Originally this was just going to be a short little post where I like all the old articles/stories I wrote up on Oppo that I spent the day copying to DriveTribe. But I think it makes sense to say my goodbyes now... well... they’re not really goodbyes at all. They’re thank yous.
I found this place because I sent a bunch of emails to any automotive editor I could get my hands on. I wanted to know any tricks and secrets to entering the industry myself, and they gave me some good ones. But none of the advice could ever compare to Brian Silvestro’s edition: a link to Oppositelock.com.
I didn’t know it then, but I wasn’t just joining a community where everyone was posting article after article. I was joining a real-world community filled with the most genuine people I’ve ever come across. They were smarter than me, cooler than me, but also completely kind to anyone that hopped on the site. My first ever reply was on a post I knew virtually nothing about. @Shop-Teacher had just posted about trading an I-Beam for a pickup truck. All I could think to say was:
To which he soon replied:
It was a simple interaction that opened up a whole new world for me. I’d never been on a forum before, let alone a car forum, and whatever forum we end up on, it’s nice to know that hundreds of good people are going along with it.
This entire post will just be me wielding the new and wonderful power that is creating an Oppositelock post. I’ll likely end up sharing opinions on cars I really like, or stories of things I see on the road, I don’t really know yet. I like cars, but I’m no blogger, and certainly no photographer (that thumbnail picture is one of the first photos I’ve taken while in public. Not exactly a fan of whipping out my camera, but capturing this beast in the wild was too important).
My first post (which I didn’t repost to DT because the value came in the comments that were written, not the story that was told) was flooded with friendly welcome messages and faces. I’d finally met someone who had and appreciated a TSX wagon as much as I did. And it felt really cool that the mods were engaged with newbies just as much as they were old members. I felt welcomed, and still do.
Now, that’s all well and good. It’s one thing to just play nice on the internet, but Oppo has given me so much more. You all have infinite loads of insight, wisdom, and experience that will impress me for years to come, but you didn’t make me feel stupid admitting that. I felt safe to ask questions, and I asked plenty. It started with small things, like which jack stands I should buy (will invest in those early next year), what car I had as my desktop picture, little things like that.
I eventually mustered up the courage to change my own wipers, an hour-long job that should’ve taken about 10 minutes.
The tales of what these wipers have seen through the years.
But it escalated to the point where you all helped me build up enough confidence to change my own oil:
If I can do it, anyone can.
Without you, I would’ve never touched my car and forever assumed Firestone did all the right things... now I know that the corporate mechanics sometimes cut corners. And even on the day of the oil change, I panicked, fearing I’d just overfilled the engine. Where did I turn? To Oppo of course, and the good people who calmed me down and reassured me that I wasn’t an idiot and that my car wasn’t broken. If you can’t tell, I’m not the confident type. So everyone rallying to my side to aide me made me feel like I had people to turn to.
But I also wanted to impress you all, and not look like a super idiot/imposter disguising himself as a car guy. You all gave me a reason to put time and effort into my writings, and I ended up making some posts I’m still pretty proud of!
They may not be perfect, but they were articles that made me feel like I was writing professionally for the very first time. They’re articles that landed me a job:
And while you were all quick to correct me and my idiot ramblings, or enlighten me with your stories on related topics, you actually listened. You gave me a reason to write stuff. It’s hard to tell jokes when you don’t have an audience/anybody to play off of. You were that audience, and it made me feel like I was always in communication with some parts of the world.
And that also made me feel a little better about sharing stories and views of my own.
It’s been very nice to be apart of a community that actually listens and is interested in what their members have to say/write/do in their day-to-day lives. It’s a bunch of die-hard car nerds who don’t spend every waking moment talking about cars... just most of the moments. Oppo has been a place where everyone is there for everyone, and in recent days, that’s hasn’t only been nice, it’s been necessary.
Recently, all the people I once turned to have been falling away (this is the sappy part of the post I wanted to write later, but now just feels right). I go to school in Florida, though because it’s online right now I could go to school anywhere. I’ve slowly lost touch with everyone I met on campus, most of who I’ll never actually see again. My roommate got a girlfriend, which is all well and good, but it means I find myself alone an awful lot. My friends back home are... well... back home. It’s always nice to call and keep in touch, but visits are always better (I just got home from one, and I already want to go back). Though the real cherry on top is the fact that ever since I joined here my parents were splitting up.
It was a mutually agreed divorce, they told me on Christmas Eve of 2019 (my 2020 was doomed from the start), and it’s been going as well as a divorce can... but it’s strange. I no longer have a childhood home. My dad has already met another woman (while my parents were still legally together), and is glomming onto her pretty hard physically and emotionally. In essence, it’s felt like I don’t have much of a constant anymore...
That is, except for you all.
Almost every day it seemed like I struck up a conversation with someone. Almost all the time I could come to the site and take my mind off of... anything.
Long story short (and this has been a long story), wherever this community is going, I’m going too. Whenever we get to see each other again, I’ll happily join in on an Oppo meet. I want nothing more than to see all the good people on this site face to face, because you all mean the world to me. More than you’ll ever realize.
Here’s to Oppo, and the greatest group of folks I’ve ever met. A group that allowed me to be apart of them.