So for the most recent of times I have been on a constant battle against the fat in my body. I have attacked it with healthy eating, and a somewhat hatred for sugared items -coffee exempt-. When I first made the pact to lose over 15 lbs in 30 days, I had every intention of doing it, but I knew that it would be pretty tough to meet the goal. It has been 21 days since the initial weigh in and as of this morning (23rd) I am 204 pounds.
September 2nd (10am) - 215 lbs
September 10th (10am) - 212 lbs
September 23rd (10am) - 204 lbs
This is the lightest that I have been in at least 11 years; I am pretty sure that I was over 200lbs when I was 13. Last November I was able to reach 207, and as much as I tried I was never able to pass it. Now, on the other hand I have a new mole hill of 5 pounds to destroy off my body.
Weird news has befallen me whilst at the local coffee shop this morn (26th). I was questioned if I was still with the girl that they saw me in the past with. I responded with no, we broke up in June and haven’t spoken with her since. She gave me a scrunched up noseysmirk and mentioned that she was crying in her car a few days ago, and wondered if it was related. I highly doubt that it was, but it did get me thinking that it has been a whole 3 months –more like 2 though- without any contact from her. Sure there have been a few sightings here and there; she popped into primo while the gang and I were there and then she left in a hurry, and a couple of spottings in the market. Other than those there has been nothing of contact, then again I did change my phone number so maybe that has been why. But enough talk of this, lets move onto happier thoughts.
---
That is how this post started on the 23rd, but work and randomness have happened and by this time the thoughts that were to follow have all but left my mind tank. Since then, I have has been back and forth about the act of writing down what has been on my mind. I have mentioned it in backhanded comments and quick questions in the middle of conversations so that people will forget faster; and since it has been on my mind so much I figured why not, let’s just dab it on the internets...
But before any of this can be written about time for a fatty weight update…
September 2nd (10am) - 215 lbs
September 10th (10am) - 212 lbs
September 23rd (10am) - 204 lbs
September 29th (10am) - 201 lbs
2 pounds away from victory, 2 pounds before I start cycling again, 2 pounds before I call myself thin.
A couple posts ago I mentioned that the act of Facebook stalking becoming a common place in my generations culture. While I didn't mention if I partook in this escapade, I confess that I do indeed; and in all seriousness it is only a few people's pages that I look at. Most of the stalking is done through the "news feed," but there will be the occasional check on the page to see if there have been any changes. But why do I do it? I am not really sure... there are moments when I do want to meet her in person and see how life is treating her, but shortly there after all of the bad memories come smacking me in the face.
Maybe it is the fact that I am not as busy as I used to be, and my mind has more time to wander around; but she has been on my mind more than I care to admit. At one point in our relationship I would get jealous; she would flirt with other guys in front of me, and that didn’t sit too well with me. I know that what I feel now is not jealousy, or a yearning of any type; I really don’t know what it is, maybe I need real closure instead of the jumblefuck that was the end of our relationship.
A few mornings ago, thinking about what to do, I remembered who she slept with and decided to ask him what actually happened that night. I don’t know why it took me 3 months to finally send him an e-mail asking what happened, but it probably has something to with all of the craziness that was happening during that time. I told him what I was told happened, and what he responded with changed things. I knew before hand that what I was being told was not the whole truth, as there were too many holes in the story, but you would think that there would have been some shred of truth in it. I sent a follow-up to him and am awaiting a reply, but I am not really expecting one.
I still don’t know what to do about seeing/talking to her, would I forgive her for what she did? At times I say yes, and at others I am unsure. The other option is to just bury this in the dark place where most of my past is, the dilemma…
I know that she looks at this blag, and can only assume that she facestalks as well; I wonder how she will react to this post.
Alrighty, coffee is just about empty and the cigarette is nearly to the filter so I will end this here. 'till next time.
9.29.2009
9.17.2009
Awesome and old news; yet a completely useless post.
So I have just fallen even more in love with the awesomeness that is the iPhone.
I used to be a big supporter of the blackberry, mainly due to the fact that it was the “phone of the workplace.” I wanted a phone that was more than just a phone; check e-mail, browse the Internets, and waste time. I had a BB for a spell while I was working at pursuit; it wasn’t the super fancy Storm, but it was the decent Curve. It was far superior to the enV that I was using before, but it wasn’t that great. Me being who I am, I wanted to do more with it. Yes it browsed the internet, but it was lackluster. The apps for the phone were pretty worthless. And while the e-mail functionality worked great, the ability to view PDFs, and attachments were horrible. I secretly loved all the apps that the iPhone offered, but told myself that I didn’t really need all the silliness of the iPhone
The Storm was a huge contender for my quest to find a new phone. I was able to play with one in real life for awhile in back to back comparison with an iPhone thanks to my girlfriend at the time, and her sister's girlfriend. While I loved the Storm and its click screen, the browser was just like the curve just bigger. And the "new apps" that were available for the Storm was just as worthless as the curve. There is also a major factor that I had to consider; the act of hacking the phone. While there is no "real" reason to hack a phone, it does give you the ability to super-personalize your phone by adding unofficial and unique apps and themes. Thanks to RIM the Blackberries are on lock down, and while apple has a "if you jailbreak it, you die" mentality they really don’t do anything to stop it.
These phones stewed in my mind for a few months, life changed drastically, and I finally had to make a choice as to which phone I would call my own. Since the new BB Storm was yet to be released, and still has yet to be, I was pushed farther and father into the mindset of getting an iPhone. I did even more research as to what I really wanted/needed in a phone, and finally made the decision to get an iPhone. I loved it; actually I loved it a lot more than I thought I would. Some of you may have seen how cracked out I was over the berry, but how I reacted to the iPhone was different. There is of course the natural process of the first day jitters of getting all your contacts in and such, but that is all it was. Instead it took me about a week of standard iPhonery before I took the plunge and started the jailbraking process. There was a lot of minor app adding and a few tweaks to the OS here and there, but instead of dying off after a week or two, I have been in full force ever since. The stock iPhone OS is good, and I understand why people do not jailbreak their phone; but a jailbroken iPhone is soOOoo much better in every way.
The main focus of this post isn’t about why I chose the iPhone, but what the iPhone does that makes me adore it. Let me go over a basic function of super-phones that I had the pleasure of finally doing in real time; the ability to hold a conversation, open an e-mail, view an attachment, and discuss that attachment all while sitting in my car. Yes I know that blackberries have been doing this for awhile, but gah… the zooming on the PDFs was just horrible and took forever. Having the ability to talk to my boss in Florida and discuss the changes without having to be sitting with my laptop open hoping that the location has Wi-Fi is awesome.
On top of that there is also a couple of apps that are pretty neat-o-jet. A couple of these apps require you to have a jailbroken phone; but the coolest of them all doesn’t require it.
One of my biggest peeves of the iPhone is the lack of a light to indicate that you have a missed call, e-mail, SMS, etc. While it does vibrate every now and then to let you know, there is no visual indicator. So in order to tell if you missed anything while you are away from your phone is to hit the home button, slide to unlock, and then see if there is a bubble with a number in it on the various apps. With the "StatusNotifier" app/tweak when you hit the home button while the phone is on lock it gives you a visual icon on anything missed. Here is an example of what it looks like when you miss a SMS message. This app/tweak does require a jailbreak with Cydia installed.
The more items that you miss the more that populate the screen. While it doesn’t draw as little battery life as a small LED light, it does save a bit. While it does sound lame, it does cut down on the time it takes you to actually find out if you missed anything.
the next one is a small tweak that lets you get more applications on one page; called "Five-Column Springboard." it isn’t as functional as the StatusNotifier, but it sure does cut down on how many pages it requires you to flick through to find your app. there is another couple tweaks shown on page1 of my home screen; "Five Icon Dock" is self explanatory, and "Winterboard" with a user background to get the photo behind the apps. These all require a jailbreak.
==You may have noticed that some of the app names and slide-lock words have changed, this was done by modifying some files in the "English.Iproj" folder; this can be accessed may ways but i recommend the use of iFile.==
And now for the one of the few apps that has actually wowed me; RemotePad. There is a very simple idea behind it "lazy." Have you ever been too far away from your keyboard, or mouse, and wanted to respond to your mate, browse the internet, or even let’s say that your lappy is attached to a TV and you really don’t want to get up and change the movie or swap a window? Well there is a good chance that you have Wi-Fi in your house, and if you have that there is even a better chance that both your iPhone and your lappy are connected to it. So why not just link them together and control your lappy from across the room? RemotePad does just that, it can connect to your lappy via a Wi-Fi network, and with this connection you can use your iPhone as both a mouse and a keyboard.
Sure the mouse movement is a bit laggy, but lets face it... this is a really awesome app. It is especially amazing if you have a laptop (or monitor-less desktop) that is forever plugged into your TV and use it as a server for movies and downloadables.
I think this may satisfy my tech talk for long while.
I used to be a big supporter of the blackberry, mainly due to the fact that it was the “phone of the workplace.” I wanted a phone that was more than just a phone; check e-mail, browse the Internets, and waste time. I had a BB for a spell while I was working at pursuit; it wasn’t the super fancy Storm, but it was the decent Curve. It was far superior to the enV that I was using before, but it wasn’t that great. Me being who I am, I wanted to do more with it. Yes it browsed the internet, but it was lackluster. The apps for the phone were pretty worthless. And while the e-mail functionality worked great, the ability to view PDFs, and attachments were horrible. I secretly loved all the apps that the iPhone offered, but told myself that I didn’t really need all the silliness of the iPhone
The Storm was a huge contender for my quest to find a new phone. I was able to play with one in real life for awhile in back to back comparison with an iPhone thanks to my girlfriend at the time, and her sister's girlfriend. While I loved the Storm and its click screen, the browser was just like the curve just bigger. And the "new apps" that were available for the Storm was just as worthless as the curve. There is also a major factor that I had to consider; the act of hacking the phone. While there is no "real" reason to hack a phone, it does give you the ability to super-personalize your phone by adding unofficial and unique apps and themes. Thanks to RIM the Blackberries are on lock down, and while apple has a "if you jailbreak it, you die" mentality they really don’t do anything to stop it.
These phones stewed in my mind for a few months, life changed drastically, and I finally had to make a choice as to which phone I would call my own. Since the new BB Storm was yet to be released, and still has yet to be, I was pushed farther and father into the mindset of getting an iPhone. I did even more research as to what I really wanted/needed in a phone, and finally made the decision to get an iPhone. I loved it; actually I loved it a lot more than I thought I would. Some of you may have seen how cracked out I was over the berry, but how I reacted to the iPhone was different. There is of course the natural process of the first day jitters of getting all your contacts in and such, but that is all it was. Instead it took me about a week of standard iPhonery before I took the plunge and started the jailbraking process. There was a lot of minor app adding and a few tweaks to the OS here and there, but instead of dying off after a week or two, I have been in full force ever since. The stock iPhone OS is good, and I understand why people do not jailbreak their phone; but a jailbroken iPhone is soOOoo much better in every way.
The main focus of this post isn’t about why I chose the iPhone, but what the iPhone does that makes me adore it. Let me go over a basic function of super-phones that I had the pleasure of finally doing in real time; the ability to hold a conversation, open an e-mail, view an attachment, and discuss that attachment all while sitting in my car. Yes I know that blackberries have been doing this for awhile, but gah… the zooming on the PDFs was just horrible and took forever. Having the ability to talk to my boss in Florida and discuss the changes without having to be sitting with my laptop open hoping that the location has Wi-Fi is awesome.
On top of that there is also a couple of apps that are pretty neat-o-jet. A couple of these apps require you to have a jailbroken phone; but the coolest of them all doesn’t require it.
One of my biggest peeves of the iPhone is the lack of a light to indicate that you have a missed call, e-mail, SMS, etc. While it does vibrate every now and then to let you know, there is no visual indicator. So in order to tell if you missed anything while you are away from your phone is to hit the home button, slide to unlock, and then see if there is a bubble with a number in it on the various apps. With the "StatusNotifier" app/tweak when you hit the home button while the phone is on lock it gives you a visual icon on anything missed. Here is an example of what it looks like when you miss a SMS message. This app/tweak does require a jailbreak with Cydia installed.
The more items that you miss the more that populate the screen. While it doesn’t draw as little battery life as a small LED light, it does save a bit. While it does sound lame, it does cut down on the time it takes you to actually find out if you missed anything.
the next one is a small tweak that lets you get more applications on one page; called "Five-Column Springboard." it isn’t as functional as the StatusNotifier, but it sure does cut down on how many pages it requires you to flick through to find your app. there is another couple tweaks shown on page1 of my home screen; "Five Icon Dock" is self explanatory, and "Winterboard" with a user background to get the photo behind the apps. These all require a jailbreak.
==You may have noticed that some of the app names and slide-lock words have changed, this was done by modifying some files in the "English.Iproj" folder; this can be accessed may ways but i recommend the use of iFile.==
And now for the one of the few apps that has actually wowed me; RemotePad. There is a very simple idea behind it "lazy." Have you ever been too far away from your keyboard, or mouse, and wanted to respond to your mate, browse the internet, or even let’s say that your lappy is attached to a TV and you really don’t want to get up and change the movie or swap a window? Well there is a good chance that you have Wi-Fi in your house, and if you have that there is even a better chance that both your iPhone and your lappy are connected to it. So why not just link them together and control your lappy from across the room? RemotePad does just that, it can connect to your lappy via a Wi-Fi network, and with this connection you can use your iPhone as both a mouse and a keyboard.
Sure the mouse movement is a bit laggy, but lets face it... this is a really awesome app. It is especially amazing if you have a laptop (or monitor-less desktop) that is forever plugged into your TV and use it as a server for movies and downloadables.
I think this may satisfy my tech talk for long while.
9.11.2009
9 days, and upside down triangles
So 9 days have passed, and I have been doing... well... not much. I have cut my calorie intake to about 1800 per day, and the only exercise that I done was to help a few people move. All is not at a loss though. I have, luckily, been able to drop 3 pounds. In all actuality this is nearly on schedule of weight loss for me. I was hoping for 4-5 a week; but 3 ain’t too shabby...
September 2nd (10am) - 215 lbs
September 10th (10am) - 212 lbs
However, the best thing that has happened in the last week has to be the "test" installation of our surround sound system. There have been very few instances where I have ever entered a house with surround sound and have been impressed. My house is no different during normal TV viewing. Our satellite box, like most others uses the red and white audio plugs; right and left. So even if the channel presents its sound in 5.1 surround, the best that we will get is the standard 2 channel stereo, it just now sounds better. Knowing this I quickly rand to Radio Shack to buy an overpriced fiber optic sound cable for the good ol' Playstation3. This purchase made a world of difference. I plopped in the most sound intense game that I have; Metal Gear Solid 4. I went straight into online play to test its ability. It was a whole new experience. The huge TV was a massive advantage and improvement to the viewing and playing of games and Blue-ray movies. The addition of surround sound was just as big of improvement. Not only is everything clearer, but you can actually tell what direction the explosions, steps, and gun fire are coming from; but also how far away they are. While this was an amazing test of the system the real one was about to come.
After the play though I made some adjustments to the locations of the speakers to make the watching experience all the better. Once I got everything plugged in and the speaker locations settled I inserted the only blue-ray movie that I own, The Dark Knight. WOW… I love this movie, but watching it in this new environment was like watching at anew.
All this talk of video games, Batman, surround sound, and big TVs throws one word at my face, and it is a word that I really hate... Man Cave. When it first spawned in public knowledge, it was a rad concept. But then, like many amazing things in America, they get destroyed just as fast they entered. Another prime example of this is "DO A BARREL ROLL!" which for some strange reason is re-entering itself into peoples mouths.
Instead of "DO A BARREL ROLL" forcing itself into my mouth I have been subjecting myself to coffee. Subjecting is quite a strong word, but it sounds good so I will let it slide. Among many of the topics discussed, one in particular seems to come out and palp my mind tank more than the others; and that has been the topic of relationships and what we look for in one, as well as starting one.
This image was essentially the starting point for the conversation, and if it wasn’t the start it was at least an important piece in the conversation.
There was talk about who we know and where they fit, and whether or not this statement is true. While the true romantics of finding someone that fits the equilateral triangle is always appealing, the fact of the matter is that rare/impossible to find that person. If one is so egotistical as to think that they themselves do fill the equilateral triangle, you don’t. This leaves us with the concept that no one will ever get what they want, and everyone must make sacrifices and compromises in order to find their ideal significant other. For instance one would give up beauty for stability and intelligence; they make the conscious decision to negate the standards of one thing and place more importance on another. This doesn’t mean that we can never be happy. This means that you shouldn't wait and hope and dream for that person to enter your life. In real life you have to experiment with different ideals, concepts, and physiques to see what works, and what doesn’t. After all that is what dating and being in relationships are all about?
With the romantics of meeting still in full force; the topic of the conversation slowly turned to places like eHarmony.com. Does romanticism exist in places like that? Nope. eHarmony.com is to the dating world just as the twist off top is to the cork in a wine bottle. eHarmony.com may be better at finding that special someone, but you just lose that story that comes with the serendipitous adventure. Same thing goes for the twist offs on wine bottles; the twist offs do indeed make the wine last longer, and there is no fear of having a cork foul the wine, but the sound it makes doesn’t make for good company. To further the point of “the internets versus the chance encounter” is the story telling aspect of it all.
-Internets-
Friend - “How did you both meet?”
Partner A – “eHarmony.com”
Partner B - “yeah, I was casually stalking people’s pages for a few weeks, and then I came across this one; so I decided to make the decision to Evite her for a drink”
-Chance Encounter-
Friend - “How did you both meet?”
Partner A – “I was out reading the morning paper at the little hideaway when this person interrupted me”
Partner B - “heh, yeah. ‘Tis true, ‘tis true. But I needed some sugar for my coffee and her table was the only one that had it. After a bit of time I struck up some courage and started talking, and that in turn sparked a conversation.”
Partner A – “yep, we haven’t been able to stop having fun conversations and moments ever since.”
The first one is down right boring, and essentially creepy. The dating sites give you a great excuse to start stalking them in the name of romantics. While the latter actually makes you smile.
There have been many strong relationships that would never have been possible if not for internet dating sites, but it still doesn’t make for a better story. On the flip side of the serendipitous occasion, there is a real chance that one of the party members is hoping for forced romanticism. By forced romanticism I mean that you go out looking to meet someone. This is usually disregarded when future story telling commences, but the creepiness of it is quite nearly non-existent. After all we have been going out hoping to meet someone for centuries.
I stated above that dating sites give you a free pass to start internet stalking people, and in many ways it is thanks to places like Facebook and MySpace that my generation laughs about it. We openly admit to people that we have been stalking their page. We have no reason to be offended by it, slightly creeped out maybe, but not offended. This is actually quite strange. Real-life stalking forces one to invade the personal life of another without consent. Is Facebook stalking any different? I say yes, vastly different. The concept of “I never gave you consent” is null and void when you make your life publicly accessible. It is also what most do after meeting someone. Add friend, accept friend, Facebook stalk their page to see if there are any glaring weirdness. Lies are prevalent, and truths omitted due to it being posted on the internets, but at least you can get a sense of what the person sees themselves as. Due to this, Facebook stalking only gets you so far, and is usually outdated.
Who knows what future technology will bring. The only thing that we can be sure of is that everyone will always have the hankering for some serendipity, and nothing beats a good face to face conversation.
September 2nd (10am) - 215 lbs
September 10th (10am) - 212 lbs
However, the best thing that has happened in the last week has to be the "test" installation of our surround sound system. There have been very few instances where I have ever entered a house with surround sound and have been impressed. My house is no different during normal TV viewing. Our satellite box, like most others uses the red and white audio plugs; right and left. So even if the channel presents its sound in 5.1 surround, the best that we will get is the standard 2 channel stereo, it just now sounds better. Knowing this I quickly rand to Radio Shack to buy an overpriced fiber optic sound cable for the good ol' Playstation3. This purchase made a world of difference. I plopped in the most sound intense game that I have; Metal Gear Solid 4. I went straight into online play to test its ability. It was a whole new experience. The huge TV was a massive advantage and improvement to the viewing and playing of games and Blue-ray movies. The addition of surround sound was just as big of improvement. Not only is everything clearer, but you can actually tell what direction the explosions, steps, and gun fire are coming from; but also how far away they are. While this was an amazing test of the system the real one was about to come.
After the play though I made some adjustments to the locations of the speakers to make the watching experience all the better. Once I got everything plugged in and the speaker locations settled I inserted the only blue-ray movie that I own, The Dark Knight. WOW… I love this movie, but watching it in this new environment was like watching at anew.
All this talk of video games, Batman, surround sound, and big TVs throws one word at my face, and it is a word that I really hate... Man Cave. When it first spawned in public knowledge, it was a rad concept. But then, like many amazing things in America, they get destroyed just as fast they entered. Another prime example of this is "DO A BARREL ROLL!" which for some strange reason is re-entering itself into peoples mouths.
Instead of "DO A BARREL ROLL" forcing itself into my mouth I have been subjecting myself to coffee. Subjecting is quite a strong word, but it sounds good so I will let it slide. Among many of the topics discussed, one in particular seems to come out and palp my mind tank more than the others; and that has been the topic of relationships and what we look for in one, as well as starting one.
This image was essentially the starting point for the conversation, and if it wasn’t the start it was at least an important piece in the conversation.
There was talk about who we know and where they fit, and whether or not this statement is true. While the true romantics of finding someone that fits the equilateral triangle is always appealing, the fact of the matter is that rare/impossible to find that person. If one is so egotistical as to think that they themselves do fill the equilateral triangle, you don’t. This leaves us with the concept that no one will ever get what they want, and everyone must make sacrifices and compromises in order to find their ideal significant other. For instance one would give up beauty for stability and intelligence; they make the conscious decision to negate the standards of one thing and place more importance on another. This doesn’t mean that we can never be happy. This means that you shouldn't wait and hope and dream for that person to enter your life. In real life you have to experiment with different ideals, concepts, and physiques to see what works, and what doesn’t. After all that is what dating and being in relationships are all about?
With the romantics of meeting still in full force; the topic of the conversation slowly turned to places like eHarmony.com. Does romanticism exist in places like that? Nope. eHarmony.com is to the dating world just as the twist off top is to the cork in a wine bottle. eHarmony.com may be better at finding that special someone, but you just lose that story that comes with the serendipitous adventure. Same thing goes for the twist offs on wine bottles; the twist offs do indeed make the wine last longer, and there is no fear of having a cork foul the wine, but the sound it makes doesn’t make for good company. To further the point of “the internets versus the chance encounter” is the story telling aspect of it all.
-Internets-
Friend - “How did you both meet?”
Partner A – “eHarmony.com”
Partner B - “yeah, I was casually stalking people’s pages for a few weeks, and then I came across this one; so I decided to make the decision to Evite her for a drink”
-Chance Encounter-
Friend - “How did you both meet?”
Partner A – “I was out reading the morning paper at the little hideaway when this person interrupted me”
Partner B - “heh, yeah. ‘Tis true, ‘tis true. But I needed some sugar for my coffee and her table was the only one that had it. After a bit of time I struck up some courage and started talking, and that in turn sparked a conversation.”
Partner A – “yep, we haven’t been able to stop having fun conversations and moments ever since.”
The first one is down right boring, and essentially creepy. The dating sites give you a great excuse to start stalking them in the name of romantics. While the latter actually makes you smile.
There have been many strong relationships that would never have been possible if not for internet dating sites, but it still doesn’t make for a better story. On the flip side of the serendipitous occasion, there is a real chance that one of the party members is hoping for forced romanticism. By forced romanticism I mean that you go out looking to meet someone. This is usually disregarded when future story telling commences, but the creepiness of it is quite nearly non-existent. After all we have been going out hoping to meet someone for centuries.
I stated above that dating sites give you a free pass to start internet stalking people, and in many ways it is thanks to places like Facebook and MySpace that my generation laughs about it. We openly admit to people that we have been stalking their page. We have no reason to be offended by it, slightly creeped out maybe, but not offended. This is actually quite strange. Real-life stalking forces one to invade the personal life of another without consent. Is Facebook stalking any different? I say yes, vastly different. The concept of “I never gave you consent” is null and void when you make your life publicly accessible. It is also what most do after meeting someone. Add friend, accept friend, Facebook stalk their page to see if there are any glaring weirdness. Lies are prevalent, and truths omitted due to it being posted on the internets, but at least you can get a sense of what the person sees themselves as. Due to this, Facebook stalking only gets you so far, and is usually outdated.
Who knows what future technology will bring. The only thing that we can be sure of is that everyone will always have the hankering for some serendipity, and nothing beats a good face to face conversation.
9.02.2009
Fatties and fat guy dreams.
As I mentioned in my last post, and probably many times over, I was an obese kid. There are very few moments in time that I can look back and know how tall I was, or how much I weighed. When I was 13 I was taller than my mom, whom is 5'8," and whilst I was 16 I nearly matched my dad at 6'3." I didn’t really stop getting taller until I was around 20, where I rested at 6'6" on bad days and 6'7" on good days. Even though I have always been the tallest of my class, there was something else that I tipped the scales in; and that happened to be weight.
When I was in the sixth grade or so, I can remember standing next to the water fountain at Saint Peter’s Catholic School and hearing someone talk about pant size; they were wearing 24s, I think, and I was wearing 30s. At the same school in 8th grade, I remember weighing around 200lbs. Throughout most of high school I maintained a weight of around 220, and finally hit the big 250 mark during the summer months that lead to my first year at cal poly. My weight fluctuated around 240-260 range up until around 3rd year, and then I took another jump in weight to around 280 during my 4th year. To let you in on how the weight kept building, I’ll give you a sample of what I had for nearly every breakfast during the summer months. I started the morning with 2 large bowls of cereal, about 5 cups worth, after the cereal I washed it down with 2 Nathans hot dogs with mustard and Jewish rye bread. For you calorie counters out there that totals to about 1900 calories. Because of this and the lack of exercise my weight never dropped, that is of course unless I weighed myself before I went to sleep and then after I woke up.
The weight slowly climbed up through the summer months of 2007. That is until a co-worker and I made a $100 bet to see who could lose more weight in 60 days. We went to the doctor’s office and got our official weigh in. I was a proud, albeit sad, member of the 300 club; exact weight 308lbs. The number by itself is mind staggering to say the least, but let’s use the worthless concept of BMI to illustrate where I stood. 22 years old, 6'7" tall, and weighed 308 pounds; I had a BMI of 34.7. Just to let you know, it states that anything over 30 means you are obese. In the pant size department, it was also saddening, I wore a size 42x33; and I was starting to fill those out as well…
This didn’t phase me at first, after all I was planning on beating my co-worker so the more fat I had on my body the better right? So, just like every other fatty out there I too was in denial. The first thing I did was to remove the car from my daily life and start cycling the 1.5 miles to work, and started to finally eat well. After a bit of time I started to see results, small but they were there. However, the bet was never fulfilled as my co-worker fled the country, but it didn’t stop me on my idea of dropping some pounds. Actually it kinda did, stopped cycling, but kept up on the eating habits.
I started to work at guitar center around September of 2007 and due to the running around and moving of boxes I started to lose some weight naturally. Yep, just by moving I lost weight. I left Guitar Center and started to work at Teldata, in San Diego. After I got myself settled in, I started to bring my bicycle so as to get a work out during lunch. Since the bicycle that I as using was about 10cm too small for me I started looking for a bicycle that actually fit. Shortly after I started an obsession with cycling, and right about the same time I re-found my dad's 1974 Dawes Galaxy. I started to restore and fix the bike so that I could ride it regularly. With a much more comfortable bike to ride I started going longer distances for lunch. I found one 5 miles away from the office called Sipz Vegetarian Cafe. The time it took me to get there, eat, and get back was exactly one hour; perfect. Around June of 2008 the fixed gear cult hit me in the feet. So I started looking around for possible bicycles to de-gear. I was lucky enough to be told about an abandoned bicycle next to a dumpster by the girlfriend at the time, and promptly rescued it… Took about a week of collecting parts and installing, and it became my weapon on choice. Heavy as a truck, but hey why would I want something to be light if I am trying to get a workout?
I started to make cycling my favorite mode of transportation, 10 miles a day during the work week, and 30-40 mile cycling along the beach on either a Sunday or Saturday. This ended up being about 80-100 miles every week for about 6 months straight. By eating well, and working out everyday I was able to reach numbers that I thought impossible. In November of 2008, 1 year after the initial weigh in of 308lbs I weighed 207lbs.
I lost 100lbs in a year.
My pant sized dropped from a 42 to a 34 (36 by H&M standards, but 34 everywhere else), my shirt size went from an XL to an American Apparel medium, and my BMI dropped from a 34.7 to a 23.3 (which is normal weight). This weight fluctuated around the 210 mark all though the holiday season, but started to falter shortly there after.
I left Teldata in December 2008, for a company a mile from my house called Pursuit Dynamics. The concept of cycling was still strong for the first couple of months, and then like the weight; it faltered. With the massive drama surrounding what was going on going on from October to June; my mind and physical well being took a beating. In June 2009 my weighed in at 230 [25.9 BMI]. Some of the clothes that I had bought during my skinnier times were too snug to be worn as much as they were. My Iliac crests, the upper part of the pelvis bone that look like a wing, which used to protrude like a champ, had now faded away to minor protrusions. My tummy was a bit more bulbous. Luckily, my cabayo legs were able to retain enough definition to still wear short shorts.
After that initial burst of terror of becoming overweight again came full in the face, I started to really look into what I eat. Due to that, and very minor exercising, I have been able to get my weight down to 215 [24.2 BMI]. So while I am in a normal weight in accordance to the BMI, I don’t feel any better about it. I recently made a bet with my dad about losing weight. He wanted to lose 10 lbs in a week and a half... which is ridiculous, but at least he is going to try. I, on the other hand, have a much more reasonable goal. I FINALLY want to break 200 pounds by the end of September. That means that I have to lose at least 16 pounds in 30 days. While that is no easy task I am still confident.
Well this, like the last post, has been quite long. Congrats if you stuck it out until the end. I’ll keep up on the weigh-ins as time progresses.
-Fat-topus out.
When I was in the sixth grade or so, I can remember standing next to the water fountain at Saint Peter’s Catholic School and hearing someone talk about pant size; they were wearing 24s, I think, and I was wearing 30s. At the same school in 8th grade, I remember weighing around 200lbs. Throughout most of high school I maintained a weight of around 220, and finally hit the big 250 mark during the summer months that lead to my first year at cal poly. My weight fluctuated around 240-260 range up until around 3rd year, and then I took another jump in weight to around 280 during my 4th year. To let you in on how the weight kept building, I’ll give you a sample of what I had for nearly every breakfast during the summer months. I started the morning with 2 large bowls of cereal, about 5 cups worth, after the cereal I washed it down with 2 Nathans hot dogs with mustard and Jewish rye bread. For you calorie counters out there that totals to about 1900 calories. Because of this and the lack of exercise my weight never dropped, that is of course unless I weighed myself before I went to sleep and then after I woke up.
The weight slowly climbed up through the summer months of 2007. That is until a co-worker and I made a $100 bet to see who could lose more weight in 60 days. We went to the doctor’s office and got our official weigh in. I was a proud, albeit sad, member of the 300 club; exact weight 308lbs. The number by itself is mind staggering to say the least, but let’s use the worthless concept of BMI to illustrate where I stood. 22 years old, 6'7" tall, and weighed 308 pounds; I had a BMI of 34.7. Just to let you know, it states that anything over 30 means you are obese. In the pant size department, it was also saddening, I wore a size 42x33; and I was starting to fill those out as well…
This didn’t phase me at first, after all I was planning on beating my co-worker so the more fat I had on my body the better right? So, just like every other fatty out there I too was in denial. The first thing I did was to remove the car from my daily life and start cycling the 1.5 miles to work, and started to finally eat well. After a bit of time I started to see results, small but they were there. However, the bet was never fulfilled as my co-worker fled the country, but it didn’t stop me on my idea of dropping some pounds. Actually it kinda did, stopped cycling, but kept up on the eating habits.
I started to work at guitar center around September of 2007 and due to the running around and moving of boxes I started to lose some weight naturally. Yep, just by moving I lost weight. I left Guitar Center and started to work at Teldata, in San Diego. After I got myself settled in, I started to bring my bicycle so as to get a work out during lunch. Since the bicycle that I as using was about 10cm too small for me I started looking for a bicycle that actually fit. Shortly after I started an obsession with cycling, and right about the same time I re-found my dad's 1974 Dawes Galaxy. I started to restore and fix the bike so that I could ride it regularly. With a much more comfortable bike to ride I started going longer distances for lunch. I found one 5 miles away from the office called Sipz Vegetarian Cafe. The time it took me to get there, eat, and get back was exactly one hour; perfect. Around June of 2008 the fixed gear cult hit me in the feet. So I started looking around for possible bicycles to de-gear. I was lucky enough to be told about an abandoned bicycle next to a dumpster by the girlfriend at the time, and promptly rescued it… Took about a week of collecting parts and installing, and it became my weapon on choice. Heavy as a truck, but hey why would I want something to be light if I am trying to get a workout?
I started to make cycling my favorite mode of transportation, 10 miles a day during the work week, and 30-40 mile cycling along the beach on either a Sunday or Saturday. This ended up being about 80-100 miles every week for about 6 months straight. By eating well, and working out everyday I was able to reach numbers that I thought impossible. In November of 2008, 1 year after the initial weigh in of 308lbs I weighed 207lbs.
I lost 100lbs in a year.
My pant sized dropped from a 42 to a 34 (36 by H&M standards, but 34 everywhere else), my shirt size went from an XL to an American Apparel medium, and my BMI dropped from a 34.7 to a 23.3 (which is normal weight). This weight fluctuated around the 210 mark all though the holiday season, but started to falter shortly there after.
I left Teldata in December 2008, for a company a mile from my house called Pursuit Dynamics. The concept of cycling was still strong for the first couple of months, and then like the weight; it faltered. With the massive drama surrounding what was going on going on from October to June; my mind and physical well being took a beating. In June 2009 my weighed in at 230 [25.9 BMI]. Some of the clothes that I had bought during my skinnier times were too snug to be worn as much as they were. My Iliac crests, the upper part of the pelvis bone that look like a wing, which used to protrude like a champ, had now faded away to minor protrusions. My tummy was a bit more bulbous. Luckily, my cabayo legs were able to retain enough definition to still wear short shorts.
After that initial burst of terror of becoming overweight again came full in the face, I started to really look into what I eat. Due to that, and very minor exercising, I have been able to get my weight down to 215 [24.2 BMI]. So while I am in a normal weight in accordance to the BMI, I don’t feel any better about it. I recently made a bet with my dad about losing weight. He wanted to lose 10 lbs in a week and a half... which is ridiculous, but at least he is going to try. I, on the other hand, have a much more reasonable goal. I FINALLY want to break 200 pounds by the end of September. That means that I have to lose at least 16 pounds in 30 days. While that is no easy task I am still confident.
Well this, like the last post, has been quite long. Congrats if you stuck it out until the end. I’ll keep up on the weigh-ins as time progresses.
-Fat-topus out.
9.01.2009
A harking to the past, pop bellies, and bicycles.
It has been quite some time since I have actually thought about the goings on of past lifestyles, pseudo-lifestyles, and a great pair of clacking leather soled shoes. All of these things have come at my mind tank at the speed of a northern bullet and settled itself inside like a warm kitten before I realized that it existed. Due to my lack of work, and no longer having the needs/demands of another bearing down on me, I have had a chance to watch a few movies, reinvest some time into cars, and think about riding my bicycle.
One of these movies in particular has sparked much thought and emotion, “Love of the Beast.” The movie is a documentary on Eric Bana's life, trial, tribulation, and friends that surrounded him and his Ford Falcon XB. The documentary is amazing; the cinematography, the sound, and even the dialogue gives even the non-car buff a reason to smile. For me, this made me instantly yearn for those days with my 7. So what is a boy to do? Easy. start looking for a project car... something simple, smog exempt, classy, has the possibility for spirited driving, and above all soul. Not an easy task in the least... and lest not forget that it also has to be something that looks good parked on the side of the house.
So what of looks? Let’s use some good old fashioned human interaction and fashion to help narrow the type of the project that needs to be built. Let’s use the concepts from above: simple, class, spirited, and soulful, in an attempt to help define what car I am looking for.
Simple... easy enough to say and to articulate, but is one of the harder things to do well. One wrong decision, or execution, can lead to the utter destruction of it. When it comes to men’s fashion, and in my opinion, all suits must be tailored to fit the personality. While there may be seasons to fashion, it is a timeless act to get something tailored to you. I am under the persuasion that the jacket sleeves be a bit short and well fit, pants should be fitted to the leg with extra care taken to the knee. This concept of tailoring will never hold true to everyone. Let’s look at these two people that Scott Schuman, via thesartorialist.com, has photographed to illustrate this point.
While I prefer the fit and cut of the blue suit, the look and presentation of the camel coated boxer is nothing to wag a finger at. This same aspect can be applied to a car; and in all actuality can be summed up all but a few words... no crazy electronics. There is nothing flashy about what either of these men are wearing, both are dressed simply. After all why would you want to be dependent on electronics, or accessories to make yourself acceptable?
Class... to be honest I had no idea how I was to best use this to describe a car that hasn’t already been done thousands of times over, but thanks to a fleeting comment by a mate I knew it was the best way to do so. Can you see yourself getting out of the car in something that the sartorialist would like and not get weird looks for doing so? For example it would be hard for me to get my mind around someone getting out of an EF hatch, wearing a finely tailored suit. After the initial sight I would be all for it, but that first glace would make my mind stutter. Actually I lie, the mate mentioned above does that everyday and it doesn’t phase me anymore, but the idea still stands. While the car doesn’t have to exude class; it does, however, have to have the ability to present itself in a manner of understated elegance.
Spirited... spirited cars are not considered fast by most people standards. A 1964 Mini Cooper is spirited, but not fast. A 1970 Dodge Challenger is fast, but not spirited. This is to say that it is more focused on the turns of the mountain road than to the flats of the highway. I personally am not looking to win any races in this car but it should give me great pleasure no matter how and where I drive it. This, in turn, leads to the idea of a sub-200 horsepower car that doesn’t break the scales on a weigh in.
Soul... this, like the idea, is intangible. It has to draw you in with a blink, and keep you by its side with its voice. It has to be a chore, heartache, pain, sadness, hope, love, charity, orgasms, peace, destruction, and happiness rolled up into a Katamari. Without that pain and sorrow that comes with it, you can never really feel the pleasure that it gives you; it becomes something that you sit in and take you from point A to B, instead of something that takes you on a journey.
So is there really a car out there that can give this all to me? Nope. This type of thing doesn’t exist, and it never will. But is that going to stop me from trying to find it? Nope. Like almost every passion for every person, one will never be satisfied. There is something more that we crave out of it, something more that we want, and for someone to STOP PLAYING COLDPLAY every frikken time that drive to or from a place of remembrance or vivid thoughts. Then again... I like how it destroys my concentration every time they come on. No matter how many times I hear them all the sorrows and pleasures of the past flood in; but I digress…
With the acceptance that I will never be able to find this perfect car to last me a lifetime of joys and pain, I still can’t help but think about what may be. I have been fumbling though the idea of designing my own chassis and using a donor car to make it a reality, but that costs a pretty penny. The option is still there though, and who knows with some fancy CADD work it can lead to something incredible. Is the perfect car, a car? The other option is to take off a thousand pounds of and a couple wheels and build up a motorcycle. Would a motor on 2 wheels give me the pleasure that a car can give? If I am looking for a weekend rider and a mountain cruiser it works, but there is something to love about the car lifestyle. After all motorcycles are for lazy cyclists… so why wouldn’t it appeal to me, heh.
Well I have just been to Jersey and back, so let’s get back to the concept of my original point. If there is a perfect car out there what would it be? There was one idea for the possible future car that I left out from the above, and that it has to be fit. While I was an obese kid, driving around in a fat car was easy. The FC is the fatty, touring car of the Rx7 bunch. However now that I am in a much fitter state, and looking to further that, I need something that reflects that. After all, if the hipsters are getting a bit tubby in retaliation to our amazing president Barrack Obama, I am going with him in the pursuit of fitness. This idea taken from an article in the NY Times; ()
I am a rotary kid at heart, and really want to keep it that way. But finding a car that fills this requirement really puts a lock down on the possibilities; thus I will put that as a secondary thought.
If I may, I am going to finally start throwing some concepts out.
Strangely enough the first on my list doesn’t follow any criteria that I have for this project. The Subaru 2.5RS is fat, quite large, the chassis is loose, there really isn’t much room for sartorialism, and the class of the car is only tied to either the dirt or asphalt.
None-the-less I really like this car. The idea of deciding to turn off the road and take the road never traveled on is quite fun. To further its point it is non-turbo, which will forever make the traditional Subaru tuner pout a bit. The only issue is that it will only be a track car; rather it would only be fun when pushing it to the limit. This car will always hold a place in my heart for one image alone. When I was, oh, 17 or so, Keiichi Tsuchiya did a back to back comparison between the prototype bug-eye GD wrx and the GC wrx. The bug eye was faster by far, but the fun to be had with the GC was much greater.
Following the GC there is the classic, fantastic, and sleek lifestyle of the 240z.
This is one of those rare cars that fit so many of the criteria that is makes me sick. Since its birth it was an instant success in both the tarmac and rally courses. I had a chance to buy one a couple weeks back, but choose not to due to it already being modified to someone else's dream, as well as the rust that was prevalent. I may have well have missed out on an amazing deal, but it doesn’t bother me too much. There will be more. The 240z is a car that I could see pulling up, having a well dressed man get out of and no one would really question his decisions in life.
The only rotary powered vehicle that will be attached with this list is the 7 that started it all; The SA/FB Rx7.
I am drawn to this car for its engine, and what it did for rotaries. While I hate to admit it, the first generation Rx7 is much better car than its next reincarnation, the FC. Like the 240z, the first gen Rx7 is quite simple, and semi-purpose built. Even though I love rotaries this car doesn’t rank as high as the 240z. It may just be the lines of the car, but there is something about the SA/FB that doesn’t make it as beautiful, or appealing, as the 240z.
THE roadster that re-ignited the trend of driving a go-cart on the streets, the Mazda Miata.
While this car does have the stereotype of being a "chick car" it has a lot of things that make it quite fantastic. It doesn’t have the class of the 240z, nor does it have the presence of the GC; but what it lacks in both it makes up with overall fun. Another major plus is the cost of upkeep and modification will keep this car well below the rest; which is a quite neat.
These are also a group of cars that must be looked at as one. This is due to both their rarity, as well as their overall styling. The Austin Healey Bug-eyed sprite, Triumph Spitfire, Triumph TR6, and cars of the like; i.e. British Convertible Roadsters
These cars reek of class. Leather gloves, wood Nardi steering wheel, white scarves, some driving goggles, and a picnic basket. Even though these cars are reeking of class they also reek of wiring issues. This is a small price to pay for what happens when you sit in one of these cars. There is also another lingering factor that I have yet to test... and that is do I fit? Am I too tall to fit within these tiny cars? If worse comes to worse there is nothing that you can’t fix with some cutting and welding.
If any of the few of you that actually read this blog, can think of other cars that would possibly fit into what I am looking for don’t hesitate to make suggestions. But lets make them reasonable, while it would be fantastic to own a Porsche 914/6, 928, 944, or Ferrari Daytona; there is a rare chance that one could find one for a decent price.
-till next time
One of these movies in particular has sparked much thought and emotion, “Love of the Beast.” The movie is a documentary on Eric Bana's life, trial, tribulation, and friends that surrounded him and his Ford Falcon XB. The documentary is amazing; the cinematography, the sound, and even the dialogue gives even the non-car buff a reason to smile. For me, this made me instantly yearn for those days with my 7. So what is a boy to do? Easy. start looking for a project car... something simple, smog exempt, classy, has the possibility for spirited driving, and above all soul. Not an easy task in the least... and lest not forget that it also has to be something that looks good parked on the side of the house.
So what of looks? Let’s use some good old fashioned human interaction and fashion to help narrow the type of the project that needs to be built. Let’s use the concepts from above: simple, class, spirited, and soulful, in an attempt to help define what car I am looking for.
Simple... easy enough to say and to articulate, but is one of the harder things to do well. One wrong decision, or execution, can lead to the utter destruction of it. When it comes to men’s fashion, and in my opinion, all suits must be tailored to fit the personality. While there may be seasons to fashion, it is a timeless act to get something tailored to you. I am under the persuasion that the jacket sleeves be a bit short and well fit, pants should be fitted to the leg with extra care taken to the knee. This concept of tailoring will never hold true to everyone. Let’s look at these two people that Scott Schuman, via thesartorialist.com, has photographed to illustrate this point.
While I prefer the fit and cut of the blue suit, the look and presentation of the camel coated boxer is nothing to wag a finger at. This same aspect can be applied to a car; and in all actuality can be summed up all but a few words... no crazy electronics. There is nothing flashy about what either of these men are wearing, both are dressed simply. After all why would you want to be dependent on electronics, or accessories to make yourself acceptable?
Class... to be honest I had no idea how I was to best use this to describe a car that hasn’t already been done thousands of times over, but thanks to a fleeting comment by a mate I knew it was the best way to do so. Can you see yourself getting out of the car in something that the sartorialist would like and not get weird looks for doing so? For example it would be hard for me to get my mind around someone getting out of an EF hatch, wearing a finely tailored suit. After the initial sight I would be all for it, but that first glace would make my mind stutter. Actually I lie, the mate mentioned above does that everyday and it doesn’t phase me anymore, but the idea still stands. While the car doesn’t have to exude class; it does, however, have to have the ability to present itself in a manner of understated elegance.
Spirited... spirited cars are not considered fast by most people standards. A 1964 Mini Cooper is spirited, but not fast. A 1970 Dodge Challenger is fast, but not spirited. This is to say that it is more focused on the turns of the mountain road than to the flats of the highway. I personally am not looking to win any races in this car but it should give me great pleasure no matter how and where I drive it. This, in turn, leads to the idea of a sub-200 horsepower car that doesn’t break the scales on a weigh in.
Soul... this, like the idea, is intangible. It has to draw you in with a blink, and keep you by its side with its voice. It has to be a chore, heartache, pain, sadness, hope, love, charity, orgasms, peace, destruction, and happiness rolled up into a Katamari. Without that pain and sorrow that comes with it, you can never really feel the pleasure that it gives you; it becomes something that you sit in and take you from point A to B, instead of something that takes you on a journey.
So is there really a car out there that can give this all to me? Nope. This type of thing doesn’t exist, and it never will. But is that going to stop me from trying to find it? Nope. Like almost every passion for every person, one will never be satisfied. There is something more that we crave out of it, something more that we want, and for someone to STOP PLAYING COLDPLAY every frikken time that drive to or from a place of remembrance or vivid thoughts. Then again... I like how it destroys my concentration every time they come on. No matter how many times I hear them all the sorrows and pleasures of the past flood in; but I digress…
With the acceptance that I will never be able to find this perfect car to last me a lifetime of joys and pain, I still can’t help but think about what may be. I have been fumbling though the idea of designing my own chassis and using a donor car to make it a reality, but that costs a pretty penny. The option is still there though, and who knows with some fancy CADD work it can lead to something incredible. Is the perfect car, a car? The other option is to take off a thousand pounds of and a couple wheels and build up a motorcycle. Would a motor on 2 wheels give me the pleasure that a car can give? If I am looking for a weekend rider and a mountain cruiser it works, but there is something to love about the car lifestyle. After all motorcycles are for lazy cyclists… so why wouldn’t it appeal to me, heh.
Well I have just been to Jersey and back, so let’s get back to the concept of my original point. If there is a perfect car out there what would it be? There was one idea for the possible future car that I left out from the above, and that it has to be fit. While I was an obese kid, driving around in a fat car was easy. The FC is the fatty, touring car of the Rx7 bunch. However now that I am in a much fitter state, and looking to further that, I need something that reflects that. After all, if the hipsters are getting a bit tubby in retaliation to our amazing president Barrack Obama, I am going with him in the pursuit of fitness. This idea taken from an article in the NY Times; ()
I am a rotary kid at heart, and really want to keep it that way. But finding a car that fills this requirement really puts a lock down on the possibilities; thus I will put that as a secondary thought.
If I may, I am going to finally start throwing some concepts out.
Strangely enough the first on my list doesn’t follow any criteria that I have for this project. The Subaru 2.5RS is fat, quite large, the chassis is loose, there really isn’t much room for sartorialism, and the class of the car is only tied to either the dirt or asphalt.
None-the-less I really like this car. The idea of deciding to turn off the road and take the road never traveled on is quite fun. To further its point it is non-turbo, which will forever make the traditional Subaru tuner pout a bit. The only issue is that it will only be a track car; rather it would only be fun when pushing it to the limit. This car will always hold a place in my heart for one image alone. When I was, oh, 17 or so, Keiichi Tsuchiya did a back to back comparison between the prototype bug-eye GD wrx and the GC wrx. The bug eye was faster by far, but the fun to be had with the GC was much greater.
Following the GC there is the classic, fantastic, and sleek lifestyle of the 240z.
This is one of those rare cars that fit so many of the criteria that is makes me sick. Since its birth it was an instant success in both the tarmac and rally courses. I had a chance to buy one a couple weeks back, but choose not to due to it already being modified to someone else's dream, as well as the rust that was prevalent. I may have well have missed out on an amazing deal, but it doesn’t bother me too much. There will be more. The 240z is a car that I could see pulling up, having a well dressed man get out of and no one would really question his decisions in life.
The only rotary powered vehicle that will be attached with this list is the 7 that started it all; The SA/FB Rx7.
I am drawn to this car for its engine, and what it did for rotaries. While I hate to admit it, the first generation Rx7 is much better car than its next reincarnation, the FC. Like the 240z, the first gen Rx7 is quite simple, and semi-purpose built. Even though I love rotaries this car doesn’t rank as high as the 240z. It may just be the lines of the car, but there is something about the SA/FB that doesn’t make it as beautiful, or appealing, as the 240z.
THE roadster that re-ignited the trend of driving a go-cart on the streets, the Mazda Miata.
While this car does have the stereotype of being a "chick car" it has a lot of things that make it quite fantastic. It doesn’t have the class of the 240z, nor does it have the presence of the GC; but what it lacks in both it makes up with overall fun. Another major plus is the cost of upkeep and modification will keep this car well below the rest; which is a quite neat.
These are also a group of cars that must be looked at as one. This is due to both their rarity, as well as their overall styling. The Austin Healey Bug-eyed sprite, Triumph Spitfire, Triumph TR6, and cars of the like; i.e. British Convertible Roadsters
These cars reek of class. Leather gloves, wood Nardi steering wheel, white scarves, some driving goggles, and a picnic basket. Even though these cars are reeking of class they also reek of wiring issues. This is a small price to pay for what happens when you sit in one of these cars. There is also another lingering factor that I have yet to test... and that is do I fit? Am I too tall to fit within these tiny cars? If worse comes to worse there is nothing that you can’t fix with some cutting and welding.
If any of the few of you that actually read this blog, can think of other cars that would possibly fit into what I am looking for don’t hesitate to make suggestions. But lets make them reasonable, while it would be fantastic to own a Porsche 914/6, 928, 944, or Ferrari Daytona; there is a rare chance that one could find one for a decent price.
-till next time
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