Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026

Its amazing how quickly the unexpected can completely upend long-made plans. Such is the case with my plans to attend the Tri-Five Nationals this weekend.

My 30-year-old son, who was going to go with me, is upset with my wife and I because we want him to get a job. He graduated in May with a computer science degree. He’s not had the first interview for a job, and hasn’t set the world on fire looking for work.

He’s doing some studying modules on machine learning to add to his resume. Yesterday, my wife made him sit down with her and apply for jobs. Not just computer science jobs, but any job. He seems to believe if he has to work, he won’t have time to do his machine learning. I have told him that 40 years ago, I worked 9 hours on second shift and then drove 3 hours round trip to attend autobody school 8-noon, then went to work 2 to midnight. It wasn’t a fun schedule, but I was determined to have a trade or skill I could use after my wife and I were married. I was an electronic technician by trade, but there were no jobs in my field back home.

Anyway, life was “different” then, he says. Maybe it was. The main difference is that I was driven to make this happen, he seems to be piddle shitting around. I know that he IS doing learning work, but that shouldn’t prevent him from working.

Anyway, he’s been in a mood all day, a bad mood. He resents us forcing him to apply for a job. He also seems to believe that he can’t work because of all the things he does here.

And yeah, I’m pissed right now. Very pissed. He doesn’t really want to go, though he told me he needs to “get away.” From what, exactly, do you need to escape from, son? He wants the hotel stay and eating out. I realize he isnt into the cars, but damned if I’m going to take his whiny ass to Bowling Green.

Then he informs me that his employment coach, Kimberly, **may** send me an email. About what? About looking for jobs, etc. But he won’t say exactly what she’s going to say, though she talked with him about it earlier today. I wanted him to spill the fucking beans, and he won’t.

He complains that it wasn’t fair that we made him apply for jobs. Well, life isn’t fair. There’s a cardboard box with your name on it under an overpass in Louisville if you don’t like living under our roof and under our rules.

CANCELED THE DAMN TRIP. After listening to him a bit, I decided to cancel the fucking trip. I canceled the room, though I’ll be dinged one night. That’s OK. I have already prepaid for the golf cart and the admission to the event.

He tried to talk me out of it, but I decided I had heard enough complaining. It isn’t an event he gives two shits about. My wife reminded me of the trip I took with my own father 40 years ago in my first 55 Chevy 2-door hartop to the Street Machine Nationals in 1985. It was a good time, but I had been working 7 years and living on my own. I wasn’t an unemployed 30-something.

DISAPPOINTED? Damn right I’m disappointed. I REALLY wanted to go to the nationals this year. I’ve been working on the car for weeks. It just sucks, it really does.

Am I going to hold this against my son? No, not really. He is on the autism spectrum, and I believe he honestly believes he cannot do his 2 or 3 hours of daily machine learning and work 8 hours at a job. And even with that, he would still have hours every week to shit around watching YouTube videos.

But I am greatly disappointed given how much work I’ve done and the planning I’ve done. It just simply sucks.