Jay and my car near Taif, Saudi Arabia at the time of this letter.
I'm in one of those moods. Rather than actually think today, I'll use this space to paste in some old textual documentation from the past. This was the copy of a letter sent to my dad. Unfortunately I don't write much to my father nowadays. I do, however, have plenty of former correspondence. I put a whole mess of old data on a double-layer DVD for safe keeping.
This seems an appropriate time to include the following letter. It was written 22 years ago on my first DOS computer. At this time, I had switched from WordStar to the amazing floppy disc version of WordPerfect V4. I was most probably still writing on a monochrome monitor or perhaps I had upgraded to CGA. The IBM compatible PC was purchased in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but I was writing from my TOCC&S BOQ room in Taif. I cannot quite remember anything about the topic here. I don't have any idea of what I was planning in a half year's time. Maybe I should have kept a journal too!
Siyanco SOCP 06
Box R - 168
APO, New York 09017
Dear Dad,
I just got your letter of January 18th where you mentioned about a Dodge truck for sale. Well, I had never really considered one of those. (The only thing that I could relate to was the old rust bucket of a 3/4 ton that you owned for a while.) Actually, a half ton wouldn't be too bad. I do have faith in slant sixes. My wagon had near a grand on it, and it was still purring at 35K. (And the plugs are so easy to change!) Vehicles don't seem to rust out in Seattle, which is rather strange because it is a l w a y s raining! No, salt on the roads, I guess. So if the body is good, why not?
$2,200 sounds like a pretty good deal for it's age. If you had $2000 in cash, do you think he'd accept it? Oh, one question: Is it a stepside or fleetside? I don't even know if I've ever seen a stepside Dodge truck, but I don't like them. I definitely would want the extra room that the regular style body would hold. I'd be planning to put on a cap then sleep and camp in the back sometimes.
If you think it'd be a safe vehicle to roam out to the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest in, then I think it sounds like the right buy for me. I don't know how long it might stay in Avery's lot, but if you could take a "snapshot" picture of it, then I could see it too. (Is it under 5 feet of snow?)
Remember, there's no real rush, as I won't be needing a truck for nearly half a year. But if you think the forementioned one will suit my needs, then I can send you a check immediately. Do you expect that any better deals could come along?
Anyway, everything here is O.K. Work, sleep, and eat, you know how it is. Take care, and I'll be waiting to hear from you.