Leinninger.com

As Duane said, spring has sprung and that means racing season is upon us. I need to practice hefting tires and get into crew shape since Duane and my Dad will be hitting the racing circuit soon. Also in terms of racing, congrats to Polish F1 driver Robert Kubica for his great drive this weekend at the Bahrain GP! It’s a great time to be watching F1, peeps! And lastly, for those that are interested, NIN will be in town on August 23 so get ready for the awesome electronic-rock-goth-yness that shall descend.

- Gina

Every year it happens. I go through the entire winter not thinking about the race season. My shop is below zero and I have no desire to be in it. Then, the first real thaw comes and I freak out about race season. There’s so much to do and no time to do it. Sure… I could have pulled the engine, manned-up and got stuff done during the winter, but I didn’t. (Part of the reason is my demanding work/leadership training/school schedule.) Now I have about 6 weeks to do body, engine, and suspension work on my Neon. This year, I’ll be racing in ITA almost exclusively (though my car will fit into the DP class, too) so I’m upgrading to more expensive (Hoosier) tires and upgrading the exhaust (header). Panic has never been so much fun.

- Duane

I remember when I used to go to the local shoe store with my mom to get new shoes for school. The guy would come out, measure your feet with a weird little metal slider thing, and viola! Shoes that fit would come out from behind a magic curtain. You don’t really get that level of service at most stores any more. If you’re lucky, a “sales associate” blurts out “Finding & everything o.k.? … Greaaaaat…” as they whisk by.

About a year ago, Gina convinced me to start shopping at Bachrach. The sales reps there are top notch. They know clothing, what they have in stock, and when the next line is coming in. If they’re out of your size, they’ll search other stores for it, order it and ship it to you. I even have a favorite salesman (Steve at the 12 Oaks Store in Novi, MI) and he knows what I like, where I work, and what I should/can wear to work. It’s hard to find this kind of service, respect, and expertise any more.

- Duane

After nearly 5 years of marriage, I finally decided that this sausage party needed some balance. Since Duane only has one wife (that I know of) I guess it falls to me to do the dirty work. Expect me to pop in every now and again, and I’ll try not to gripe about laundry, cooking or being barefoot and pregnant — you know, that woman stuff. DO expect commentary on NIN, Formula 1 racing (which begins today, peeps!) and other awesomeness. WORD.

- Gina