gamesmanship

Rockstar Games, over the last ten years or so, has earned my respect -- and my dollars because well, quite simply their games are awesome.  I'm a big fan of the Grand Theft Auto series of games and have played every one since GTA III.  So it'll be no surprise that I eagerly anticipate the next one in the series, Grand Theft Auto V.  This one will be returning to the fictionalized California/Los Angeles area known in the GTA universe as San Andreas/Los Santos.  No release date has been set yet, but Rockstar occasionally releases a trailer or screenshot to keep the hype alive.  So far it looks phenomenal and has me excited about playing it as soon as it comes out.  It doesn't hurt that recently on the Rockstar blog they've released a number of screenshots with single word titles for the entries.  If you haven't figured it out, I'm a big fan of the single word title.  Check out the blog entries/screenshots here:

Leisure.
Business.
Transport.

So it's going to be a while before the game comes out and I am wondering if I should pick up something else to play in the meantime.  My gaming sommelier Ken has suggested I pick up Sleeping Dogs, a Square Enix title that started out as True Crime: Hong Kong and underwent some rebranding and renaming.  It looks pretty fun as well and has what I have always been wishing for:  an open sandbox type crime game set in Hong Kong.  I've been a HK noir film fan for many years so this may be right up my alley.

determination

I have been agonizing over my next car purchase for a while now, but I've finally come to a decision.  For a while it was trying to decide between the Scion FR-S or the Subaru BRZ.  I actually went back and forth on this a few times.  Then it was time for perhaps an even more difficult decision, choosing what color to get.  I had narrowed it down to either World Rally Blue or Satin White Pearl.  Both look equally awesome and I think for the lines of the FR-S/BRZ the brighter/lighter colors come off better than the darker ones.  In the end, I chose the WRB BRZ Premium 6MT.

Unfortunately, this is not my car.  But this is what it will look like.  I snapped a few shots of this one at a recent car meet at Blox Racing in Fremont.  Seeing it in person, ultimately helped me make up my mind and confirmed that it is indeed a pretty awesome looking color for this car.  It's also the signature color for Subaru.

So why am I taking/posting shots of someone else's car, instead of mine? Well, I don't have my car yet. Subaru is limiting the production of BRZs to only 6000 cars this year. At the moment because this car is so new, the demand heavily outpaces the supply. Most of the local dealerships in Northern California are all sold out, or have pre-orders and waitlists filled until 2013. Those dealerships that didn't take pre-orders are for the most part  severely price-gouging when their cars come in, marking up the price of the car by $4,000 or more.

 

 So what to do?  I started reaching out further and further, to places like Redding, CA and Reno, NV.  And eventually caught wind that a dealership in Colorado Springs, CO was actually offering some great deals.  They, unlike everyone else I've talked to in the Pacific NW region, are selling BRZs for less than MSRP.  No markups, no sneaky tactics, no unwanted addons.  Almost too good to be true.  I fired off a few emails with questions and made the plunge this week, putting down a deposit for a an order to get a BRZ just the way I want it.  They say my car should arrive in 2-3 months.  So now it's time to wait patiently yet again to get what I want...

...

Well, seeing as it's going to be a while, how's about I share a few photos of some of the models I ran into at the show.  Enjoy.

knockoffs

The new 2013 Porsche Boxster features a new design, and while it's quite attractive and a great update to the iconic Boxster style, it does look a little familiar to my eye... what it is?  Somehow it looks like it may have borrowed a few styling cues from... the lowly Toyota MR2 Spyder?

Porsche Boxster

Toyota MR2

What,  you don't see it?  In the shape of the doors and side vents, and in the shape of the headlights?  Maybe it's just derived from the common shapes that all mid-engine sports cars tend to share.  Or maybe it's an attempt on my part to justify somehow keeping my little MR2 instead of trading it in for a sexy, newer model like the Toyobaru.  Certainly as more of the new Boxsters start to hit the streets, my MR2 will look a little less passé.

stewardship

Windmill palm

Believe it or not, work on the exterior landscaping is still ongoing... some six months after it began.  It has been worth it though, as the back patio, side entrance, and front walkways are starting to look incredibly awesome.  There is still some work remaining, but we hit a major milestone today, having received and installed most of the major plants and trees.  The patio and walkways were looking pretty barren these last few months with no greenery, but now that we've got the plants in it actually has transformed into an amazing tropical themed paradise, literally overnight.

Our plants came from various sources, from the highly corporate Home Depot and Lowe's to Costco to the local gigantic wholesaler called Devil Mountain Nursery.  Princess V really took the project to heart, merrily zipping off to various locations to pick up plants in her Scion tC hatchback.  The tC has continued to amaze us with its versatility and hauling capacity.

Some green friends ready for planting!

Sago palms and other tropical looking plants

Mediterranean Fan Palm

The other amazing thing I've witnessed is V's newfound devotion to procuring and tending to all the new plants we've recently brought home.  It has certainly been a substantial investment to obtain all these plants, and simply on that basis it behooves us to take good care of them.  But it's been remarkable seeing how motivated she has been in scooting around town looking for the best plants to build our dream garden and being all into things like drip irrigation and fertilizer.  Let's hope she sticks with it and helps our garden flourish into a nice tropical retreat as time goes on.

passing

Carroll Shelby

1923-2012

Race driver, sports car builder and all-American automotive legend Carroll Shelby is dead at 89.  Father of the Shelby Cobra, the iconic Ford GT350, and plenty other fantastic amalgams of sheetmetal and horsepower.
For more of his life story and tribute, visit Autoblog:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/11/carroll-shelby-1923-2012/

The newest production Ford Shelby GT500 was recently unveiled, and it offers an unprecedented level of performance-for-the-buck.  $55K, 662hp, and the ability to go over 200 MPH.  Just wow.
http://www.leftlanenews.com/new-car-buying/ford/shelby-gt500/

Speaking of over 200 MPH, one of my favorite Shelby stories is actually a comedy routine by Bill Cosby, entitled, appropriately, "200 MPH".  "Oh wow look at them PIIIIIPES!!!  Coming out of the car, oh wow!"  Worth a listen if you're either a Shelby or a Cosby fan...