God, I hate MySpace. Everything about it sucks...
Mainly it's the UI and the slowness that piss me off about it. It's like I'm looking at a webpage designed by a 12 year old. Combined with constant porn spam, it's just too much... I cancelled my account. No, not "deactivated" or made "hidden", I actually deleted it. As in unrecoverable delete. Fuck you, MySpace.
I learned about the wave before I even got my Vette, and it's built up so much on Corvette Forum that I was a little disappointed to observe a real world wave return ratio of only about 50%.
I think when one cruises Corvette forums on the internet all the time, he/she tends to forget that the enthusiast community makes up a small portion of the total, real world population. So while nearly 100% of Corvette Forum members "save the wave", they make up a small percentage of actual Corvette owners out on the road.
Anyways, the point of the post is, my wave return ratio is up! Seems I've gotten near 100% return in the past month or so. Heh, feels good to finally be getting some returns instead of looking like a tool and listening to my gf say, "See, nobody cares."
Btw, if anyone read that save-the-wave page that I linked above, I'm definitely a "Topper-Tipper" or a "Two Finger-Flipper." If I were to take a guess, I'd say Mr. Scatterbrain is a "Wiping Swiper." :)
I stole that image of that lovely lady waving from a C5 from Google Images. I hope that's ok with her.
I've been meaning to try this place ever since my boss mentioned that it's one of his favorites. It has been well over a year since he mentioned that, and I haven't thought about it since then until Aimee recently brought home some porkchops from there.
I'm not a fan of pork chops unless they are thin grilled Vietnamese style, but these thick ones from Moonshine were pretty good. They are described as "molasses and chili cured (for 24 hours) with an bourbon apple sauce."
Anyways, for whatever reason, me and Aimee [sic] decided to go there on Sat. Let me fill you in on a little background about myself. I hate crowds. I hate loud noises. I hate waiting. I hate "no parking." Aimee knew the only way she'd get me to go to a place downtown on the weekend is if we went early. So we went at 3:45 pm (we were both starving for some reason, so it worked out well).
I liked it. We sat outside on the patio and it wasn't crowded or loud at all. There was music playing, but it was very soft... you had to stop talking to hear it (i.e. perfect in my ears). Our server was very friendly and I had no reservations about giving her my standard 20%.
So here's the rundown...
It was good, but not outstanding, IMO. Aimee was craving this standard faire appetizer, so I think it really hit the spot for her.
This was recommended by the server (and my boss). It is awesome. It may not sound like it, but it is very rich. We speculate it's from a lot of butter and sugar in the cornbread stuffing. Definitely a dish to recommend and get again.
Very good also. We both thoroughly enjoyed it, but it wasn't a show stopper like the trout. I did like that I could taste the red onions on it and the mango was in large slices and fresh and flavorful as well.
Very good. Obviously not like what you would buy in a grocery store, but very rich and creamy instead. The top is browned from the baking.
Good. I ate all of mine (and Aimee's too later at home), which is saying a lot for veggies. It included corn, red cabbage and carrots.
Meh, I liked the normal cornbread better.
Good. It's pint sized for $6.75, which isn't too bad these days. Be warned, it's pink.
The twist is mint. Aimee loved this and got two of them.
I think it was the ice cream that was white chocolate because I couldn't taste any white chocolate in the bread pudding. This was good, but I think at this point in the meal, we just got it to taste because we were so full. We didn't finish it even though it was very good.
The meal cost $79. 100% worth it for a "night out" or "date" type of meal.
P.S. The picture shown shows the stuffed trout (rear) that I got and the hard lemonade that Aimee got.
12,000 Sony fanboys have signed an online petition saying they will boycott (as in not purchase) the upcoming Devil May Cry 4 game if Capcom releases it on multiple platforms instead of making it a Sony PS3 exclusive title.
Ok, I can understand if PS3 owners would be upset if Capcom released DMC4 on 360 and not the PS3, but that's not the case. It's being released on all systems so that everyone can play it and be happy.
So fanboys, what's with the "if we can't have it to ourselves, we don't want it at all" mentality? Come on guys, you're not in kindergarten any more... mommy should have taught you how to share by now.
Here's the hilarious part. While everyone is not caring about your stupid plight and enjoying your beloved game, you will either be renegging on your petition pledge or sitting in the corner not playing it because of your own selfishness.
Finally... the Vette post.
I don't know why it took me so long to finally make this post. I think it's because there is so much, really too much, to say.
Let me start off by saying... I love this thing as much as a human can love an inanimate object. While almost everyone will tell you that buying a new, expensive car is one of the worst financial decisions you can make, I will tell you that it is the best purchase I have ever made, straight up. It's one of those things that brings me enjoyment everyday. I look forward to waking up in the morning just to drive it to work. Before taking the plunge, I thought I would be riddled with guilt and buyer's remorse, but infact, the opposite happened: I love it more and more with each passing day. Even Aimee, who swore she would break up with me if I bought it, loves it. She drives it to her gym, to the grocery store, to the mall, etc. Hehe, I think that's pretty cute hot.
This car is the best bang-for-your-buck sports car, period. I'll probably never own a Ferrari, hell, I'll probably never even own a Porsche 911, but owning this Corvette gives me 80% of the performance of the Ferrari (and 110% of the Porsche) for a tiny fraction of the cost. It is truly an everday, everyman's sports supercar.
I got a 2008 Z51 Coupe. It is rated at 436 hp, but realistically makes about 40 more hp at the rear wheels than a 2005-2007 model. It also uses a different (and better) transmission than the previous model years. Also for the 2008 model year, GM addressed a long standing gripe against the Corvette (numb and poor steering feel) by tweaking and modifying the steering column, which is nice, but I don't necessarily think it's BMW or Porsche caliber yet.
I opted for the HUD, Z51 and dual mode exhaust options. The HUD is pretty cool... it projects driving information (speed, RPM, lateral g-force, etc) onto the windshield, much the same way a jet fighter does. The Z51 package is the track and road racing package which includes a race tuned suspension, oil cooler, power steering fluid cooler and close ratio transmission. The dual mode exhaust is expensive, but worth it... the mufflers have a computer controlled valve in them that opens at 3500 RPM and unleashes that deep American V8 growl... :) Perfect for people like me who typically like to keep a low profile, but still like to cause a raucous on occasion.
The car performs phenomenally on the track, capable of beating high end supercars 3x it's price. I'm not going to lie, the car is way beyond my ability as a driver, but I still love that it can beat the pants off most any other car out there in the hands of someone more competent.
I also love all the extra little things about owning a modern car. I love the keyless, wireless entry and ignition. I never have to take the key fob out of my pocket. The doors "unlock" when in range and "lock" when out of range (actually they don't lock or unlock persay, they simple won't open if the key fob is out of range). HID highlights are awesome; even better, they are automatic (they turn on/off according to how much daylight is present). Memory seats/mirrors are sweet, especially when there are two primary drivers. Telescoping steering wheel, auto exit seat positioning, auto dimming mirrors, completely electric doors and trunk release, XM radio, etc... blah blah, the wireless key fob is awesome. Yeah, I know I already said that, but it's so awesome, that I honestly think every car should be that way.
There is so much more to say about this car (and how I feel about it), but this post is already running long, so I'll just leave you with the standard performance statistics.
* Holy Jesus, that number is so good, I must provide a source for integrity.
P.S. The roof comes off (completely off, not like a t-top), so I more or less have a convertible whenever I want... how cool is that?? I actually use this feature a ton more than I thought I would. It's very nice.
I was reading (and agreeing with) someone's gripe over Apple putting a combo drive in their "low end" MacBook when I realized that offence is nothing in comparison to their memory prices.
Recently, Apple quietly upgraded their MacBook lineup, which included officially extending the maximum supported memory to 4 gb. Great! The more the better, especially since I would be using VMware Fusion to run Windows and Linux along side OS X.
Here's the kicker, configuring a MacBook through Apple's online store will cost you $850 for 3 gb of memory. Yes, that's eight hundred and f-ing fifty dollars for a mere 3 gb of memory (remember, the 1st gb is including in the base price).
Let me put this in perspective. You can buy 4 gb of Patriot memory, specifically made for Mac notebooks, from Newegg for only $189. Yes, that's one full gb more for approximately $650 less than what Apple is charging.
Am I the only one outraged?
For all you out-the-know non-car people, those performance statistics are utterly amazing for that price tag, especially that ring time...
So why do I hate it?? Ok, I don't really "hate" it, but something about it pisses me off. No, it's not the fact that it knocks my beloved American car off it's pedestal. It's not because I want it but can't afford it either. It's because of all the damn hype and PS2-armchair-racers.
God, I've never heard so much hype and smack talk over a car before. From Nissan claiming that they are targeting the half million dollar Porsche Carrera GT, to MotorTrend's latest "Corvette Killer" cover story, to the endless JDM fanboy comments on Autoblog... it has simply ruined the car for me. It's no longer just a new, badass world beater made by Nissan. Now it's some monstrosity used to fuel internet flame wars, power the hype machine, and bring out the insecurities of every lesser sports car owner (like me!*).
There is just too much stigma attached to the car for me to ever consider buying it. It's what every pimply, Gran Turismo playing, Fast and Furious watching teenager has wet dreams about.
Still I have to give credit where credit is due. Those performance stats are incredible, and kudos for Nissan for not reincarnating this "legend" into some flaccid underperformer.
* That ring time is suspicious. For starters, it was made with a preproduction car. Plus Nissan spent like a year with it at the ring. You give me 365 laps around the ring and I'm bound to get one really good one... :P Then there is ubiquitous cut slicks debate, hehe.
Oh, and it looks like a catfish.
I don't think a week goes by that my girlfriend Aimee doesn't get told by someone that she looks like Uma Thurman... and that's in normal clothes. You should see her in her Uma Halloween costume! Oh wait, you are. Pretty neat, huh?
I love Uma Thurman as an actress. She's actually one of my favorites. It's her characters... they're all badass. She always plays a take-charge-get-what-she-wants-while-still-being-sexy woman. Kinda like Aimee in real life... :)
A pro photographer happened to be a guest at the same party. He got some really good pics of her as Uma, so stay tuned while we wait for Aimee's flaky friend to get them to us.
