Mark's Page

Another update!

2007-07-26T03:15:00.000+10:00

That's right, I actually found my own website once again.

I was recently in P.E.I. to take in the big annual British car show, and there's now about 450 new photos in the gallery to prove it! It was an excellent show, and I got the chance to check out many of Atlantic Canada's excellent classic British cars up close. What a great weekend it was!

Anyways, life is still going very well. I'm still working at TSi (over a year now), and am still enjoying it. I finally sold the old Jetta and bought myself a '97 Camry which will hopefully be a boring, reliable companion for my future toys. I learned the hard way with my old Alfa Romeo that it's not much fun having a weird, obscure car as a daily driver!

Speaking of the Alfa, I was out cruising around town last weekend and spotted it sitting in a house's garage! I stopped in and introduced myself (my father had sold the car while I was in Australia, so I had not met the buyer) and got a chance to see the old girl again. It hasn't been back on the road since he bought it, but he's been busy working on it over the past couple years. All the required body work has been completed, the windshield has been replaced, and the water pump and timing belt were changed as well. Hopefully it will be back out on the streets sooner rather than later!

An update.

2007-01-31T00:34:00.000+11:00

Well, I suppose it's time I update this site. I'd originally meant it to be a log of my journeys in Australia in 2005, but a number of people still look at it.

About six months ago - July 11, actually - I started a new job that I actually enjoy! I'm now working for TSi Auto Solutions (http://www.tsiautosolutions.com) right here in Saint John. I get to put both my interests and my training to use as I work with the software we provide for automotive manufacturers. The office has a great atmosphere, the people are wonderful to work with, and the company is experiencing high levels of growth. It's not the absolute ideal job, compared with, say, touring the world looking for lost classics and rarities, but back in reality it's an excellent place to be and I could hardly ask for more.

I still have the '91 Jetta I bought early in 2006, but I'm now very actively looking to move on to something better. Also, I'm saving up for some land on which to build a house, and my social life is almost to the point of being oppressively active.

Life is going well. :)

The complexities of life

2006-03-01T08:28:00.000+11:00

So what do I do?

So far, four years of my life and a sum of money I'd rather not contemplate have been wasted to let me know I hate marketing and anything to do with it. I had to do something, I guess.

Now I'm too worn out to even consider more schooling for a while, at least, so I've got to do something. My current job, working for the best non-family boss I've ever had, allows me to have fun, but independent life is out of the question lest currency suddenly deflates whilst salaries don't. Do I continue looking at car dealers, knowing I'll dread waking up every morning I have to fill any of the positions (outside of ownership) there? Do I pursue automotive journalism, forcing an occasional, casual hobby into a low-paying struggle for words I'd rather not evoke? Do I move to my most despised place on Earth to get a decent job with a decent company?

Does everyone have this problem?

I know the question - what do I enjoy? I enjoy the celebration of the car, the collecting of the car, the study of the car, even the very existence of the car. Will anyone pay me for that? I enjoy putting on headphones and losing myself in a simple complex collection of notes. Will anyone pay me for that? I enjoy turning on an outstanding movie, having my emotions tugged at by the story, my senses awed by the production. Will anyone pay me for that? I enjoy an honest, in-depth discussion with a person of like and (yet?) competent mind. I don't even need to ask if anyone will pay me for that - it just leads to a razor cut through renumeration.

I long for the redundancy of money.

Alfa gone, Rover gone, what next?

2005-12-13T22:51:00.000+11:00

Well, the Rover has been handed back. I'm currently in Adelaide, travelling around Australia with my parents, so my use of "Marie" is no longer an option. As much as I still love those cars, and even that one, I must say I had gotten a bit sick of using it as an everyday driver. No power steering, no decent stereo, marginal cooling, etc., etc. I've been driving the rental Ford Falcon the past few days and, though it took a bit of getting used to, I'm overjoyed to discover "easy driving" again.

Though I knew the Rover was going, I had no idea the Alfa was already gone! I'd had it up for sale since before I left for Australia, and it was for sale all while I was here, though with little success. However, in August, a young man looking for an interesting project came and checked it out. He later came back with his father, who has a garage he could use, and ended up buying it. He expects it will take him a while to get it back onto the road, but has promised to give us a call when he does. The only unusual bit in this story, however, is that my parents forgot to let me know! For the past few months I had been questioning what to do with the car - fix it up a bit, get rid of it, restore it, etc. Now that question has thankfully been answered, and a new, more exciting question has arisen: What car do I get next?

This next car will need to be something inexpensive and easily put on the road, however, that doesn't mean it needs to be something I don't like! I've often fancied getting a Mk2 Volkswagen Jetta 2-door, and I've always liked the 3-door hatch version of the 3rd generation Honda Accord. Then again, some even more interesting stuff is at rock-bottom prices. How about $2400 for a 1993 Taurus SHO Manual? We'll see.....

My absence...

2005-11-03T18:13:00.000+11:00

Hey, I'm still alive. My computer's not though, thus the recent lull in any noticeable activity by me. Around mid-year, the main hard drive started acting up, clicking, clacking, corrupting the registry, and what-not. It started doing all of the above with alarmingly increasing frequency of late, so, since it's still under warranty, I took it out and dropped it off with my friend/computer supplier. He's getting me a new one and installing Windows and all other relevant programs; in the meantime, I have to come here to the uni and use one of the computers in the computer lab. Not a big deal, but a legitimate excuse for not having any real online presence lately!

The greatest sound...

2005-10-06T15:21:00.000+10:00

My car's owner, Derek, allowed me to drive his Triumph Stag when I went over for a visit last Sunday. The Stag featured a brand new Triumph V8 which turned out to have a lot of problems, and contributed to the fall of the company. The engine never made it into any other car, but its reliability issues have long since been solved and it is now the main selling point for almost every Stag around.

Why?

Well, I must admit, I'm fairly jaded when it comes to a lot of cars. Though I enjoy seeing anything, it takes something absolutely marvellous in some way to really impress me. I've seen and heard Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, etc; however, I can't even begin to describe my love for the sound that Triumph V8 makes.

Nearly all V8s have a familiar burble to them, most of which are very throaty - the Stag's V8, on the other hand, seems to have a more growly, raspy burble, which sounds very unique.

It's hard to describe. Listen for yourself whenever you get the chance!

A year of hair

2005-09-25T19:51:00.000+10:00

Last Saturday (the 17th) was the one year anniversary of me last cutting my hair, at which point I had it buzzed right down to a length of ½-inch. Now, it's about 6 inches in length.

I never really planned to grow it out, I just sort of never got it cut.

I've always hated my curly hair, so for the past 10 years, at least, I've kept it very short. I guess what I actually hated was the slight curl my hair would have when it was too long to be straight, but not long enough to hang down. Now that I'm past that stage, however, I like it. At the very least, it's a conversation piece. A point of interest. An escape from anonymity.

The downside? I have to pay attention to it. It had been over 8 years since I'd last combed my hair prior to this, and now I have to do it every day. In addition, I've had to actually spend money on hair products. Hair products? Mark Brown? Hair products?

Times are a changin...

Before and After

New webspace!

2005-08-25T23:16:00.000+10:00

Well, after considering it for several years, I've finally taken the plunge and bought some webspace. This year especially, I've had photos galore to share, and limited places where I could freely put them. Compounded on that, each photo would have it's own ad tagged on, and I would have to try to keep track of photos here, there, and everywhere. This way, I'll have everything in one, easy to remember place, and there will be no more ads!

I will continue with this journal (provided I find the motivation), but for text rather than pictures. That's not entirely true, I suppose, as any single pictures I take which do not fit into a full gallery will be posted here, but as most of my photos were taken alongside several other related photos, I will make galleries for each of them.

That said, you can still wipe this page off your bookmarks list - I've provided a link on my new site which will open the blog in a large frame, so you can still have the links to other parts of my site while you read this.

Anyways, the address is nice and simple - http://www.mbrown.ca

http://mbrown2005.50webs.com/

2005-08-09T14:20:00.000+10:00

French Car Show pics are *finally* up...see 255 of them at http://mbrown2005.50webs.com/

2005-08-03T22:38:00.000+10:00

The project rally car

2005-08-03T22:37:00.000+10:00

George's P5 Coupé

2005-08-03T22:35:00.000+10:00

What a backyard!

2005-08-03T22:31:00.000+10:00

Adrian and his toys...

2005-07-25T00:27:00.000+10:00

Hey, who's the one taking photos around here?

2005-07-25T00:26:00.000+10:00

The venue.

2005-07-25T00:24:00.000+10:00

Julie & Aiden

2005-07-25T00:22:00.000+10:00

Andy trying to look mean

2005-07-25T00:17:00.000+10:00

Ladies

2005-07-25T00:15:00.000+10:00

2005-07-25T00:13:00.000+10:00

Sorry to interrupt...

2005-07-25T00:12:00.000+10:00

Coming up with a caption for this one stumped me.

2005-07-25T00:08:00.000+10:00

Oops.

2005-07-25T00:07:00.000+10:00

Watermelon

2005-07-25T00:05:00.000+10:00

Deep, intellectual conversation

2005-07-25T00:02:00.000+10:00

The birthday boy & family

2005-07-24T23:59:00.000+10:00

Happy Birthday

2005-07-24T23:58:00.000+10:00

Drat...

2005-07-24T23:56:00.000+10:00

Ka-pow

2005-07-07T13:12:00.000+10:00

Hmm. How'd I get here?

2005-07-07T13:09:00.000+10:00

Well put

2005-07-07T13:07:00.000+10:00

Derby Bentley

2005-07-07T12:50:00.000+10:00

Old Skool

2005-07-07T12:42:00.000+10:00

Now this is a comfy looking interior!!

2005-07-07T12:41:00.000+10:00

A guy with a cowboy hat owned it...

2005-07-07T12:40:00.000+10:00

Furry!

2005-07-07T12:19:00.000+10:00

The Gull

2005-07-07T12:17:00.000+10:00

Astons

2005-07-07T12:14:00.000+10:00

Gorgeous Derby Bentley

2005-06-25T23:59:00.003+10:00

Marie

2005-06-25T23:59:00.002+10:00

Marie found a friend

2005-06-25T23:59:00.001+10:00

Mars

2005-06-25T23:59:00.000+10:00

Lava Ghoul

2005-06-25T23:58:00.001+10:00

Journey to the Centre of the Earth

2005-06-25T23:58:00.000+10:00

Fins

2005-06-25T23:56:00.000+10:00

Variance

2005-06-25T23:53:00.000+10:00

Diamonds in the Rough

2005-06-25T23:52:00.000+10:00

Stalagcandle

2005-06-25T23:50:00.000+10:00

Corrugated Wall

2005-06-25T23:48:00.000+10:00

Broken Column

2005-06-25T22:38:00.000+10:00

Owl

2005-06-25T22:29:00.000+10:00

Nailstorm

2005-06-25T22:27:00.000+10:00

George the Wombat

2005-06-25T22:24:00.000+10:00

Purple?

2005-06-25T22:22:00.000+10:00

Le Chateau

2005-06-14T22:50:00.000+10:00

Meeting up

2005-06-14T22:48:00.000+10:00

Pre-meal entertainment

2005-06-14T22:47:00.000+10:00

Mike and Mike

2005-06-14T22:46:00.000+10:00

Back in the Hub of the Universe

2005-06-09T23:52:00.000+10:00

Meh...

2005-06-09T23:51:00.000+10:00

Cathedral

2005-06-09T23:42:00.000+10:00

Wooloomooloo

2005-06-09T23:38:00.000+10:00

Lonely stairs

2005-06-09T23:37:00.001+10:00

Towers

2005-06-09T23:37:00.000+10:00

Town

2005-06-09T23:34:00.000+10:00

Zoom on by

2005-06-09T23:27:00.000+10:00

Spying on the neighbours

2005-06-09T23:23:00.000+10:00

The waiting game

2005-06-09T23:15:00.000+10:00

Food on the water

2005-06-07T00:42:00.000+10:00

Our ride south

2005-06-07T00:39:00.001+10:00

Myself, Mike, Derek, Adrian

2005-06-07T00:39:00.000+10:00

"My" car, Derek's car

2005-06-07T00:38:00.000+10:00

"My" car, Derek's car

2005-06-07T00:37:00.000+10:00

"My" car, Derek's car

2005-06-07T00:36:00.000+10:00

Derek's car, "my" car

2005-06-07T00:35:00.000+10:00

Derek's car, "my" car

2005-06-07T00:32:00.000+10:00

Couldn't live away from water...

2005-06-07T00:30:00.000+10:00

Roving

2005-06-07T00:29:00.000+10:00

Clouds

2005-06-07T00:27:00.000+10:00

Cruisin'

2005-06-07T00:26:00.000+10:00

Sundown from 65

2005-06-07T00:24:00.000+10:00

George's '55 MG Magnette

2005-06-07T00:22:00.000+10:00

Behind the wheel

2005-06-01T00:32:00.001+10:00

What have I gotten into now...

2005-06-01T00:32:00.000+10:00

The Mullet

2005-06-01T00:31:00.000+10:00

Ladies

2005-06-01T00:30:00.000+10:00

Ladies and Gentlemen (or so they try to be ;)

2005-06-01T00:27:00.000+10:00

Half-done...

2005-06-01T00:25:00.000+10:00

The approval

2005-06-01T00:21:00.000+10:00

Straight hair?!

2005-06-01T00:20:00.000+10:00

Straight hair?!

Rover Owner's Club Breakfast Run

2005-05-23T22:50:00.000+10:00

Bright and early Sunday morning, I embarked with my friend Mike on the Rover Owner's Club breakfast run we were invited to. Warwick, the club's vice-president and member nearest my house picked us up from my house at 6:49am in his gorgeous P5B Coupé. We started to head north, towards the motorway (which eventually goes to Brisbane), on which we would meet up with the other club members at a rest area near an ambulance station. On the way, I noticed another P5 Coupé coming down a connecting road, which Warwick mentioned was club president Derek's "new" car on its first outing. We pulled over and waited for him to catch up, then proceeded to the meeting point together.

We were only a few minutes at the meeting point before all 10 cars attending the event showed up. Every car was given a two-way radio (which provided in-cruise entertainment rather than report break-downs!) and we were on our way to the little town of Spencer, NSW, the self-proclaimed "Hub of the Universe". We had a gorgeous drive through some twisty roads, through fog, and up and down numerous hills. When we arrived in Spencer, all the cars reversed into spots opposite the breakfast joint, near the river. This, naturally provided some excellent photo opportunities, which I took advantage of (see below).

We filled up with an excellent country breakfast of eggs and bacon and hashbrows and toast and coffee. After that, everyone had a great time of chatting and joking, and some people took the opportunity to drive other member's Rovers. Even I got the opportunity to join in, when Tony allowed me to drive his 1958 P4 105R. The car had Rover's first attempt at an automatic gearbox, which was a strange semi-auto item which selected gears for you, but lacked a park position, and required you to press a button to engage and dis-engage the clutch. Once I got that all worked out, I proceeded down the road on the right side, like the good Canadian boy I am! After going round a turn, I realized "something's not right here" and soon after nonchalantly drifted over to the left. The club members all got a laugh, at the least. :)

People soon started to disperse, many heading back the way we came. However, a few others of us continued on the long, scenic route home. Warwick, Mike, and I took the opportunity to check out the Great Northern Road, a road literally carved, or more applicably, sectioned, out of the side of a small mountain. This was all done in the 1800s by convicts, and took a few years to complete. It really is quite a sight, however, and includes rudimentary culverts - literally just tunnels in the rock from the mountain side to the edge side - so water would not wash away all the surface of the road.

After we'd seen the sights, we headed on home. It was a very scenic drive, and nice to see lots of other classic British cars out cruising as well.

2005-05-23T21:56:00.000+10:00

Our ride

2005-05-23T21:53:00.000+10:00

The meeting point

2005-05-23T21:51:00.000+10:00

It could very well be the 1960s!

2005-05-23T21:49:00.000+10:00

Into the turn

2005-05-23T21:46:00.000+10:00

Cruising along

2005-05-23T21:45:00.000+10:00

P6B 3500

2005-05-23T21:36:00.000+10:00

P5B Saloon

2005-05-23T20:34:00.000+10:00

P5B Coupé

2005-05-23T20:32:00.000+10:00