S&YE170 - Blk on Blk SJFXT

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[00:00:12] Hello, this is Alex. You can find me on Instagram at black underscore on

[00:00:17] underscore black underscore SJF XD.

[00:00:21] You are listening to episode 170 on the Subie and YOU podcast.

[00:00:25] Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of the Subie and YOU podcast.

[00:00:29] Episode 170. We're only 30 away from 200.

[00:00:33] I was talking to, I was actually recording last night

[00:00:37] which was Thursday night, April 18th

[00:00:41] and I was talking to the guest and saying that

[00:00:46] you know it's been over three years that I've been doing this podcast.

[00:00:50] On one hand it doesn't seem like it's been that long and on the other hand it seems like it's been forever.

[00:00:56] So over three years, 170 episodes and we're still going.

[00:01:01] If you are still listening to the podcast I really really appreciate it.

[00:01:06] Thank you so much. I know some of you have been here from the very beginning

[00:01:10] and that is really really cool to know and I know some of you are just hopping on.

[00:01:15] Maybe you're just hearing about the podcast.

[00:01:18] And I know for some of you it's your Monday morning routine and that really means a lot to me

[00:01:23] that this is what you would choose to listen to on Monday morning on your drive to work

[00:01:28] and maybe finishing up on your drive home.

[00:01:31] If my voice sounds kind of groggy it's because I just woke up.

[00:01:35] I was up really late Wednesday night and I didn't get much sleep.

[00:01:41] And last night, Thursday night, I was trying to, I was going to take a nap

[00:01:47] and I just passed out and slept all night.

[00:01:50] So that was really good. That felt nice.

[00:01:52] I definitely needed that sleep because sometimes you just go, go, go, go, go

[00:01:57] and your body says, look man, I've had enough.

[00:02:01] You're going to sleep. And that's what happened.

[00:02:04] And it was good. It was a good thing.

[00:02:06] So as you just heard, I have Alex on and it's cool because I was able to meet Alex at Subaru Flat Fest in 2022.

[00:02:16] So this just adds to another list of guests that I have met in person,

[00:02:21] which I still haven't tallied that up in a while, but I'll have to do that soon

[00:02:25] and see where I'm at with that because it's, I'm very thankful that I've been able to meet so many of my guests.

[00:02:31] Of course, recording these remotely, it's really difficult to record with anybody in person,

[00:02:36] but it's nice when I have been able to meet them in person either prior or meeting them after I record the episode.

[00:02:44] So this is just another one that, you know, it's not that none of them are ones more special than the other,

[00:02:50] but whenever I've been able to meet somebody in person makes it just a little more special to me.

[00:02:55] All right. I know I'm coming in a little late on this, but it's time for SubiFest again.

[00:03:02] It's that time of year.

[00:03:04] So if you are planning to go to any of the SubiFest events, get your tickets now,

[00:03:11] except for SubiFest Texas. I'll get to that one in a little bit,

[00:03:15] but Wicked Big Meet is Sunday, June 2nd at Stratford Motor Speedway in Stratford Springs, Connecticut.

[00:03:24] Wicked Big Meet will be here before you know it. So get your tickets now.

[00:03:30] SubiFest California is August 4th at Santa Anita Park in Acadia, California.

[00:03:37] Tickets for SubiFest California are also on sale, so you have plenty of time to purchase your tickets before this great event.

[00:03:45] Next up we have Boxer Fest, which is happening Sunday, August 18th at York Fairgrounds in York, Pennsylvania.

[00:03:53] Tickets for Boxer Fest are also on sale, so go snag yours early.

[00:03:59] Boxer Fest is followed up by SubiFest Midwest, which will be held Sunday, September 8th at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois.

[00:04:09] Go get your tickets. They are on sale for SubiFest Midwest. Don't wait too long. Go get them now.

[00:04:17] Then we have SubiFest Florida, which will be held Saturday, October 5th at Daytona International Speedway.

[00:04:25] Tickets for this event, SubiFest Florida, are also on sale, so you have a lot of time to get your tickets.

[00:04:33] But don't wait too long and get it over with.

[00:04:36] And of course, to wrap up the SubiFest season, we have the one that is here in my home state, SubiFest Texas.

[00:04:44] It's back for a second year and we here in Texas are very excited.

[00:04:49] It will be held on Saturday, October 19th at Lone Star Park in Dallas, Texas.

[00:04:55] Tickets for SubiFest Texas are not on sale yet, but hold onto your britches partner.

[00:05:01] Sign up will begin on May 22nd at 2 p.m.

[00:05:05] So be sure to set a reminder so you can go get your tickets when they go on sale and you're not getting them at the last minute.

[00:05:12] And of course, if you have not attended a SubiFest event and you've been thinking about it, I highly recommend it.

[00:05:19] It's a great event. It's a really great way to connect and meet with a bunch of people that you've probably been messaging with for a really long time on Instagram.

[00:05:27] And it's also a great way to meet some of the vendors that supply the products to these wonderful cars that we absolutely love and enjoy modding.

[00:05:37] So and of course, meeting new people and seeing some celebrities out at the events.

[00:05:43] So go check out SubiFest and find out which event is closest to you and make it happen this year.

[00:05:51] The Subi and You podcast is brought to you by Eccentric Designs.

[00:05:55] For those of you who don't know, Eccentric Designs is a small community driven business that offers custom fit vinyl overlays for most Subaru models.

[00:06:03] This includes various designs for the rear reflectors, tail lights and side taillights.

[00:06:08] I also offer fun decal designs like the popular fender stripes and stickers.

[00:06:13] To find designs for your Subi, head on over to EccentricDesigns.com.

[00:06:17] There's always more projects in the works, so be sure to follow at Eccentric.Designs on Instagram.

[00:06:23] And as always, thank you so much, Eccentric Designs, for sponsoring this Subi and You podcast.

[00:06:29] Some Eccentric Designs decals will be coming soon for my daughter's 2024 Crosstrek, so we'll have to wait and see which ones we get.

[00:06:37] This episode is also brought to you by SubaruGear.com.

[00:06:41] Go visit the site, browse, shop SubaruGear.com where you will find all sorts of great Subaru and Subaru Motorsports USA branded gear.

[00:06:51] And there's something for everybody.

[00:06:54] So go check out the site and see what they have to offer.

[00:06:58] Once you have filled your cart with all sorts of Subaru gear, be sure to use the code SUBIANU24 for 20% off your purchase of any items found on the site.

[00:07:10] Remember that if your total purchase is over $50 after the 20% discount, you automatically get free shipping.

[00:07:19] Thank you so much, SubaruGear, for sponsoring this Subi and You podcast and bringing this great offer to all of the Subaru enthusiasts out there that enjoy listening to this great podcast.

[00:07:30] Hey, we have another Apple Podcast review.

[00:07:33] I'm really excited because it's been a while since somebody left a review.

[00:07:37] This one comes from ThatWhiteWagon18.

[00:07:40] His name is Angelo, and he was actually a previous guest on the podcast.

[00:07:46] And this is what he has to say.

[00:07:48] I was on episode 159, and it was a dream come true.

[00:07:51] I've been listening to the SUBIANU podcast for over two years now, and it is always great to hear new episodes every Monday.

[00:07:59] Such a great podcast.

[00:08:01] It is absolutely amazing having the ability to hear familiar stories and to be able to relate to them.

[00:08:07] And Raphael honestly has the best Subaru podcast out there.

[00:08:11] If you're questioning as to if this podcast is worth it, my answer is yes.

[00:08:16] Keep it up. Much love.

[00:08:18] Many ads.

[00:08:19] You can find me on Instagram at ThatWhiteWagon18.

[00:08:23] Keep on exploring.

[00:08:25] Thank you so much, Angelo, for your review.

[00:08:27] I really, really appreciate it, and it was great to have you on as a guest.

[00:08:33] If you are still rocking those OEM wheels and you're in the market for a new set of wheels, look no further than RikavS.

[00:08:41] They have some great styles for the Forester Outback and Crosstrek, several different generations.

[00:08:49] And Rikav is committed to providing you with the highest quality specialized wheels and lift kits

[00:08:56] that will allow you to travel further, experience all of those wonderful new adventures,

[00:09:01] and discover extraordinary destinations.

[00:09:04] Rikav wants to make sure that you are ready for anything, wherever adventure takes you.

[00:09:09] The quest for adventure begins with you, and Rikav is what gets you there.

[00:09:13] Be sure to use the code SUBYU10 at checkout to get 10% off a set of wheels or a lift kit.

[00:09:22] Thank you so much, Rikavheels, for sponsoring this SUBY and You podcast.

[00:09:26] And of course, this episode is brought to you by MeleeDesignFirm.com.

[00:09:30] Be sure to go check out the website, explore the Subaru and Rally Spec sections of the website,

[00:09:37] because there you can take advantage of 5% off of Subaru or Rally Spec products

[00:09:43] and use the code SUBY plus YOU.

[00:09:47] That's the little plus symbol at checkout to get 5% off of your purchase.

[00:09:52] Thank you so much, MeleeDesignFirm, for sponsoring this SUBY and You podcast.

[00:09:57] And now we will get into this episode with Alex and hear all about his Forester and his Subaru adventure.

[00:10:07] So let's get into it now. Here we go.

[00:10:11] Hey, Alex, how's it going?

[00:10:27] Pretty good, you?

[00:10:29] Good. Good. It's been a busy weekend.

[00:10:33] As you know, my daughter bought a new Crosstrek, which I'm super excited about.

[00:10:38] So that's been exciting. I'm happy for her and glad to see her in a Subaru.

[00:10:44] How's your weekend been?

[00:10:46] Watched UFC Fight last night.

[00:10:48] Oh, nice.

[00:10:50] That was pretty cool.

[00:10:51] Yeah, I haven't watched UFC in a long time.

[00:10:53] And usually the only time I watch it is when I'm over at my brother's, but it's always exciting to see those.

[00:11:00] Yeah, I haven't watched a live PPV event in a long time, but somebody's invited me over and I just went over last night.

[00:11:07] Oh yeah, that's how you do it. Somebody else is watching and paying for it. Sure, I'll come watch it.

[00:11:14] So of course before we get everything started, I have to ask you the most important question, and that is whether you prefer waffles or pancakes?

[00:11:23] Waffles every day.

[00:11:25] Oh man, you're killing me. All these people lately with the waffles.

[00:11:31] I'll eat pancakes too, but I prefer waffles.

[00:11:34] Yeah, just like I'll eat waffles, but I prefer pancakes.

[00:11:37] Yeah, Sierra got this whole thing started. But it's fun. It's fun. It's a nice little addition and it's been going on for quite a while now.

[00:11:48] So with your Subaru, is this your first Subaru?

[00:11:52] It is not. I started with a 2008 WRX.

[00:11:57] Nice, and how long did you have that?

[00:12:01] I think around four years.

[00:12:03] So were you more into the tuner scene back then and wanted to get a WRX?

[00:12:11] Yeah, I wanted a street car. I built it the way I wanted it and then went from there.

[00:12:19] So how did you end up transitioning from a WRX into a Forester and why? Why did you go from the tuner scene to now the off-road overland scene?

[00:12:32] I had a Subaru problem. My engine blew.

[00:12:37] Oh, I see. Yeah.

[00:12:41] So then I had the option to either rebuild it or sell it. At the time, I didn't have the time, money, or space. So I sold the car as is and got the Forester.

[00:12:54] Now were you wanting to transition into something that was more off-road capable?

[00:13:02] And were you definitely set on like, okay, my next car is definitely going to be another Subaru?

[00:13:09] So when I had the WRX, I was like, I'm close to paying the car off.

[00:13:14] I want a second car and I wanted a Forester. And my generation was the last generation they made the XD.

[00:13:23] So I was like, I'm going to get that one. But right around that time is when I had the car problem with the WRX.

[00:13:32] And I wanted to keep it stock pretty much, but it just kept going.

[00:13:42] Yeah. I mean, like so. But did you also have plans to take it off-road?

[00:13:48] I mean, you said you wanted an XT, which is the turbo. And so, you know, it's gonna be a little bit faster Forester.

[00:13:56] And you said you wanted to keep it stock, but did you have any visions of like, you know, I'm at least going to, if you were going to keep it stock, were you at least going to try to take it off-road some?

[00:14:06] Well, initially, no. I thought I was just going to keep it as a daily driver.

[00:14:10] But around the same time I got the Forester, I had just met my brother for the first time ever.

[00:14:17] And he had lived down in South Carolina and I was thinking, well, maybe I can just take a road trip down there and camp by the car.

[00:14:26] So I was like, add a lift kit, wheels and tires. And it just kept going from there.

[00:14:34] And but unfortunately, he ended up moving up here after I already did all that.

[00:14:38] So I was like, well, I'm already started. So let's keep going.

[00:14:42] Yeah, yeah. It's and you know, it's like you can see somebody that has a ton of mods on their on their rig and then but they're still like not done.

[00:14:53] You know, it's like, oh, there's always something I can do.

[00:14:57] But yeah, it's never ending.

[00:15:00] Yeah. I mean, whether it's adding more stuff or even like swapping out something that you had before, like with the, you know, more upgraded mod or something.

[00:15:09] But always something to do, I'm sure.

[00:15:12] So what got you into a Subaru in the first place? So you had the WRX.

[00:15:16] Like did you have like were you have you been a Subaru fan for a while?

[00:15:20] Like where did your interest in Subaru come from and like when did that start?

[00:15:26] I actually was quite the opposite. I didn't like Subaru before.

[00:15:30] Oh really?

[00:15:33] So I had a previous job where I had a mechanic that fixed my machine and he had a WRX.

[00:15:40] And we had downtime, he would show me videos and his dyno sheets and kind of got me interested.

[00:15:46] And I was like, well, at the time, I was like, I want a new car.

[00:15:50] And that kind of just set me to it. I'm like, I'm getting a Subaru.

[00:15:56] Nice. So you had the 2008 WRX.

[00:15:59] Did you buy it new back then or did you buy it used later on?

[00:16:04] No, I bought it used in 2016.

[00:16:07] Okay. Gotcha. Yeah. So you said you had that for about four years and then you got the XT.

[00:16:13] And so like when you bought the XT, were you looking for something that was black or were you open to other colors?

[00:16:22] I was pretty dead set on black because I just liked the way black cars look.

[00:16:28] Yeah, the one I know I went to total opposite because the car that I had before Pearl was black.

[00:16:34] And the only reason I didn't get another black car, especially a Crosstrek, is because I like the contrast of the black cladding on a lighter color.

[00:16:43] And other than that, like and I see black Crosstrek so they look amazing.

[00:16:48] But it's like I wouldn't want to have one myself because I wanted that that contrast.

[00:16:52] So when you got the XT and you started doing some mods, like did you start building a list in your head of like what else can I do?

[00:17:04] Yeah, I would go on like Facebook groups and see what everyone else is doing.

[00:17:11] But still want to do my own thing.

[00:17:13] So I would just like pick and choose what I thought I wanted or what I needed.

[00:17:18] And actually had like a six foot chalkboard that I really just wrote every single mod that I wanted on there.

[00:17:26] And then every time I would do one, I would just check it off.

[00:17:30] So you still have that? There's still I guess there are still things on that list you need to check off or have you added to it?

[00:17:37] I transitioned that chalkboard just into a onto my phone.

[00:17:42] But yeah, there's still something I want to check off.

[00:17:45] Gotcha. So what do you still what are some like big items I guess that you still need to check off and like anything that you like maybe don't have on your list that you still want to get or is everything that you want to get on your list?

[00:17:58] The big main thing right now is finishing the custom hood that I want to finish put on there.

[00:18:05] Yeah, that's been that was that was probably the main thing when I first got the car.

[00:18:10] I was like it needs this. But this probably until I went a year ago is when I actually started putting it into motion.

[00:18:17] But anything like kind of like mostly interior mods is what I want to get complete because I want to keep it pretty subtle.

[00:18:28] Yeah, just not much going on, I guess.

[00:18:32] So explain your hood and like what it is that you're doing and what it is you're trying to achieve and why.

[00:18:41] So since the turbo model.

[00:18:44] And as a Subaru, you just want the hood scoop for no reason.

[00:18:49] It does have some cooling.

[00:18:52] That comes with it. But since

[00:18:56] my generation, Forrester, the thousand six, well, 2014, 2018, they stopped putting hood scoops on that Forrester.

[00:19:06] And so what I did is I bought a second Forrester hood and a donor WRX hood, cut the center section out, got it welded in.

[00:19:19] And now I'm just working on the body, body work to get it all smooth.

[00:19:24] Gotcha. So if you have if you reached out to anybody for like any tips or advice on like all the work that you've been doing on it.

[00:19:33] Yeah, I have a few friends that are in the body work industry and Bill from Rubble Garage.

[00:19:40] I've asked him for a few tips.

[00:19:43] Yeah, I saw that. I saw you one of your posts with the hood. You're like, man, you make this look so easy.

[00:19:50] Yeah, it's not. It's really hard, especially when you're just starting out learning it right away.

[00:19:57] Yeah, I mean, once you, you know, I mean, it's I'm sure it's probably on one hand a fun project, but also on the other hand, a pain project because, you know, it's a difficult thing to do.

[00:20:07] But it's like one of those things that once you get it done and you get it on there and you see it, you're going to be like, OK, that looks good.

[00:20:13] And it was worth all the time that I put into it.

[00:20:15] Yeah, that's exactly what I'm looking at. I'm like, it's hard, but it'll be really worth it when I'm finished.

[00:20:21] And you're just going to paint it to match the same color or are you going to have it a different color?

[00:20:26] Yeah, I'm going to color match it to the rest of the car.

[00:20:30] OK, that's good.

[00:20:31] I was actually trying to get it done last year for FlatFest and I was going to order vinyl to this vinyl rapid.

[00:20:39] Oh yeah.

[00:20:40] When the vinyl came in, it was actually shorted me vinyl and it wouldn't fit the hood.

[00:20:44] So didn't make it.

[00:20:46] Oh, that sucks. Yeah.

[00:20:48] Plus I really wasn't done with the bodywork. I kind of rushed it. It didn't even look good.

[00:20:52] Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, I mean, you know, you want it to look right and be complete.

[00:20:57] So it'll be good once you get it on there.

[00:21:01] So obviously, I mean, it seems pretty apparent, like your Instagram handles black on black.

[00:21:08] And is that like was that like the is that the name of your account and the name of your car?

[00:21:16] Or is that just like the name of your account?

[00:21:18] And did you were you like tossing around different ideas for the name?

[00:21:22] So when I originally started my account, I just use like a game or tag that I used since I was a kid.

[00:21:30] And then eventually, well, like I try to take it a little more serious, I guess.

[00:21:34] I made a new name and then that's when I got hacked.

[00:21:41] And then yeah, that's our new one.

[00:21:45] But no, it's not the name of the force.

[00:21:49] OK, so what is the name of your Forrester or do you have a name?

[00:21:52] Because some people don't. I do have a name, but I usually just refer to it as the Forrester.

[00:21:59] But it is a nice like like a black, a nice cow. Oh, OK.

[00:22:05] Gotcha. Yeah. Nice. Yeah, it's it's definitely black on black, but it looks good.

[00:22:11] I like what you've done with it. So so you mentioned Flatfest earlier.

[00:22:15] How long have you been going to Flatfest?

[00:22:19] Pretty much since I got the WRX in 2016.

[00:22:22] OK, wow, that's been a while. Yeah, it flew by.

[00:22:27] And how have you like how have you seen Flatfest changed over the years?

[00:22:32] Because I know it's gotten a little bit bigger. I know they've done some different things.

[00:22:35] And of course, obviously I've only been the one time.

[00:22:38] And I know that, you know, now that you have the XT, there's the off-road playground.

[00:22:45] I know that has gotten I know that's changed and that was added just in the past few years.

[00:22:49] But like how have you seen it grow and change over the years?

[00:22:53] I'd say like the number of people attending gets bigger just by spreading word of mouth to everyone you see having a Subaru tell them to come on through.

[00:23:02] It just kind of gives them an idea of it's not just you have a Subaru.

[00:23:07] There's actually a community. You can come see other people that have cars like yours and what they can be.

[00:23:15] How did you find out about it in the first place?

[00:23:17] I think it was this like on like a Facebook group, like on our local Subaru car club.

[00:23:24] Someone posted it one day and I was like, oh, it's kind of like a car meet.

[00:23:29] But then I went and it was way bigger than what I thought.

[00:23:32] Yeah, wait, this isn't just a car meet. This is actually pretty cool.

[00:23:36] Yeah.

[00:23:38] So since you've had the XT, have you taken it to through the off-road playground every time?

[00:23:44] I usually try to because like I help out build it.

[00:23:48] Oh, nice. Yeah.

[00:23:50] And so I get my foot in then.

[00:23:53] And then I just because I volunteer, I don't want to like take up my time as much on there.

[00:23:58] Like this what everyone else had the fun. Yeah.

[00:24:01] During the event.

[00:24:02] That's good. Yeah. So you can enjoy it before everybody gets there anyway and then kind of see it all come together.

[00:24:09] So what is involved in actually creating the off-road playground?

[00:24:14] And like what all do you have to do? And like what has your involvement been with it?

[00:24:19] I pretty much just do like help cutting down trees, leveling our areas, getting rid of like the swamp that used to be back there.

[00:24:28] You know, it still comes back.

[00:24:30] But the people put on flat fest, they kind of they talk about it and they bring up ideas.

[00:24:36] And then we have volunteer days and we just come out and do what needs to be done.

[00:24:43] Are y'all already starting to plan for it? Because I know it's coming up in August, right?

[00:24:48] Yeah. Usually planning starts the day after the other one ends.

[00:24:53] Oh, wow. Having ideas right away.

[00:24:56] Okay. Yeah. So I guess y'all have like meetings throughout the year?

[00:25:00] Yeah, they do.

[00:25:01] When do you start on the actual like off-road part of it?

[00:25:04] Usually when it starts to get nice out. So right around now.

[00:25:09] So there's like not a whole bunch of snow or water left over from the winter.

[00:25:15] Gotcha. That way you can get out there and not have to worry about all the mush and stuff, huh?

[00:25:20] Right.

[00:25:21] And is John the one that like starts coordinating a lot of that?

[00:25:24] Yeah.

[00:25:25] So I know he starts posting photos and like videos of going out there, starting to clear it and, you know, setting up for it.

[00:25:34] Are there? I know he'd last year he talked about or whenever I was there in 2022, he talked about there was a section we were going through.

[00:25:43] And he said, oh, that's part right there. We're going to add that next year or in the future and expand the off-road playground.

[00:25:49] Are there talks of doing that?

[00:25:51] Oh yeah. So probably the first year that we did it, we knew I didn't know right away.

[00:25:58] But that entire force that's back there is free grounds for us to kind of like do what we want.

[00:26:05] Oh, that's nice.

[00:26:06] So every year we just keep adding and adding. It's going to get bigger every year.

[00:26:11] That's good. Yeah.

[00:26:13] I don't know if I'll be able to make it up this year, but I definitely want to come up again at some point and because that was a lot of fun.

[00:26:20] But I want to be able to come up there and spend more time up there because I went up there.

[00:26:24] I got there on Friday night, had the event Saturday and started heading back on Sunday.

[00:26:29] So I want to be able to have more time up there with people and just hang out.

[00:26:34] Yeah, it seems like once the day starts, it's like sometimes it'll be hot and you're just going throughout the day and all of a sudden you're like, oh, it's over already.

[00:26:43] You know, like why can't it just be longer?

[00:26:46] Yeah. So how far away is it from you?

[00:26:49] From me, probably like 15, 25 minutes.

[00:26:54] That's awesome. I know. I had like an 1100 mile drive from Houston.

[00:27:01] Yeah, but that was definitely worth it. It was a lot of fun.

[00:27:05] Yeah, we were really happy when you came in.

[00:27:07] Yeah, and it was nice getting to meet a lot of people for the first time and then being set up there with Jen and Patrick.

[00:27:14] That was that was a lot of fun and just seeing like what all goes into it and like how big the event is and that it's like knowing that a lot, you know, all the funds go to charities is really cool too.

[00:27:27] And then when Scott Speed was there in 2022, that was awesome. That was pretty cool.

[00:27:33] Yeah, that was the first time I think we had like a big guest ever come and that kind of thing made people want to come just for him.

[00:27:45] But it gave him a reason to want to come more.

[00:27:49] Yeah, like maybe maybe there's a little more to this than I thought because they've got Scott Speed there.

[00:27:56] So did you go and you went last year too, right?

[00:27:59] Yeah.

[00:28:00] Yeah, because that was that was really cool that Bucky made it out because I know that John had been trying to get Bucky out there for a while but there was always like there was always like a conflict with SubiFest I think going on at the same time.

[00:28:13] And so he was able to make it out last year.

[00:28:16] Yeah, I know since I started going, I would like send him messages on Instagram like probably not even be able to see them but I'd be like, hey, you should come to this thing.

[00:28:28] Yeah, yeah, and he finally did, which is good. So I see you've got some people listening don't see it but I see you've got a bunch of skateboards hanging up behind you.

[00:28:39] So is that something else that you spent a hobby of yours is skateboarding?

[00:28:44] Yeah, probably since I was 12.

[00:28:48] skateboarding.

[00:28:50] Don't do it as much now because getting older not as much time but I still have boards that I can ride and skate around with.

[00:28:59] That's nice. Yeah, my son is he's started getting into it and he's had like he's got a couple of boards that he rides.

[00:29:07] I used to do it when I was in high school, and I was. I don't really do anything crazy just like ollies and you know jumping up on curbs and stuff but it was fun.

[00:29:16] I never did any ramps or any other crazy street stuff but it was I always enjoyed watching other people and that was like how I found out about Bucky was watching him at X Games skating.

[00:29:27] Yeah, that's what was so cool to me is like before Subaru cars skateboarding was my biggest passion. And I knew Bucky from skateboarding. Yeah, and then I got into Subaru I'm like, wait, he's a driver.

[00:29:41] I'm like, that's pretty cool. Yeah, I know there's I know there's a lot of people that were into skateboarding and then got into you know the Subaru community, and they followed Bucky skating, and then he comes over to the Subaru community and they're like oh this is awesome I've been following this guy skating and now he's in this community too so it's like nice for people to see him doing this as well.

[00:30:06] Yeah, he's, it's so cool that he's like such a big part of it.

[00:30:10] Yeah and he's such a good guy too.

[00:30:12] Yeah.

[00:30:14] So, like what do you enjoy most about flat fest when you go out there.

[00:30:20] Besides seeing cool cars every time I go.

[00:30:22] Yeah.

[00:30:24] I like seeing people enjoy themselves.

[00:30:28] Being part of a charity that's for a good cause.

[00:30:33] And then it's just really cool to like have them either one other side that are going to like just tune cars or they're going off road like, either way you can enjoy yourself throughout the entire day.

[00:30:45] So when you said that you volunteer obviously you help with off road playground but you're volunteering at the at and during the event to correct.

[00:30:53] Yeah. So what is it that you're doing it do you like do something different each time, or you like one specific thing that you're taking care of.

[00:31:02] Mostly I'm helping out with the overland stuff, but some years I do exhaust competition.

[00:31:08] Two years ago I did the limbo car limbo.

[00:31:13] Oh yeah, I remember seeing that that was super cool.

[00:31:17] And then the problem that was that sucked the most was being down in the middle of the racetrack when the drag races, because it was hot that day.

[00:31:26] Being down there I think it was probably like 20 30 degrees hotter.

[00:31:30] Oh my gosh, it was very hot. Yeah.

[00:31:34] Do you have plenty of water down there.

[00:31:36] Oh yeah I had a gallon of water with me at all times.

[00:31:40] Yeah, that's good. Yeah, because I know it's my buddy Jay audio file I know you you have a photo of him on the track but he was like he ended up having to go to the like the ambulance because he was getting like overheated.

[00:31:55] Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah, that was when that was when I was there in 2022 they had to like paramedics had to come check him out because he was just because he's driving in the car and it's hot and he's got the heat on in the car while he's driving.

[00:32:07] And so and he just kept going and going and going and going not really having a break, and he just kind of, you know, got overheated and he ended up being fine but it was like, well scary you know it's like, dude, be careful man take care of yourself.

[00:32:24] Yeah, he's a really cool guy to like. I know I go down Chicago sometimes and go to the subi to the corn events with them. Yeah, he's always like, like you made a long trip I'm like yeah.

[00:32:36] Yeah, he's, he's a really good guy I'm glad I got to meet him before when I was in Chicago doing some work, how to met him he and his wife. And then of course got to see him again at Subaru flat fest and then he came out for like the annual, some kind of Subaru meeting I can't remember what exactly what it was called but he was in Austin, and so me and my son drove out to Austin, and we were.

[00:33:01] We wanted to go out there anyway, but you know it's nice seeing him again. So it's cool how you can meet up with people all over the place you know in the community just from connecting with so many people.

[00:33:12] Yeah, I think that's like the coolest part of like, if you didn't have a Subaru you probably want to know people across the country or another country.

[00:33:21] But just because you have a car, make friends is because of that. I know it's like you end up, like you said you connect with people and not just around the country but around the world and it's like you can get into conversations with, you know, people all over the place, and it's fun it's cool to see like what people are doing in other places too and then especially like over in Europe they've got the right hand drive Subarus which is fun.

[00:33:46] That would be different but it'd be also be interesting.

[00:33:50] So when I had my WRX I kind of built it off of like the European style I guess.

[00:33:58] Like, they have like, they have like the JDM parts but then they have like JDM Euro parts and I kind of was getting those parts for my WRX when I had it.

[00:34:08] Just to kind of like be a little bit different.

[00:34:11] Yeah, no it's nice. It's nice to build it out that way.

[00:34:15] I'm sure it was sad and disappointing when you had to get rid of it too.

[00:34:20] Yeah, I was in a deep depression for at least a month after I sold it.

[00:34:27] Yeah, I mean that would be tough.

[00:34:29] I had the Forester and I'm like it's cool but I really do miss that WRX.

[00:34:33] Yeah, yeah I mean so with my recent post saying that I traded Pearl in for a new Crosstrek people were kind of freaking out but I mean I couldn't do that.

[00:34:47] Especially since it's a manual you know I mean not just that it's a manual but it's like I've built her out the way that I want her to.

[00:34:55] Yeah, it's a lot of sentimental value.

[00:34:57] Oh 100% and I know a lot of people are like that.

[00:35:00] For people that unfortunately get into accidents and they end up having to total the car if it's not repairable.

[00:35:07] That's, I can't even imagine how devastating that would feel.

[00:35:11] Because we get so attached to these cars and it's not just a car it's everything that comes with the car.

[00:35:16] It's the community, the people that we meet and just how it makes us feel having this tangible object that we get to enjoy so much and express ourselves with.

[00:35:27] Yeah, it's like an extension of yourself.

[00:35:30] Like I call my car my child. I don't have kids but my car is my child.

[00:35:36] Yeah, I mean it's just you know it's something that we genuinely care about and really enjoy that brings us a lot of happiness.

[00:35:46] And it's, I know a car like this when you're not feeling well.

[00:35:52] You know if you're feeling down or something it can, it's something that can kind of brings a little spark back into your life and bring some joy back into your life.

[00:36:01] Because you can take it and go places and you know just have fun with it.

[00:36:05] It's not always easier said than done but at least it's something that can help.

[00:36:10] Yeah, it's like what you're saying when people have to total their car out.

[00:36:14] Like that's their car but I still feel bad and I'm like man it really sucks for them.

[00:36:19] Because I know how attached you can be to a car and just at a split second it's just gone.

[00:36:27] Yeah, yeah that's tough.

[00:36:30] But, so like you mentioned earlier local Subaru Club.

[00:36:33] So what kind of I guess activities and places around you are you able to get out to and like who are the people that you meet up with?

[00:36:43] So like the Madison Subaru Club will do like a kind of like spirited driving around back roads or sometimes we'll do events like at the dealership once in a while.

[00:36:58] But John usually he I kind of call him my like mentor because when I started getting into Subaru he was like kind of the first person I met.

[00:37:09] And I might have had a WRX when he had his Outback but I still was like this guy's pretty cool.

[00:37:15] He does cool mods to his car, does cool things.

[00:37:18] And then when I got my Forester I feel like I like copied his whole build buying like the same brands because like I don't know about off-roading stuff.

[00:37:26] Yeah, yeah.

[00:37:29] You've got to have some kind of like frame of reference.

[00:37:32] I mean because I did that some of it with Jen from Accenture or Ghost Extract because you know I got the same basket that she had.

[00:37:40] I did the same like Y strap that she had on the top.

[00:37:44] I did some of the same decals.

[00:37:45] I wasn't like trying to copy her but I just you know you see something that somebody else has and you can do the same thing to a certain extent.

[00:37:52] But then you also like you said earlier you want to make it your own.

[00:37:55] You want to make it unique and that's like what most people end up doing because you'll see a lot of similarities with builds but then you know same roof rack, same awning.

[00:38:05] But then there's these little personal touches that people put to their cars that make it different than the next person's.

[00:38:11] Yeah, it's like almost exactly what happened with me and John.

[00:38:14] Got my Forester.

[00:38:16] I was on Marketplace and I saw they had a Yakama Mega Warrior and I was like well I'll go get that.

[00:38:21] It's pretty cheap.

[00:38:22] Got it at home.

[00:38:24] I told John about it.

[00:38:25] He's like oh it's the same one I have.

[00:38:27] I'm like oh well then I went and got wheels and tires.

[00:38:31] Got the same brand tires he has.

[00:38:33] Got the same brand wheels he has.

[00:38:35] I promised I didn't mean to do it on purpose.

[00:38:37] It just happened.

[00:38:39] Yeah, I mean inevitably people are going to end up with the same wheels and tires because there's only so many out there when it comes to off-roading.

[00:38:47] But I mean it's still you know not everybody is going to have the same color.

[00:38:52] Not everybody is going to have the same trim level.

[00:38:54] So there's always going to be differences.

[00:38:56] But like Jen has more decals on Ghosts like around the tail lights and headlights and stuff and like you know it looks really good but that's not really my style.

[00:39:06] So I'm not going to you know do all of those things.

[00:39:09] I want to do something different.

[00:39:11] But yeah it's nice how you can draw inspiration from a lot of different people that you see out there.

[00:39:17] Yeah, I still have the rear reflector overlays from her and I'm waiting to buy the LED version of mine to put them on there so I'm kind of like saving them.

[00:39:30] I told her I'd see her at FlatFest and I'm like hey I'm going to put an order in.

[00:39:34] She never did it, never did it.

[00:39:35] And then eventually I'll be like let me just order them but then I'll make me order the LED lights so I can actually put them on there.

[00:39:41] Yeah, yeah it's I like all of the decals that she has.

[00:39:47] So what's the furthest distance you've driven in your Forester?

[00:39:51] When we do the Overland trip through FlatFest.

[00:39:55] We went up to Lake Superior and it's like it's 600 miles straight if you just drive there but we don't take a straight line straight up.

[00:40:08] We've like been out going to other states but it's at least over a thousand for the biggest trip I've ever done.

[00:40:18] How many of you have the Overland trips have you done?

[00:40:21] Because that's the one that follows FlatFest right?

[00:40:24] Because you have FlatFest and then it's like the FlatFest Overland trip.

[00:40:27] I did the first two years and then the third year that they had it, I don't know if I just couldn't get off work or something was wrong with the car so I didn't go that year.

[00:40:42] And then last year the same thing happened but it was like definitely I shouldn't be driving my car off road.

[00:40:48] I got a lot of things to fix but now it's fixed and hopefully I can go this year even though I don't have a lift kit anymore.

[00:40:57] Yeah so what's the deal with taking the lift kit off?

[00:41:01] So all the issues I had with my suspension, I went to a shop and they were like we advise you just to go completely stock and I'm like I don't want to.

[00:41:13] I don't know. But probably for over a year I was like I kind of do want to lift it off because it comes in handy but where I'm at and what I do, I don't really need it.

[00:41:26] And that's the same thing for a lot of guys around here is like you can put a lift kit on and it'll come in handy but you really don't need it for the obstacles that we have in the area.

[00:41:36] Yeah.

[00:41:37] Wheels and tires are more important.

[00:41:38] Yeah same for me because like the most challenging thing near us is Bastrop which has some like challenging terrain but I'm probably one of the old, well I think there's some other ones with no lift.

[00:41:52] But when you get through all this stuff just fine.

[00:41:55] I mean yeah like you said it would help. It'd be nice to have a little extra clearance but it's not like needed to get through some of the spots.

[00:42:02] But I mean it's fun enough with not having a lift and being able to enjoy it and not have to worry about it.

[00:42:10] I mean it looks cool either way if you have one or not but it does have the advantages of not having it sometimes because you'll get a little bit better peace of mind that something won't fail or like in my case I get a little bit better gas miles without it on.

[00:42:28] Oh well that's a plus.

[00:42:29] That's good.

[00:42:30] Yeah.

[00:42:31] Yeah so like is there are there any spots that you know about or that you've seen other people going to that would be kind of like a bucket list spot for you where like man I would love to make it out there and go explore that area.

[00:42:47] I've always kind of wanted to go to like the Redwoods over in California and kind of like camp out and explore on that area or kind of somewhere down south.

[00:42:57] I've always wanted to go to Louisiana.

[00:43:00] Yeah it's yeah it's I want to go see the Redwoods too.

[00:43:04] I mean whether I go with Pearl or just go see them that'd be pretty awesome because I've heard it's like the Grand Canyon where you just like you just don't know until you're there and you see it in person that like you know photos don't do it justice.

[00:43:18] So I can totally get that.

[00:43:20] Yeah, it's a good spot.

[00:43:23] Do you go camping often now in your Forester and do you camp in your forest or do you do tent camping.

[00:43:30] Recently I haven't been but most recently was like camp at wet best.

[00:43:35] But yeah I sleep in the back on my little mattress.

[00:43:39] Yeah, those are nice.

[00:43:41] Yeah, it's a good mattress setup.

[00:43:43] Yeah after when I knew when I thought it was going to be going down south to my brother I was like, I got to find some way to sleep I'm like, rooftop tent that's kind of expensive thing right away.

[00:43:54] So, and then like, I think Luna was kind of like just starting out.

[00:43:59] And I was like, well this looks pretty cool like if fits right in the bag.

[00:44:04] You can split it halfway or use the full bed.

[00:44:08] So then like I put a pre order in.

[00:44:11] And then I got it and I was like, I sleep in this better than I do my own bed sometimes.

[00:44:17] Yeah, I like the fact that they have like the split system so that you can just blow up half of it and like especially if you're going by yourself and you can use that other space to store things and just like sleep on one side.

[00:44:30] That's a, because that's what I did at flat fest is I only used one side because I just had so much stuff like I brought way more stuff than I really needed.

[00:44:39] And my car was just like jam packed.

[00:44:42] But you know that was a fun trip.

[00:44:44] It was interesting because like it was not as cool as I thought it was going to be so I didn't sleep as well because I was like I was hoping it was going to be colder but it was like kind of humid and damp and I was like woke up with condensation.

[00:44:59] Some inside my car and I'm like oh this sucks but it was still a good time.

[00:45:04] Yeah, I think I'm going to start probably using half I usually just use the whole thing.

[00:45:09] But since I am kind of getting away like I don't have anything on my roof anymore.

[00:45:14] I'm just like super minimalistic geared the whole thing.

[00:45:19] So like I'll probably have to like use half of the little mattress so I can have the other side for beer.

[00:45:25] Oh yeah, there you go.

[00:45:26] That's important. Yeah, because I know that y'all people bring beer and exchange it out there at flat fest which is pretty cool.

[00:45:32] If you could drive anyone else's Subaru for a day, whose would it be?

[00:45:38] It would definitely be Bucky's car, the bucket or there's two guys on Instagram that I've followed because they have my next dream car.

[00:45:50] It's Loops. He has a RS coupe. It's black or I can't pronounce his name right.

[00:45:59] It's like Lusciously. He also has an RS coupe and it's also black.

[00:46:04] Oh nice, yeah.

[00:46:06] Like that's one thing that made me kind of okay with not having the Rex for because now I look forward to having that type of car.

[00:46:14] And when you said that you would love to drive the bucket and I would love to drive that car so bad.

[00:46:21] I watched the video where Larry Chin, when he got in it and drove it and he was just like his face was like oh my god.

[00:46:33] This thing is so fast and so powerful. That would be so much fun even just to go for a ride in it but to drive it, man, that'd be awesome.

[00:46:42] Yeah, the third guy that I've said he actually I think he's a photographer and he works with Larry Chin sometimes.

[00:46:49] He had a whole video build series with Larry Chin too and it's like I save all those because that's what I'm planning on doing in that same exact car.

[00:46:58] They just give me inspiration.

[00:47:00] Yeah, I know a lot of good resources there too.

[00:47:03] So what would you say about your Forrester best matches your personality?

[00:47:08] I would say that it seems simple but has something that you wouldn't expect out of it.

[00:47:14] If you could describe your Forrester in one word, what would it be?

[00:47:19] Happiness.

[00:47:21] I think that's like a lot of us. It definitely brings us happiness.

[00:47:26] Yeah, it could have a bad day and then get into that car and it all goes away.

[00:47:32] Yeah, I mean that's kind of goes back to what I was saying earlier where it's like if you're feeling down your car can definitely bring some joy into your life.

[00:47:42] And it's yeah, they're just I don't know.

[00:47:47] I mean I because like when I'm at work or when I'm working from home sometimes I'm like I just got to get out of here.

[00:47:53] And what I want to go do if I get out of here, I want to go for a drive in my car because it's what you know for me having a manual and having the experience of like shifting.

[00:48:06] You know, it's just like I've had it been driving it for you know what almost four years now and I've never gotten tired of shifting.

[00:48:14] I love driving a manual every single day even in traffic.

[00:48:18] It doesn't bother me. I just I love it.

[00:48:21] I tell people all the time. I'm like, I want to know but I don't want to go to this.

[00:48:25] But I wonder what it would be like if I looked at a car is just a car because like I look at a car is like it's my my wife kind of like like if I was just to have a car to drive a car A to B.

[00:48:41] I probably have a boring life.

[00:48:44] Yeah, I mean the car that I had before Pearl I liked it but it wasn't and it was nothing like the way I am with my car now.

[00:48:53] And I think you know it's funny because like I'm sure I'll get to see my daughter experience that too.

[00:48:59] It's funny because today she texted me and what did she say?

[00:49:04] She said when you keep looking back at your car after parking it and I said it is said in the subi community that if you don't look back at your car, you bought the wrong one.

[00:49:17] And so true. Yeah.

[00:49:19] So I mean, I'm sure when she first got her Jetta she probably you know was thankful for having it and excited to have a car but it's just yeah buying.

[00:49:31] I don't know. I mean it's not just Subaru. I know I'm sure other people other brands you know it's like a particular car it's like just bring something completely different into your life and that different kind of joy you know.

[00:49:43] Does she plan on like doing any mods to it?

[00:49:46] She's definitely going to do some decals. I told her pick go pick some out from eccentric designs and I'll buy them for you.

[00:49:52] And then I want her I'm probably her birthday is coming up in July, and I might get them for her sooner but I want her to have some skid plates.

[00:50:03] Because I want her to be able to go with us places like out the bash.

[00:50:08] So I want you know I mean she's been off roading before because we went out to Colorado she was able to drive Shadow Rue when we were out there.

[00:50:16] So she's had some off road experience but I want her to experience it in her own car you know it's it's different.

[00:50:21] Yeah, like it's her car but you're probably excited because you get to like build a car with her basically.

[00:50:28] Yeah and I get to you know I'll get to help her out and be like hey let's you know you don't need that but you do need this.

[00:50:35] And I would recommend this and you know don't spend money on that and so yeah it'll be fun.

[00:50:40] It'll be fun too. I mean I'm excited for her especially like living in Houston like I've always said many times is driving in some of the really hard rain that we get here.

[00:50:49] I feel so much safer driving a Subaru with all wheel drive.

[00:50:52] I tell people that like the very few people I let drive my car if we're like in a back road and like there's like a sharp corner and they started slowing down.

[00:51:03] I'm like this is a Subaru you can drive faster in a corner and you're going to feel safer like just go faster.

[00:51:09] Yeah, I know it's like you can you can rip on it a little bit you know it's gonna be okay.

[00:51:16] Do you think that you will always own a Subaru?

[00:51:19] I will always own a Subaru. It might not be my daily car but I will always have a Subaru.

[00:51:26] Yeah, I think so too. My daughter's friend has a Crosstrek a second gen and she ran into a deer recently and it didn't damage her Crosstrek too much.

[00:51:39] But she was like she felt really safe in her car when it happened and she said I'm only going to own a Subaru from now on.

[00:51:47] So yeah, it's nice to hear that. I think that was part of what convinced my daughter to buy a Subaru and a Crosstrek.

[00:51:53] Yeah, I've seen so many people have cars that it's like total may as get out and walk off like it was nothing.

[00:52:01] Yeah, I mean it's pretty amazing how safe they keep people.

[00:52:05] So how has owning your Subaru and being part of the community changed your life?

[00:52:11] It's definitely got me out of my shell of being shy.

[00:52:16] It's got me talking to people just for no reason and helping people out and exploring actually.

[00:52:27] I would drive in another car but having a Subaru, driving with someone else in another Subaru just makes it even better.

[00:52:37] Yeah, I mean when you can get out and go explore something on your own that's great.

[00:52:41] But then like when you have other people that are excited to, you know, they have a Subaru and they want to get out like let's go do this together.

[00:52:50] It's definitely more fun going with somebody else.

[00:52:53] Yeah.

[00:52:54] And yeah, what you said, I mean, I think it's helped a lot of owning these cars and being part of the community has like helped people out of their shyness.

[00:53:04] Because, you know, when you have something where you can come together and you have something in common, then it's a lot easier to go up to somebody and start a conversation.

[00:53:14] You know, because you know that you can talk to them about something that you're passionate about and that they're passionate about.

[00:53:20] Yeah, that kind of happened like my first like Subaru car me that I've had since I started buying Subarus.

[00:53:29] I went to an event. It was like at a ice cream shop and I didn't talk to anyone.

[00:53:36] And I looked at someone's car and I'm like, those are Illinois plates.

[00:53:40] And I was like, look at the guy, like that's your car. He's like, yeah.

[00:53:43] I'm like, I used to live in Illinois.

[00:53:46] And then just from that we started talking more and more and became friends.

[00:53:52] Yeah, because like it seems like in in a lot of other situations, I know, especially for me.

[00:53:58] Like if I go to an event and there's a lot of people there, I'm just like, I'll just kind of like stand off to the side and not really talk to people much because it's like I'm not good at starting up conversation.

[00:54:12] You know, really in a lot of situations.

[00:54:15] And so which is kind of odd because I'm like being in the position that I am of being the podcast host.

[00:54:22] You know, it's like I get out into the real world in a situation and I'm just kind of like shy and reserved and not like going up to people and introducing myself.

[00:54:32] I have at times, but it's like that's really kind of me pushing myself to be like, just go talk to people.

[00:54:41] That's how I was. I still am somewhat.

[00:54:44] But like since volunteering at Blasphemy, you got to kind of talk to people to like make sure they're okay and make sure they need anything.

[00:54:52] So like I would just I would usually just stand there and like be there in the conversation not say anything.

[00:54:59] But now it's like, hey, you need anything.

[00:55:02] You want me to show you how to do this or whatever?

[00:55:05] Like at the event. And that really helped me kind of like get out of like a shy phase, I guess.

[00:55:11] Yeah, I totally get that.

[00:55:13] I still I mean, I still struggle with it all the time.

[00:55:16] Because even with you, I the night that you camped out at FlatFest, I like got there kind of way because I was still doing mods to get ready for FlatFest the next day.

[00:55:27] And I came in late at night, set up camp on my chair.

[00:55:33] I like sat down and you're like five feet from me.

[00:55:35] I'm like, yeah, I'm not going to talk to him for a while.

[00:55:38] Yeah, yeah.

[00:55:41] I mean, yeah, I get it.

[00:55:44] I mean, I'm the same way.

[00:55:45] I go saying it's like I'll go to an event and I'll just like I find myself to even I mean, even in Subaru events, but especially outside of that, like there might be like one person that you know,

[00:56:01] and you're trying to like make your way over to talk to them and they're in a conversation and then you just kind of stand there awkwardly.

[00:56:07] Like, are they going to finish this conversation so I can like say hi to this one person that I know?

[00:56:13] I mean, I've had that happen way too many times in my life where I'm just like and then I just awkwardly walk away and then sometimes I'll just like leave.

[00:56:21] I'm like, I just don't feel like I belong, you know, and I don't know how to like start up a conversation with people.

[00:56:26] Just be like, hey, how's it going?

[00:56:29] I think that's what's cool about Subaru community is like you may feel like that, but everyone is like wanted and welcome because like you got a very similar hobby.

[00:56:40] You probably want to talk about all day.

[00:56:43] Yeah, because then you can like just stand at somebody's car and see something that like a really, you know, like the wheels that they have or whatever it may be.

[00:56:53] And you should be like, oh, hey, I really like that.

[00:56:56] And then next thing you know, you've been talking for like 30 minutes an hour, you know, and it's it's so cool because then you and then like you said, you know, you end up making friends and you know those are people that you talk to often and hang out with.

[00:57:09] And it's just it's it's cool to see how that can transition into friendships.

[00:57:16] Yeah, after me at a Home Depot last year, I went and got what I needed to get.

[00:57:22] I came outside and there was an SDI parked like right behind me and like it was dark.

[00:57:28] Also, I couldn't see.

[00:57:30] So like I started getting closer and like there's a guy like taking pictures of both of our cars together.

[00:57:34] Oh, no.

[00:57:35] I really walked up to my car.

[00:57:37] I unlock it.

[00:57:38] He goes, this your car?

[00:57:40] I'm like, yeah.

[00:57:41] You know, we talked for like probably like good 40 minutes.

[00:57:44] It was cold out in the middle of the way.

[00:57:46] Yeah, I mean, yeah, you can start up conversations and, you know, places that you don't expect.

[00:57:55] Yeah, it's really cool.

[00:57:57] Yeah, it's fun.

[00:57:59] So here's a little get to know the person behind the account.

[00:58:02] But so who is Alex?

[00:58:06] I'm just a 33 year old guy who loves cars and thinks about them the majority of the day.

[00:58:13] Hey, there's nothing wrong with that.

[00:58:15] I think that's the case for a lot of us here.

[00:58:18] What's the next mod?

[00:58:22] After the hood, probably some SDI or Carlseeds because my seat do not have good bolstering.

[00:58:31] Oh, yeah.

[00:58:32] When I go on those spirited driving, I'm kind of like all over the place.

[00:58:36] Yeah, that would be good.

[00:58:37] That'd be nice to have that more support and feeling like you're kind of being snuggled in.

[00:58:44] Right.

[00:58:45] You mentioned Illinois earlier, but and you're in Wisconsin now.

[00:58:49] But where were you born?

[00:58:51] I was born in Wisconsin in a really small town, kind of like western Wisconsin.

[00:58:58] But a few months after I was born, we moved down to Illinois and I pretty much grew up there.

[00:59:06] But I still have family here in Wisconsin.

[00:59:08] And when you're a kid like most of my family moved back up to Wisconsin.

[00:59:13] I stayed in Illinois when you're younger, want to be around your friends.

[00:59:18] So I stayed down there for years and eventually I kind of want to be my family.

[00:59:22] So I just moved back to Wisconsin.

[00:59:24] I've been here since 2016.

[00:59:27] OK, it's nice up there.

[00:59:29] I mean, I've only been up there the one time.

[00:59:31] But yeah, it was really pretty up there in the Madison area.

[00:59:34] Yeah.

[00:59:36] I guess I still miss Illinois.

[00:59:38] Yeah.

[00:59:39] Yeah, it's important to be around family.

[00:59:42] And I mean, like I said, I want to go up there and be able to stay longer to explore more of that area.

[00:59:49] So we'll have to just see what happens.

[00:59:52] So what's a favorite memory from your childhood?

[00:59:58] Probably with both my grandfathers.

[01:00:01] At a young age, I started going in the garage, like helping them out with fixing cars, learning about cars.

[01:00:08] And that kind of like that definitely sparked my interest in becoming obsessed with cars.

[01:00:14] Yeah.

[01:00:16] So do you do a lot of the work yourself then?

[01:00:20] I do.

[01:00:21] And then most of the time, I always call my grandpa and be like, hey, I'm going to do this.

[01:00:27] You want to come do it with me?

[01:00:29] And it might be just have something I haven't done before that I wanted to show me.

[01:00:33] Or it might be just something that's just want to hang out with my grandpa and work on cars.

[01:00:37] Yeah, that's good.

[01:00:39] It's nice to be able to spend quality time like that.

[01:00:44] And like I was telling my son, he went to my we went to my mom's house yesterday and I told him like, you know, I didn't tell him I was meant to tell him.

[01:00:55] I didn't tell him. But like, you know, spend as much time with her as you can, because one of these days, you're going to be glad that you did.

[01:01:02] Because I wish I could have been able to spend more time with my grandparents.

[01:01:07] And, you know, I look back at it now like I don't regret not being able to.

[01:01:11] But that's just because some instances I wasn't able to.

[01:01:14] But I did I did spend a lot of time with them.

[01:01:17] But there were times that I wasn't able to make it that I wish I could have been able to make it.

[01:01:21] And but, you know, a lot of really good memories with my grandparents.

[01:01:26] Yeah, you want to get as many memories you can so you don't regret not having them.

[01:01:31] Yeah. And a lot of it, too, is like I think that kids don't realize is it's for the grandparents to like the grandparents want to see their grandkids.

[01:01:38] They want to have that time with them and and it's fun for them.

[01:01:43] So good memory. So what is it that you do for a living?

[01:01:48] We kind of you kind of hinted on a little bit earlier.

[01:01:51] But what is it you do?

[01:01:53] I am a TIG welder slash fabricator for a luxury oven manufacturer.

[01:02:01] So I pretty much just weld all day, grind, make parts look pretty.

[01:02:07] Oh, that's good. Yeah, it's I know welding can be a skill and it's something that I see people doing it.

[01:02:14] And I'm like, that's pretty cool. It'd be like a nice school to have.

[01:02:18] Yeah, like I started at that company.

[01:02:20] I wasn't a welder. I was just an assembler and I've welded before a different company.

[01:02:25] I was a MIG welder there.

[01:02:28] But then at this company, they only do TIG.

[01:02:31] And I was I like to learn just new things.

[01:02:34] And I was like, yeah, it might be a little bit of a pay increase, but it's something I want to learn.

[01:02:41] So like I did it for the pay, but also for myself to learn something new.

[01:02:47] Yeah, that's always good. It's always good to learn a new skill.

[01:02:50] But what is the difference between MIG welding and TIG welding?

[01:02:56] I guess I would say it's kind of like MIG welding.

[01:02:59] You kind of like this point and shoot and TIG welding.

[01:03:04] You can you get a lot more control over it.

[01:03:07] And then the one thing you will notice is MIG welding.

[01:03:10] You'll see a hole with the sparks and TIG welding.

[01:03:15] Someone could be welding behind you and you won't even notice.

[01:03:18] Is that because it's more controlled?

[01:03:20] Yeah, it's not having a wire feed through your gun.

[01:03:25] You're kind of like using your tungsten and it's melting it and you can use spiller rods.

[01:03:32] So it's not really creating like a spark.

[01:03:36] You're just melting it more, I guess.

[01:03:38] OK, gotcha.

[01:03:40] Do you have a dream job?

[01:03:43] I would say it's kind of like a fantasy job.

[01:03:48] I'm sure that it's out there, but it would be like having a car dealership slash shop where I can sell cars or you can bring your car in.

[01:03:58] I can modify it for you if you don't want to do it or don't know how to do it or I can show you.

[01:04:03] And you can just pretty much bring your car in forever back out the way you want it to be in your head.

[01:04:09] Yeah, nice.

[01:04:11] I'm sure that does exist and it or it could exist all about cars.

[01:04:16] Yeah, my family kind of always said all you think about is cars.

[01:04:22] I'm like, yeah.

[01:04:24] Yeah, and?

[01:04:27] Nothing wrong with that.

[01:04:29] What would you say is something that makes you want to get out of bed every day?

[01:04:34] I like to just better myself every day, learn something new.

[01:04:39] Like you only have so much time in this world, so make the longest you can get out of it and learn as much as you can.

[01:04:47] There's always like there are so many things that you want to be able to accomplish, especially like each day.

[01:04:54] And I because like there's things I'm like, OK, I want to do this, this, this, this and this today.

[01:04:58] And then I start thinking about like how much time I have, how many things I want to do.

[01:05:05] And then I'm like, start getting anxious because it's like, wow, OK, what can I cut out and not do?

[01:05:12] You know, and but I'm trying to get better about that, trying to be more efficient when I when and where I can and not like it hung up on like, you know, like I have to do that.

[01:05:22] It's like, no, I don't have to do that. But this I do have to do.

[01:05:25] So I always say we need a third day of the weekend like we need we need a day of the week so we can have another day and do all those things we've been thinking about are putting off.

[01:05:38] But I hope that's ever really going to happen.

[01:05:42] Yeah, no, I agree. I agree. What's something that makes you want to stay in bed?

[01:05:48] Probably. To get sleep because I have insomnia.

[01:05:53] So like, oh gosh, I can be so tired and I just won't go to sleep like I'll just stay up like.

[01:06:01] I need more sleep for work, but something just doesn't let me sleep sometimes.

[01:06:07] Probably all the ideas I have on that.

[01:06:11] I don't know that I have insomnia, but I definitely have issues with sleeping because like sometimes it'll take me a while to get to sleep.

[01:06:19] And then like sometimes and it's like every time I'm like, OK, I'm going to go to bed early tonight so that I can get like eight hours of sleep because you're supposed to get eight hours of sleep.

[01:06:28] And I'll wake up at like two o'clock or something or three o'clock and then my mind is just racing.

[01:06:36] And sometimes I can just roll back over and go back to sleep and other times I'll be up for like another two or three hours.

[01:06:43] And I'm just like, why can my mind not stop?

[01:06:46] And why can't I just go to sleep? Like you hear these people talk about the importance of sleep and it's like that's a great.

[01:06:52] But how do I make myself stay asleep once I get to sleep?

[01:06:56] Because that's the problem is like I'll get to sleep, but then I'll wake up and then it's like why can't I just sleep through the night like I used to as a kid?

[01:07:05] That's yeah, I understand exactly.

[01:07:07] Like I'll get off work and I'm like, all right, I'll go cook dinner, do a little cleaning and I'll go to bed while I do that.

[01:07:15] And then I'll just end up falling asleep on the couch for like an hour.

[01:07:20] I'll wake up and then like, well, I can't go back to sleep now.

[01:07:23] It just doesn't work.

[01:07:25] Yeah, that's the worst. I hate that.

[01:07:29] I just yeah, I don't think it's very rare that I get enough sleep to where my body is like, I feel good.

[01:07:37] And then when you have to wake up at a certain time every day, you can't just like, oh, I'm just going to sleep.

[01:07:43] It's like no, you got to get up and then you didn't get that much sleep.

[01:07:46] Yeah, I'm really jealous of people who can just be like, OK, I'm going to bed and they just sleep.

[01:07:51] Like, I don't know. I can't do it.

[01:07:53] Me too.

[01:07:54] Or these people that are like, oh yeah, as soon as I lay my head down, I'm out and then I'll sleep for eight hours.

[01:08:00] It's like, I haven't known that in a very long time.

[01:08:05] Yeah, I think at most I get like, it sounds bad, but like four to five hours a night every day.

[01:08:12] And it works for me.

[01:08:14] Yeah.

[01:08:15] But I wish I was sleeping.

[01:08:17] It's about the same for me.

[01:08:19] I mean, I'm probably more like five or six, but I can't remember the every like few months.

[01:08:26] I'll get like eight hours of sleep or more just because my body is so exhausted and so tired that it's like, OK, you're going to actually sleep.

[01:08:34] And it's like, well, I wish I could have that every night.

[01:08:37] The only time that actually happens for me is when I'm camping.

[01:08:42] Like if I'm out in the middle of the woods, a lot of it probably helps with there's no service.

[01:08:47] I have no phone to sit there on, so like I'm sitting there going, well, I'll just go to bed.

[01:08:52] There you go. Just go sleep in your car every night.

[01:08:55] Leave your phone in the house.

[01:08:57] I've thought about it because I'm like, because like I have ideas like sleeping situations in the back of my car.

[01:09:04] I'm like, I like to think about going downstairs to my parking garage and setting my little mattress up and sleeping in the parking garage.

[01:09:10] Hey, there you go.

[01:09:12] Might work for you.

[01:09:15] I also want nobody looking at my windows.

[01:09:19] Yeah.

[01:09:20] What would be your best bit of advice to give to someone about anything?

[01:09:26] Always do whatever it is you're going to do for you and not for the approval of someone else.

[01:09:34] I just feel like you shouldn't have to do something like I'm saying for like something you want to do for yourself.

[01:09:40] If you want to like change your style, whatever, don't do it for someone else.

[01:09:45] Do it for yourself.

[01:09:47] You don't need to change for someone else.

[01:09:50] If you want to change for yourself, change for yourself.

[01:09:53] It's kind of like posting on Instagram.

[01:09:55] Like don't post because you think everybody else needs to see your post.

[01:10:00] If you want to post, post.

[01:10:01] If you don't want to post, don't post.

[01:10:03] You don't have to do it.

[01:10:05] That's kind of how it is, yeah.

[01:10:07] Because I used to just post everything.

[01:10:09] Now it's like unless I like something, I'm not going to post anything.

[01:10:14] Yeah.

[01:10:15] And for me, there's just not many opportunities out here to get content.

[01:10:21] And I mean, I did really early on because I was like really excited about it.

[01:10:25] Not that I'm not excited about having my car anymore, but I'm not worried.

[01:10:29] Like I'm not focusing so much on like I have to go get content because it's Tushy Tuesday.

[01:10:35] And I don't have to get content because it's like side shot Saturday.

[01:10:40] You know, I just I don't know.

[01:10:42] And there's other things that I'm trying to do also.

[01:10:46] You know, and it's like I don't I don't want to it doesn't want I don't want it to be forced basically.

[01:10:53] And I want it to just kind of be organic and natural because like sometimes I'll be out and I'll see something like maybe a building or a sunset.

[01:11:04] And I'm like, man, that would be a really good shot.

[01:11:06] And then I get that because it's like I see something that I want to capture.

[01:11:11] Yeah, I got a problem with that for myself is I'll be like at a state park or at a car event.

[01:11:17] Be there all day at the time I'm leaving.

[01:11:20] I'm like, I didn't take a single picture of anything.

[01:11:23] And you know, that's OK, because sometimes it's good to just be present because I've done that before too, though, where I'm like, I'm going to go out and I'm just going to be present in the moment.

[01:11:33] But then I will see something and I'm like, oh man, that would make such a good shot.

[01:11:38] And then I end up taking photos anyway.

[01:11:41] But I think the most photos that I take are I'm walking to my car to go drive to work and I'll be like, oh, we just take a quick picture.

[01:11:49] But it'll be like I'll just tap my finger like a million times and I'll have like 30 pictures in there or same thing leaving work.

[01:11:56] That's like the most time that I get pictures of my car.

[01:11:59] Yeah, yeah.

[01:12:01] And there's sometimes when I'm working from home and like I don't even go outside all day because I've been inside working.

[01:12:08] And then the evening comes, I'm like, OK, it's time to eat.

[01:12:12] And then, you know, next thing I know, I'm like, I haven't been outside at all.

[01:12:16] And so I'm trying to make myself do that more is just like get out and just get out of the apartment because I have a co-worker and she's like, oh, it's so beautiful outside.

[01:12:26] She's like, I just took my dog for a walk and I'm like, I haven't been outside all day.

[01:12:30] I'm like, I need to get out. It's so nice.

[01:12:33] Like right around now, it's starting to get nice around here.

[01:12:36] That's literally where we every person who walks into work, we're like, it's really nice out.

[01:12:41] But we have to be at work. Yeah, exactly.

[01:12:44] Do we have to work today? So that same as the next thing is said when we walk in.

[01:12:49] Yeah. Yeah. Cool.

[01:12:52] Well, thank you so much, Alex, for taking the time to be a guest on the podcast and share your, you know, about your Subaru, your Forester and your WRX and about your Subaru journey and your love for this.

[01:13:07] These cars in this community.

[01:13:09] Thank you. Thank you for finally making me get out of here.

[01:13:14] Yeah, you're welcome.

[01:13:15] Hopefully I'll see you at flat fest again. If not this year, definitely sometime in the future because I want to make it out there.

[01:13:22] Oh yeah.

[01:13:23] Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and we'll talk to you later.

[01:13:28] Thank you too.

[01:13:29] All right, you're welcome.

[01:13:30] Bye.

[01:13:32] Hello everybody. Thank you for tuning into another episode of the Subaru B&U podcast.

[01:13:36] Again, if you're not doing so go give Alex a follow.

[01:13:39] It's a BLK underscore on underscore BLK underscore SJFXT.

[01:13:48] Thank you so much, Alex for taking the time to be on the podcast.

[01:13:52] And again, it was great meeting you in person back in the day at Subaru flat fest in 2022.

[01:13:59] And to add to another guest or list of guests that I've had on the podcast that I've actually met in person.

[01:14:07] So don't forget about your Subaru fest tickets.

[01:14:10] Check out to see which one is near you.

[01:14:12] Go snag those early and be sure to check it out if you have not already.

[01:14:19] And if you are returning, welcome back.

[01:14:22] I'm sure they'll be glad to have you.

[01:14:24] And as always, everybody have a great week and we will see you on another episode of the Subaru B&U podcast.

[01:14:32] Much Subaru love.

[01:14:34] The Subaru B&U podcast is hosted by Raphael in a closet in Houston, produced by Raphael in a room next to the closet in Houston and edited by Raphael on a computer in the room next to the closet in Houston with music by Luke Ruiz in another room in Houston.

[01:14:51] You can find the Subaru podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple podcast, Spotify and many more.

[01:14:58] To support the podcast, please head over to Patreon.com slash Subaru podcast.

[01:15:03] Once you join, you will have access to the Discord channel and Discord chats with other patrons.

[01:15:08] If you'd like to get in contact with the show, you can find them on Instagram at Subaru podcast online at Subaru podcast dot com or by email Subaru podcast at Gmail dot com.

[01:15:20] That's all for this week.

[01:15:21] Tune in Mondays for new episodes.

[01:17:20] Yeah.