I got something in the mail today,
a gift from an old friend.
The best part was the beautiful, hand-cut ornamentation on the dedication page. Notice the instantly recognizable silhouette.
It’s a red leather bound travel diary with such sections as “Itinerary” “Hotels Where I’ve Stayed” “Restaurants I Enjoyed” “Notes & Incidents” and a section for me to paste “Ephemera (Ticket stubs, restaurant receipts).”
It will travel many miles with me in the years to come.
Thank you.
Because I’ve been busy with law school, I’ve been whetting my motorsports appetite by playing more Forza 2 on xbox. Of course, the first thing I did was use the customization engine in the game to build the car that I want to be driving as of 1/1/10: a black Mini Cooper S on bronze volk TE-37’s. The xbox live upload feature isn’t working for me, so I shot some pictures with my phone:
IIRC, fastest lap is a 1:48 at Laguna Seca with no traction or stability control, just ABS.
Here is a google map of the Winter Escape I have planned for the first week of 2010:
Looks like I’ll be making more than one long road trip next year though. WATCH OUT EAST COAST.
JC: comparing Radiohead to U2 is probably the worst sin I have ever committed. I repent.
JC+: I forgive you but I don’t know if god will
—
B: toy story is not as beloved as the more recent pixar movies
and it was already 3-D for its age
and i personally think… the 3-D glasses thing is a gimmick
J: me: hmm…well, first of all, I always thought of Toy Story as putting pixar on the map
and second of all, we must now fight, because I think the disney 3d technology is AMAZING
B: yes, we must now fight
maybe your EYES are just BROKEN
maybe YOU want to contribute to a lot more waste
maybe you can’t just enjoy the movie for what it is
but rather just its effects
maybe you feel you must feel yourself within a cartoon world to truly feel alive.
J: …
goodbye, dream
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/1440934042.html
This car is the realization of a dream for me. Countless dollars and hours have been poured into her. She has style, power, and class.
Unfortunately, she hurts my back to drive and work on. Hardly an hour goes by these days when my back doesn’t ache from the way I’m sitting or smart from the way I’m turning. Yesterday, I had to bend over to tie my shoe – I had to think about how I bent down as not to hurt my back. When I push pins into my bulletin board, I sometimes have to get out the hammer because I can’t push them in without straining my back.
I’m tired of driving the Land Cruiser around, and I want a more entertaining car to take on my Winter Escape. Even if my back didn’t hurt, the Z wouldn’t be the right car for these trips: the gas milage is poor, the car is unreliable, and doesn’t have much storage space. It lacks basic amenities like A/C, airbags, and cruise control.
So it’s time to say goodbye. If I’m totally honest, this car really hasn’t been as good as I’ve hoped it would be. It has class, but really lacks the driving dynamics of a modern car. Even with the new Eibach/Tokico sport suspension the car feels heavy and wallowy in the corners. I guess you could say I loved the looks and the “idea” of her more than I actually loved her. This, as you may recall, is a familiar situation for me.
It is not, however, one without reason. I’m moving onto a car that is more reliable, more efficient, and more fun to drive. Cute, too. I achieved my goal of building a V8 powered Z, and I’ve acquired invaluable knowledge from doing the engine swap. One day, when my back heals completely, I will build many more engine swapped cars with the knowledge I learned building Yvonne. Hell, maybe I’ll build yet another Z someday.
For now, I’m going to pick me up one of these and drive the motherloving crap out of it:
I don’t know what’s sadder, that I have a half drank can of Natty Light in my fridge, or that I actually contemplated finishing it.
The other day, I was leaving law school and I spotted not one, but two white, concours-quality M3’s sitting outside of the Bancroft Hotel. I had to whip out my camera and snap a few, particularly of the convertible. As you may or may not know, BMW never built a convertible E30 M3, which means that this one had to have been a very expensive and thorough conversion, right down to the interior. Check it out:
Yesterday, I decided on a whim that I would go test drive some cars with my mom. The cars on the list: 350Z, 370Z, Mini CooperS, Mustang GT, and VW GTI.
photo from http://www.vq30de.net/stillen_oct2002/
Since falling in love with the shape of the S30 Z, I’ve aspired to own a full collection of Z’s. The 350Z was a natural contender for my next daily driver: it’s well known for its amazingly flexible, sexy sounding VQ35 engine, and the used market is flooded with affordable examples.
Rev the jump to read about the 370Z and Mini CooperS.
To prepare us for our competitions, the Trial Team hosted a series of training sessions on Tuesday nights. This particular evening the topic was cross-examination, and spirits were high because before the session the team enjoyed a big potluck together and we played a hilarious game of “two truths and a lie.”
As the training was ending, I slowly gathered my things and prepared to go home. She, I imagine, was waiting for the right time to strike. I had noticed her making eyes at me before, but I had never been sure whether she was interested or just flirty. In any case, I hadn’t really paid much attention to her in the past. That, however, changed quickly this evening.
“You ready?” She asked out of the blue, as I was shuffling my last few papers into my backpack and telling Maeve about some details of my Great Escape trip.
I was puzzled. ”What? Are you waiting for me?” I looked around to try to figure out who she was talking to.
“Yeah, are you ready to go?” She asked again, looking straight at me.
“Uhh…” I again looked around, this time more frantically, hoping perhaps that someone could explain to me what was going on. whether I was about to fall into a trap, or at least notice, perhaps for the last time, that I was about to be kidnapped.
“Yeah, I’m ready. Let’s go.” I said, deciding to take the bait. Balls, I thought. She’s got em, and that’s gotta be worth something. I walked her home (she lives very close to Boalt), and we made small talk on the way back.
Never, I mean never in my life have I executed, received, or witnessed a pickup that was so simultaneously confident and risky. What a pro.
My orchid bloomed! Check out the photograph I took (click for larger):
