Random Ramblings after a good weekend

Just some random thoughts from the weekend at home.
This weekend I came home from school to presumably go to the Chicago Autoshow, ref a few hockey games, and just visit with family and friends. The first night, I reffed my old team with my friends on it... Lots of fun, had to call my first fighting penalty and game misconduct. And then remind my buddies who, along with me, were the closest things to a goon on the team, that I played on the same line with them... I know what to look for, when to look for it, and who to look to do it. Made the game nice and clean after that.
Next day we went and got the BMW out of storage (it was snowing) and got new tires on it (unfortunately all seasons... I don't know why.) What a joy to drive. I got in it, and felt like a million bucks. Afterwards Mom, Dad and I went to see a friend playing guitar at a restaurant. Here is a tip: if you read the menu and they're selling a panini for 9 dollars, don't go there. Incredibly mediocre food, highly priced, and I could have made a better sandwich for 50 cents. But, I'll go to support a friend.
Sunday, the day I was supposed to go to the autoshow, the weather report looked... awful. No big deal, its the weather, I'll just change my plans. After all, they call it mother nature (unpredictable and often with violent moodswings) and father time (always rational.) I decided that I would rather be driving back in the rain than the icy/sleety/wintry E36 M3. So, I traded the SAAB out for the BMW convertible and undauntedly plundered on. Got back safe, car ran like a champ.

Some ponderings from the drive back in the rain:

• RainX is awesome. No need for the wipers unless I was going slow. Also, the wipers on an E30 kinda suck...
• The new Mustang is just awesome.
• I want cruise control. Mostly for the gas mileage. There was a specific point--roughly 64-- where I could get the car to get about 37-38 MPG according to the MPG meter they have. A little hard to keep it precisely there for extended periods of time.
• E30's are just awesome. This one in particular just makes me happy driving it. And, I got it up to 95 MPH, with a lot of pedal left and it was still pulling hard. Not bad for a 20 year old 4 banger.
• berkeleying potholes.
• Hopefully, all the rain will have washed most of the salt away, and any that I got on the car.
• Is it weird to dry your car off after you get it into the garage?
• When I finally get a Miata, I want a hardtop for the winter.

I also had a good one, took the wife to a great restaurant, Friday night, then we stayed in a very nice hotel, with Jacuzzi (bow chicka bow wow). Next morning we went to DeBrands chocolates (spent a ridiculous amount of $), visited a great wine store (didn't spend enough $), then on a whim stopped at a Mercedes dealership, an hour later my wife drove her new 02 330xi home from the stealership.

Damn that was an expensive whim.

I have a very happy wife and 16 year old son in the house right now.

aussiesmg wrote: then on a whim stopped at a Mercedes dealership, an hour later my wife drove her new 02 330xi home from the stealership. Damn that was an expensive whim.

Dad did that once. He ended up with this: With the panoramic sunroof. The thing (the sunroof) was HUGE.

I also had a good weekend... first a-x of the season 80+sec course

spent Sun getting the car ready for a PDX at CMP next weekend

yea

I also enjoyed my weekend. Spent two whole days working on the Supra, went to a movie with my girlfriend (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief), read GRM and Racer cover to cover, watched a couple episodes of 30 Rock season 3, and I am currently watching a Netflix rental (Gamer...this movie is EFFED...yet still conceivably plausible)

oh, and it was 65 degrees and sunny all weekend.

I found a great looking E46/M3 coupe. I havent bought it yet as it is a little more than I want to spend, but I might yet.

I hiked around on snowshoes.

I had a good one too. Helped my sister de-louse a rescue racehorse, cooked a turkey, watched a couple of good movies and ate popcorn.

I cleaned my room and did laundry.

I started my megajolt install on the 2002. Drove the Mini on some errands, and even got a nice top down drive in the Miata on which I spotted and got to hear a GT-R (couldn't hear anything at all as it accelerated slowly in traffic when the light turned green )followed about 10 cars later by a red 308(or 328) (sounded much better), luckily I already had the music off to try to hear the GT-R - I was sitting a red light in the turn lane.

Made some good progress on my slowest-ever DIY kitchen remodel. Things are really starting to come together (cabinets and counters will be painted and back in one piece within another couple weeks), and I am almost excited enough about the final result to build up some more motivation and push through to the end.

Played with the kids some, watched Zombieland (dumb, but still pretty funny), wife decided to attempt her grandmama's chicken and dumplings recipe, with great success. So no matter what else happened, because of that last part it was a great weekend.

How can you call Zombieland dumb? Epicsauce!

aussiesmg wrote: I also had a good one, took the wife to a great restaurant, Friday night, then we stayed in a very nice hotel, with Jacuzzi (bow chicka bow wow).

I believe you meant Brown Chicken Brown Cow?

I worked
I got 85% through a bathroom reno
I watched Couple retreat
I cleaned up after the dog tracked melting snow mud into the kitchen

not a great weekend at the furious cylinder household, but I did get to go to lowes, Ace and HD by myself (no wife) once each, so that always cheers me up

Rain-X your shower stall.

After many hours and almost as many beers I got the new window lift installed in the 4-Runner's tail gate. Pallbeared at a funeral. As we were leaving the chuch the organist breaks out into the Notre Dame fight song, picked everyone up a bit.

Dan

This one went pretty well here... I pulled the M20, trans and diff out of the E30, cut off the frame rails in front of the subrame, degreased... fabbed up new motor mounts and triangulated the shock towers. Got drunk, went jogging and played with the kids (not all at the same time)

Next weekend... I need to beef the subframe, make an alum birdcage to hold the nose on, fab a trans mounting bracket, shifter rod, paint it and stuff the new S52, ZF & 3:64 LSD in there. I probably need to make some sort of exhaust too (and a more realistic schedule).