Cars

Unfortunately a dude I know got me thinking about cars.  The WRX STi, the non-existent Legacy GT Wagon; and the car I almost bought, the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII.  This video demonstrates a few of the car's capabilities...


And here's some WRC action for your amusement. Those cars are not fooling around.


In my opinion, World Rally Championship drivers are the best drivers in the world. If you listen carefully, you can hear the rattling engine sound of the anti-lag. The car injects raw fuel into the exhaust, which ignites and the explosion keeps the turbo spun up while the car shifts gears. Turbo lag? Not so much.

My niece is cuter than yours

As proof, here is niece "M" inside a water heater box.  She is quite the artiste, don't you think?  Mischievous Uncle Brian is making strange faces at the far end; "M" brings out the strange faces in my normally stoic visage...

Yow, that was a doozy

I have been sick.  Rarely do I get knock-down, drag-out sick.  Allergies, sure.  Raging sinus headaches that would kill a bull from time to time.  This last one was something else.  I don't know if it was swine flu, or regular flu, or a small outbreak of Ebola, but it's been bad news around the bthoss abode the past week.  Headaches, fever, grinding fatigue, endless sleep, coughing, nausea, you name it.  The worst part, though, was the "muscle ache".  People say "muscle ache" alongside the flu and I figure it's like after a hard bike ride or something.  I'm here to tell you, no it's not.  It's like someone took a freaking baseball bat to very nearly every inch of my body.  I imagine wheat being ground into flour feels much the same thing.  It was pretty much all I could manage to crawl out of bed and into the shower periodically, maybe hobble to the kitchen for some food.  Fortunately I had an ample Diet Coke supply on hand, so I had that going for me.

Am I whining?  Sure.  Do I have to go back to work tomorrow?  Yes.  Do I want to?  No.  The sad thing is, I'm usually pretty hygienic.  Trained biologist, see, we're supposed to know how to keep germs and stuff off us.  Wash the hands, avert face and hold breath if someone nearby sneezes or coughs, the usual.  Somehow this one snuck by and got me.  And I have no idea who gave it to me!  I can't think of any biohazard close calls in the past week.  Must have been a shopping cart.  Those things are nasty.

So, you know, watch out.  And if you feel yourself getting sick, don't try to fool yourself and keep going like normal.  Crawl into bed and hope you fend it off before it really gets its claws into you.  Stay healthy out there.

Decisions...

My sport-utility bicycle, the venerable Kona Jake the Snake, has a problem.  Last year if you recall my Michelin Jets developed a hole in them the size of the Grand Canyon.  Being pretty much worn out, I replaced the pair with Continental Twisters.  Thinking the big ol' knobbies would be good for the Katy Trail.

Turns out I was wrong.  The big ol' knobbies are just a giant pain in my ass.  Buzzy on the road, buzzy on the Katy.  Buzzy everywhere but grass, which I wouldn't know much about because I rarely ride on grass.

So now I'm thinking of putting some Contintenal Contacts on there, or at any rate something a little smoother.  Tires.  They're very important.

New Bike Dreams

Yup, I have a problem.  I love to acquire bicycles.  Especially over the winter.  Now I'm eyeballing this Trek.  The SoHo.  Why?  No good reason.

My Cannondale has been performing flawlessly as a commuter.  Ridiculously low gears, big smooth wheels, disc brakes.  Rear rack with awesome Arkel panniers -- they're Canadian! -- for hauling my stuff.  No complaints.

But the Trek has a freaking BELT DRIVE!  How cool is that?  Maybe not cool at all, but I must experience it myself to find out, right?  And it has an 8-speed internally-geared hub.  I like that.  No derailleur hanging out in the wind, waiting to get crunched.  No ice buildup in the winter jamming the chain.

The Trek has one potentially deal-breaking flaw.  Roller brakes.  Back in the day, roller brakes did not have a good reputation.  Hopefully they've improved.  Or maybe I can sweet talk Trek into building me a version with disc brakes, or at least conventional caliper brakes.  Anyone out there familiar with the new Shimano Alfine/Nexus roller brakes?  Do they work?

If I do wind up buying a new commuter, the C-dale will likely go.  And maybe the IRO singlespeed.  And I should probably pawn off one or two others, just for good measure.  Fortunately I know a guy who pawns stuff on eBay, because I'm too lazy to do it myself.

Penn Station

I love me some Penn Station.  Delicious hot subs, and equally delicious french fries.  Sadly, the staff at the local store down in Chesterfield Valley (the longest strip mall in the U.S., by the way.  Officially.) recognize me now.  While that may seem sad and pathetic, it actually works out pretty well.  They give me stuff.  Extra fries.  Coupons.  The occasional cookie.

Tuesday night is free sub night.  Buy a sub, get a free small sub.  You should go.

*disclaimer:  I don't work there, and other than random perks I get no kickbacks for this endorsement.  I just like the food.  And since I like them, you should too.

My niece, "M"

Ah, how time flies.  In less than a year "M" has grown from a curious, immobile, bow-entranced infant to a rambunctious, curious, sneakily smiling walking machine.  Above she is checking out the houses at Faust Park on a recent photo shoot.  She was amazed by the small wooden bridge there, and kept walking from one end to the other.  Cute.