I would like to formally introduce myself. My name is = Scot Douglas, I am 29 years old and I am a resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan. I am = married and own three dogs (two retired greyhounds and a rescued whippet).

I was born in South = Bend, IN and lived a fairly uneventful life there for 14 years. Following = South Bend, my parents bought an inland lake lot in Centreville, Michigan and = over the next two years, my father and I built my parent's house.

For as long as I = can remember, I have been curious as to why things work as they do; toys did not last = long at my house before I took them apart and "examined"' them. = Seems I always had trouble reassembling the toys after my inspections = (especially the wind-up toys!). I built my first scale model (glue, not snap) at = 5, rebuilt my first lawnmower engine at eight, motorcycle engine & = transmission by the time I was 12 and my first engine tear-down & rebuild (289 = Ford for a 66 Fairlane) when I was fifteen.

As soon as I was = able to get a job (other than the usual paper route and lawn-mowing) I found my niche = at the FLAPS. I worked at the same FLAPS through high school until I graduated. My parents didn't push college on me, so I took some = time off to see what else is out there: I worked as an emergency medical technician, carpenter, tubing bender, greenskeeper, and training assistant. During my carpentry job, I met a beautiful girl and = fell in love. I was 19, she was seventeen. As soon as she graduated, = she told me, "You'll have to go to college, or I'm afraid we won't work = out." Well, at the end of that summer, I sold my car and = bought her an engagement ring; four years later, we married.

And so started my = college days. To put myself through school, I held as many jobs as = possible: tech at a vet hospital (I got to hold the animals getting the shots, = collected stool samples, cleaned kennels...), back to a different FLAPS, delivery = driver, certified technician at a European sports car shop (Alan Christian = Motorcars, Holland MI) and a dynamometer technician. I graduated with a BSME = from the university of michiagn and went out into the = world.

My wife and I love = the EV. It's big, it's slow, and it's alot'o fun to drive. Just = had the chance to take it on a small trip over Easter and had a wonderful = time. Just set the cruise on 70 mph and watch the world go by; it's also great = to sit at the same height as those annoying Expeditions/Navigators. My = wife is the van's main driver as she commutes 84 miles/day, but I always ask to = drive the van if we take it anywhere. It's a great vehicle for = hauling our dogs around - we like to take them to the University of Michigan's = Arboretum to walk. I've even convinced my wife to go camping in it, which = reminds me for all of the great-lakes region people, we'll be out at VanBuren State = Park (just south of South Haven MI) the last weekend in May; anyone care to join?

Scot Douglas
Project Engineer, Chrysler / Mitsubishi Joint = Programs
Mitsubishi R&D of America, Ann Arbor MI
Ph: (734) 477-6143 direct = line
Fx: (734) 971-0901