To access the new blog, please go to: www.theroyalfam.com/nucleus/
We are going to start posting up at that location, so update your bookmarks!!
I registered a domain today for the King family, it's www.theroyalfam.com. There isn't much up there right now (read: nothing), but I plan on getting something up there pretty quickly. I am hoping for a photo album, links to our google calendar (or maybe the calendar itself), and our blog. I decided that I wanted a little more control in how the site looks, and where my photos are hosted.
As part of this effort, I installed an email server on the machine, it's called Zimbra. Once I get the email server up and running, I can give you guys your own accounts if you want them, it's up to you.
I also registered elmdesign.us for E to put up a site for her graphic design work. I haven't gotten that set up yet, so it just goes to the default goDaddy.com website. We will most likely update you with more information once we get more up there!
As part of this effort, I installed an email server on the machine, it's called Zimbra. Once I get the email server up and running, I can give you guys your own accounts if you want them, it's up to you.
I also registered elmdesign.us for E to put up a site for her graphic design work. I haven't gotten that set up yet, so it just goes to the default goDaddy.com website. We will most likely update you with more information once we get more up there!
My new netbook came in the mail today! The whole box is about the size of a full size laptop, so I knew this thing was going to be small, but man, working on it is weird. The keyboard is 93% of full size, but that 7% makes a big difference on whether you press the correct key or not. I have been having fun getting used to my first Windows-based laptop.
Got my new exhaust installed yesterday at Jorge's house. It's nice when all of the bolts aren't all rusted out, makes it a lot easier to remove them. Overall it took us about an hour from the time I pulled into his garage until we put it back on the ground.
I must say, it is L O U D! I love the sound though, really deep rumble with that characteristic sound from a boxer-four.
Hey, Allan. This one's for you.
I know it's not perfect but I've been playing with our new Cannon Rebel camera.
I love it when the background gets blown out like that.
Damn I love those eggs. Made them for breakfast this morning for Mike and Erin.
I am geeking on the blog templates.
Last night we tried two things, Gordon Ramsay's scrambled eggs, and a Morrissey concert.
First, the eggs. I found the recipe on Lifehacker.com and knew I had to give it a whirl. After having made them, I now understand why he is an international star of the chefs. They are AMAZING. You have to give it a try if you have not ever made them this way. I didn't mess with the sourdough or mushrooms or tomatoes or anything like that, just the eggs. Try it, you will NOT regret it.
Second, we went to the Morrissey concert last night, if you are not familiar with him, here is one of my favorite songs:
That was filmed at an event on the same tour he is on now, so that is what the stage and everything looked like. He puts on a really good show, but has some obsession with ripping his shirt off and then running off stage to get a fresh one. It was kind of odd...
First, the eggs. I found the recipe on Lifehacker.com and knew I had to give it a whirl. After having made them, I now understand why he is an international star of the chefs. They are AMAZING. You have to give it a try if you have not ever made them this way. I didn't mess with the sourdough or mushrooms or tomatoes or anything like that, just the eggs. Try it, you will NOT regret it.
Second, we went to the Morrissey concert last night, if you are not familiar with him, here is one of my favorite songs:
That was filmed at an event on the same tour he is on now, so that is what the stage and everything looked like. He puts on a really good show, but has some obsession with ripping his shirt off and then running off stage to get a fresh one. It was kind of odd...
When I first found out Hollywood was going to make a movie out of this classic Children's book, I can't say I was the least bit excited. But after seeing the trailer I stand corrected. At least from the little bit you can see in the trailer, this movie seems just as magical and moody as the book. But I'm still a little wary.
There's something kind of sad about Hollywood stealing all of the mystery and imagination a child has to create his or her own take on the story. I remember my mom reading me that book countless times. The tones and intonations of her voice so original to anyone else's experience. The way I got caught up in the details of Maurice's illustrations. Kind of makes me a little sad in a way.
There's something kind of sad about Hollywood stealing all of the mystery and imagination a child has to create his or her own take on the story. I remember my mom reading me that book countless times. The tones and intonations of her voice so original to anyone else's experience. The way I got caught up in the details of Maurice's illustrations. Kind of makes me a little sad in a way.
I just had a realization today. All those movies that depicted the people talking over TV screens and being able to see each other, yeah, that's reality! With the advent of Skype and Google Talk with video, I can have a conversation with my dad in STL while I sit on my couch and we can essentially be face to face. Now, the bandwidth issue is still there, so that needs to be addressed, but the fact is that I can actually do the Jetsons thing!
Damn, technology is cool.
Damn, technology is cool.
Finally got some shots of the green sands beach from the southern-most tip of the big island of Hawaii. The sand is actually shards of peridot that comes from the volcanic activity nearby, you can see the black specs of pumice mixed in to make the sand appear darker. From anything more than a few feet away it just looks like moss or something.
So, I have been thinking the last few days about our trip to Hawaii and how much everyone loved it, and I have been wondering if everyone loved it so much because it was Hawaii, or because of the lifestyle we lived.
You see, for a full week, there were no computers, no TVs, just people, books, the beach, pool, hot tub, and food. We got up when we wanted, hung around and had breakfast when we were ready, then just did whatever it was that felt relaxing at the time. Most of the time we would all be sitting around the table on the patio reading books or magazines, the only noise the birds chirping. We'd have a nice, mellow breakfast with mimosas and then read for an hour or so, until someone suggested actually doing something.
If someone was hungry, that person would grab something to eat, which would start a chain reaction of everyone going in and making something for lunch. Then we would get out of the house and check out some new part of the island. Dinner was usually a group effort for cooking and cleaning and then we would hang out and play card games, dice games, have drinks, sit in the hot tub, or just generally screw around. We would all slowly drift off to bed when we would get tired and then start the whole thing over again the next day.
Now, I don't intend to say in any way that Hawaii is not an amazing place, but I think that the lifestyle that we lived for that week was about as close to perfection as is possible. It was the first time in my life that I have ever completely unplugged and lived life in the moment every day. When we are home there are so many things that get in the way of life, things like work, paying bills, cleaning the house, feeding the cats, going to the gym, etc., by the time you actually get a moment to sit down you are so damn tired that you don't even want to talk to anyone. You spend each meal rushing so that you can get to the next thing that you have to get done, and you never get a chance to actually just be.
"While Eeyore frets...
...and Piglet hesitates
...and Rabbit calculates
...and Owl pontificates
Pooh...just is."
I wanna be Pooh.
You see, for a full week, there were no computers, no TVs, just people, books, the beach, pool, hot tub, and food. We got up when we wanted, hung around and had breakfast when we were ready, then just did whatever it was that felt relaxing at the time. Most of the time we would all be sitting around the table on the patio reading books or magazines, the only noise the birds chirping. We'd have a nice, mellow breakfast with mimosas and then read for an hour or so, until someone suggested actually doing something.
If someone was hungry, that person would grab something to eat, which would start a chain reaction of everyone going in and making something for lunch. Then we would get out of the house and check out some new part of the island. Dinner was usually a group effort for cooking and cleaning and then we would hang out and play card games, dice games, have drinks, sit in the hot tub, or just generally screw around. We would all slowly drift off to bed when we would get tired and then start the whole thing over again the next day.
Now, I don't intend to say in any way that Hawaii is not an amazing place, but I think that the lifestyle that we lived for that week was about as close to perfection as is possible. It was the first time in my life that I have ever completely unplugged and lived life in the moment every day. When we are home there are so many things that get in the way of life, things like work, paying bills, cleaning the house, feeding the cats, going to the gym, etc., by the time you actually get a moment to sit down you are so damn tired that you don't even want to talk to anyone. You spend each meal rushing so that you can get to the next thing that you have to get done, and you never get a chance to actually just be.
"While Eeyore frets...
...and Piglet hesitates
...and Rabbit calculates
...and Owl pontificates
Pooh...just is."
I wanna be Pooh.
Megan got me started on this whole new template thing, and now I'm starting to seriously geek on getting a template I like. This is the latest in a few that I have uploaded today, and I think it has a little staying power, but we shall see once E gets a load of it.
Ok, so I saw Megan's new look and thought it looked pretty swank, so I checked out the ones available on that site, and because there is fresh snow on the ground, I chose the Winter Wonderland template. With so many great options, we can change the look often!
There is one of the pay ones that I really liked, so maybe we'll support the starving artist and buy that one...
There is one of the pay ones that I really liked, so maybe we'll support the starving artist and buy that one...
I come back from Hawaii and now I have a theme song. Jeez.
Just replace 'gummi' with 'Joshy' and you have the song that was being sung all week...
Just downloaded a new blogging app for E's phone, posted a pic of tonights sunset from the back of the house and also geo-located the picture so everyone can see where we are.
Tonight is our last full night and we are all kind of bummed that this little slice of heaven has to end. This has been a vacation to remember, for many reasons that we can discuss over beers, but suffice to say, we have had a blast!
Posted with LifeCast
Mom, Rani and Raja LOVE their birthday/valentine gift! Did you know they just turned 3 today? Nice timing!
Needless to say, R & R are having a blast with their kitty crack knitted hearts.
I think they need to give you a hug when you come to visit this summer.
Thanks, mom!!!!
Needless to say, R & R are having a blast with their kitty crack knitted hearts.
I think they need to give you a hug when you come to visit this summer.
Thanks, mom!!!!
Got home Saturday night with the new car, it was quite the trip.
For those that don't know, last week I traveled to a small town in Virginia to buy an 08 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. I flew out to DC on the earliest flight available, leaving here at 6 and arriving in DC at 1. I then had to rent a car and drive it from DC to Waynesboro, VA. Everything was going smoothly until I hit traffic in the middle of nowhere Virginia, I sat still for almost 30 minutes before traffic started moving again, and there was no discernible reason why traffic was so backed up.
Anyway, I got to the Waynesboro DMV at 4:27, they take their last customer at 4:30. I got my Transit Permit from the DMV and headed on over to the bank. Here is where I get to see the car for the first time. I give it a quick once-over and take it for a spin around the parking lot to make certain that everything works and there are no grinding noises or anything like that. Everything works flawlessly, so I tell the banker lady that we have a deal. We go inside, sign the paperwork, and viola! We're done, I own a car and they don't.
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Now I have the small problem of having to return the rental car to the nearest AVIS location, a small regional airport 30 minutes away, and then getting back to the bank to pick up the car. Getting to the airport was a cinch, and after waiting for 45 minutes, I picked up the 'shuttle' and went back to the car. First stop, Target. I needed to get some snack food for the road and also a car charger for the iPod and iPhone. I also used this as an opportunity to clean out all of the crap that the previous owner had left in the car. Gas'd her up, chucked a burger down my throat, and I was on the road at 9PM eastern time, headed west.
This is where I wished I had decided to stay in Waynesboro on Thursday night. I was really looking forward to driving through the mountains and the scenery, but I went through it at the dead of night and saw nothing. Bummer. I made it all the way to Charleston, WV before I had to pull over and get some sleep. I stopped in a Motel 6 that had to be the worst hotel I had ever stayed in. I asked for a non-smoking room, and I guess to them that means that I would not be smoking in it. It smelled like the Great American Smoke Out had taken place 20 minutes prior to my arrival in my room. Ick.
I woke up to a light dusting of snow at 7 and after a quick (very cold) shower, got back on the road. The plan was to cruise up to Dan and Mary's place and crash for the night and then take the home stretch on Saturday. I still had all of WV, OH, and most of IN to deal with though, and they had just been hit the day prior with 12 inches of snow. I've got AWD, no problem right? Well, not really. I have AWD, but I also have summer sport tires on the car, and there is a reason they say they are for the summer and not for snow, it's because they suck in the snow. I might as well been driving on slicks in wet grass for as much traction as I was able to get. It wasn't so bad for me though, I came around a bend in southern Ohio and came upon a dude in a minivan perpendicular to the flow of traffic, going 50 MPH with the flow of traffic. Needless to say, that guy was having a 'situation brown' moment. I didn't get nearly that sideways, but I did have the back end hanging out a bit on the ice. Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful drive on the way to Valpo, not much happening except the car getting absolutely disgusting from the snow and salt.
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As you can see, the car was nasty. Both of those pictures were taken in Dayton, OH with my iPhone. By the time I reached Indiana, the side windows were so caked with salt that I had to stop and clean them so that I could continue to use them.
There was actually so much salt on the car that when I went to leave Dan and Mary's on Saturday morning, the car was actually wet. It had dropped the freezing point of the water to a point where it was not freezing at 11 degrees.
That brings me to Dan & Mary's house. So let me first tell you how I was greeted at the door. Hayden and Lauren came to open the door for me, and as soon as I walk in, Lauren starts talking to me in a form that I cannot understand. Hayden looks at me, totally deadpan, and says, "she's a little crazy". I about lost it. So, I got to hang out with Dan & Mary and the kids, have dinner at one of Dan's favorite places, and then had pull-aparts in the morning with everyone. Instead of waiting around until the soccer games started, I got on the road pretty much as soon as breakfast was over, after Dan had taken the car for a spin around his snow and ice covered neighborhood.
The last leg of the drive was extremely uneventful, I mean, to the point where it was EXTREMELY boring. On the plus side, when I filled up for the last time it was the last of my cash and I was close enough that I could make it on the remnants of the gas in the tank. As it was, I made it here with a 1/4 tank.
I spent Sautrday night cleaning the car, inside and out to exorcise the previous owner and all of his grass clippings. Once that was done I could actually see the paint and how much damage it had sustained over the previous year of its life. I spent Sunday morning polishing all of the oxidation off of it and giving it a nice UV barrier so that it would not get nasty like that again.
Then, after all of that, 8 hours of cleaning and polishing, E wanted to go to the mall to get a swimsuit for Hawaii. Since it was around 45 degrees outside, all of the snow was melting and the roads had rivers flowing across them. Needless to say, by the time we got to the mall, the car needed another bath. Oh well, this will give me a chance to get rid of more of the salt that was caked onto the car in all of the crevices that I cannot get into with a towel.
For those that don't know, last week I traveled to a small town in Virginia to buy an 08 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. I flew out to DC on the earliest flight available, leaving here at 6 and arriving in DC at 1. I then had to rent a car and drive it from DC to Waynesboro, VA. Everything was going smoothly until I hit traffic in the middle of nowhere Virginia, I sat still for almost 30 minutes before traffic started moving again, and there was no discernible reason why traffic was so backed up.
Anyway, I got to the Waynesboro DMV at 4:27, they take their last customer at 4:30. I got my Transit Permit from the DMV and headed on over to the bank. Here is where I get to see the car for the first time. I give it a quick once-over and take it for a spin around the parking lot to make certain that everything works and there are no grinding noises or anything like that. Everything works flawlessly, so I tell the banker lady that we have a deal. We go inside, sign the paperwork, and viola! We're done, I own a car and they don't.
.jpg)
Now I have the small problem of having to return the rental car to the nearest AVIS location, a small regional airport 30 minutes away, and then getting back to the bank to pick up the car. Getting to the airport was a cinch, and after waiting for 45 minutes, I picked up the 'shuttle' and went back to the car. First stop, Target. I needed to get some snack food for the road and also a car charger for the iPod and iPhone. I also used this as an opportunity to clean out all of the crap that the previous owner had left in the car. Gas'd her up, chucked a burger down my throat, and I was on the road at 9PM eastern time, headed west.
This is where I wished I had decided to stay in Waynesboro on Thursday night. I was really looking forward to driving through the mountains and the scenery, but I went through it at the dead of night and saw nothing. Bummer. I made it all the way to Charleston, WV before I had to pull over and get some sleep. I stopped in a Motel 6 that had to be the worst hotel I had ever stayed in. I asked for a non-smoking room, and I guess to them that means that I would not be smoking in it. It smelled like the Great American Smoke Out had taken place 20 minutes prior to my arrival in my room. Ick.
I woke up to a light dusting of snow at 7 and after a quick (very cold) shower, got back on the road. The plan was to cruise up to Dan and Mary's place and crash for the night and then take the home stretch on Saturday. I still had all of WV, OH, and most of IN to deal with though, and they had just been hit the day prior with 12 inches of snow. I've got AWD, no problem right? Well, not really. I have AWD, but I also have summer sport tires on the car, and there is a reason they say they are for the summer and not for snow, it's because they suck in the snow. I might as well been driving on slicks in wet grass for as much traction as I was able to get. It wasn't so bad for me though, I came around a bend in southern Ohio and came upon a dude in a minivan perpendicular to the flow of traffic, going 50 MPH with the flow of traffic. Needless to say, that guy was having a 'situation brown' moment. I didn't get nearly that sideways, but I did have the back end hanging out a bit on the ice. Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful drive on the way to Valpo, not much happening except the car getting absolutely disgusting from the snow and salt.
.jpg)
.jpg)
As you can see, the car was nasty. Both of those pictures were taken in Dayton, OH with my iPhone. By the time I reached Indiana, the side windows were so caked with salt that I had to stop and clean them so that I could continue to use them.
There was actually so much salt on the car that when I went to leave Dan and Mary's on Saturday morning, the car was actually wet. It had dropped the freezing point of the water to a point where it was not freezing at 11 degrees.
That brings me to Dan & Mary's house. So let me first tell you how I was greeted at the door. Hayden and Lauren came to open the door for me, and as soon as I walk in, Lauren starts talking to me in a form that I cannot understand. Hayden looks at me, totally deadpan, and says, "she's a little crazy". I about lost it. So, I got to hang out with Dan & Mary and the kids, have dinner at one of Dan's favorite places, and then had pull-aparts in the morning with everyone. Instead of waiting around until the soccer games started, I got on the road pretty much as soon as breakfast was over, after Dan had taken the car for a spin around his snow and ice covered neighborhood.
The last leg of the drive was extremely uneventful, I mean, to the point where it was EXTREMELY boring. On the plus side, when I filled up for the last time it was the last of my cash and I was close enough that I could make it on the remnants of the gas in the tank. As it was, I made it here with a 1/4 tank.
I spent Sautrday night cleaning the car, inside and out to exorcise the previous owner and all of his grass clippings. Once that was done I could actually see the paint and how much damage it had sustained over the previous year of its life. I spent Sunday morning polishing all of the oxidation off of it and giving it a nice UV barrier so that it would not get nasty like that again.
Then, after all of that, 8 hours of cleaning and polishing, E wanted to go to the mall to get a swimsuit for Hawaii. Since it was around 45 degrees outside, all of the snow was melting and the roads had rivers flowing across them. Needless to say, by the time we got to the mall, the car needed another bath. Oh well, this will give me a chance to get rid of more of the salt that was caked onto the car in all of the crevices that I cannot get into with a towel.
I found this site through some other blog that I read, and I must say that you absolutely HAVE TO check them out. They are all sattellite photos of the earth and they are beautiful. Check them out I say!
Link
Link
Looks like I got some hardware for my 2nd place finish in STX this year! Matt went to the awards banquet and picked up my hardware for me. He finished first in A-Stock and knew he was getting something so I asked him to pick up anything for me. Funnily enough, I looked the other day, and if I get the STi as planned, I will be running in A-stock against Matt and Mike, the top two guys from this year. It will definitely be nice to be able to have a benchmark for my performance on the track, so I am really stoked about it now!
Someone sent me a link to the new Puma show creator and I made a shoe!
Now I just have to convince E to let me buy it!
Now I just have to convince E to let me buy it!
Last night, Jorge and I went out to test drive another car. This time is was the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi WRC homologation model. Mouthful? Yeah. In case you haven't heard of this car, (yes Bonnie, I'm looking at you) it is a 5-door hatchback with a turbo-charged boxer engine running about 300HP at full tilt. Here is a picture:
As you can see, it is a bit sporty. So we went out to the dealer to check this bad boy out and based on previous experience, I know that I need to check for size before getting Erin involved. First thing I did was get in the front seat, set it how I would most-likely drive it, and then jumped out and got in the back seat. It wasn't spacious in the 'I want to sit back here with another adult for 9.5 hours', but it was in the 'why don't the four of us go get dinner, I'll drive' kind of way.
So far so good. Next up is the trunk/hatch. We open the back end, and I have to say that I was a bit surprised at how small it really was. The pictures online make it look cavernous, but in reality, the floor is very close to the top of the bumper, meaning it is fairly shallow. There is however, the benefit that the rear seats fold down nearly flat, meaning you get close to 5' of 'trunk' space.
Ok, back to the important bit, the driver's seat. I got in and checked out the view, no discernible blind spots that are going to cause too much of a problem. At least not like driving a blind-spot-mobile FJ Cruiser. Mirrors provide a good amount of visibility, not too small, rear window could be larger, but whatever. Seats are comfy but firm, nice bolstering to hold you in to the seat and a suede center to really grab you and keep you planted.
I have to say that at about this time the sales dude starts telling me about the car and then asks what brought my attention to it. I just reply, 'I'm an autocrosser' to which his reply is a 'oh, then I'll shut up, you already know more than I do'. So refreshing! He just jumps in the back and belts in for the ride.
I start her up and immediately like the way the gauges sweep to their max position and back and then it lights up all red, just like I like. The exhaust note is not quiet, but not loud at idle, you definitely know this is no normal Impreza. The gear shifter is smooth, with a really short throw, making it good for quick shifts in the heat of battle. I check out all of the controls and now I'm set, time to roll off. Unfortunately, not having driven a Scoobaru before, I didn't know that you had to pull the ring on the shifter up to get it into Reverse and I stalled it by trying to start off in 6th. Oops. Oh well, roll off take 2. This time I get it in gear and pull out of the parking spot with nary and issue and then out off the lot.
I am driving it with throttle response in the 'Intelligent' mode to see how that is first and then figure I will check out 'Sport Sharp' or 'Autocross' mode on the way back. I give it a bit of the beans and it gets up and moves, but nothing earth shattering, not what I was expecting from 300HP, but I also shifted at 3500 to simulate daily driving conditions. In Intelligent mode the car is pretty modest and performs like any other car, not like the fire breathing beast that it is. It accelerates smoothly and I notice on my first few shifts that this is a seriously close-ratio gear box, 40 in 4th is about 2500RPMs, just shy of the power at 4K. So, Intelligent mode could be renamed Neutered Mode if they weren't going to run it by the Marketing people, it just takes all the sharp edges off the car. To tell you the truth, if this was all that was on offer, this car would be off the possible list right now, it's too 'blah', just like a lump of vanilla ice cream.
Fortunately for me, this vanilla ice cream has a bit of nuts mixed in...
When we stopped to turn around and head back I twisted the throttle response know to put it in S# or Sport Sharp mode and head on back. THIS IS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!!! Immediately the car is in a whole new world. The car is transformed from a daily commuter into a rip-snorting, striped-ass ape! I lay into it on the on-ramp and it G-O-E-S and quickly too. Power comes on strong at 4K RPM and it doesn't even start to abate until the 6500RPM redline, thankfully there is a nice little buzzer telling you that you are about to hit redline and need to shift or else I would have run it right into the rev-limiter. I run it through 3rd, look down and I'm going over 80 at the bottom of the ramp. What is odd here is that I did not experience the visceral thrill that I got from the R32 that I drove last weekend, it was fast, but it didn't scream it at me. On the highway on the way back I have it in 6th and just lean into it a bit to pass another car, it goes much better than when I tried this maneuver when in Neutered mode. Getting off the highway for the dealer I give the heel-toe action a bit of a whirl and they are nicely spaced apart, the brake pedal maybe being a smidge too high to make it perfect, but nice anyway.
Overall, I like the car, and I would like to spend a bit more time driving one, more than just driving it up and back on the highway. I want to see if there is a nice twisty road somewhere that I can see how it handles, or even a parking lot where I can go slow/fast around some really tight bends. In short, it is ready for E to scope out.
On another note, E and I finally agreed upon a time to purchase a car so that I can cool my jets and leave her alone. We are waiting for our taxes to be complete and checks received before purchasing anything. This will hopefully avoid surprises and make it possible for us to buy with a semi-clear head. It will also mean that we don't spend any money on a car before we go to Hawaii!
Gotta run!
As you can see, it is a bit sporty. So we went out to the dealer to check this bad boy out and based on previous experience, I know that I need to check for size before getting Erin involved. First thing I did was get in the front seat, set it how I would most-likely drive it, and then jumped out and got in the back seat. It wasn't spacious in the 'I want to sit back here with another adult for 9.5 hours', but it was in the 'why don't the four of us go get dinner, I'll drive' kind of way.
So far so good. Next up is the trunk/hatch. We open the back end, and I have to say that I was a bit surprised at how small it really was. The pictures online make it look cavernous, but in reality, the floor is very close to the top of the bumper, meaning it is fairly shallow. There is however, the benefit that the rear seats fold down nearly flat, meaning you get close to 5' of 'trunk' space.
Ok, back to the important bit, the driver's seat. I got in and checked out the view, no discernible blind spots that are going to cause too much of a problem. At least not like driving a blind-spot-mobile FJ Cruiser. Mirrors provide a good amount of visibility, not too small, rear window could be larger, but whatever. Seats are comfy but firm, nice bolstering to hold you in to the seat and a suede center to really grab you and keep you planted.
I have to say that at about this time the sales dude starts telling me about the car and then asks what brought my attention to it. I just reply, 'I'm an autocrosser' to which his reply is a 'oh, then I'll shut up, you already know more than I do'. So refreshing! He just jumps in the back and belts in for the ride.
I start her up and immediately like the way the gauges sweep to their max position and back and then it lights up all red, just like I like. The exhaust note is not quiet, but not loud at idle, you definitely know this is no normal Impreza. The gear shifter is smooth, with a really short throw, making it good for quick shifts in the heat of battle. I check out all of the controls and now I'm set, time to roll off. Unfortunately, not having driven a Scoobaru before, I didn't know that you had to pull the ring on the shifter up to get it into Reverse and I stalled it by trying to start off in 6th. Oops. Oh well, roll off take 2. This time I get it in gear and pull out of the parking spot with nary and issue and then out off the lot.
I am driving it with throttle response in the 'Intelligent' mode to see how that is first and then figure I will check out 'Sport Sharp' or 'Autocross' mode on the way back. I give it a bit of the beans and it gets up and moves, but nothing earth shattering, not what I was expecting from 300HP, but I also shifted at 3500 to simulate daily driving conditions. In Intelligent mode the car is pretty modest and performs like any other car, not like the fire breathing beast that it is. It accelerates smoothly and I notice on my first few shifts that this is a seriously close-ratio gear box, 40 in 4th is about 2500RPMs, just shy of the power at 4K. So, Intelligent mode could be renamed Neutered Mode if they weren't going to run it by the Marketing people, it just takes all the sharp edges off the car. To tell you the truth, if this was all that was on offer, this car would be off the possible list right now, it's too 'blah', just like a lump of vanilla ice cream.
Fortunately for me, this vanilla ice cream has a bit of nuts mixed in...
When we stopped to turn around and head back I twisted the throttle response know to put it in S# or Sport Sharp mode and head on back. THIS IS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!!! Immediately the car is in a whole new world. The car is transformed from a daily commuter into a rip-snorting, striped-ass ape! I lay into it on the on-ramp and it G-O-E-S and quickly too. Power comes on strong at 4K RPM and it doesn't even start to abate until the 6500RPM redline, thankfully there is a nice little buzzer telling you that you are about to hit redline and need to shift or else I would have run it right into the rev-limiter. I run it through 3rd, look down and I'm going over 80 at the bottom of the ramp. What is odd here is that I did not experience the visceral thrill that I got from the R32 that I drove last weekend, it was fast, but it didn't scream it at me. On the highway on the way back I have it in 6th and just lean into it a bit to pass another car, it goes much better than when I tried this maneuver when in Neutered mode. Getting off the highway for the dealer I give the heel-toe action a bit of a whirl and they are nicely spaced apart, the brake pedal maybe being a smidge too high to make it perfect, but nice anyway.
Overall, I like the car, and I would like to spend a bit more time driving one, more than just driving it up and back on the highway. I want to see if there is a nice twisty road somewhere that I can see how it handles, or even a parking lot where I can go slow/fast around some really tight bends. In short, it is ready for E to scope out.
On another note, E and I finally agreed upon a time to purchase a car so that I can cool my jets and leave her alone. We are waiting for our taxes to be complete and checks received before purchasing anything. This will hopefully avoid surprises and make it possible for us to buy with a semi-clear head. It will also mean that we don't spend any money on a car before we go to Hawaii!
Gotta run!
It's no wonder the current US auto manufacturers are hurting, after having driven one of their more promising vehicles, I am certain to never buy one. I mean, it started out ok, the Charger looked cool, but unfortunately, that's about where it ends as far as positive comments I have about this car. Of course the rental was the base SE model with a V6 and not the uber-cool SRT-8 model, but from what I have read, the only difference there is a Hemi, a body kit, and maybe a bit of fettling with the suspension.
Let's start with the interior. Whomever laid out the gauge pod obviously though that everyone driving the car was going to want it in bus-driver mode with the steering wheel as high as it goes because in any other position the only thing that you can read is the speedo and tach. In order to see the gas gauge or the engine temp you have to move your head forward and side to side to read each one individually. The dash is laid out with a bunch of cubbies strewn variously about the center stack and tansmission tunnel as if they were randomly planting them. All of the controls for the HVAC and the shifter are HUGE taking up about twice the space that they really need, I'm guessing as a way of using up all of the available space. Which brings us to the brick-hard seats that were available to sit on, yeah, that's what I wanted to sit on for a 9-hour drive.
Oh yeah, that brings up a point, did I mention how incredibly HUGE this car is? Pictures do not do justice to size of it. It is extremely wide, tall, and long. It was like driving a lowered H1 with an anemic engine and sloppy transmission. The engine really required that if you wanted to go anywhere you had to stomp on the accelerator and really rev it out, and then the transmission would ruin anything good that you felt out of the engine by shifting so slowly that you would lose 5 MPH between gears. No big deal if you are going 70 or so, but if you are leaving a light at 15MPH and lose 5, you had better hope the person behind you is paying attention so they don't run right up your ass...
But, the one gem of the car was the radio. It had an AUX input for an iPod and an incredible range of sound. I hope that whetever I get next has a radio nearly as good as that one, I was truly impressed with it.
but you know, one of the things that pissed me off the most about that car was a really small seemingly insignificant thing. It was that there was not anything on the seatbelt to keep the fastener from falling to the floor between the seat and b-pillar. The part that most manufacturers attach is probably less than 1/4 cent each and cost maybe 1-2 cents to attach to the belt, but that was one of the areas in which they chose to cut costs. Seriously, of all the areas that they could have cut costs, that has to be the single most annoying place to have done it.
So, rest assured, you will not see me pull up anywhere in my own Charger.
Let's start with the interior. Whomever laid out the gauge pod obviously though that everyone driving the car was going to want it in bus-driver mode with the steering wheel as high as it goes because in any other position the only thing that you can read is the speedo and tach. In order to see the gas gauge or the engine temp you have to move your head forward and side to side to read each one individually. The dash is laid out with a bunch of cubbies strewn variously about the center stack and tansmission tunnel as if they were randomly planting them. All of the controls for the HVAC and the shifter are HUGE taking up about twice the space that they really need, I'm guessing as a way of using up all of the available space. Which brings us to the brick-hard seats that were available to sit on, yeah, that's what I wanted to sit on for a 9-hour drive.
Oh yeah, that brings up a point, did I mention how incredibly HUGE this car is? Pictures do not do justice to size of it. It is extremely wide, tall, and long. It was like driving a lowered H1 with an anemic engine and sloppy transmission. The engine really required that if you wanted to go anywhere you had to stomp on the accelerator and really rev it out, and then the transmission would ruin anything good that you felt out of the engine by shifting so slowly that you would lose 5 MPH between gears. No big deal if you are going 70 or so, but if you are leaving a light at 15MPH and lose 5, you had better hope the person behind you is paying attention so they don't run right up your ass...
But, the one gem of the car was the radio. It had an AUX input for an iPod and an incredible range of sound. I hope that whetever I get next has a radio nearly as good as that one, I was truly impressed with it.
but you know, one of the things that pissed me off the most about that car was a really small seemingly insignificant thing. It was that there was not anything on the seatbelt to keep the fastener from falling to the floor between the seat and b-pillar. The part that most manufacturers attach is probably less than 1/4 cent each and cost maybe 1-2 cents to attach to the belt, but that was one of the areas in which they chose to cut costs. Seriously, of all the areas that they could have cut costs, that has to be the single most annoying place to have done it.
So, rest assured, you will not see me pull up anywhere in my own Charger.