It looks like my sister, Tina, has finally met someone who’s as a much of a nerd for ute modifications as she is. She’s been dating this guy – Brad, I think she said – who’s really giving her a run for her money on that front. Apparently, he’s done his own 6×6 conversion and chassis extension, which Tina says is a big deal.
They’re even planning to drive across the Simpson Desert together, which I think is a questionable idea given how long they’ve known each other – I mean, I’m sure he’s lovely, but that’s quite a commitment to being cooped up with another human for an extended period of time. What if he has terrible taste in driving music, or drops heaps of really smelly fluffs?
I guess it’s cool, though. Tina finally has someone with whom to determine the most durable tray canopies, shop for a gas bottle holder to go on a trailer and so on. The worst case scenario for their trip is probably that they come away with a million ideas for new add-ons and mods to undertake.
On that point, nothing’s going to stop Tina from spending all her spare cash on custom aluminium ute accessories, so she might as well be with someone who’s into it as much as she is. Even though I sometimes think her interest borders on obsessive, there are surely worse ways to spend one’s free time.
I’ve asked her why she doesn’t make it more than just a free time thing. But Tina insists that she’s happy working in her job as a furniture designer. I suppose there’s more than a bit of crossover there, both pursuits being concerned with pragmatically formulating solutions to questions of functionality.
I’ve never thought of it that way before. Maybe I should expand my mind about Tina and her ute mod mania. Perhaps seeing someone else validating her hobby somehow makes it more credible in my view.