Christmas came early this year for E and I, we went out at lunch yesterday and bought new 3G iPhones!! I got a new one because mine was having issues with signal and dropping calls and everyone said that the call quality sucked when I was talking. E got one because she had that crappy Sony phone that didn't really do much other than work as a phone. Besides, Raja pooed on it, who wants to have a phone that the cat pooed on?
So, now we just have to figure out how to keep them seperate. Just this morning I picked up my phone, put it in my pocket, walked out of the room and then back in, saw the phone on the counter and put it in my pocket. It was at this time that I realized I already had one in my pocket and checked to see which one was mine. This is going to be confusing...
Yay iPhone!!
Ok, I don't know why, and it is not entirely rational, but for some reason I am dying to buy a car. And not just any car, I want to buy a nice car. A sports car. A car that has very little practicality to it.
What is it about living in the US that makes me want to own a car when I have so clearly demonstrated over the last month that I do not need one? Does it have anything to do with living in the US? Or is it strictly because I am a gearhead and want to have something to tinker on? It's weird, but I look at cars when I am on the bus on the way home and think of how it would be to own that car, or when I see one in our retail lot I do the same. I know the rational, responsible thing would be to wait until we have more saved and pay cash and not have a loan, but for some reason, I am jonesing for a car. As I wrote in my last blog post, E is fully, completely sick of hearing about car x and y and how cool they are or how we could swing it.
Either way, whatever car we end up getting prior to the start of the '09 auto-x season will be easier to drive fast than the TL, and not just because the car is lighter, but because my ass is lighter! I have been holding steady at 250 for a few weeks now, but today I was able to use a new notch in my belt without my pants feeling tight! I guess that I am putting on a little muscle for every bit of fat that I am working off. Starting last week Erin is also working out with me, and we are both really sore right now from yesterday's back workout, but I feel so much better now than I did before. I have stopped any and all drinking of alcohol or soda in an effort to maximise my fat burn throughout the day, and so far it has helped a LOT. I was able to do (almost) four pull-ups on Sunday morning, and as of a couple of weeks ago I couldn't even hang from the bar because my shoulder hurt so much. I guess working out is helping that to heal.
One weird side effect is that I am cold. All the time. I used to complain about how E was cold and she should get a blanket last winter when our thermostat was set at 69. Our thermostat is currently set at 73 and we have both been complaining about being cold for the last couple of weeks. I know that having extra chub on your body helps to keep you warm, but I have never really experienced it like this before, this has been a dramatic change that has been noticeable to me and to E. Maybe I'll get to start wearing sweaters again and not worrying about soaking through them by the end of the day?
What else has been going on? Oh, I signed up to twitter and have been putting info up there as often as I can think of it, but honestly I am reluctant to put more of the mundane stuff out there since it is just so mundane. I guess this helps to keep me from really putting anything out there at all, even though the idea is to put the mundane out there since it is not blog-worthy and people sometimes like hearing about the more boring parts of life, maybe this is why everyone talks about the weather? Speaking of which, we didn't break the 0 mark today, our first day completely negative. It was so cold that the snow was noisy as all get out. It was like grinding styrofoam together.
We are currently planning a progressive dinner for people in our building for New Year's Eve this year since no one is really digging going out and partying. I told E and some friends that I would do the DD thing if someone would volunteer their car, but with so much public transportation around, we really don't need to bring a car, we just need cab fare.
Other than that, we are just gearing up for our Hawaii trip in Feb, our x-mas trip next week, and that's about it. Lucky for us that a few of our neighbors have decided to start saving like E and I have been trying to do and are not wanting to go out every night. It has been nice that others are not trying to drag us to bars each and every weekend/weeknight.
Something I was just thinking about is how when we tell people that we don't have a car, how much support we get. We met some new neighbors the other day and within minutes we were talking about cars and when I was asked what kind I had and my response was that I didn't have one, they immediately offered to allow us to use theirs if we needed it. I was actually admonished this morning because we walked to the grocery store and didn't call and borrow someone's car. Odd. But, I have to say, the overwhelming repsonse has been very positive and supportive of our effort to see how long we can go without a car. We have the scooter, but when the air temp is -8, you couldn't catch me dead on that thing outside our garage. Well, on second thought, maybe you would catch me dead from frostbite or hypothermia or something.
I guess with that I will sign off, all of my random thoughts have been displayed. And KK, I'm with you man, jut got to talk the little woman into it... :)
What is it about living in the US that makes me want to own a car when I have so clearly demonstrated over the last month that I do not need one? Does it have anything to do with living in the US? Or is it strictly because I am a gearhead and want to have something to tinker on? It's weird, but I look at cars when I am on the bus on the way home and think of how it would be to own that car, or when I see one in our retail lot I do the same. I know the rational, responsible thing would be to wait until we have more saved and pay cash and not have a loan, but for some reason, I am jonesing for a car. As I wrote in my last blog post, E is fully, completely sick of hearing about car x and y and how cool they are or how we could swing it.
Either way, whatever car we end up getting prior to the start of the '09 auto-x season will be easier to drive fast than the TL, and not just because the car is lighter, but because my ass is lighter! I have been holding steady at 250 for a few weeks now, but today I was able to use a new notch in my belt without my pants feeling tight! I guess that I am putting on a little muscle for every bit of fat that I am working off. Starting last week Erin is also working out with me, and we are both really sore right now from yesterday's back workout, but I feel so much better now than I did before. I have stopped any and all drinking of alcohol or soda in an effort to maximise my fat burn throughout the day, and so far it has helped a LOT. I was able to do (almost) four pull-ups on Sunday morning, and as of a couple of weeks ago I couldn't even hang from the bar because my shoulder hurt so much. I guess working out is helping that to heal.
One weird side effect is that I am cold. All the time. I used to complain about how E was cold and she should get a blanket last winter when our thermostat was set at 69. Our thermostat is currently set at 73 and we have both been complaining about being cold for the last couple of weeks. I know that having extra chub on your body helps to keep you warm, but I have never really experienced it like this before, this has been a dramatic change that has been noticeable to me and to E. Maybe I'll get to start wearing sweaters again and not worrying about soaking through them by the end of the day?
What else has been going on? Oh, I signed up to twitter and have been putting info up there as often as I can think of it, but honestly I am reluctant to put more of the mundane stuff out there since it is just so mundane. I guess this helps to keep me from really putting anything out there at all, even though the idea is to put the mundane out there since it is not blog-worthy and people sometimes like hearing about the more boring parts of life, maybe this is why everyone talks about the weather? Speaking of which, we didn't break the 0 mark today, our first day completely negative. It was so cold that the snow was noisy as all get out. It was like grinding styrofoam together.
We are currently planning a progressive dinner for people in our building for New Year's Eve this year since no one is really digging going out and partying. I told E and some friends that I would do the DD thing if someone would volunteer their car, but with so much public transportation around, we really don't need to bring a car, we just need cab fare.
Other than that, we are just gearing up for our Hawaii trip in Feb, our x-mas trip next week, and that's about it. Lucky for us that a few of our neighbors have decided to start saving like E and I have been trying to do and are not wanting to go out every night. It has been nice that others are not trying to drag us to bars each and every weekend/weeknight.
Something I was just thinking about is how when we tell people that we don't have a car, how much support we get. We met some new neighbors the other day and within minutes we were talking about cars and when I was asked what kind I had and my response was that I didn't have one, they immediately offered to allow us to use theirs if we needed it. I was actually admonished this morning because we walked to the grocery store and didn't call and borrow someone's car. Odd. But, I have to say, the overwhelming repsonse has been very positive and supportive of our effort to see how long we can go without a car. We have the scooter, but when the air temp is -8, you couldn't catch me dead on that thing outside our garage. Well, on second thought, maybe you would catch me dead from frostbite or hypothermia or something.
I guess with that I will sign off, all of my random thoughts have been displayed. And KK, I'm with you man, jut got to talk the little woman into it... :)
It's been a whole month and still no car. There have been some times when I have had a serious craving for a drive, but I have made it. I think I have been driving Erin nuts with my car search, she really doesn't want to even think about it until we are ready to purchase, but I have been keeping my eye on the local market and what is out and around. Odds are good that the best deal will be on a car that gets advertised in the next couple of months and is still available once it starts to get warm.
I was watching Mission Impossible III tonight and saw a commercial that BMW is offering .9% financing on all used models. What does that say? It says to me that times are going to be REALLY rough on the car industry, and not just the American ones. That tells me that the longer I can hold out, the better deal I can expect to be able to find. Maybe instead of a brand-new Civic Si, I can weasel my way into a 2-4 year old M3? It sounds like a tough decision to me, brand-new FWD 200HP 4DR or a couple of years old RWD 330-400HP 2DR? I wonder which would be better for racing? I can bet that the Civic is going to get better gas mileage, but which will have a higher fun-factor? I'm leaning toward the M3...
I was watching Mission Impossible III tonight and saw a commercial that BMW is offering .9% financing on all used models. What does that say? It says to me that times are going to be REALLY rough on the car industry, and not just the American ones. That tells me that the longer I can hold out, the better deal I can expect to be able to find. Maybe instead of a brand-new Civic Si, I can weasel my way into a 2-4 year old M3? It sounds like a tough decision to me, brand-new FWD 200HP 4DR or a couple of years old RWD 330-400HP 2DR? I wonder which would be better for racing? I can bet that the Civic is going to get better gas mileage, but which will have a higher fun-factor? I'm leaning toward the M3...
Yeah! We got our light! Now we have ambiance for Turkey day ...
Needless to say we're a little nervous about little girl being around the light. We're hoping she's just checking to make sure it's of good quality and/or aesthetically pleasing.
Needless to say we're a little nervous about little girl being around the light. We're hoping she's just checking to make sure it's of good quality and/or aesthetically pleasing.
There are no words. Just click on the link and enjoy!
http://flickr.com/photos/echeng/sets/72157605113505126/
http://flickr.com/photos/echeng/sets/72157605113505126/
We have so far made it this far without a car, we went out to dinner last night with some friends and were able to catch a ride, and my buddy Jorge came over today to work out and I talked him into a grocery store run. There have already been some issues that made me really wish we had another car, for example, poor planning on my part meant that I could not go to the tour of the forensics lab this week, total bummer! I have an appointment in Edina (20 minutes away) on Monday at 4, so I have to figure out the public transit method of getting out there, or I have to get someone to give me a ride. Since I don't know anyone that is going to drive out that way, it looks like I am going to have to figure out the buses beyond downtown...
Other than that, there have not been any really big things that we have needed a car for, but it hasn't even been a week yet, so we shall see how it goes.
I used the groceries I bought tonight to make a really good lasagna tonight. Our neighbors down the hall had a little boy last week and I made the lasagna for them so that they could have some food ready and in the fridge with minimal effort while they get into the 'having a baby' mode. I made a smaller dish for myself, and holy cow was it good! I made some garlic bread to go with it, and an angel food cake with strawberries, raspberries and fresh whipped cream to go for dessert. It was quite the meal!
Anyway, that's my life as of right now, Car-Free experiment day 5 complete...
Other than that, there have not been any really big things that we have needed a car for, but it hasn't even been a week yet, so we shall see how it goes.
I used the groceries I bought tonight to make a really good lasagna tonight. Our neighbors down the hall had a little boy last week and I made the lasagna for them so that they could have some food ready and in the fridge with minimal effort while they get into the 'having a baby' mode. I made a smaller dish for myself, and holy cow was it good! I made some garlic bread to go with it, and an angel food cake with strawberries, raspberries and fresh whipped cream to go for dessert. It was quite the meal!
Anyway, that's my life as of right now, Car-Free experiment day 5 complete...
We are now a carless family. I sold the TL this evening to a nice young guy that fell in love with it as soon as he saw it. We hung out for a while working the deal, going to the bank, filling up the tank, and then finally washing it. It was probably the most fun I have ever had selling a car, tied in with the most bummed I have felt selling a car. I am stoked because this means that we can now get a Civic Si, but we have also agreed that we are not going to buy a car until either February or we decide we cannot go another day without a car.
So starteth the experiment of living without a car.
We shall keep you updated...
So starteth the experiment of living without a car.
We shall keep you updated...
Even though it snowed on us when we were driving back from St Louis, it has been in the 70 up here until Thursday. I say until Thursday, because on that day the temps dropped. A lot. We went from 70s one day to 30s the next, and then it was snowing yesterday morning when we got up. I guess that means that winter is officially here for us, no more shorts and t-shirts, it's all long trousers and coats from here on in.
One of our neighbors teaches acting at the U, and the end of term project was to put on a play. Last night we walked over to the U to see the show and it was pretty cold, our first trip out walking now that it is officially cold. Of course, as it is wont to do, it was raining as well. Overall it was great weather for a walk. The show was all put on by sophomores and they did a really good job. The show was called 'Book of Days' and was set in Dublin, MO. It was a great show, and knowing how much time and effort the students and our friend put in made it even better.
Oh yeah, and remember the ice castle from last winter? We met up there for drinks with Steve after the show to celebrate a successful opening night. Maxwell's is now open!
Other than that, our lives are pretty boring right now. It is unfortunate that I had just put a fresh tank of gas in the scoot though, it's too damn cold to drive it now!
One of our neighbors teaches acting at the U, and the end of term project was to put on a play. Last night we walked over to the U to see the show and it was pretty cold, our first trip out walking now that it is officially cold. Of course, as it is wont to do, it was raining as well. Overall it was great weather for a walk. The show was all put on by sophomores and they did a really good job. The show was called 'Book of Days' and was set in Dublin, MO. It was a great show, and knowing how much time and effort the students and our friend put in made it even better.
Oh yeah, and remember the ice castle from last winter? We met up there for drinks with Steve after the show to celebrate a successful opening night. Maxwell's is now open!
Other than that, our lives are pretty boring right now. It is unfortunate that I had just put a fresh tank of gas in the scoot though, it's too damn cold to drive it now!
So, E and I trucked our way on down to STL for the weekend to surprise my mom and dad for their birthdays. We got in at about 2AM on Friday and the only one that knew we were coming was Travis. Needless to say, no one else found out before they were supposed to. We were not answering the phone at the Killer B's place, acting like we were still in Mpls when people called, etc. There was a whole lot of deception going on, and it worked out nicely. We hauled ourselves out to BFE and snuck into the house real quiet like while everyone was eating dinner.
Everyone was extremely surprised when we walked in, utter shock on their faces, just silence as everyone tried to comprehend that we were in fact in STL. It was pretty funny to see everyone's mind going 1000 miles an hour to catch up. The kids were pretty quick to turn me into their own personal jungle gym, at one point I had four of the little buggers glommed onto my legs as I was trying to walk around and say hi to everyone.
We got to meet Carson and see Travis and Jalynne again, Carson was pretty chill, sleeping the whole time. At least until he decided he was hungry, and even then he wasn't too terribly loud, overall a quiet kid. I think I made a mistake though when I handed him off to E at one point. She seemed to enjoy him quite a bit. (ruh-roh...)
Everyone was extremely surprised when we walked in, utter shock on their faces, just silence as everyone tried to comprehend that we were in fact in STL. It was pretty funny to see everyone's mind going 1000 miles an hour to catch up. The kids were pretty quick to turn me into their own personal jungle gym, at one point I had four of the little buggers glommed onto my legs as I was trying to walk around and say hi to everyone.
We got to meet Carson and see Travis and Jalynne again, Carson was pretty chill, sleeping the whole time. At least until he decided he was hungry, and even then he wasn't too terribly loud, overall a quiet kid. I think I made a mistake though when I handed him off to E at one point. She seemed to enjoy him quite a bit. (ruh-roh...)
OMG! Josh and my friend Cole and her husband, Ryan totally surprised me tonight.
Josh has been planning a surprise for me for a few weeks (that I've known of). I just thought we were going to dinner so I put on a pair of scruffy jeans and left. We went down to Maxwell's down the street and sat down and had a cider. Then I feel someone come up behind me and give me a hug. It was Cole! I was thinking, this is cool. We're going to have dinner and hang out. A few moments go by and I look away for a second and then Cole keeps looking at the table and then looking at me. I look down and there are 2 Kathy Griffen tickets sitting right in front of me! Kathy's in town for 6 shows here in MPLS and I didn't even think of going. I was so excited I got teary. And they were in the pit section third row center!!!! So we scarf down our food and head off to the show.
It was AMAZING being that close. Cole mentioned you really feel like they're just performing for you when you're that close. You feel a kind of connection with them. I mean I saw hair that she shed on her jacket.
She made jokes about celebs (DUH) but the funniest was when she made fun of Palin. And her mom.
But the surprise isn't over. Cole and Josh planned on us having Monday off so I get a whole day to just relax and hang out! Wow, I feel like it's my birthday all over again.
I am so blessed!
Josh, you ROCK. And Cole and Ryan, you are amazing friends.
The I-35W bridge is back open and it is nice to have it back! Man, traffic patterns are totally different now that the bridge is back open, much less traffic on Washington now that people don't have to exit there. I have used it three times now and it has made it so much nicer to go to the grocery store, Target, etc.
Man, I am glad to have it back!
Man, I am glad to have it back!
It may not be me but the 2 boys of the house are in it ...
With a little help from Curtis (ok, a lot), we picked up the couch that we have been waiting on since February!! Now we have a nice, comfortable couch for people like Mike, Curtis and Kaleb to crash on! Not to mention that it looks MUCH better than the old gray one.
We have that old thing relegated to our bedroom for now, but it is destined to make it to Craigslist where we might just make some more friends! If no one bites on it there, we just might have to hold on to the world's most uncomfortable couch, Little Boy will not be upset if that is the way it goes...
We have that old thing relegated to our bedroom for now, but it is destined to make it to Craigslist where we might just make some more friends! If no one bites on it there, we just might have to hold on to the world's most uncomfortable couch, Little Boy will not be upset if that is the way it goes...
The rents were up here this weekend and we took them out for some good old Minnesota fun! We went to the State Fair, someone else's family reunion, IKEA, and Stillwater.
When mom and dad showed up, we treated them to a few drinks and the hospitality of a few of our friends. We discovered that mom is pretty fond of the Sailor Jerry rum and Coke and that Minnesota has a ton of fried food on the menu. We both had an idea that there was a lot of fried food up here, but it was really cemented when mom and dad were here. We went over to Grumpy's and after looking at the menu for a few minutes, determined that there is absolutely nothing on the menu that is even remotely good for you.
We carried this theme over to a trip to the State Fair on Saturday morning where we started the morning off right with a mexican burrito and a malt. By 10:30 we were all pretty well full and dad was just hitting his stride as we got to the farm equipment. Dad was scoping out the tractors while mom, Erin and I were scoping out the new 2009 F-150 at the Ford booth. Given the interest that all parties had in an F-150, it didn't take long for us to scope it out. We wandered about until E declared that she wanted to check out the plants in the plant area (don't know what it's called, it's a vegetarian thing...). Thankfully, they had a HUGE section about honey and I was able to pick up some honey-lemonade, my new favorite drink. We finished off our trip to the fair by picking up a bucket of chocolate chip cookies and heading on down to the all-you-can-drink milk hut to have ourselves some cookies and milk!
We waddled our way on back to the car where we poured ourselves into the seats for the long 15-minute ride home. I think everyone passed out pretty quickly once we got back to the house. It was seriously naptime, a food coma if you will. This would be the first of many food comas over the weekend.
We went up to Psycho Suzies for dinner to get some pizza and to show mom and dad what a cool place it is. We rode the bikes (ok scooter) up there and on returning found that the RNC media party was in full swing and cops working security at all the streets around. Since the party was at the Guthrie, there was a concern about getting back into our place because neither E nor I have updated our licenses with our new address and we didn't have anything to prove that we lived there other than our keys that would open the doors. We ended up having to drive around until we found an open road that we could use to get to our garage. There was a small moment of frustration with security, but in the end it turned out ok.
This brings us to Sunday when we had breakfast at one of our favorite places, Yum! and then headed off to IKEA to peruse the massive amounts of products that they sell. E and I found a couple of really cool pendants for our bedroom and a whole bunch of other stuff that we decided we didn't need. Because we now had lights for the bedroom, we had to go ahead and install them as soon as we got home. 30 minutes and only one electroction later, the lights were up and we now have a more mild lighting package for our room! We didn't have long to wait before we had to motor on our to Lake Minnetonka to meet up with E's uncle Zoom and his in-laws at a small family event. It was really cool to get to see Zoom and Leigh and to introduce them to my parents so they could get to know him a bit. E came within a couple of inches of getting six-packed while sitting on the deck because of the people playing volleyball below, but all turned out well and she only had a minor headache as a result.
Monday morning mom and Erin made some raspberry pancakes from some produce that we had acquired at the farmers market at the Guthrie and then we were off to Stillwater for mom and E to peruse some antiques and check out some random stuff. We had a nice meal on the side of the St Croix river and just hung out for a bit. Pops got a nice little nap in on the way home while mom and E and I talked about random stuff and when we got home I got my birthday present, I got to watch Superbike and MotoGP before we went up to a great place called the Loring Pasta Bar over in Dinkytown near the U, it was a great meal with great ambience and a lot of great company. We finished off the last evening by going to Sebastien Joe's for some unique ice cream and then cruized on home to hang out and watch some the Dog Whisperer before heading off to bed.
It was a good time and we enjoyed having the parents up here to visit our new home and see what we have done with the place. Last time they were here, it was just an empty space that was not even really close to completion. It was also nice to be able to show them what the city is like when the weather is cooperative and demonstrate what we love so much about living in Minnesota.
E has photos, I'm sure she can't wait to get them up here!
When mom and dad showed up, we treated them to a few drinks and the hospitality of a few of our friends. We discovered that mom is pretty fond of the Sailor Jerry rum and Coke and that Minnesota has a ton of fried food on the menu. We both had an idea that there was a lot of fried food up here, but it was really cemented when mom and dad were here. We went over to Grumpy's and after looking at the menu for a few minutes, determined that there is absolutely nothing on the menu that is even remotely good for you.
We carried this theme over to a trip to the State Fair on Saturday morning where we started the morning off right with a mexican burrito and a malt. By 10:30 we were all pretty well full and dad was just hitting his stride as we got to the farm equipment. Dad was scoping out the tractors while mom, Erin and I were scoping out the new 2009 F-150 at the Ford booth. Given the interest that all parties had in an F-150, it didn't take long for us to scope it out. We wandered about until E declared that she wanted to check out the plants in the plant area (don't know what it's called, it's a vegetarian thing...). Thankfully, they had a HUGE section about honey and I was able to pick up some honey-lemonade, my new favorite drink. We finished off our trip to the fair by picking up a bucket of chocolate chip cookies and heading on down to the all-you-can-drink milk hut to have ourselves some cookies and milk!
We waddled our way on back to the car where we poured ourselves into the seats for the long 15-minute ride home. I think everyone passed out pretty quickly once we got back to the house. It was seriously naptime, a food coma if you will. This would be the first of many food comas over the weekend.
We went up to Psycho Suzies for dinner to get some pizza and to show mom and dad what a cool place it is. We rode the bikes (ok scooter) up there and on returning found that the RNC media party was in full swing and cops working security at all the streets around. Since the party was at the Guthrie, there was a concern about getting back into our place because neither E nor I have updated our licenses with our new address and we didn't have anything to prove that we lived there other than our keys that would open the doors. We ended up having to drive around until we found an open road that we could use to get to our garage. There was a small moment of frustration with security, but in the end it turned out ok.
This brings us to Sunday when we had breakfast at one of our favorite places, Yum! and then headed off to IKEA to peruse the massive amounts of products that they sell. E and I found a couple of really cool pendants for our bedroom and a whole bunch of other stuff that we decided we didn't need. Because we now had lights for the bedroom, we had to go ahead and install them as soon as we got home. 30 minutes and only one electroction later, the lights were up and we now have a more mild lighting package for our room! We didn't have long to wait before we had to motor on our to Lake Minnetonka to meet up with E's uncle Zoom and his in-laws at a small family event. It was really cool to get to see Zoom and Leigh and to introduce them to my parents so they could get to know him a bit. E came within a couple of inches of getting six-packed while sitting on the deck because of the people playing volleyball below, but all turned out well and she only had a minor headache as a result.
Monday morning mom and Erin made some raspberry pancakes from some produce that we had acquired at the farmers market at the Guthrie and then we were off to Stillwater for mom and E to peruse some antiques and check out some random stuff. We had a nice meal on the side of the St Croix river and just hung out for a bit. Pops got a nice little nap in on the way home while mom and E and I talked about random stuff and when we got home I got my birthday present, I got to watch Superbike and MotoGP before we went up to a great place called the Loring Pasta Bar over in Dinkytown near the U, it was a great meal with great ambience and a lot of great company. We finished off the last evening by going to Sebastien Joe's for some unique ice cream and then cruized on home to hang out and watch some the Dog Whisperer before heading off to bed.
It was a good time and we enjoyed having the parents up here to visit our new home and see what we have done with the place. Last time they were here, it was just an empty space that was not even really close to completion. It was also nice to be able to show them what the city is like when the weather is cooperative and demonstrate what we love so much about living in Minnesota.
E has photos, I'm sure she can't wait to get them up here!
My stomach hurts.
And we're going back.
And we're going back.
Ok, so I posted earlier about how when I was at Road America, we went to the team Realtime Acura BBQ and they had a buttload of rotisserie chickens cooking and how incredibly good they were. Well, it just so turns out that I bought a grill last year that had a rotisserie on it, so I decided it was time to make good use of it and made up a chicken for Matt, Kaleb and I to try.
Let's just say that it was a success.
So, with that bhind me, I thought it was time to get a little more ambitous. I decided that for dinner the night of my birthday pub-crawl I would make not one, not two, but THREE chickens on the rotisserie. I would make them using a different spice on each one so that we could try out a number of flavors. And with everyone there for my birthday, who was going to tell me no? So, I put all three chickens (vegetarian chicken, mind you) on the spit and got them babies a-turnin! I made one with Lawry's Season Salt, one with a Chipotle Cinnamon rub, and one with a poultry seasoning we had in the cabinet. The season salt one was gone in a flash, declaring itself a winner by the fact that all that was left on the platter was a little grease and a couple of bones. The cinnamon one was good, but it had nothing on the salt... Lastly was the poultry seasoning, looking like I had just laid it out at the end of service and not given anyone a change to try it. I think it is still in my fridge, maybe I could re-assemble it and make it a chicken again...?
Anyway, I am officially hooked on cooking things on the rotisserie and now want to buy a pork belly and wrap that bad boy around the spit and fill it with goodness. I can already kind of smell how good that would taste! I just have to get E to go away for a few hours, I doubt she would like it if I brought in a whole pork belly....
Let's just say that it was a success.
So, with that bhind me, I thought it was time to get a little more ambitous. I decided that for dinner the night of my birthday pub-crawl I would make not one, not two, but THREE chickens on the rotisserie. I would make them using a different spice on each one so that we could try out a number of flavors. And with everyone there for my birthday, who was going to tell me no? So, I put all three chickens (vegetarian chicken, mind you) on the spit and got them babies a-turnin! I made one with Lawry's Season Salt, one with a Chipotle Cinnamon rub, and one with a poultry seasoning we had in the cabinet. The season salt one was gone in a flash, declaring itself a winner by the fact that all that was left on the platter was a little grease and a couple of bones. The cinnamon one was good, but it had nothing on the salt... Lastly was the poultry seasoning, looking like I had just laid it out at the end of service and not given anyone a change to try it. I think it is still in my fridge, maybe I could re-assemble it and make it a chicken again...?
Anyway, I am officially hooked on cooking things on the rotisserie and now want to buy a pork belly and wrap that bad boy around the spit and fill it with goodness. I can already kind of smell how good that would taste! I just have to get E to go away for a few hours, I doubt she would like it if I brought in a whole pork belly....
Yesterday was the annual National Sales Meeting, and while it was cool, it was not Colin Powell cool. We had all the sponsored X-Games athletes and the sponsored racing team there, but there were significantly fewer musical acts. They started off with Josh Groban, then John Legend, some kids band, and finished off with Christina Aguilera. Josh Groban and Christina Aguilera were pretty cool, but the rest of them I could have done without. There was also a whole bunch of different test foods and drinks to be had. Over all it was a nice way to spend 1/2 a day at 'work'.
Sonny just sent me an email letting me know that in the DDMMYYYY format, this is my once in a lifetime birthday where the day and month are the same as the year.
Pretty cool way of looking at it.
For some reason, this kind of brightened my day...
Pretty cool way of looking at it.
For some reason, this kind of brightened my day...
My wonderful and talented sis, Megan sent me a belated b-day prez today. She made this amazing yoga bag (little boy is laying on it in the pic) as well as a ganesh wind chime, a cooking pan and a movie and goodies. The pan she got me is a kind of inside joke and has to do with bacon infused cooking surfaces. We all know how much I love bacon. The funniest thing she sent was the movie Gremlin as well as microwave popcorn, milk duds and hot tamales. Megan said you're supposed to eat all 3 at the same time and it's like Christmas in your mouth. I guess I need to get out more ...
Thank you, Megan. I love you!
So, some of you know that last weekend I was at Road America for the ALMS races, but I really wasn't there for the ALMS, I was there as a guest of the Bimmerworld team that is running in the Speed World Challenge series running a couple of BMW 3 series cars. They have 3 drivers, James Clay, Seth Thomas and Nick Esayin.
How did I get myself into this wonderful situation you ask? Well, one of my friends that I autocross with has a cousin that is the crew chief for the team, and when he knew he was coming up here he sent along a couple of tickets. Matt's (autocross guy) girlfriend wasn't really interested and told him to bring me along, and viola! I am at Road America!
We showed up on Saturday morning, just after the qualifying session had ended, but there was still a lot of work to do for the Bimmerworld team to make some last minute adjustments to the cars for Sunday morning's race. We hung out with Matt's cousin for a bit and I asked probably more questions than he thought was possible, and then we took off to see the track and get some photos of the 4-hour ALMS race that started at 4 on Saturday.
Both of us were pretty fond of the 007 James Bond Aston Martin running around in British Racing green with a big ol' Union Jack on the roof. I have quite a few pictures of this car.
Matt managed to take over 1500 pictures on a camera he just bought a couple of days prior to the weekend, talk about breaking it in!! It was a good thing that I had brought my laptop, we were able to download the photos to the hard drive Saturday night so he could start fresh Sunday morning for the Bimmerworld race.
So, on to the race, James was qualified in fourth, Seth in 6th and Nick in 14th (he had food poisoning and was nearly puking in the car). James moved a spot down at the start but started charging pretty quickly to get up to third place behind Saini and Kleinubing. Couple of laps later he was chomping hard on the back tires of Kleinubing and a lap or two later he was through at turn 5! Now James is leading a Speed Touring Car race with only a handful of laps to go. He managed to pull out a gap of about 1.5 seconds at the checkered and won his first world challenge event! I would like to think it was all because Matt and I were there, but someone said something about preparing, practicing, and even setting up the car. What do they know?
So, we ended the weekend on a high with the team having gotten one driver on the box, and jumped into the car for our 5 hour drive home that turned into more like 7 once we got detoured 87 miles and stopped for dinner in Wisconsin. It was a great trip, we saw a ton of gorgeous cars, and let me tell you, those CTS-V Cadillacs in the Speed GT champioship are serious. I mean they shake the ground when they roll by, it is seriously impressive.
I didn't realy realize how much I missed the big tracks until I was up there watching the races. I think Matt and I both have gotten the bug for a little track time, and Erin/wallet willing, I will get my booty on up to Brainerd now that they have redone it without the dragstrip and take a few hot laps. Who knows, maybe I will find myself enrolled in a racing school somewhere, maybe Bondurant?
Don't forget to watch the race August 20th (greatest day ever in history) at 1:00PM ET on Speed, you will not see me, but you will see an exciting race!
How did I get myself into this wonderful situation you ask? Well, one of my friends that I autocross with has a cousin that is the crew chief for the team, and when he knew he was coming up here he sent along a couple of tickets. Matt's (autocross guy) girlfriend wasn't really interested and told him to bring me along, and viola! I am at Road America!
We showed up on Saturday morning, just after the qualifying session had ended, but there was still a lot of work to do for the Bimmerworld team to make some last minute adjustments to the cars for Sunday morning's race. We hung out with Matt's cousin for a bit and I asked probably more questions than he thought was possible, and then we took off to see the track and get some photos of the 4-hour ALMS race that started at 4 on Saturday.
Both of us were pretty fond of the 007 James Bond Aston Martin running around in British Racing green with a big ol' Union Jack on the roof. I have quite a few pictures of this car.
Matt managed to take over 1500 pictures on a camera he just bought a couple of days prior to the weekend, talk about breaking it in!! It was a good thing that I had brought my laptop, we were able to download the photos to the hard drive Saturday night so he could start fresh Sunday morning for the Bimmerworld race.
So, on to the race, James was qualified in fourth, Seth in 6th and Nick in 14th (he had food poisoning and was nearly puking in the car). James moved a spot down at the start but started charging pretty quickly to get up to third place behind Saini and Kleinubing. Couple of laps later he was chomping hard on the back tires of Kleinubing and a lap or two later he was through at turn 5! Now James is leading a Speed Touring Car race with only a handful of laps to go. He managed to pull out a gap of about 1.5 seconds at the checkered and won his first world challenge event! I would like to think it was all because Matt and I were there, but someone said something about preparing, practicing, and even setting up the car. What do they know?
So, we ended the weekend on a high with the team having gotten one driver on the box, and jumped into the car for our 5 hour drive home that turned into more like 7 once we got detoured 87 miles and stopped for dinner in Wisconsin. It was a great trip, we saw a ton of gorgeous cars, and let me tell you, those CTS-V Cadillacs in the Speed GT champioship are serious. I mean they shake the ground when they roll by, it is seriously impressive.
I didn't realy realize how much I missed the big tracks until I was up there watching the races. I think Matt and I both have gotten the bug for a little track time, and Erin/wallet willing, I will get my booty on up to Brainerd now that they have redone it without the dragstrip and take a few hot laps. Who knows, maybe I will find myself enrolled in a racing school somewhere, maybe Bondurant?
Don't forget to watch the race August 20th (greatest day ever in history) at 1:00PM ET on Speed, you will not see me, but you will see an exciting race!
Take 21:19 of your life and watch this video. Now git!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9153550196656656736>
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9153550196656656736>
I called, seriously I did. I think E must have had a dead battery or had the phone on silent in her purse or something.
Anyway, there were plenty of sweet cars for sale at the track, not just that gorgeous Porsche. There was a Ford GT, a BMW 545 with 19"s, and many others.
I'll put up some photos from this weekend tonight after I have had some time to look them over, but it was a good time all around. I got to check out more of Road America than I had ever before seen, and also got to check out some seriously sweet cars.
Anyway, there were plenty of sweet cars for sale at the track, not just that gorgeous Porsche. There was a Ford GT, a BMW 545 with 19"s, and many others.
I'll put up some photos from this weekend tonight after I have had some time to look them over, but it was a good time all around. I got to check out more of Road America than I had ever before seen, and also got to check out some seriously sweet cars.
So J is in FonDuLac, WI this weekend at some car thing (don't ask, I have no idea). And I haven't really heard from him except for a photo attachment in an e-mail he sent me this morning. No “Hi honey”. Just a picture of a man with a car.
I mean you can't blame the guy for trying.
One of the guys from the autocross was out taking photos and posted them on Flicker for everyone to see. Lo and behold!!! There are photos of ME!
In my defense, she was called Coby because she was riding through a parking lot crossing an alley without looking down the alley when she crossed it. Essentially, not paying attention to what she was doing. I know it is a buzzkill to have to keep so vigilant, but that is what keeps your skin intact when you are riding a scooter, motorcycle, what-have-you.
Anyway, now that is settled, I have an autocross update. Yesterday was the first race on the new tires/wheels and I have to say that they performed beautifully. The tires gave great grip, turn in was more precise, and the car was more controllable all around. All I need now is a good alignment and the car will actually go where I want it to.
The first few runs of the day I coned on, and I was not improving, and I was getting frustrated. Basically, I was just trying to pussy-foot it around and be smooth. Well, there's smooth and then there is smooth and fast. You can be smooth and still push the front, rear, all four. So, for the afternoon session, I just said screw it, I'm going to slam one in and see how it goes.
I dropped 3 seconds off my best time from the morning. On a 60 (ish) second lap. I went from high 67s to a low 64 with no cones. I guess I was just thinking too hard about it and not just doing it. As I got better in the afternoon I got happier and was able to play more with the car. The M5 will have to wait a few more weeks at least. (incidentally, I did find a smoking deal on one, we shall see how the little lady responds to it...)
I still finished 4th of 4, but the top two were in the top 10 on raw time and top 5 in PAX, so I don't feel so bad about it. The car I was chasing all day is a little Nissan Sentra, and just when I thought I had gotten him, he upped his game as well and got me by a second or so. The good thing is that I was able to get my PAX time into the 80's (out of 150) and my raw time put me squarely on 100 of 150 drivers. Not great, but good for now. It is also good to know that I was just being a wanker and need to drive the damn car like I stole it.
My last run was a good one, but I probably lost about 1/2 a second in one section, it was a right, left, right and I was on a flyer. I got into the right nicely and the back started to come around, no problem, hit the left and flung it back that way, then slammed it hard to the right for the last corner of the set and the back kicked out that way. Slam on the gas hard and it all lines back up with minimal drama. I wish I had video of it though, it must have looked cool to see a front wheel drive car fishtailing through a short slalom.
I found a link to a video that someone took from their M3, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ7EfBxkdJc
Here is another that shows the course better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScDYYX6_bE4
Oh yeah, and we went to see the 'Dark Knight' last night, it was awesome. I highly recommend it to anyone that likes movies. Heath Ledger's performance was AMAZING. It was all Joker, no Heath in there at all, the performance of a lifetime. He was really freaky in a lot of the scenes and did an incredible job, I can't talk highly enough about it.
Anyway, now that is settled, I have an autocross update. Yesterday was the first race on the new tires/wheels and I have to say that they performed beautifully. The tires gave great grip, turn in was more precise, and the car was more controllable all around. All I need now is a good alignment and the car will actually go where I want it to.
The first few runs of the day I coned on, and I was not improving, and I was getting frustrated. Basically, I was just trying to pussy-foot it around and be smooth. Well, there's smooth and then there is smooth and fast. You can be smooth and still push the front, rear, all four. So, for the afternoon session, I just said screw it, I'm going to slam one in and see how it goes.
I dropped 3 seconds off my best time from the morning. On a 60 (ish) second lap. I went from high 67s to a low 64 with no cones. I guess I was just thinking too hard about it and not just doing it. As I got better in the afternoon I got happier and was able to play more with the car. The M5 will have to wait a few more weeks at least. (incidentally, I did find a smoking deal on one, we shall see how the little lady responds to it...)
I still finished 4th of 4, but the top two were in the top 10 on raw time and top 5 in PAX, so I don't feel so bad about it. The car I was chasing all day is a little Nissan Sentra, and just when I thought I had gotten him, he upped his game as well and got me by a second or so. The good thing is that I was able to get my PAX time into the 80's (out of 150) and my raw time put me squarely on 100 of 150 drivers. Not great, but good for now. It is also good to know that I was just being a wanker and need to drive the damn car like I stole it.
My last run was a good one, but I probably lost about 1/2 a second in one section, it was a right, left, right and I was on a flyer. I got into the right nicely and the back started to come around, no problem, hit the left and flung it back that way, then slammed it hard to the right for the last corner of the set and the back kicked out that way. Slam on the gas hard and it all lines back up with minimal drama. I wish I had video of it though, it must have looked cool to see a front wheel drive car fishtailing through a short slalom.
I found a link to a video that someone took from their M3, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ7EfBxkdJc
Here is another that shows the course better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScDYYX6_bE4
Oh yeah, and we went to see the 'Dark Knight' last night, it was awesome. I highly recommend it to anyone that likes movies. Heath Ledger's performance was AMAZING. It was all Joker, no Heath in there at all, the performance of a lifetime. He was really freaky in a lot of the scenes and did an incredible job, I can't talk highly enough about it.
Ok. So I have to admit this scooter thing was a bit more scary than I thought it was going to be. I was fine until I got on the thing. Then I freaked out a bit. It seemed too much at first. Like Josh told me to ride around the garage a bit and get a feel for it. Either I was too much on the throttle or not at all. I remember learning to drive my manual Honda was a lot like this.
I had to drive the thing out of the garage and I almost bit it. I'm still trying to figure out the throttle: wrench back and it makes it go and wrench forward and you slow down. I mean it was only the first 10 minutes I was on the thing. It always seems your weakest moment is in front of a crowd.
So Josh drove us down the street and we got a bite to eat and found a really nice parking lot to practice in. I had a really good time there, no busy traffic or hills. I did get in trouble once. I got called Coby and Josh was coined Jerry. Josh is an excellent teacher though. He's very patient and thorough. I still think I need a bit more confidence before I drive on the road.
Now I need to find a helmet that fits me and I'm good to go!
I had to drive the thing out of the garage and I almost bit it. I'm still trying to figure out the throttle: wrench back and it makes it go and wrench forward and you slow down. I mean it was only the first 10 minutes I was on the thing. It always seems your weakest moment is in front of a crowd.
So Josh drove us down the street and we got a bite to eat and found a really nice parking lot to practice in. I had a really good time there, no busy traffic or hills. I did get in trouble once. I got called Coby and Josh was coined Jerry. Josh is an excellent teacher though. He's very patient and thorough. I still think I need a bit more confidence before I drive on the road.
Now I need to find a helmet that fits me and I'm good to go!
We went to STL last weekend for J's bro's baby shower. The weekend went so fast we didn't take many pics. Not even of Jalynn's shower! Oops. I was too much in the moment.
Here are a few so enjoy!
Bern dog reading to Jess's kids, Ethan and Maya.
The good 'ole 3 musketeers. Jess on the left and Tanya on the right. How I miss my girls!
I swear Jess has the cutest kids ever. Jess, you're doing something right. :)
Ethan and Aunt Tanya.
Maya (aka the ham) and Aunt Tanya.
This pic is from Coby's 6th birthday. 3 nieces and 3 nephews make a busy house!
Here are a few so enjoy!
Bern dog reading to Jess's kids, Ethan and Maya.
The good 'ole 3 musketeers. Jess on the left and Tanya on the right. How I miss my girls!
I swear Jess has the cutest kids ever. Jess, you're doing something right. :)
Ethan and Aunt Tanya.
Maya (aka the ham) and Aunt Tanya.
This pic is from Coby's 6th birthday. 3 nieces and 3 nephews make a busy house!
Now our front room has an everyday purpose!
I think we all should all take a minute to honor the recently late Estelle Getty of the hit TV show - The Golden Girls. Her spunky character, Sophia Petrillo, was known for her frankness and shocking commentary. True comedy if you ask me. Thank you, Sophia for the endless nights of therapy on the telly. I don't think you'll ever know.
Come on! Sing it!
And if you threw a party, you'd invite everyone you knew ... You would see the biggest gift would be from me and the card attached would say Thank you for being a friend!
I have personally stimulated the economy. Put your wallets away ladies and gentlemen, no need to purchase anything, I have done it already. I bought my baby a new pair of shoes. No, not that baby, the other one.
I picked up a set of 18s for the TL off CraigsList, 1/2 price! With TIRES! What a deal!!
so check it out, they look gorgeous!! I love them and they dropped over 7 pounds from each corner and made the ride smoother. Hopefully this will also help my performance at the autocross too.
check it.
I picked up a set of 18s for the TL off CraigsList, 1/2 price! With TIRES! What a deal!!
so check it out, they look gorgeous!! I love them and they dropped over 7 pounds from each corner and made the ride smoother. Hopefully this will also help my performance at the autocross too.
check it.
Josh gave me the best birthday gift ever ... a trip to see my sis in Austin. And I thought I was lucky with the flowers!
Needless to say I was a little worried about the weather. But it was perfect, not humid at all. I think we brought some cool air down with us.
We pretty much ate out a lot and Megan and I did twin things like painting our nails, going on a picnic and taking naps. It was so relaxing and enjoyable!
Here are some pics so enjoy!
Twins!
Goose and Josh unite.
Princess Cleo.
Megan's awesome desk and chochkies.
Love the wall color. That blue is like the sea.
I am truly jealous of Megan's crafting closet.
Meganses and Dan @ the sushi joint.
A little present to get Megan inspired to cook. :)
Needless to say I was a little worried about the weather. But it was perfect, not humid at all. I think we brought some cool air down with us.
We pretty much ate out a lot and Megan and I did twin things like painting our nails, going on a picnic and taking naps. It was so relaxing and enjoyable!
Here are some pics so enjoy!
Twins!
Goose and Josh unite.
Princess Cleo.
Megan's awesome desk and chochkies.
Love the wall color. That blue is like the sea.
I am truly jealous of Megan's crafting closet.
Meganses and Dan @ the sushi joint.
A little present to get Megan inspired to cook. :)
Look at these gorgeous flowers Josh got me! They are from Pazzobello, an independent flower shop here in MPLS. I got an e-mail at work around 1 telling me I had flowers to pick up. How nice is that? I felt so special. I'm SO lucky!
Then my new team surprised me. They had a “meeting” on the calendar to hand off some jobs and then I walked into a conference room with cupcakes and workmates! I had a nice day. :)
Here are some pics to enjoy. The pictures really don't do justice.
Then my new team surprised me. They had a “meeting” on the calendar to hand off some jobs and then I walked into a conference room with cupcakes and workmates! I had a nice day. :)
Here are some pics to enjoy. The pictures really don't do justice.
So, I had the second day of the Autocross school and throughly roached the front tires of the TL. I rotated the tires on Tuesday and the fronts have almost no tread left on them. So, we got about 4 times the amount of runs that we would get during a normal weekend, and we were required to have instructors in the car for each run except for the final run of the day, or our graduation run. I was really frustrated throughout the day because I was learning stuff and I still wasn't going any faster around the course. My best time was only 1.5 seconds faster than my first run. So, this either means that my first run was dynamite, or i just stunk the place up. According to the instructor that rode along with me on my first run, it was pretty dynamite. The best time of the day was a 29.8 and that was in a Mitsubishi Evo 9 running slicks, my 31.4 didn't sound too bad after I heard that.
I had a couple of the instructors take the TL out for a spin with me riding shotgun during lunch break so that I could see what a fast lap in the TL really felt like, adn I learned that I was not braking hard enough, cornering too hard, trying to carry too much corner speed, and turning in too early for most corners. After lunch I tried to incorporate what I learned and had a really hard time with it.
So, after I rotated the tires, I decided to find out all the specs of my tires. It turns out that the treadwear rating of my tires is 500. To put this into perspective, the R-comp slicks have a rating of 40. So I am essentially riding around on bricks. Note to self, never get all-season tires with a mileage warranty! I wonder if I could take my tires back to the NTB and get them to honor the warranty, hmmmm, I wonder.... Nah, anyone with half a brain would look at those tires and know it is not normal wear and tear that caused that kind of damage. What kind of damage you say? Well, the middle tread of the tires is pretty much worn away. There is a high spot, but there is no edge to the tread. Then, on the edge of the tire you can see where it is starting to delaminate. Yup, I have absolutely destroyed them, totally roached. My friend took pictures while we were rotating them, but I am still waiting for him to send me the photos so that I can post them.
I picked up a set of brand new Michelin Pilots that come on the TL from the factory for a whopping $10 per tire, so I have a backup in case the Yoko's finally give up the ghost. I am planing on leaving them on until I finish the next race on the 29th and then swapping out the Michelins. I would like to get a new set of wheels that I can put summer tires on and race on those, but I have not been able to find anything on CraigsList that either I like, or weighs less than the factory wheels. I found some bitchin 19's, but they weighed something like 40 pounds each and the tires were 25 or 30 or something like that. Autocross performance would really suck if I added 30 pounds per corner! I may just have to buy some wheels/tires from the Tire Rack so that I get what I want and also get a decent weight for the wheel/tire combo. I still have that set of tires that E committed to purchasing for me when she was going for her new job, so that covers half of it, but with a joint account, it all comes from the same place anyway...
Well, my rents are coming up the last weekend of the month, so I'll see them soon, but for the rest of you, you'll have to wait until Travis' shower. Megan and Dan, see you for the 4th, I look forward to seeing Hancock, it looks hilarious!
I had a couple of the instructors take the TL out for a spin with me riding shotgun during lunch break so that I could see what a fast lap in the TL really felt like, adn I learned that I was not braking hard enough, cornering too hard, trying to carry too much corner speed, and turning in too early for most corners. After lunch I tried to incorporate what I learned and had a really hard time with it.
So, after I rotated the tires, I decided to find out all the specs of my tires. It turns out that the treadwear rating of my tires is 500. To put this into perspective, the R-comp slicks have a rating of 40. So I am essentially riding around on bricks. Note to self, never get all-season tires with a mileage warranty! I wonder if I could take my tires back to the NTB and get them to honor the warranty, hmmmm, I wonder.... Nah, anyone with half a brain would look at those tires and know it is not normal wear and tear that caused that kind of damage. What kind of damage you say? Well, the middle tread of the tires is pretty much worn away. There is a high spot, but there is no edge to the tread. Then, on the edge of the tire you can see where it is starting to delaminate. Yup, I have absolutely destroyed them, totally roached. My friend took pictures while we were rotating them, but I am still waiting for him to send me the photos so that I can post them.
I picked up a set of brand new Michelin Pilots that come on the TL from the factory for a whopping $10 per tire, so I have a backup in case the Yoko's finally give up the ghost. I am planing on leaving them on until I finish the next race on the 29th and then swapping out the Michelins. I would like to get a new set of wheels that I can put summer tires on and race on those, but I have not been able to find anything on CraigsList that either I like, or weighs less than the factory wheels. I found some bitchin 19's, but they weighed something like 40 pounds each and the tires were 25 or 30 or something like that. Autocross performance would really suck if I added 30 pounds per corner! I may just have to buy some wheels/tires from the Tire Rack so that I get what I want and also get a decent weight for the wheel/tire combo. I still have that set of tires that E committed to purchasing for me when she was going for her new job, so that covers half of it, but with a joint account, it all comes from the same place anyway...
Well, my rents are coming up the last weekend of the month, so I'll see them soon, but for the rest of you, you'll have to wait until Travis' shower. Megan and Dan, see you for the 4th, I look forward to seeing Hancock, it looks hilarious!
I had my first day of the Autocross novice school today, and while it was what I was expecting, it was still informative. The other benefit of the day was that I was able to sign up for the next event on June 29th!! I'm pretty excited about that, and I also found out that the championship scoring only takes the top five events that you enter, so missing MOWOG 3 wasn't as big a deal as I thought! I also looked at the standings so far this year and it appears that I am in 3rd for my class! (out of 10)
Tomorrow is my novice school track day, so I get to further thrash the all-season tires that are on the TL until I can find some good summer tires to mount up. I found a decent set of wheels with summer tires on CL for really cheap, and a set of tires in the same model as the ones I have been roaching for really cheap as well. I still will not have R-comp tires, but summer tires are a good start.
This summer is looking like it is going to be a LOT of traveling for us, especially for heading back to STL. With Trav's shower in July, MotoGP at Indy, a wedding in September, Thanksgiving, and another wedding that I dont know when it is happening, we're going to be busy and putting a lot of miles on the TL. Good thing the mods I did last year increased the fuel economy by 3-4 MPG. I also have another mod that I want to do, putting thermal spacers between the intake and engine to keep the intake cool while the engine is hot. I helped a couple of friends install theirs and they pretty much instantly noticed a gain of 3 MPG after installing them in addition to the added power. If I install those, that should put me over 35 MPG on the highway! Big savings on a road trip!
See you at the end of July in STL!
Tomorrow is my novice school track day, so I get to further thrash the all-season tires that are on the TL until I can find some good summer tires to mount up. I found a decent set of wheels with summer tires on CL for really cheap, and a set of tires in the same model as the ones I have been roaching for really cheap as well. I still will not have R-comp tires, but summer tires are a good start.
This summer is looking like it is going to be a LOT of traveling for us, especially for heading back to STL. With Trav's shower in July, MotoGP at Indy, a wedding in September, Thanksgiving, and another wedding that I dont know when it is happening, we're going to be busy and putting a lot of miles on the TL. Good thing the mods I did last year increased the fuel economy by 3-4 MPG. I also have another mod that I want to do, putting thermal spacers between the intake and engine to keep the intake cool while the engine is hot. I helped a couple of friends install theirs and they pretty much instantly noticed a gain of 3 MPG after installing them in addition to the added power. If I install those, that should put me over 35 MPG on the highway! Big savings on a road trip!
See you at the end of July in STL!
So, My buddy Dan just moved back to his parents place in Rhode Island. It's been a bit of a bummer because he was literally over here every night hanging out, and even on the weekends too. Erin used to joke that he was my boyfriend because we hung out so much. It was pretty cool because we were both interested in the same things, cars, food, hanging out, grilling, working on our cars, racing our cars, etc. So, this week has been a bit of a downer. The pic is of us on his last night in town at the local B-dubs. We all had a great time joking and what-not, hopefully he will come back for a visit or we can cruise up to the RI and see what it is all about.
We went to a happy hour with Erin's new co-workers last night and it ended up being a bit more happy than any of us had planned. We ended up in the hot tub VERY late and had a few people stay over to sleep it off. It was a good time and E's new co-workers seem like they are going to be lots of fun to have around.
One of the guys that I met at the Auto-X season opener is coming over this weekend for dinner with his girlfriend, so that should be interesting to meet the new people.
Curtis is turning 26 this week and so we are going out on his boat this weekend to celebrate. It should be a wild and crazy time. Last time on the boat Ala and Alex were acting like a bunch of kids and fighting on the sandbar we stopped at for lunch. It was hilarious to watch. I am hoping that this weekend it is going to be nicer than that day, it was 60 and windy so we were all bundled up the whole time.
We have a busy couple of months coming up, next weekend is my Auto-x novice school, then E's b-day, then possibly an Auto-X event, 4th of July, Travis' shower... Looks like lots of miles on the TL coming up. Look forward to seeing everyone at Travis' shower!
Are you sick of the over-processed veggie burger options? Well I am. All of those faux, over-processed meat alternatives don't agree with my system so I've been on the hunt for other healthier options.
I feel like the veggie convenience foods are relying too heavily on soy. Yeah, it looks like meat and kind-of tastes like meat but it's got tons of filler and things that aren't so good for you. And aren't I a vegetarian because I DON'T want to eat carnage?
Below is an awesome recipe I found on http://allrecipes.com
A couple of things. I added a little bit of bread crumbs when I made my patties because they were not holding together. Also, I put each patty onto a piece of olive oil sprayed tinfoil so when grilled, didn't fall apart or touch other meat products on the grill.
This recipe is an open invitation for any veggie combination. I used some steak seasoning in mine and they're so yummy!
Happy Memorial Day grilling everyone!
VEGGIE BURGERS
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, grated
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 carrots, shredded
1 small summer squash, shredded
1 small zucchini, shredded
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over low heat, and cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until tender. Mix in the carrots, squash, and zucchini. Continue to cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and mix in oats, cheese, and egg. Stir in soy sauce, transfer the mixture to a bowl, and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Place the flour on a large plate. Form the vegetable mixture into eight 3 inch round patties. Drop each patty into the flour, lightly coating both sides.
4. Oil the grill grate, and grill patties 5 minutes on each side, or until heated through and nicely browned.
I feel like the veggie convenience foods are relying too heavily on soy. Yeah, it looks like meat and kind-of tastes like meat but it's got tons of filler and things that aren't so good for you. And aren't I a vegetarian because I DON'T want to eat carnage?
Below is an awesome recipe I found on http://allrecipes.com
A couple of things. I added a little bit of bread crumbs when I made my patties because they were not holding together. Also, I put each patty onto a piece of olive oil sprayed tinfoil so when grilled, didn't fall apart or touch other meat products on the grill.
This recipe is an open invitation for any veggie combination. I used some steak seasoning in mine and they're so yummy!
Happy Memorial Day grilling everyone!
VEGGIE BURGERS
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, grated
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 carrots, shredded
1 small summer squash, shredded
1 small zucchini, shredded
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over low heat, and cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until tender. Mix in the carrots, squash, and zucchini. Continue to cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and mix in oats, cheese, and egg. Stir in soy sauce, transfer the mixture to a bowl, and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Place the flour on a large plate. Form the vegetable mixture into eight 3 inch round patties. Drop each patty into the flour, lightly coating both sides.
4. Oil the grill grate, and grill patties 5 minutes on each side, or until heated through and nicely browned.
We're getting them on Thursday!
This autocross thing is quite the production. Getting up at 6 to go to a track made up of a parking lot somewhere and some cones while waiting for the whole thing to get set up is a full day. I remember it being quite cold in the AM which is why my butt was firmly stuck to the car seat until the sun made it's way up to warm me.
The racing itself is quite interesting. But when you take the amount of drivers plus the one you went to see, that's a long time of waiting. Needless to say, I finished my book and started on a new one.
Josh is the King of consistency. But he's definitely impressive around the corners. I guess I missed the best race which was the fun race at the end where you could have other riders with you in the car. Josh drove Dan's car and gave his tires a little more texture.
Josh loves his car. A lot.
Dan and his racing machine.
This is the only shot I could get of Josh driving ... he's that fast!
The racing itself is quite interesting. But when you take the amount of drivers plus the one you went to see, that's a long time of waiting. Needless to say, I finished my book and started on a new one.
Josh is the King of consistency. But he's definitely impressive around the corners. I guess I missed the best race which was the fun race at the end where you could have other riders with you in the car. Josh drove Dan's car and gave his tires a little more texture.
Josh loves his car. A lot.
Dan and his racing machine.
This is the only shot I could get of Josh driving ... he's that fast!