Summer family a.k.a. racing buddies

Well its still winter and usually by this time of the season I am completely certifiable. However I did have the opportunity to see some of my summer family last weekend. While my parents were so lavishly enjoying their Fort Myers vacation on behalf of yours truly, I was enjoying cheap beer and nachos at Kristen's birthday party / housewarming party. (Matt and Kristen just moved into their new house. They have a surprising amount of stuff for a couple that just got married) So after 7 years of racing I realized I always engage in the same conversation...

Did you work on your car?
"No, no, haven't started working on my car yet..."

OMG Joon, what have you been up to?
Response to guys: "Dude, nothing much, you know, just fucking hanging out and shit."
Response to girls or wives: "Keeping busy, you know, just trying to stay out of trouble." I always try and curb the lude/rude talk.

Any question in regards to work, women, or setting me up with their friends is usually answered with...
"Please, don't ask" or "I have no idea" or "can we change the subject"

Without failure, these themes and conversations echo every off season. The familial I would have to admit is both comforting and disturbing but like racing I do cherish the consistency.

Weird in car video

This would be a driving instructor giving a friend a ride in a Spec Miata racecar. I guess the word that comes to mind is spaz. Someday I'll give a ride to some beautiful woman and she'll either throw up (motion sickness is common) or spaz out. Either way she may become a lot less attractive. My usual speech to passengers is "don't grab the shifter and if you feel sick please say something." I have to admit instruction in the year 2000 is easier with these nifty radio's we put in our helmets.

I'll be an uncle someday.

Haven't really been able to blog between working and packing up all my shit. I can't decide if I want to bring as little as possible or EVERYTHING. I suppose some congratulations are in order as by this October I'll be an uncle. I'm very excited for my sister as she'll have the opportunity to mold an innocent little baby in her image :) I know my brother in law is freaking out right now as these types of life changing events make him spaz out. No kids for me for a while as I need to grow up and not be a kid having a kid ;) Thats why being an uncle is great because you can have fun with kids and not have that permanent, ominous responsibility hanging over your head.

Secret conversations of car show girls

"How long do we have to keep smiling?"
"Wait, the photographer is changing memory cards"



"I wonder what Gallardo means?"
"I don't know but you look really hot in that dress."

Someday this will happen to one of us...CHRIS!!!

Guys, who is the person this will most likely happen to? Substitute the RX7 for a green Civic :)

Couples comments about Chuck Stickley

No bashing here as I am just jealous how much power his car makes. You can see him jumping in front of the Watt's car at the start and then you can see how he just gets caught in all the technical section's. I would say Andy is carrying about 25 more MPH in the esses than Chuck. I think Chuck spent over $50K on his motor.

Oh dad...

My father has some odd taste in cars. I suppose I get some sort of influence from him as the first new car I remember him buying was a BMW 325 back in 1982. Prior to that we only had one car since my mother didn't work. I think it was a 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlas Supreme Wagon. My father at the time was still working for a Korean company and working in New York City. Then came what I like to consider the "dark ages" where he was into cars from the UK, I would say the majority of the late 80's until 2000. A couple Jaguars and Range Rovers later, about a zillion dollars to fix them, and meetings with countless tow trucks, he's back to german cars. Since 1998 I would say he's been obsessed with Benz G-series SUV's. Right now my mom drives a GL450 which I honestly have to say isn't such a bad truck but it's no boxy G500 with goofy chrome light gaurds. So since the G-series has been retired here's his new fav. I think it looks like a Subaru Forester.

I'm mental, seriously

This is an off topic discussion but I have a friend, she lives in Boston and we typically find ourselves talking about odd subjects for a few hours at a time. Somehow we get on the subject of brushing teeth and I admitted I like to leave the water running. For shame, I know, I know, but I never really gave it much thought, just something I like to do, bad habit, what have you. So as it was late already, minutes later, I find myself brushing my teeth. Here is the messed up part, I couldn't do it without the sound of the water. I was mentally unfortable with it. I'm looking at myself in the mirror going, holly shit ! Like that moment when Paul Dano aka Dwayne realizes he's color blind in Little Miss Sunshine.

So I email her back and share my lament but I have a plan! I'm going to record the sound of the water and play the sound of that sweet, sweet water while brushing. Problem solved!!!

Shit, another set of wheels for the Coupe !!!

Yes I got another set of wheels. I think I have a problem, sorta like a girl with a jewerly fetish. They are 19 inch BBS RS-GT's that used to be on an M3. I just couldn't pass up the deal. They have a little curbing which bothers me but whatever. So that makes 6 sets of wheels. Maybe time to loose a couple sets before I run out of garage space and people think I'm crazy. I'll take some pictures as soon as it's safe to bring them out of hiding :)

Okay this is what's really cool...

Aston's V12 Vantage RS concept car. 600+ HP, 150 pounds less than the V8 Vantage. How did they do that?

Sounds really weird but given the color and size of this $200K GT, I would let my wife drive it. I mean look at that lady in the white dress? Don't tell me she's not imagining herself ripping across English countryside. I'm still stuck on station wagons and M Coupes.

I didn't think it was so cool until...

I thought the revention was too expensive for a "unique autosport" type LP640 until I saw the dashboard. This car now fulfills all my unresolved Top Gun fantasies so I guess this car is okay now in my book.

2007's over !

As I move into the new year I think we have a lot to be thankful for. Kimi won the world championship, I managed to win my National event, a few of my good friends married, my brother-in-law graduated from grad school, the bimmer didn't blow up, I didn't get run over by some idiot on my bicycle, and I started my new job. So here are some of my predictions for 2008...

#1 Patriots (boo!)
#2 Kimi will win again
#3 The Audi will blow up
#4 I'm going to get sick of my $4000 bike and buy a $6000 bike
#5 Google will climb over $850
#6 OMG Hillary over Giuliani (there is still time to immigrate to Canada)
#7 The GNP and newly elected President Lee will attempt to pass 10,000 bills to build roads and energy companies in North Korea where billions of government contracts will conveniently be awarded to either his families companies or companies where he owns massive amounts of stock. The "if you look like a duck" adage is appropriate but hey, no one cares in Korea anyway.
#8 There will be about 10 live action movies based on manga.

That's all that I'm sure of. The rest of the year of course will be full of political unrest, celebrity break ups, and who knows what?

For all you drivers in "I want to rally" dreamland

You know who you are !!! Just watch and set yourself straight.

Better than Ninja Warrior

These videos speak for themselves...funnier than my mom playing Wii Tennis:

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