By Chris Hennecy
    12/28/2013
    While most of us do experience the true joy of the season, there is an undeniable amount of reckless energy toward the end of the year. After the gift-giving holidays are past, and we start to realize how much we’ve spent on our loved ones to appease the nature of the holiday spirit, there isn’t much else to do but drink.
    By Chris Hennecy
    12/22/2013
    I view the wretchedly-over-restored microcar fad with some amusement, having driven a basic BMW Isetta as a reporter in London in the late 1960s. Back then it was a bottom-feeder’s car, and I was a marginal motorist. I needed a car as a reporter, but never had enough money for a decent one. “You’re the last step between the last owner and the wrecking yard,” said my brother. Sometimes I actually bought cars from my local wrecking yard, and was dismayed to find something really wrong with them.
    By Chris Hennecy
    12/17/2013
    Keeping Carl Nelson in the dark was the greatest challenge. Although Nelson, owner of La Jolla Independent BMW service and long known for his expertise in restoring E9 coupes, had been named a Friend Of The Marque by the International Council of BMW Clubs some months ago, insiders decided that the best way to surprise him with the award would be to crash his annual La Jolla Independent holiday party in December.
    By Chris Hennecy
    12/09/2013
    Every moment in time has potential to change us. Most are easily forgotten, but the instances that we remember can engrave a deeply positive or negative image on the psyche. And all too often, life deliveries both in equal measure and on the same occasion. The sign read “House For Sale.” Nothing particular stood out in the living areas, but opening the door to the garage was like seeing the aurora borealis for the first time.
    By Chris Hennecy
    12/02/2013
    Imagine being in a typical American household around Christmas time—not too hard to do, I hope! The conversations can vary drastically, depending on demographics and family type. Along the West Coast, families can celebrate the holiday season with a warm winter afternoon and some festive lights hung from semi-tropical trees. In the Northeast, families gather around the fireplace and burn a Yule log while drinking eggnog and toasting good times in the upcoming year.

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