Jim Sudduth wrote (slightly edited): "TR6, top-down in the California
sunshine - Oh, sorry you guys! How do you midwesterners stand it? If I go
for more than a week without driving my TR6 I begin to suffer withdrawal
symptoms - irritation, fidgetyness, loss of concentration caused by a
pervasive longing for the wind in my hair and that marvelous sound a TR6
makes at 3500 rpms on the open road. I mean, I'd be in the Funny Farm by the
time Spring finally came. I'm serious here: what gets you through?"
Assuming that you are serious, you should know that the symptoms you list
are a good description of a condition known colloquially as "cabin fever."
There is a subset of this that is a recognized medical condition -- with a
label something like "sunshine deficit disorder" that is treated by sun
lamps, etc. (I am not kidding about this.) In Minnesota, many examples of
these afflictions are noticed in February, March and April. This year we
are still seeing outbreaks in May.
What gets people through? First, some people do suffer actual mental
breakdowns. On the other hand, the healthier LBC owners divide the year
into two seasons: driving season and restoration season. (Restoration
season, in turn, is broken down into days where you can acquire frostbite
simply by touching your LBC and the nicer days, when the temperature in your
garage is above zero.) FYI, we are currently on the cusp between
restoration and driving seasons.
Hope this helps.
Andy Lindberg
TR3 in Minnesota
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