Blackmoor Vituperative

I have a 2023 Mustang GT with the 9-speaker setup but no subwoofer. My intention is to replace the speaker, add an amp, and wire it into the back speakers using the same method as shown in this YouTube video:

https://youtu.be/XxNDhOutHzw?si=LwDcEGA_EOq7Vyls

My current parts list includes:

• Rockford Fosgate R500X1D Prime 1-Channel Class D Amplifier
• Pioneer TS-A250D4 10″ Dual 4 ohms Voice Coil Subwoofer, Black
• Skar Audio 4 Gauge Amplifier Wiring Kit – Blue, Copper Clad Aluminum, SKAR4ANL-CCA

l think these are these good choices for this purpose, but I am still doing research. My intention is to keep it under $400, not including the enclosure (which was $175 delivered).

I have never installed a sub in a system without a dedicated output for the sub. I might need some kind of audio high-pass/low-pass splitter between the rear deck speaker wires and everything else. An amateur-friendly one, I hope.

See also: 2023 Mustang GT Projects

This evening’s project was a quick one: installing a Steeda strut tower brace in my 2023 Mustang GT. A strut brace makes a significant difference in how much a car flexes. For the cost and how easy it is to install, it’s a bargain for the benefit. I don’t know anything about Steeda (or modern Mustangs, really — this thing is the Tardis compared to my 1967 Mustang), but this strut bar has good reviews.

From reading over the 2023 packages …

https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/North%20America/US/product/2023/mustang/2023-mustang-order-guide.pdf

… I appear to have a 2023 Mustang GT Premium (with some options), but not a California Special. The only California Special specific trim I see on my car is the front grille. And maybe the wheels? It definitely does not have the red interior stitching, the GT/CS strut bar, or the rear badge.

I am actually okay with this. The rear badge would be nice to have, but just because I think it’s prettier than the big silver GT. Other than that, I prefer the GT Premium styling.

Removing the “GT/CS” was easy, fortunately.

I had tried to find OEM “California Special” floor mats, but couldn’t find any, so I got these from 3D Mats instead. A good thing, as it turns out. I also picked up a cheap trunk mat from Amazon.

On Monday, Jose from DetailMeNow came out and removed the stripes from my 2023 Mustang GT. I had already replaced the white aerial with a grey one.

A little over a month ago, I bought a 2023 Ford Mustang GT Premium. It was listed as a California Special. It turned out not to be one, which is actually better. I didn’t know it at the time, but the 2023 California Special has details like decorative (non-functional) side scoops, a big spoiler, and so on. Which is not to my taste, so it worked out for the best. 🙂

Here are some photos of the car as it was when it arrived.

If I had it to do over again, I’d try to care less about what people think, and care more about what people feel.

Fun fact! It turns out that I can, in fact, read in my dreams, despite what TV and movies have been telling me for years.

Last night I dreamed I went on a trip to China with a group of people, one of whom was [the actor who played “Thirteen” on House and “Quorra ” in Tron 2]. For some reason, Susan didn’t go.

When we got back, I brought several members of the group, including [the actor who played “Thirteen” on House and “Quorra” in Tron 2], back to our house (which was completely unlike any house we have ever lived in) to meet Susan, and vice versa. In that house, we had a huge living room with lots of art — not classical art, but poster art and “pop” art, including a huge impressionist painting of [the actor who played “Thirteen” on House and “Quorra” in Tron 2]. Susan, perhaps wanting to prevent any awkwardness, had covered that painting and another (also of that actor) with other framed pieces of art.

Looking closely at one of them, I saw it was a certificate or award of some kind. An inscription on the frame read “Hochschule Bruderschaft” (roughly translates as “college fraternity”). So not only could I read in my dream, I could read German.

P.S. Why am I referring to Olivia Wilde as [the actor who played “Thirteen” on House and “Quorra” in Tron 2]? Because in the dream, I was going to introduce her to Susan, but then couldn’t remember her name. That’s why I went over to look at the new art to begin with: to buy time while I tried to recall her name. When I woke up, I *still* couldn’t remember her name. I had to Google it to write this paragraph.

Is good news even a thing anymore? Not “making the best of it” news. Not “people staving off doom for one more day” news. Not “here’s some trivia about some stranger’s personal life” news. Not “be thankful things aren’t even worse” news. Actual good news.

That would be nice.

It’s not uncommon for me to have a song in my head. I typically wake up with a song playing in my head. And it’s not terribly uncommon for me to walk around singing a song I haven’t consciously chosen to sing.

What was unusual today was that I was singing a David Bowie song (“Modern Love”, if you really want to know), and about halfway through, I realized that I was singing it in the style of Elton John.

So… huh. Interesting. After that realization, I started singing other David Bowie songs. And it’s funny, but most of the ones I tried worked just fine in the style of Elton John!

Naturally, I tried some other bands’ songs… Journey, Flock Of Seagulls, Queen… and it’s funny how easily that they lend themselves to an Elton John impression. “We Are The Champions” and “Separate Ways” sung by Elton John work particularly well, in my opinion.

So at this point I am almost done with my shower, and I think, I wonder if it works the other way around?

So I try , and you know what? It doesn’t work. I can’t do “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” in the style of Journey or Queen or David Bowie.

So is that a strength of Elton John (or Bernie Taupin), or is that a weakness of my non-Elton John impressions?

Really makes you think.

The wedding of Brandon and Susan Blackmoor, October 31, 1991. There are a few folks in this who aren’t with us anymore, including Susan’s mother and her uncle. The last half is all present-unwrapping the next day: I recommend skipping that.