Hey Folks!

Its been far too long since I have been able to be active on here. I really miss this place and the people. Over the last 2 yrs life has been a bit of a turd sandwich will negative effects on time and every other aspect of my life. I would like to publicly thank all of my customer/friends that were so patient with me during this time. I think it took up to a year to turn around some of the builds I had lined up. I do warn that it can take a while, but that is no where near my goal. What I always find amazing is that I dont advertise and yet people know me, know my work, know my reputation, and I get approached with commissions enough to have kept me busy. I used to do this for side money to pay for my car/motorcycle addiction, but as of late it has actually put food on the table and paid my rent.

So, WTF happened to me? Well....grab some popcorn

Sept 2015 I took on two foster girls, 15 and 16, that have proven to be wonderfully amazing young women. In life you often come across situations where you feel like the missing puzzle piece that would resolve a deficit in a situation, this was one of those times. I have no regrets about that decision and it has been the perfect challenge/joy for me. Ironic pairing as my professional background (BA psychology, MD practicing Family medicine which includes psych and social dynamics), and my personal background (even longer story, but works well to give me perspective with these two) lend themselves so well to the care and nurturing of these two. So, why only foster? Didnt I want to eventually adopt...bring out your umbrellas

To add more levity I will use a semi related story to tie in what happened next. A friend was having a time with his wife leaving him and all that entails. He had a vehicle up for sale that was pretty cool and I really wanted to keep it "in the family" and expected that I may get it done (put together) in time for him to be back on his feet and buy it back (ya right, in my free time). He offered me a deal on it I couldnt refuse. It was amazing, I agreed to buy it from him at 5pm when he is over 400 mi away, its big, I had no way to get it back, and no idea how I was going to retrieve it. I talked to a local friend, he had a friend that drives a personal rollback, that just happened to be 1hr away from the vehicle, and by 8p the dame thing was on its way to my house and total shipping was $300! It was like it was meant to be. And then.....

So, the vehicle makes it back to my house in Oct. The following Jan, 2016, 3mo later, my wife decides to leave me. Soooo, I have lovingly dubbed the vehicle, "The Home Wrecker." As y'all can imagine, the whole wife leaving thing was a serious blow to me. Many of you know my soon to be Ex and her and I were a fixture at many functions. She is not an evil person, we are amicable, but it has been an emotional roller coaster that is still being sorted out. Such is life.

My Ex and I have dedicated ourselves to providing for the girls and our now 4.5yo son, Max. We share them 50/50. The kids are doing very well and seeing two adults, who care very much for them, acting mature and caring about the whole situation. The divorce if not final due to many uncommon factors, and now due to lawyer delays (long, boring stuff). I hope to have the divorce final ASAP. Ex and I have already started dating other people, too. Ex and kids know and like my new girlfriend (New girlfriend was with me at Stoddard this weekend), I havent met Ex's new guy as she has only been with him 2mo, but sounds on the level.

So, as if that was not enough, work has been a real flaming rectal exam of a ride. My soon to be former job was a mistake. I have made nothing but mistakes since graduating from residency as far as taking jobs that urge me to practice unethical medicine all the while taking advantage of me. Man, I can rant on about the current medical system and how it is from the inside and out, but this isnt the place. All I will say is that my move to OH was to take a job as a family doc in a small town (a pipe dream that turned into a turd storm), work less hours, save my marriage....fail on all aspects. I ended up working 80 hours a week, paperwork until midnight most days, all the while getting paid 53% of what I was promised, which then put me into financial peril. A hard decision had to be made and I made that decision 3mo ago. My last day at this employer is this coming Friday, and the following Monday I start a job at a state prison as a doctor. Set 40hrs a week, no BS insurance to fight with for hours a day during and after work, no BS calls in the middle of the night for things that a nurse could handle (I will have nurses, and in current job I am on call 24/7), and a set pay check. No more worrying that I wont make rent because lots of patients dont show up to appointments and I only get paid when I am seeing people.

I have also trained and taken a job as an addiction doc at a suboxone clinic. It is low hours for the first year, but I will likely start seeing 100 patients next year and that is a good cause and decent income.

For those of you keeping score, yes I am working 3 jobs to pay for alimony (fucking shoot me), child support, food and rent. Lucky I am versatile, resourceful.

With the change in jobs I am more stable and will have freed up 40hrs a week. I will now be able to be a more effective parent, yet still have time to spend doing something I am also passionate about, automotive/motorcycle work. I plan to make manifest many of the ideas I have had for improvements to my practice in the garage, transmission rebuilding, etc. My girlfriend is wonderfully dysfunctional in that she likes to clean transmissions and parts, and loves my auto-addiction. It has helped me emotionally and mentally, to say the least.

Some things I am up to now include:

Changing cams, chains, seals, exhaust studs (really, fucking shoot me now!), oil tubes, tensioners, etc on a 1976 2.7 911 engine for a friend/family member.

About to start a thread on a 915 build with wevo conversion bits for jgiilliam914.

Some builds lined up, one is a raffle winner from route 66 (brant), one is a 1968 numbers matching 912, one is an LSD 915 for a friend in Australia.

I scored some good cores and with April's help (the girlfriend), I am organizing my shop and plan to have some cores ready for sale/swap to help speed up my turn around time and increase my income.

Multiple motorcycle builds planned (I have like 12 projects).

Going to Mid OH in July for vintage bike weekend. Taking The Damn Bus, I hope. I am putting it back together, slowly, as time allows.

Selling my green 914. Put rebuilt trans in it last night, a friend in CA wants to fly out and drive it back. If he passes on it, I have two others in line. Great car, but need the money and still have my /6 conversion project at Scotty B's.

I have a 2006 mini cooper S that needs a new engine or rebuild. I need to get this thing done as my commute to work will cost $6-7/day with current gas prices and my gas guzzler and the mini gets 30+/gal.

And so on....

So, as you can see, the last few years have been a treat but I am not knocked down, I am encouraged by my friends here, and look forward to growing my business. Depending on how that all goes, I may quit medicine all together, or practice very limited for extra income

Thank you, 914 friends and family, for being there for me and allowing me to grow and flourish. Its been over 10yrs here and in the 914 community and they have been some of my best years ever!

Oh ya, and yo add to my old country song life, my dog tore his ACL equivalent a few weeks ago. Sold a bike to pay for the surgery.

My oldest foster daughter just graduated, tho, and is college bound
My girls

Great to hear from you. Hope all works out well.

Nice seeing you again yesterday. Hang tough, it will all work out.

Mike,

Wow...

Thanks for sharing. You are a helluva guy and will come out of this even stronger.

Cheers!

Come see us!

I do plan on making the rounds in the near future. Clinics to start up again, visit some old friends, arrange a clinic in Australia.

So happy to see you back here, Mike. Glad the storm is passing. May the sun shine brightly on you my friend. You deserve it.

My cousin is a single practitioner (ENT) and the stories I hear him tell about medicine these days are abominable. The best and the brightest are leaving the profession while the insurance companies keep getting richer. Your new gig sounds like just what the doctor ordered .

Hope to see ya soon.

Ian

Great to hear from you, but sorry to hear about the content. Sounds like things are headed in the right direction again. I'm also a Family Medicine doc in a rural area: south Georgia. I feel your pain. I love what I do, but I often hate what else I have to do in order to do it. I've got a buddy who did prison medicine for a while. He really enjoyed it. Good luck in the new opportunity!!

Mike, God bless you and best wishes as you work your way through these "speed bumps" of life. We have all experienced some, if not all of these issues. You will make it through the other side.

BTW, the prison gig sounds like a great fit and excellent plan. I wish you the best my friend and hope you will be more present on this site as things clear up.

Oh, no my Six isn't done yet......but the transaxle is ready when the car is ready for it- thank you again.

Michael

I guess I'm glad I never bought the big vehicle. I need to finish getting my kids through school before my wife kicks me out of the house. Good luck with all your endeavors. Hope to see you at Matt's this summer.

A few days ago it dawned on me that you haven't been around for awhile and today I see this. You have had a rough couple of years both family and job but looks like your battling thru it all. Nice to see you back and hope things continue on the up swing.

I wish you many sunny days ahead. I know what you mean that medical profession is in th toilet and is governed by pointless rules.

Mike, you are the poster child for all the cliques of hope and positive thinking.
You are the "I think I can" train of children's books, the Bob the builders of our 914 world. You take a knock down punch wobble like a weeble and still get up. Despite the crap you have been through you have trudged forward and kept your sanity. Amazing.

Mike, thanks for sharing and great (and selfless) job with the young foster children!!! I am sure you must be very proud!

Btw. We (Ana and I) really enjoyed your last rebuild clinic in Seattle! Although both of our transmissions run perfectly, we love the memories of doing the rebuild at your clinic


we have other transmissions to rebuild hint hint.

Might be time to send you my Boxster 6 speed for a bearing replacement...

Mike,

I wish you luck in love, life & career!

There is light & better times at the end of the tunnel - I've been through it years ago - & it sounds like you're on the way too!

Sounds like a great GF/SO, 2 beautiful daughters on their way to their own successful lives, & better career options for you + some free time!

BTW - I think your post here is approaching my capacity for verbosity!

Good Luck!
Tom
///////

Things will smooth out over time.

Doctors are frustrated? Consider the patient side. Double booking appointments. Wasted lobby and exam room time (1 hour delay). A consultation, really a conversation about canceling a colonoscopy, that lasted 5 minutes and cost me $11 per minute. 0 plan of investigation or treatment let alone a physical exam other than confirming weight and height. An email would have sufficed. A pattern evolved over time. That Doctor got discharged from the patient Doctor relationship. I notified her via email that she was fired.

great to hear you are on the upswing. the last 2 years have been hard for alot of us. hopefully just green grass and high tides going forward. since your job is over friday, why not pop over on saturday, doing a bbq and tech session on saturday with the local 914 guys.

Very, very glad to here you are back in stride again. The giving back has always been part of you and your wife. You went through a lot of things together including both of you working to put you through medical school. Those years are part of you and should be remembered for the positive aspects. That is then and you are now; as you say, life does change.

I have always liked the way you faced and got involved in different things; this means part of you is enjoying and taking life's challenges/changes in stride and adapting to them. You have a lot of my respect.

After all, you are the great "Doc Evil" who on the surface professes " the black arts and evils of working on 914". In reality, you go about living life, accepting it, and taking on responsibilities of others. This is reflected in such a simple thing as the transaxle rebuilds and the servicing required in this type of business.

You are still the same "Old Doc Evil" I have known over the years; respected over the years; etal. ENOUGH OF THAT!!!!

Glad to hear you are back in touch with your friends here with positive, definite plans for the future. Does not matter what they are except you have decided what is best for you.
Do take time to "Smell the Roses" and enjoy the simple, positive things it offers. Where else can I get my dose of "evil black magic except from following The Greatest, DOCTOR EVIL"!

Steve Hurt

Welcome back, we missed you! I slated my MCAT for the 29th, after reading your issues, I'm starting to question the medical field.

We have a doctor friend who came out of retirement to work for a few years at a prison for the same reasons -- he gets to practice medicine w/o the insurance hassles and the hours are set. Good luck with it.


You know, while I was reading your update, Carroll Shelby came to mind. Didn't he work out something with the prison system to allow inmates to build the bodies for the continuation Cobras or something like that? Maybe you could start a rehabilitation program around rebuilding Porsche transaxles. I think you've already trained a bunch of us here.


Mike, in all seriousness, sorry to hear about the tough times. Sounds like things are starting to turn around though. It takes a big heart to be a foster, hang in there.

Evil,

Very sorry to hear about the problems in your life. My life is also undergoing similar but different issues that include a wife with a terminal illness, mental deterioration from that disease and toxic kids. All I can offer you is that you have a choice to laugh or cry, and to take happiness where you find it.

Thanks for being a good man and making a seriously positive difference with the girls. Anybody that spends serious money on their pets is good too. I'm not so lucky with my spending as my pet has 6 months.

If you want to, I'm about 45 minutes down the road in Mason, and would extend an offer of beer and kick ass authentic chinese at a local restaurant.

Take care,

Ken

I think you have something here!

Hey Mike, good karma to ya. Sounds like you have a plan that works. Stick to it.
Wishing you well. Congrats on the girls! Take care hope to see ya soon.

Welcome Back Home!

Wow. That really sucks. Sorry about that. Co parenting even when it's at it's best sucks... hard to say goodbye for that long. Though with FaceTime and such, I suppose it's a bit better.

Better days...

sounds like you are making lemonade with those lemons life's thrown at you

Glad to hear from you again, your story sucks, I mean not how you wrote it...what happened to you sucks....

If you need a fixture made for those broken studs, let me know and if you need something made, no charge except bushings or drills that go with it.

I wonder how many guys like me sent you good "vibes" waiting to hear from you again....even though they never met you ... they feel like they have.

Go hard............

Wow! What an example of a Man who can overcome adversity.

And I thought my trials and tribulations putting together my 3.0 conversion was a cluster ..........

Perseverance has carried you a long and positive way to a (future) great outcome. Your girls are a keen reflection of your character and strength. Keep it up - it doesn't get any better than that.

My only Dr. Evil story is short but a good one. I bought and paid for the Dr. Evil DVD and enjoyed the information and presentation. I bought the tools. I dismantled my tranny. I looked at the various parts and pieces and meanwhile, my Son in Scottsdale looked at Craig's list in Phoenix and found a 901 side shift "rebuilt by Dr. Evil" for sale for 300 bucks including side shift linkage and the sealed tranny. Sonny boy bought it for me and I installed it in my 71.

It is the only mechanical item on my build that has worked consistently.. Day after day, week after week and year after year.

Now your work is linked to my 3.0 six / and again, it is flawless in its function. First gear has a limited function if one wants to smell burned rubber and the rest is perfect for participation in the concert emanating from the engine bay.

Thank you for the one thing that day after day and after a few years, WORKS. You can be proud of your work in all fields.

Wow Mike......think of what you are going through as a rusty 914 Hell Hole with the Battery tray eaten away.

However, as you know, you have the restoration well underway and coming along beautifully. Your path is clear and the fog is lifting.

You are the man with the plain to get it done. Concentrate on the good things you have and will be accomplishing, the future is bright.

Do you realize how many Friends you have around hear and else where?




Doug

speaking of tools you done with it I could use it thanks kerry

Mike,

Sorry to hear of all the but blown away with how you've handled it all. You're a good dood, we're all rooting for you.

I was out for a today and thinking about the trans we rebuilt together might be the most reliable, fully functional thing in the car.

to you.

Good on you, Mike....your "sip from the firehose of life" this morning really snapped me out of my own self-pity about what's going on in my comparatively charmed life!
BTW--love driving my A/F/KA/S/Z on the Raby 2316....a match made in heaven.

John

Welcome back Mike!!

You are among friends. Thanks for checking in, bro.

I am so glad your back! Hang in there it will get better. We have missed your charmed perspective.

Welcome back and hang tuff, Mike. Start learning Subaru tranny's so I can buy a Dr. Evil Subaru Video.

You guys are amazing. Thanks for the warmth and well wishes. It's good that some things are still dependable

As for the medical talk comments above, start a thread in the OT section and I would be happy to have an open discussion about both sides of the biz, and why things are the way they are.

Ken, holy shit you are right down the road practically. I'll see about meeting up. Not sure what I have to offer, but in your situation I may have some perspective and be able to answer questions, at the least.

All of you are welcome to stop by the shop sometime for bill shit n beer.

Yep, turns out the tool you sent wasn't for a Type IV motor.....i guess it us for a 911 engine and things got lost in translation

Will PM you for address.

Mike

Life throws a lot at us at times. Looks like you your handling the challenges with a good attatude. Don't forget you have the support of all your brothers here. .

Glad to see you come through it with pretty healthy perspective. When you are ready we'd be happy to help pit together a trans clinic (914rubber) maybe with some help for Cary. Just when you think you want to put something together hit either of us up.

-Mark

Was just thinking of you...big hole in my Evil t-shirt. Time for another run, you are always welcome to vent on the board. Off topic of course. Good to have you back. Keep fighting.

Good to hear from you. Sorry to hear about Leon.

We might be interested in 914 if all other interested parties fall through.

Good luck. Bud

Mike,


you are the definition of facing adversity.
so glad things are starting to come together!
the world misses you!

brant

My wife is flying to Cincinnati tonight for a business trip in Mason Township - coincidence?

Cheers!

Sorry to hear about the tough times you have had to endure but it looks like you are back on a path that is going to be much better for you.

My son and I really enjoyed your transmission clinic several years ago and it was obvious even back then that you cared very much for doing the right thing. Just keep moving forward and keep a positive perspective on life.

Jeff B

Sorry to hear about the troubles but good to see you back here. Been through most of that myself, a couple of times. Missed you at Stoddards. Up the road in Findlay if I can help with anything.

I only know you through your posts, but what a story. Hang tough and if you are ever down near northern Cincinnati, I'll gladly buy you a beer.