“Do you think we would have the podcast without the DeLorean?” This was a great question recently posed to me (11/7/2024) by my best friend and co-host, Christian.

It took me a few minutes to try to respond as I thought through everything that had happened between February 2022 when I purchased the car and November 2024 where we have just finished the recordings for our 3rd season of the podcast and have started scheduling guests for the season 4. And, of the approximately 25 cars I have owned in my life, many had brought me temporary joy through driving but only two of them turned any profit. In recent years, my definition of both profit and joy have changed completely.

Back to the original question, it’s easier to reflect on how we got here with the podcast than if the podcast would’ve happened if I didn’t have the DeLorean. For background, I’ve always wanted to write a book and felt like I had a lot of material based on the challenges I’ve had over the last 12 the years including a life changing injury, drawn out divorce and everything that comes along with it, and my father’s illness and untimely death right before COVID, and having to put down our dog of 15 years.

For all of the tough times we endured as a country and with the rest of the world, COVID created a great opportunity for me in terms of a reset from daily life to simpler times, spending more time with my kids, and the growth in my love for reading. In between getting a puppy to fill the void left by Sammi, I started reading voraciously with a majority of the books being memoirs, biographies and autobiographies, pushing me further to consider writing about all of these experiences including reflecting on my past and how to grow for the future. I decided to take a few online writing classes, initially focusing on memoirs then branching out to fiction. 

Like many in the US, I decided to invest in my home of 24 years and finally build the two car garage that I always wanted to store my forgotten 1990 Nissan 300ZX, which kept getting hit on my narrow street and was relegated to a friends house for a year or so until the garage was finished. As the garage was getting closer to completion, I remembered the Z and was not excited to get it back and thought about what would be a unique car to own and somewhere along the way I decided I wanted a DeLorean. This is where Facebook and YouTube became my gateway for All Things DeLorean and in a month of so I had virtually met up with Brian Paone who helped me and next thing I knew I had a ticket to Illinois visit DMC Mid-West in Crystal Lake, where Mike had two cars that were in my price range and more importantly, 5-speed manual cars. My flight was delayed by a day due to snow but I planned ahead and rented a Jeep Gladiator for the hour or so drive from the dreaded O’Hare airport that I always avoided, but today was different. O’Hare was different today because many travelers had decided not to travel and/or flights were canceled due to an ongoing disagreement between the FCC and the FAA re: 5G cellular use near airports - very ironic considering I worked for Nokia at the time. “Snow, O’Hare airport, 5G disagreements, rental car agencies - none of you can stop me from buying a DeLorean today!”