Sp8Ball: just want to say that this is an awesome thread you've got going here. it's honest, fun, and brimming with the enthusiasm we all share for this hunk of metal called 4Runner.
your lovely and intelligent wife should know that for every one of her eye-rolls (or face-palms) there's at least a few chuckles, nods of agreement, or knowing smiles here on the forum.
Sp8Ball's personal entertainment factor (1 to 10): 10 :trophy:
I appreciate that!
(
Sp8ball Blushing/Embarassed Factor (1 to 10): 8)
As for the wife stuff, there are a few things going on with that whole dynamic. Let's revisit THAT subject, in an ongoing attempt to turn her into an internet celebrity.
1) She and I have a very good relationship with each other. We know where the boundaries are, and I manage to continue dipping my toe over the line in a childish, stupid, nanny-nanny-boo-boo type fashion. But I should have more self control. She gets frustrated with me, but she knows I'm goofy and still keeps me around.
(Note: I'm not bragging, but I definitely married out of my league...so you'd think I'd do a better job of not lobbing grenades - 4Runner mods, motorcycle purchases - but I'm an idiot)
2) I was expecting a lot of "get your cajones out of her purse, be a man, and just do the mod" type responses...but that didn't happen. Instead there was a lot of support from guys on here who appreciated that I was walking a fine line with her, and
encouraged me to play it cool. Thanks guys!
3) With a 6-week-old at home, you never really know what you're going to get when you come home from work.
Day A could be all smiles and "There's Daddy!" and "He smiled at me today!" and "We went for a walk and he didn't cry at all!"...whereas
Day B can be "Here. Take him. I'm checking to see if there are any websites with information on selling babies who scream for 3 hours straight on the black market, and we'll use the money for a nice vacation." (She's just
kidding about the black market thing. Usually.)
So I have to be real suave about how I introduce new ideas. For instance, I got a great offer the other day (that I want to pull the trigger on) for a part I need (ok,
want) for a mod I'd like to do. I was excited about this. (go figure)
Our son, however, was having a "Day B" type interaction with my wife. It basically took me 30 minutes to build up the proposal to her, complete with a back story about how I started coming to this forum with no clue, and people have been helping me, and my thread has been viewed 5000+ times (2500 of which is admittedly
me, clicking on my own thread to check my spelling and grammar), and blah blah blah. She glared at me, told me to ask what I needed to ask, and then flew around like the angels at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark before causing the piano - we don't have an ark, mostly because I'm scared of snakes - to shoot fire across the room)
(Note: Because I'm
smart, and I've
done my research...I looked away, and my face didn't melt. I was unscathed. The lesson? Always do your research before attempting any mod.)
But...
4) I think she's intrigued by this whole T4R forum thing - and that people are actually reading what I write. So it's perpetuating itself. I mod, I get some story about the mod (or her), I post, people read, I get inspired, she gets curious, and I mod again. It's a vicious cycle. But the more we keep the cycle going in a, um,
cyclical fashion, the longer this will drag itself out. For better or worse.
Or until the moderators tell me to kill this thread because I'm killing their bandwidth with idiotic Indiana Jones and Goonies pictures.
Speaking of gratuitous pictures, I found one more picture (while searching for the pictures above, if you can't tell!) that exemplifies my quest to convince her that it would be a good idea for me to get bigger tires and black wheels.
