Baseline your life

Editorial by Eric Cintron / Edited by Mike Centola

In another life, my old high school had a motto, “Age Quod Agis”. It’s a Latin phrase which means “Do what you do.” After years of wrenching, dreaming, calculating and fidgeting with cars, I’ve finally taken that old motto to heart. I am an enthusiast. It’s what I do, despite the pitfalls, despite the thoughts of broken dreams, empty pockets or even being Puerto Rican, renowned for being the laziest people outside of the DMV. From the days before I had a license, taking my father’s rare Mercedes out for a spin, to the present and my lumpy-idling project parked in the garage, I’ve finally realized I’m stuck with it. While some of us enjoy cars as a phase before we move on to other things, others like me slowly realize that this is the final destination. We’re so far screwed now, pop culture, TV shows and fancy marketing can’t remove what’s been part of our souls since we first turned the key. Our wallets shrink and friends bitch, but it all takes a backseat to building the beast we’ve dreamed of. It’s time to start doing what we do.

Fast forward to present. Gain twenty pounds, go through a few girlfriends and as many jobs, see gray hair in the mirror and realize that the friends who said they’d be there Any Time chumped out and were busy Every Time you needed them. Maybe your same project car is still on the road; maybe it ate a guardrail or a ditch or is awaiting its fate in your garage. Years down the road, most of us enthusiasts find out that Life has a sneaky way of taking a gigantic steaming crap on our hobby. If you’re like me and found yourselves with that wonderful someone whom you’re planning on spending your life with, you have my condolences. Chances are, you probably took a look at the going rate on diamond rings and without realizing it, you started wondering what you’d buy if you could spend it all on car parts. Since you aren’t the only person to think it, don’t feel guilty knowing that you could’ve had a beautiful set of Volk wheels and a Garrett turbocharger kit for the price of a rare rock the size of a spark plug tip. Your friends may ostracize you and you may forever be known as a sellout, but diamonds are forever, right?

Regardless of how badly our obligations gang-raped our hobby, many of us who have been around long enough eventually find a way to enjoy it all over again. Sometimes that means wiping the slate clean and remembering what it is we originally set out to do. Not all of us have a bent project car sitting in the garage laughing at us, but sooner or later we find that the things we’ve been doing weren’t getting us to the places we wanted to be. We hung out in parking lots after dark and risked tickets, but came no closer to the track weekend we always wanted. We ordered thousands of dollars in parts, yet ended up farther away from the trophy we coveted. Sooner or later, some of us put the brakes on and ask where the hell we’re going to end up.

For me, ending up with a busted project car needing thousand-dollar repairs is not what I set out to do. It’s bullshit, actually. Thinking back on it all, I can’t believe the amount of time, money and patience that have gone into this car. It’s tough to spend months online bragging about how awesome your project is going, then end up owning yourself when your baby eats a rail on the way home. You wake up the next morning realizing you’ve killed your own creation. The agony is so horrible; I wouldn’t wish it on anybody except for the stupid asshole who invented the whistle tip.

Despite the setbacks and the overwhelming pitfalls, it all comes back to “Do what you do.” The most important part is maintaining focus. That’s what Age Quod Agis stands for; believe in what you do and you will pass any test. So far I’ve blown up two cars, crashed one and yet I’m still looking at classified ads for a good straight shell to start fresh. I’m so well and truly brainwashed by my love for the whole hobby, I just can’t wait to find more ways to screw myself over. It’s something I’ve learned to take with a smile and a heavy dose of sarcasm. It just goes to show that in the end, there is no end. If you’re doing what you truly do, there won’t be.


Eric Cintron