My "Ding Bat Rant"

['69Novajoe]

<span style="color: #3333FF"><span style="font-weight: bold">I posted this on the Nova site where I'm a member. I wanted to post it here just to get it out there and to make people aware of what could happen if they aren’t careful. But, even saying that, being careful sometimes is totally out of our hands. What I’m talking about is respecting someone else’s “ride.” My Nova has been the recipient of more than a few scratches and dings in its “life” and I guess I haven’t been able to prevent them no matter how hard I try (short of putting a rope barrier around it!!). The latest one happened just this past Saturday (actually May 7th) on our (Nova) PCH Cruise. To begin with, I’m not pointing fingers at anyone, just trying to “educate” and “inform.”

When I left Ruby’s, after lunch, I decided to cruise down the coast and ended up at Mandy’s Pizza Restaurant to meet Steve, the owner. When he came out, he wanted to check out my car because he’s building a ’69 Nova also. As we worked our way around the car, he pointed out one “nice” scratch on the driver’s quarter panel and I told him where it came from (because I actually saw and heard it happen!!) But you can imagine my surprise when I noticed something on the driver’s door that looked like dried wax or maybe bird poop. I wish!! It was a door ding that took the paint with it, about ¼” by ½”. I was pretty sick when I saw it, but what can you do?? I don’t know what’s worse, a nice custom paint job getting a ding or, as in my case, an original forty-two year old paint job getting yet another “battle scar.” I’m trying not to let this affect me and I’ve already named “it.” I’m gonna call it the “Aron badge of Honor”, because I will never forget when I got it!! At least it’s my attempt to put a positive spin on a negative situation.

What’s really irritating is where I was when this happened. Or rather, where I wasn’t. I wasn’t in the Wal-Mart, or Ralphs, or “you name it”, parking lot, where who knows who is pushing shopping carts (or whatever), not really giving a hoot about anything. No, I was around a bunch of gear-heads who, I hope, love cars as much as I do. So, in retrospect it could have happened at the Donut Shop, in Long Beach near the aquarium, at Port’s ‘O Call, the hospital parking lot or Ruby’s. I am so careful around other cars because I know, first hand, the heartbreak of the slightest scratch or ding. Again, I’m not trying to place blame about this incident (no pun intended!) and I don’t mean to be a complainer/whiner, I just wanted to make everyone aware of it and to ask people to be more careful when they are looking at others “pride and joy.” Thanks for hearing me out. I’ll get over it. Life goes on. There are more important things to really get upset over and even then it might not do any good!!

Joe </span></span>__________________