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Date:         Mon, 25 Dec 2006 13:51:26 -0500
Reply-To:     Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Come out of the closet, all
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2006122511225485@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Ah, the truth comes out! People are more interesting than cars. Who knew?

I got a van out of ignorance - I wanted a van to live in, my sister has one, my brother-in-law is a true vanagonaut (albeit too shy to go to vanagon events), and I had NO idea what I was getting into.

I stayed with the van through a year and half of nightmarish and expensive breakdowns and repairs because of you guys. The people I've met because I have a van are delightful, interesting, generous, and much more diverse than the people I meet in the rest of my life.

Oh dear, I'm waxing sentimental! I'd better go back to painting the house...

Joy

:::-----Original Message----- :::From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf :::Of Geza Polony :::Sent: Monday, December 25, 2006 11:20 AM :::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM :::Subject: Re: Come out of the closet, all ::: :::This is by far the longest thread I've seen on this site, and it's about :::people, not cars. Perhaps that in itself gives an indication of the :::common :::denominator here. ::: :::I find myself attracted to these vans because of their legacy, which :::leads :::back to the kinder, gentler counterculture of the 60's. Even though it :::may :::have been hippie-dippy, touchy-feely, and artsy-fartsy, it was not such a :::bad thing. ::: :::I'm a former general contractor with a degree in Comparative Literature :::from :::the Sorbonne; studied film at SF State, earned living as photographer for :::a :::short while, taught in a community college for 11 years, built a couple :::of :::houses, play jazz piano (only Sundays), father of two, soft-hearted :::Marxist, :::landlord. ::: :::A book I'm reminded of is "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." :::There :::is something about these vans that encourages you to explore them and :::bond :::with them by doing mechanical work. This goes against the grain of modern :::consumerist culture, which produces impenetrable object meant to be :::discarded. Maybe a distrust of this culture is another trait Vanagon :::owners :::share. ::: ::: :::Geza


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