1999 in four rings (sorry, long and mostly OT)

[Tom Nas <tnas@euronet.nl>]

Hi all,

It's that time of the year again, time to vent my retrospective rambling
thoughts... it's overall been a great year. And, though I've managed to
spend all of '99 in the employment of one firm, I'm considering going job
hunting again in '00- time for more changes. I've also come to the
conclusion that I've either got to pump lots of money and time into fixing
my car, or sell it at a big loss, maybe even scrap it. No, guess I'm not
going to raffle it off or be buried in it- I hope I'll last a little longer
than the car. I've still got lots of parts due from a lister I did a favour
for, but I guess that after waiting for a year I can write those off... to
be fair, it's the only deal I've ever made that's gone sour. Parts prices
are really incredible here (even though I have a mechanics' discount by way
of a good friend), and there's hardly a source for aftermarket stuff. For
the second time, I'm considering selling the Audi and buying a cheap old
Golf (fuel prices have gone up so much that the much-loved five-cylinder's
drinking habits are another source of trouble).

The absolute and undisputed climax of the year was meeting lots of other
quattro listers at the Monterey Historics. I'm now the envy of all my
friends here, and that's not only due to the 3000 miles I've driven around
the southwest of the US after that. Thanks to all of you, I've now got a
lot of stories to tell. The whole event breathed the camaraderie of the
list, and I almost wish it would've been a two-WEEK event, so that I
could've spent more time with all of you. It's been the greatest vacation
of my life, and watching my video and looking at the pics just makes me
wish I could do this all again, preferably soon. My general dislike for
winter weather might have something to do with this, too.

I've also joined the Dutch Audi Coupe Club (even though I don't drive a
Coupe, but it's the club with the best atmosphere and events) and my
Monterey report made a nice contribution to the club magazine. The group's
discussions at events and the Audi-fanatism is very similar to what I've
come across in '97 at Pikes Peak and in Monterey last August. No-one can
beat the US for unlimited Audi fanatism, though.

I'm glad I could make a small contribution to the good cause of list
maintenance by helping Bob Myers make the q-list decals (unashamed plug:
Bob still has lots of decals left- get a couple as gifts for your friends,
too. In fact, stick one on the front door window of your home, on the TV,
the mirror in the bathroom, the cat...) :-) e-mail Bob at
<rmyers@inetone.net> for orders, all proceeds go directly to Dan Simoes.
Oh, and they only cost $2.50 each (surely a small contribution for all the
money you've saved on repairs?).

T*rsen disussions aside, it was another great year of q-listdom. For this
alone, I'd want to drive an Audi. It's a good thing that there are more and
more international contributors every year, to widen the scope of the list
and add their local colour. There's _nothing_ that can beat this list as a
resource.
I've been trying to recall when I joined the list- must be some four to
five years ago. Since then I've learnt to do lots of the intimidating stuff
on my car myself, and have saved lots of useful posts for future reference.
I can never thank you all enough for sharing your knowledge with me.

WRT the millennium (getting sick of hearing the word, and reading its
mis-spelled iterations)- the only good thing (apart from lots of IT jobs)
to come from this is the sheer number of 'best of' lists, my favourite of
which is 'best music'. I've been listening to all kinds of countdowns and
watching videos for the last two weeks, and enjoying it tremendously. I
hope all of you have similar experiences to make this an enjoyable ending
to the century.

Fellow listers- a happy new year and all the best for 2000, for you and
your families and friends. May your Audis provide you with nothing more
than enjoyment! Thanks for another great year of quattro list.

Tom

PS To end this on a comical note: as I'm typing this, the news comes on the
radio. Our Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander, (a chubby fellow if ever
there was one, who seems content to join in every banquet and do nothing
but cut ribbons for physical activity) has made a speech to entice 'the
Dutch youth' away from their computer screens and to join sports clubs. A
case of pot and kettle comparing hues? Took me a fair while to recover from
that.

 _______________________________________________________________________
 Tom Nas                                          Zeist, The Netherlands
 tnas@euronet.nl
 1987 Audi 90q 2.3E, Tizianrot metallic, 170,000km
 http://members.tripod.lycos.nl/AudiJunk/index.html

       "There is no reason for any individual to have a computer
        in their home."
             --Ken Olson, World Future Society Convention, 1977