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Date:         Mon, 14 May 2007 11:29:47 -0400
Reply-To:     Wil Haslup <whaslup@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Wil Haslup <whaslup@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Friday thread ($33 million benefit)
In-Reply-To:  <95ac3ad10705140732m20d5f96dj3c163d3d01fd3aee@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

The thing about life lessons or 33 million dollar ideas is that they often don't show up with a nice ribbon around them and a tag attached to let you know how valuable they are.

..having never been married, so not an 'ex', I can't say my Vanagon has offered a "fortress of solitude" after that kind of life change. Can't say I've really come close to marriage or that attempts at reconnections are things I've had much success with ...can't really blame that on the VW though and I still have nagging wonder if we ever really resolve some things with some people. Maybe figuring out how to get Vanagons into the hands of those other folks might improve my odds!

Just having a Vanagon indicates you're already receptive to being receptive and maybe paying attention while many aren't. It's slower, it's different, it's not the mainstream choice though maybe we'd be better off collectively if it were.

My entry into Vanagons was about 9 years ago now...with a beater that I managed to fight with enough to keep mobile until I quit on her last spring when the clutch slave went. I had to submit to payments for the first time in my life and bought a Sentra to get to work, etc. It's okay and cheaper to drive...the '80 Vanagon is still darkening my carport and I've yet to pass it along in favor of a friend's '91 he's promised me when I can come up with the cash. Some days it's seemed like the "fortress of solitude" though after Superman went through that machine to lose his powers and it all went black and non-functional! The past 6-7 years really have been closer to "loosing my powers" when Zod and the baddies just showed up....now where is that green crystal? I could really use a fully power "fortress of solitude".

My Vanagon experience hasn't been as facilitating or nice as some but it has provided a bit of a foil for my schemes...abruptly breaking down to slow my pace, never being any sort of babe magnet. Having said that, my life has settled a bit and much chaos of the past 10 years has paused leaving me to focus on recovering some of my physical well being and to really sift through some of those BIG ideas I've had.

I've managed to tweak out a web based concept I've had for quite a while to the point that it seems feasible to me now. I'm not saying it will end up netting me a $33 million sale but it seems like it will "work" and produce a functional business model which is more than you can say about many sites. Of course, being only a concept at this point, it could be one of those ideas that goes off and rates millions or billions....it's hard to say, they don't come with big red labels telling you what they're worth.

Having said that I'm still working to complete a polished plan and have only basic ideas for getting the startup funded. I'm hesitant about trying to do it on a shoe string as stumbling usually means death or being passed by on the net.

It seems many who never had Vanagons are willing to advise time alone or cutting ties to do a walkabout or rethink. While reflection seems always valuable I think it's prime benefit is in the clarity it brings when you reenter the chaos. You're a bit clearer than everyone else so maybe you have an advantage. Nothing really has a lot of value if you're removing yourself in the long term. Besides the Vanagon is as much about urban utility and just making everyday easier.

...If anyone has any suggestions on how a Vanagon can help me find venture capital or willing investors I'd be interested but I suspect the limits of it's influence are more abstract than that.

; )

...enough whining...finish the plan, find the money, win the day and get the girl!!! ...then buy a really clean Vanagon and to camping!

jerry baldwin wrote: > I was in the same position, I retired and took a 4month trip after I became > an "ex" It was the best thing I possibly could have done. Meeting the > people > in this community gave me a whole new outlook on what seemed like a very > bleak future. Through email I connected with " Benny Boy " at Fort DeSoto > tis was a great intro into the Vanagon community. I wonder how many others > have done the same thing ? I agree with David spending time alone in a > Vanagon really shows you what you need to be happy and what you don't.

> Jerry

> On 5/11/07, David Etter <detter@mail.auracom.com> wrote:

>> While I am sure MY extended Westy tour wasn't quite worth 33 million, >> it was a lifesaving & enriching experience nonetheless. Shortly after >> becoming an 'ex', I took a 3 month long trip that helped me work out >> some of life's valuable lessons. I discovered that nothing is worth >> hanging onto if it causes an ulcer and sleepless nights. >> I should have renamed my Westy.."Prozac"...

>> David

>> P.S.:. CAUTION: Westy life may lead to addiction, lack of committment >> and taking life seriously.

>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>> >Friday thread? >> >Thomas Butler <thomas_butler@MSN.COM> wrote.... >> >I read earlier this week about a member developing and perfecting a 33 >> >million dollar idea in his Syncro. This made me wonder - what else is >> being >> >cooked up in the intensely personal space of a Westy/Vanagon, Syncro or >> >other-wise. I have written a couple of articles for a regional fishing >> >magazine while sitting at the table in my Syncro Weekender and am >> working >> on >> >a novel. >> > >> >Anybody else? >> >

> -- > Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you > didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away > from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. > Discover. ~ Mark Twain

-- Sincerely,

-- Wil


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