A few weeks have passed, and still I live.

If you want to call it that.  On the 9th of this month, I set out to make the most of the time I have at my disposal and went into the garage.  I aim to finish getting my first car back into good enough shape to pack up what I can't bear to part with and drive until I'm done driving.  If it makes any difference, my first car is a 1978 AMC Gremlin.

When I share that last detail, it's not uncommon for people to ask, "Why a Gremlin?", or simply, "A Gremlin?".  I can offer some explanation with a fun fact: most people are unaware that AMC had an elite viral marketing team who developed a biological agent that attacks the brains of certain people who find themselves in possession of a Gremlin.  Much like a person inflicted with toxoplasmosis, the infected are driven by the urge to service, maintain, and endlessly talk about their vehicle.  Often, vehicles.

You see, much like the cat lady, Gremlin "enthusiasts" often find themselves occupying every square foot of available storage space with Gremlins and the parts to (someday) repair or maintain them.  This is all by design. AMC actually made a public nod to this effect in the following advertisement:

I'm fortunate in not yet having reached this stage in my affliction.  I worry, however, that the '78 AMX in another garage, as well as the '85 Eagle wagon that's my daily are signs of a deteriorating state.

I'll be following up soon with current status info, pictures, and things that I hope will prove helpful to others (even if you aren't rife with disease).




Also, comments containing jokes referencing the Gremlins movies or Wayne's World will be deleted.  Comments referencing the Warner Bros cartoon gremlin, on the other hand, are welcome.