japan update + pixney

things have picked up at work and at home so the japan trip update continues to be stalled. i'm working on a tattoo for my sister, a new 25 cent poker chip for my friend and trying my best to improve my skill at geometry wars.

as a random aside it's interesting to note that Disney is being aquired by Pixar. wow, talk about things i never expected. i'm not sure whether this means that Pixar is going down the tubes or if Lasseter will revitalize the ailing world of classical animation at Disney. some encouraging news is that Toy Story 3 has already been canceled. as someone who despises the creation of crap sequels for no other reason than to make a quick buck it would seem this new relationship is off to a great start. it mystifies me that it takes some special talent to realize that strong storytelling and sincere characters are the secret to success in the world of animation. i guess whenever there is big money involved it's hard to keep the art alive... so to all you money guys out there looking to create the next big thing here's a tip:

don't design brands that appeal to customers; create stories that touch peoples hearts.

if you own an m5 don't do this

This video starts off pretty slow with some standard, though cool, drifting shots. But it really shines near the end when the driver does some terrifying high speed drifts past the camera on a very narrow road. Depending on the options you might choose this cars price can easily sail on past the 100k mark, and for me it's a little hard to watch it being thrashed like this. but then again, the total disregard for personal safety and making the m5 misbehave like it's some sort of cheap import tuner in the parking lot of a wal-mart is what makes it so great.

japan update

the saga that my japan trip travelogue has become is taking a little longer than i thought to finish. i'm getting through a couple days a night but it's looking like the soonest it's going to be done will be this coming monday or tuesday. reading it all in one sitting is not recommended for the faint of heart.

go

Ever heard of the game "go"? It's an epic battle between little white circles and little black circles for eternal domination of an almost square playfield. No really. It's awesome. It can teach you about life and balance and infinity and stuff.

If anyone out there reading this lives in the Dallas area and want's to play; look me up. I know the above decsription has you chomping at the bit with fervent desire to know the mysitcal secrets of go. So give in... it is your destiny.

06 Vette gets a test drive

Gearbox has been doing well these days and as a result quite a few very nice cars have been showing up in the parking lot. Last I checked we have a couple M3s an M5 an 06 Mustang GT a Lotus Elise, Viper, my R32 and as of a couple days ago a very nice black Corvette Coupe.

Lunch time rolled around and I managed to get shotgun in the vette. I have to say I was pretty surprised with the fit and finish. The doors were lightweight but closed with a satisfying robotic precision that is certainly not a feature of earlier Corvettes. The interior design is still not really on par with the Europeans but it was a real step up from past Chevys as well. A little but too curvy to match the exterior of the car in my opinion. I would have liked to see a few more straight lines slash across the landscape like the very slick vents that flank the front tires. Design aside this car is very modern with all the features that you would expect from a luxury car and a few you wouldn't. My personal favorite was the heads up display. Very cool.

At any rate I was excited to just go for a ride and was pleasantly surprised when my friend offered me a little test drive. At first I took it easy just to get a feel for the ride and how quickly it wanted to accelerate. I was surprised to find that for around town driving this was a great car! The suspension was a little more firm than most daily drivers but it was definitely biased towards comfort. I can say from experience that this is the right call for any car that you aren't taking to the track on a regular basis. Sometimes the R32 can start to shake your teeth on the (admittedly few) rough patches of the Texas road system.

So we took this big black beauty out to a little straightaway that is very much not a public road. (and my little secret so don't ask) and launched her a couple times. First with me in the passenger seat and then in the drivers seat. I have to say the passengers seat is quite a ride. I think the car inspires so much confidence from the drivers side that you neglect to feel the raw kick as is powers it's way effortlessly to 100mph. And when you hit 100, you really are just getting started with this car. It was just begging me to keep my foot on the floor.

So of course we had to take it out to my favorite little "c" shaped drag that is a bit longer to feel what it's like in a corner and really see what it would be like to open her up.

Wow. That's exactly what it was like. That car immediately outclassed me, it was willing to go places at speeds I was not ready for in any way shape or form. I quickly drove right up to the edge of my ability and of course, since this wasn't *my* brand new Vette, backed down immediately. My friend and I had a blast anyway ripping up and down this little stretch a few more times until our adrenaline fix was fully sated.

My last bit of fun was seeing the car perform on the highway and realizing that even at 80mph you can punch it and watch the other cars on the road disappear behind you. This car is smooth and powerful in just about every way I can think to describe it. Not to mention it's a bargain at 40k. Thanks for the ride Mike! Next stop, my other friends Twin Turbo 1000(?!!?!) hp Z05... I think am actually afraid to be in that car, but it's not gonna stop me.

sleeeeeep

welp it was a fruitfull day of blogging, phlogging, cssing, and other strange acronyming and i feel i have successfully bludgeoned a small chunk of cyberspace into something i can call my own.

now i shall sleep... zzzz...

pipe tree

Todays phlog image is one of the first I took with my (at the time) new Canon Digital Rebel. It was just one of those moments you happen upon and luckily I had my camera with me. It was a little frustrating though because to set up the angle correctly I had almost no control over the background content.

please stand by

If anyone happens to be reading this blog or checking out ice cold milk I am trying to get it working as you read this (2pm on Sunday Jan the 8th) . My apologies if anything is broken or looks dumb. I can't promise it won't stay that way. :)