Ahhh, the Pinewood Derby.  Oh how I loathe you.  About 2 plus weeks ago, my wife reminded me that the annual pinewood derby was coming up.  Rather, the Powderpuff Derby, as this was a Girl Scouts event.  This was right in the middle of us "re-painting" KDAT to be "Today's Best Mix", so I was a little busy.  But this was a task I couldn't miss out on, as any little thing we can do for our kids, with our kids, means the world to them, and they will cherish it forever.  So, with about a week to go, I cut the block of wood to the shape we wanted to go with.  Well I tried anyway.

I'd insert a picture of my butcher job, but I forgot to take one in my shame.  It was the first time using my new jigsaw, and between my inexperience and its calibration, well, I made some really bad angles and really bad cuts.  I think I cut through the block in about 2 areas.  I intended to get a new block, and start over, but time was fleeting... quick, and that never happened.

Chris Carson
Chris Carson
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So here we are, Friday night prior to the Sunday race. I looked at the block I cut again, and figure this can work, with a LOT of work.  And I started sanding like crazy.  We actually had something to work with Saturday.  And while it didn't look great, it looked good, and I felt really good about it.  I got the weights on it, and felt even better.  And so we got to painting.  It took all day, but by the end of the night, we were feeling really confident that this would be a great car.  Weight balance and placement seemed great!

Unfortunately, I know NOTHING about pinewood derby cars.  After two runs, we were eliminated.  The cars we were running against, well, it wasn't that close.  At least we crossed the finish line though.

All in all, no matter that outcome, it was another great day, and great Daddy daughter experience.  She loved cheering on her friends, and loves her car.  She displays it proudly in her room.  And while I'm disappointed, there's always next year.

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