Yutaka Katayama – ‘Father of the Z’

In 2013, I wrote on the passing of a Japanese sculptor. Curious how the death of another accomplished Japanese also prompts a personal story. I didn’t know who Mr. Katayama was until I read his recent obituary. The hearty soul lived to be 105. Mr. Katayama was a marketing genius who was exiled to the lowly U.S. territory in 1960 by Datsun executives he had apparently ticked off. All he did after that was make the kinds of changes that altered our perception of Japanese products and ushered the boom in sales of cars that Americans wanted to buy. He became known as the 'Father of the Z.’

It was 1982. We were five years into our marriage, both gainfully employed and could afford the $15,000 purchase. I like my cars but am not a gear-head. I had the ‘hot’s’ for the ‘Z’ car since it was introduced twelve years earlier and it was time to enter that ‘sports car phase’.

Since Japanese culture venerates nature, beauty and delicate, feminine attributes, it seemed ‘natural’ for the president of the company (who was impressed by the musical ‘My Fair Lady’ to name Nissan’s first sports car the ‘Fairlady’. Mr. Katayama understood American preferences in that ‘Muscle Car’ era and knew such a wussy name would not fly here. He replaced the nameplate on the car with the name the company used internally – ‘240-Z.’

Boom.

Since I got the car in Louisiana and many people give their cars names, a nice Cajun moniker seemed appropriate. ‘Bourgeois-Z’ had such great lines. The ‘jade gray’ color forced me to accept the upgraded leather package of interior features. It was less a sports car and more of a boulevard, grand touring car. At least I insisted on the stick shift.

One of my favorite features was the talking console. If you left a turn signal on or if you were low on gas, a sweet, female voice would remind you. I wish I had that feature on my current car.

In the Texas Panhandle, November 1989

Above is my favorite shot of the old beast. I was in the unrelentingly flat Texas panhandle…marveling at the absolute absence of relief in the landscape…and what pioneer life must have been like for the first settlers. I stopped to try and shoot some pronghorn antelope who quickly darted away once I left the car. The keeper shot turned out to be the portrait of my ride.

Bourgeois-Z did not have an easy life. It was never garaged and the New Orleans sun baked off its finish to the point where it needed a full re-painting. In Maryland, the snow and ice further degraded it. It was not driven enough on the open road. Short commutes to work were unfair for a car built to roam far and fast. After 15 years and less than 80,000 miles, I had to let it go…traded in for a Honda Accord. It was a coupe, though…couldn’t transition fully into a sedan guy.

Saying Goodbye, May 1998

Thank you, Mr. Katayama.
I hope you are riding to your reward in a hot sports car.

Winter Doldrums – Part 3

I’ve whined about this miserable season…it’s sleeting as I write this. Then I complained about being sick…that nonsense had me out of whack for two weeks. On the bright side, it was a good excuse to bring out some attractive images. So read on…or not. At least this post has shots from warmer, more colorful times.

We saved the worst for last. Even a lazy lout like me knows the weather or a nasty cold doesn’t have to prevent posts to the blog. Output may take longer to produce…and not be very good…but something close to progress can occur. You know what can thwart ALL progress? What can prevent any positive movement and really sour my disposition?  %!#&! COMPUTERS!

Colorful Annuals on the Front Patio (19 July 2013)

So the five-year old machine was getting creaky and less reliable. A new one would have more speed, memory and functionality…and cost the same or less than what I paid five years ago. Merry Christmas.

My mistake was thinking I could simply transfer everything from the old computer, fire up the new one and resume my happy life…or at least get to a web site quicker. I’ll reduce what happened next to a couple of grisly highlights.

While the new computer is bright, sharp and colorful, it didn’t connect to the internet. We have a wireless router that can serve the neighborhood but I have to drag the new machine to within two feet of it to connect to the internet. %!#&! COMPUTERS! Back to the store.

Seattle Hydrangea’s (3 August 2010)

Then there is Windows 8. I cannot fathom how such a big, smart company can make the next big thing so much worse than the last thing. I don’t get off on swiping and sweeping and spreading my dirty fingers all over the screen…then having to clean it regularly. But I’m an old fart. Not the target market. I get it. %!#&! COMPUTERS!

After shop visits and house calls, I decided the new machine was a lemon and returned it to get another one. More time to read-a-book or write-on-paper. This was all prelude for my personal gremlins’ coup de grace move. Once the new computer came home and was connected to the rest of the system at Images and More World Headquarters, nothing worked right.

The docking station, wireless mouse and keyboard, printer, speakers, external hard drive and scanner ALL crapped out. Part of it was the wiring configuration. Part was the need for updated software. While the new software solved most of my existing equipment issues, the scanner is simply no longer compatible with the new operating system. A perfectly good scanner that can digitize my slides and anything else is now a huge paper weight because we have moved onto the latest, new-and-improved technology. %!#&! COMPUTERS!

Viviers, France (24 April 2006)

But wait! There’s more. Not to be outdone, the gremlins marched over to Google and made it so that after I got into my blog, I no longer had access to any of the working parts. After four years using that platform, I was now frozen out of my own dashboard. So, even when I had something ready to go up, I had no way to post it.

And does a big, popular company like Google have a ‘Customer Service’ function…a place or phone number or address where you can communicate with a real person who can help you? Don’t be silly. If your problem isn’t in the FAQ or ‘Troubleshooting’ windows, which my issues never seem to be, you can avail yourself of the ever-popular User Forums. These are places where questions go to die. You select from a menu of topic areas and add your problem to the hundred others that were posted that day. Then you hope some other poor schlub who had the same problem AND was able to figure it out AND took the time to pour through the pile of queries AND was considerate enough to write back the solution you need. In the meantime, you have to check back every day to find your question…now buried under hundreds more, to see if some kind soul helped out.

I finally did figure it out. On my own…imagine that. Seemed some genius at Google decided to change my e-mail address and once I reminded them that I do not use gmail, all my internal pieces parts returned. %!#&! COMPUTERS!

Our Summer Space (19 July 2008)

It’s good to be back. I close with a shot of the old homestead in the summertime. Everything is warm and green as my bride floats in the shade. Come and visit. There may be a computer at the bottom of the pool, but it won’t take up much space.

Winter Doldrums Part 2

Alright. I have ironically established that this time of year is stifling my blogging…and commence to produce a three-part series to back that up. Part 1 noted that this lousy winter bears some responsibility for the funk. Turn on the TV and the first thing you hear is “Enough already with this winter!” Hence, the illustrations for all three posts are the opposite of winter.

When I was a working stiff, there were occasional times when I did the work part to excess. Late into the night, weekends. Not a balanced life. Lousy time management skills also kept extra-curricular ideas from germinating. I sometimes thought that if I could just get sick…the right kind of illness – too sick to go to work but well enough to sit up in bed, drink screw drivers (for the Vitamin C of course) and advance all that brilliance…things would get done.

What was I thinking?

Now I’m retired. I’ve also been sick. All those work demands are no longer an excuse. It doesn’t work that way. They don’t call it ‘sick’ for nothing. Creative thinking? I’m too busy with the tissues and pills and trying to stay comfortable. When I am comfortable, the best thing the head can do is stay still, appreciate NOT coughing and watching the TV. There is no brilliant thinking. Progress is not made during this dull and dim period.

So, on to more ‘Images to make you forget it’s February’.

Barbados (22 February 2007)

How great is it to have a wife who gets a job in Barbados in February? There’s nothing like getting on a plane in winter and getting off a few hours later in summer…in Paradise. Lush, tropical vegetation everywhere. Beck went to work and I read in the sun…for the one hour it took to fry my sad, pink, Caucasian skin and ensure I stayed in the shade for the rest of the trip. But it’s not winter.

Dawn, Cabo san Lucas (21 November 2012)

Wouldn’t you rather see this out your window about now? My poor Massachusetts’ friends can’t even look out their windows because the snow is piled higher than that. I’ll admit snow can be pretty to look at. The sunlight, shadows and stark contrasts can be visually arresting. But you can’t walk into it in your shorts and t-shirt…at least not if you want to live a long and healthy life.

Pool Still Life, Cabo san Lucas (20 November 2012)

Palm trees, cactus and enough sun to fry your lily-white butt. Imagine that. Just shorts and a tee. Right now, I’m wearing jeans and a sweatshirt…with a bathrobe over that. The heating system has been humming non-stop for days. I hope it doesn’t crap out before spring.

While the crummy weather and being under the weather have contributed to this dearth of output, the main culprit was neither seasonal nor medical.

Stay tuned.