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So yes, we sold the green machine. After much searching, arguing (yes, because my wife and I both love cars and driving, we argue about them)… we finally compromised with the… drum roll please… A 2008 Mazdaspeed 3.

Why we chose this car:

• 4 doors
• Under $25,000
• It’s a hatchback like the green machine
• It can fit a huge baby stroller plus ample room for groceries
• It can comfortably fit a baby seat in a rear facing position
• It’s fast (260hp 280tq)
• It’s a limited edition so it should maintain its value well
• It handles well

So far, I’m really happy with the car. I’ve fit tons of baby stuff in the car for our new baby room and from our baby shower. I’m still breaking it in with a couple hundred miles left, but I’m already getting 24-25mpg on average! Sweet! And the car handles oh so awesome.

Now here’s the question… what do I name it?

I am still being impressed by this car that impressed me a month ago, and the month before that, and the month before that.

I <3 you, Nissan.

So I was doing my daily rounds of reading blogs and on Jalopnik I saw the released pictures of the new Dodge Challenger. And was immediately let down.

I’ve been keeping a mental note of how American car companies seem to half-ass their designs. They seem to be doing a lot of throw back style cars where they make a new car look like their classics, which in itself is kind of lazy I think but it’s not such a big deal to me because that seems to be the trend with a lot of things. If you can bring back Cabbage Patch Kids and Transformers, why can’t you bring back the Mustang? The problem is the way these companies seem to spend much time on creating nice detail… nice lines here and there that are reminiscent of the classic car yet modern and artistic… then you get to the rear end of the car. What happened??? Did you guys just get tired of designing?

The new Dodge Challenger has been doomed to the same fate:

Nice.	Nice.	Nice.
WHAT THE!!! The Delorean doesn’t look any more modern than this thing.

Here are some other sad examples of what I’m talking about:

I just picked up some M-Sports carbon fiber canards from Mr. JDM Rice Tang @ SIX Autoworks. I can’t wait to put ’em on!

I’ve been waiting for some time now, collecting more and more parts so I can go back to see Jim @ Sleeperz and get it all painted! Let’s see… new aero, paint the wheels a new color, paint the hood, my mirrors, and I’m not sure… leave the canards alone, or paint them red?

For the sake of posting another embedded video on my journal, here’s a video of Nadine and I drifting tandem:

Drifting Pretty had a banquet last Sunday to celebrate it’s 4th year and to celebrate all the women who have been involved with the program. It was really great to see the camaraderie and the friendships that have been created over the years. Looking back at all the hurdles the girls had to jump through to get where they are now really reminds me of the same hurdles that Drifting Pretty as an organization has had to jump through. There were some growing pains but the organization has really grown into something that embraces goodness and generosity. Goodness… generosity… drifting… what the heck! It sounds too good to be true!

I’m really proud of all the girls who have had such a great attitude this year. You’re really getting what drifting is all about… it’s nothing more than a plain old hobby just like bowling or knitting… but there’s nothing better than a hobby that you love where you can make life long friendships and help people do the same. I’m really glad that I was able to take part in it all.