(Or you need more overlords, if Starcraft is your thing.)
It's a 2005 RX8 with a 6 speed manual, the Renesis 6 port rotary engine, and one of the most awful head unit arrangements known to man. We picked it up Tuesday.
It's not quite a station wagon or a truck, but the selling point of this sports car was that it could nearly do the station wagon schtick with the rear seat down. The other being my pregnant wife can easily get into the back seat. It's amazingly roomy back there. It's quirky too, and that goes a long way for me.
It's also got the 50/50 weight distribution of the MR2, weighs less, and puts out more horse power stock. Technology seems to have marched on. Then again, comparing a 20 year old car to a newer one is a little unfair.
Did I mention my wife wants to take on the payments of the car now that the BMW will be paid off within the week or so? Yah, she's awesome.
More of a ramble than a focused post, but I thought I'd share a few things.
Here are some planets I made and painted along with one of my brother's creations and paint jobs. In the far back is a MinbariSharlin I painted in like, 99? It looks alright, but my painting has come a long way. The planets themselves were completed this weekend and are a testament to my improved skills as I did a lot of wet shading on them (a fairly complex technique). The picture was taken by my camera phone (blackberry). For it not being its primary purpose, and given the complexity of this particular photo, I'm impressed with its picture taking ability.
I never did mention the trip to the dealer to get the brake fluid flushed on the beemer. The car has an on board diagnostic/nagging computer and mentioned that it needed to be maintenanced without being clear what it was. Obliged by the free service the warranty offers, I figure I'll just take it in without knowing what it really needed.
They even threw in a loaner 2009 330i just because a brake flush inconveniences me. Did I ever mention going to the dealer is like a certain toiletry related phrase from the Matrix:Reloaded?
Turns out that treatment changed the moment they realized the warranty expired. And it did. No longer was I the prodigal prince feasting on baguettes and coffee. I was now some Curr in a dirty 'old' car. I went ahead and paid for the obscenely expensive brake flush but I doubt I'll return because, aside from the loaner car a la gratis, it was a typical dealer experience. Besides, I researched how to decipher the car anyway.
Never did mention our trip to Peru either. I really don't have much to say. It was fun. They kept me liquored up on Pisco Sours nearly the entire trip. And Guinea Pig tastes somewhere between fish and beef with too many bones to make it worth your time.
Before
After
MachuPichu was pretty though.
Here is the mountain across from it at dawn. It was fairly breathtakingly pretty.
You can actually see the morning sunlight rise across the mountains in the span of a minute.
High altitude sickness is a pain. Though, thin air altogether was an engaging experience. It started as a headache that I blew off as weak sauce. But it progressively got worse despite my constant attempts to ignore or alleviate it till the pain was so sharp I was vomiting. I threw in the towel at that point as no amount of coca tee or mental fortitude overcomes the complete disarray of the physical form. My body was giving up despite myself. Playing in that cue, I had to order oxygen from room service which was not only free, but expected. Something like 3/4 of the tour group had to ask for it. We would eventually go into even thinner air (13,000ft) that made breathing a minor problem. You just have to pace yourself, but it takes awhile to get used to taking 3 successive steps and feeling like you just jogged a mile. Sugary candies help to some degree as well as apparently some of the problem is the body's lack of metabolizing agent at those altitudes and overloading what ability you do have helps. I'd eventually adapt completely, but by then we went back to sea level where, I kid you not, it feels like breathing pea soup. This sea level air is almost painfully thick by comparison.
Some natives that invited the tour group to their fairly remote island on the Altiplano.
Random Llama photo.
And lastly the bus ride of death to the top of MachuPichu. There's barely enough room for one bus to go down that rough rock road, but frequently these drivers channel the force and manage to send two. It's terrifying stuff, particularly when they're careening into each other with slipping brakes and nary a guard rail to amend. Just ask my wife. I'm sure she could re-enact my exact "Airplane" style emergency crash position.
