job-hunting; need 1 with health insurance for obvious reasons. COBRA runs out in ~2 months. Do you need help social media managing, organizing, reviewing, or researching ... something to get me out of the house a bit? We could barter.... Anyone interested in getting together? Maybe lunch, dinner or both. Maybe with cars, but definitely good company & conversation. Someone to detail my 1979 Caprice Classic. I need to find energy to detail my 1989 Caprice Classic myself, since I haven't even washed it yet! [The '79 & '81 MCs were detailed with a friend's help last year & probably will not be out in 2013, in an attempt to TRY to keep them.] & ... something that will NOT take YOUR $$ ... if on facebook, "like" my page, OLD CARS, STRONG HEARTS ... please. https://www.facebook.com/OldCarsStrongHearts Cort | 39.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 2 MCs + '79 & '89 Caprice Classics CHD.cars + RoadTrips.hobbies.RadioShows.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort * roadsNwheels + CapriceClassicForum = http://rdwhl-capriceclassic.proboards.com/ "I'm moving like lightning through the pouring rain" __ Johnny Lee __ 'Rolling Lonely'