Now for those who occasionally check the site, you may recall a very, very important day in my life... the day I experienced time travel and got to see my dream car, the one car I would sell everything I have to own... a Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine replica! If you missed out on this, click here. A few weeks after meeting the Shea's, I was asked a question that I didn't even have to think about the answer, "Would you build a website for the DeLorean Time Machine?" Of course, my answer was a BIG yes! I do not consider myself a professional web designer, but I get by and learn new things all the time. I don't want to make a living doing it, as I just want to dabble with it here and there and maintain the sites I physically use. 88mphTimeMachine.com, however, was the exception to this rule.
Picking up from Part One of my eight day trip, what was ahead of me involved a lot more than I could have imagined.
First off, I had originally planned an informal get-together with several friends I haven't seen in years. I thought dinner would be a great idea and I decided on Applebee's in Sturbridge, MA. While I was experiencing time travel, my cell phone reception was minimal. When I left, my phone started going crazy with seven voicemail messages all from the friends I was going to meet up with stating that they couldn't make it. Many couldn't leave their area because of what happened when the first tornado came ripping across central Massachusetts and they all advised me to get out of the Sturbridge area before the next tornado hit. I got these messages just about ten minutes away from the restaurant and something told me it was safe to press on anyway. As I arrived at about 6:40pm, I decided to pick up a few last minute needed things at Wal-Mart at the other end of the plaza. I park my car, walk into the store and have a very odd feeling come over me. This little voice inside me said, "Get out!" So, after walking about one hundred feet into the store, I turned around and walked out to my car. As I get in, I felt very unsafe but knew everything was going to be ok. I move the car up to the other end of the parking lot closer to the main road right next to Applebee's. I sat in my car for a few minutes, as my cell phone battery was almost drained and people were still calling me to tell me to get out of there and to assure my safety. After it looking like I may have just one or two people joining me for dinner, I proceed inside to Applebee's.
June 2011 is by far the busiest month of the summer for me this year in terms of car shows and car-related activities. This is one of three things I'm going to write about, all of which happened in just an eight day span. Before I fill you in on what happened on this trip, I'm going to tell you why this trip personally meant so much to me, as it could not have came at a better time.
For those who don't know, the last few months have been quite the battle for me. After discovering some medical problems that have kept me from doing 90% of my daily activities, I have been internally going nuts. I couldn't work on my '86 Florida Highway Patrol SSP Mustang because the work was so strenuous, I'd have to sleep for a few hours because my body felt drained. Yes, even turning a few nuts and bolts were hard for me to do! For me to feel fully rested, I found myself sleeping nearly all day. I was randomly dizzy and could hardly stand up at times, so I always found myself leaning against something or holding something as I walked slowly. What drew the line for me was when I had the characteristics of a dead person twice, only knowing I was alive because I was conscience. It was recommended that I not drive, but as a car guy, ya... that wasn't going to happen! Originally, I had someone lined up to join me on my eight day excursion, however at last minute, I found myself going solo and testing my abilities, which I can say I felt comfortable doing, as I've doing a lot better now! I'm at a point now where I no longer have to sleep 3-4 hours to regain my energy. Instead, I just have to sit and relax for 15-20 minutes or longer, but only if I don't stop early enough.
Regardless of having to take breaks every here and there, the ride down for Part One of my trip was full of excitement and anticipation! The whole trip to Carlisle for eight days really gave me something to look forward to, keep my mind off things, and I knew the whole trip was going to be a once in a lifetime experience. Once again, this could not have come at a better time! Going back a few months, I randomly found out about a Back to the Future (BTTF) DeLorean replica that was near complete in Massachusetts. As a huge BTTF fan, I knew that this car wasn't there forever. Trust me, I would have known about it! I searched high and low for some type of contact to arrange a photo op. Finally, I came across one and wrote a "shot in the dark" e-mail. Very little time went by before I got a response. Patrick, the son of the owner of my dream car, responded back and knew exactly who I was. Come to find out, he has a passion for the Special Service Package Mustangs! If you don't know by now, so do I! He seemed as excited as I was to plan a "staged pullover" of my TX DPS Mustang pulling over the BTTF DeLorean. Although Patrick was not an SSP owner, he had a 1990 Mustang 5.0 LX hatchback.
Welcome to the redesigned website for 5pt0Joe design! As some of you may previously know, 5pt0Joe was all about the Mustangs. It is now time to culminate my passion for Mustangs and my audible and visual talents, car related or not. Most of my time was previously spent catering to the music industry. Although I'm not opposed to continue to assist in that industry, I'm breaking new grounds by expanding services to people involved in the automotive industry. Please understand, I don't run a full time business doing this. I simply help others who need assistance, have very quick turnarounds, and charge less than average to average prices.
Please know that this site is a work in progress and will undergo major design changes through this summer, than once again in early 2012. Once I get the content up in whole (I have lots more to add!), I will revisit the design element and make changes as the updated software (for photos and the e-commerce-like catalog of parts) becomes available. The 2012 release will be all about the unveiling of my 1988 Tribute SSP. This will truly be a one-of-a-kind car and site!
Thanks again for visiting 5pt0Joe.com!
Current Site Status: v1.0
Future Site Status:
v1.2 - Custom artwork which will be available for purchase - Expected by Late-November
v1.5 - New structure for cataloging parts for sale - Expected by Late-December
v2.0 - Revisit design flow for final release - Expected 2012
Be on the lookout for the August issue of Mustang Enthusiast Magazine! Read about my road trip with my father to pick up my 1990 Texas DPS Highway Patrol SSP Mustang! Please note that you can already view the article online at Amos Publishing!
Introducing the all new projectSSP.com! Check it out! This site is still a work in progress and is currently in a slow state of growth (as members add more content to read), so check back regularly to experience the potential of this site!
