Detrich

@loren> i pulled the trigger and picked up a new full-suspension mtn bike from REI outlet. they had extra 20% off so it was like 50% off the full price. i'm stoked. it should get delivered in a week or two...

just heard we might be having a 2nd wave of lay-offs in january.... sigh. dunno if i'll survive it this time around again? lol... i need $ to buy my motorcycle dammit.. hahahah. well, we'll see i guess.

have a great weekend everyone!

scremn8

weekends are made for wimps.
so i guess im the biggest wimp
there is cause i cant wait for the weekends
to come now

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

Good to hear gerry, they did have some great deals. i was contimplating some stuff last night as well but didn't pull the trigger.

Detrich

yah... even with the 50% off, it's still kinda pricey for a full suspension. =( well, the way that i rationalized it to myself is... i've been riding my $80 target piece o' crap for almost 6 or 7 years now... lol and, i think i got my money's worth out of it... my main concern for this novara is that the bike will be too big. but REI said they'll take it back if the sizing isn't right. the size chart said medium is for ppl 5'6 - 5'10. and, i'm 5'6, so i'm hoping it will fit. (they ran out of small size ones.)

TGIF michael! lol

Detrich

p.s. did any of u guys goto the LA Auto Show? i've been twice already...

man, i was so taken by the red e92 M3 coupe and the red X6 M at the bmw booth... they look absolutely beautiful- well, up until u look at the price tags... <sigh> lol

there was a security guard there talking to me while i was looking at it. and, he's an off-duty LAPD officer with a sense of humor... he told me not to be too mesmerized by the red M3, because everything we heard about cops and red cars is totally true... hahahaha.. but, he said he loves the red M3 too, so i guess it's not only me... =P

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

Gerry, you're such a bimmer fanboi!

I haven't been to the show yet but I'm going this Sunday to check it out.
Anything else exciting that I should keep an eye out for?

kwescott

well, bulls are attracted to red...and you can often hear people say that cops are bull-headed....maybe there is a connection there.????

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

keith: did you see the Steelers game last night?

Detrich

ugh, the Steelers are sucking so bad now, i'm embarrased to be a fan! >

the Lexus LFA was really nice, as was the bmw concept. wasn't too impressed with the volt or verj... hyundai's luxury offerings are looking more japanese... the rx-8 r3 is also a repeated show stopper.

no nissan this year. no inifiniti. no ferrari. also no lambo. the new porsche sedan gives fugly new meaning.

i also liked the Cadillacs a lot as well- esp the cts and cts-v...

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

twice already, with so many pull outs i saw no reason to go, it turned out that galpin motors brought their own cars just so astin martin could have a pressence (or what ever exotic they were replacing). I have to say if i were to get a big car and no money were an option (excluding interior) i would get the X6, but besides that BMWs are alright.

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

GERRY
Yeah i saw that the Navaro was the only full suspension bike in the sale. It looks really nice! I think i paid $500 for my cannondale hardtail back in '96 and it too has been worth every penny, that bikes has so many scares associated with memories and all i have replaced are brake pads, tubes and tires. But it does need a complete overhaul. That is why i have been eyeing a new for a while now, just not on the top priority right now (it coast $2000+)

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

foootball is fun to watch but it is sad sometimes since there are only a few games that the good team does not neccessarily win, unlike other sports where there are multiple games against one team, a flop can be overcome. I just wish college football could have a playoffs system.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

didn't watch any hockey today, I was at the LA auto show.

Gerry: that bimmer concept car was ugly as f#@k

Detrich

well, it was nice to see the cowboys lose... the ny and philly game was a fun one- tho ny's offense just is too wobbly for them to win. i like that the philly offense is rotating in vick with mcnabb. it's a smart strategy- considering they are both so good. if the steelers had done that with dixon all season, he might've been better prepared for the game against the ravens, which they ought to have won....

u didn't like the Lexus LFA jorge? the bimmer concept definitely looks "out there." but, it didn't immediately strike me as being completely ugly- just really different. obviously the transparent panels were a bit weird. there weren't that many interesting concepts. subaru had one with the vertical doors. but, it wasn't too exciting either. honda's "p-nut" had a funny name...

yah loren- the novara system is the one i got. last week they had add'l 20% off to make the already discounted price down to around 50% of the regular price. i'm a bit worried the sizing might be too big- it said Medium is for 5'6" to 5'10", and i'm 5'6". but, they said i can try it out when it arrives and if it's too big they'll take it back. so i got my fingers crossed. but yah- really good mtn bikes run thousands of dollars. i'm not hardcore enough to spend that kind of money on this hobby. but, i figure any bike few hundred bucks is better than my $80 Target bike... lol :P

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

Sorry GT5 / PS3 owners / lovers it is not good news, but what is new. At least Amazon still says March 31, 2010.
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/14/g...-2010-release/

Forza Monday?

kwescott

Didn't see any other games other than my Patriot-Panther game. Patriots played horribly, but the Panthers are so weak right now, even a poor performance ended up being enough.


Forza Monday, yeah, we can try out some multiplayer....but if you don't have a strong garage at this point, it will be very frustrating for you.

If you have some credits built up, I can let you know which cars to get so that you have something to use.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

Gerry: upon further consideration I think you're right. It's not that the bimmer was THAT ugly it's juts that the REAR end of it was. It looked like it had some retarded mustache thing going on back there.
The front was nice and the clear panels were 'out there' but I don't see much that bimmer can take from that concept and actually work with.

so how was everyone else's weekend?

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

W E T ... and i was sick.

I guess i shouddl be playing more often now keith to build up my garage, i jsut down have the time right now.

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

being sick is the perfect excuse to sit in front of your TV and play video games ALL DAY.

Detrich

yep yep... i wanted to go snowboarding this weekend, but didn't have chains. but, i went to pep boys yesterday, and i am set for this weekend i think...

it's weird. i've gone like 4 times already (still learning), but i still get a bit nervous going down steeper slopes. i know how to link my turns and i have no problem controlling the board. but, i often just get nervous when other ppl are barrelling down the mountain... i guess just need to practice more... anyone else gone yet?

where do u usually go mtn biking loren?

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

I ride every weekend, usually one day on the road riding and the other is on the mountain. but in this weather I want to join you on the slopes, just dont have that kind of dough . Maybe go once or twice this year to big bear and maybe a few times on Wenesday night to save cash at mtn high. Although Palm Springs always has good weather for mtn biking.
-(i go above my house / ceasars house / keiths house, there are some good fire roads and sometimes i will go to marshall canyon in la verne / san dimas)

Jeorge I spent the day downloading and organizing music, I am setting up a MP3 player for my sister. I want to put a movie on it but i cant get the format to work. i trying ripping a DVD from various programs but it was copy righted, so then i downloaded the movie (Top Gun) and converted it to MPG4 and it still won't play it (it is a philips player). Any suggestions?

I also went through all my music and got rid of duplicates and bad music (12+ gigs takes a while) so my mp3 player will be up to date.

Detrich

yah, boarding can get expensive if u don't have your own gear and if u buy lunch at the facility. i bought a $65 "200-point"lift ticket from mtn high that usually lasts me 2 or 3 trips... i have my own board and gear, and i also bring my own food (sandwiches, soft drinks, chips). so the other than the price of the ticket, it's just the cost of gas really, and not too bad...

speaking of movies, i always have problems importing Disney/ Pixar movies. i started buying the ones with digital copies nowadays, because they make it so hard to put onto your iPhone otherwise... the format that i usually use is *.m4v with Apple Universal format, which compresses the image quality so that you can watch it both on a 20+" size ciomputer monitor or on the iPod screen... a typical movie is about 1.2 to 1.5GB... U can also rip just for mp3 player image size to reduce the file size, but those look all pixelated on the computer screen...

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

Cool BMW story...Caddalics challenge!
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/14/c...gets-pat-on-t/

Detrich

wow... awesome story!

the autoblog folks also forgot that the CTS-V is a mid-size sedan and more in line weight-wise with the BMW M5... well, i guess it's a moot point. the M3 dude kicked ***. i guess spoiled rich kids that have a lotta time to burn on the track are good for some marketing after all.. hahahahaha

the tail lights on the 3 series sedan are so fugly to me... dunno why they didn't just use the coupe's tail lights across the line. i actually am really not liking the new creased hood paneling bmw is using on all their new lines... it's so hoakey- ie kinda like how when the batman suit got all gayed out by the time george clooney doned the suit.

sometimes less is more.

kwescott

building a garage is critical for online play....at least 2 to 3 cars in each class. 1-grip, 2-medium track less grip, more power, 3-high power car for the long tracks.

I can get you cars for B and A right now....but these are the tunes and paints...you would still have to purchase the car and purchase/apply the tune.

For B, I am currently using the 69 Nissan Z, the 2002 Toms MRs and the Lambo Diablo. I have other cars I enjoy driving in that class, but those would be the 3 I would start with.

For A, I am using the Porsche 997RS and 69 Nissan Z,...I havent' found my favorite high speed tune, but have one from my team on an 02 Trans am.

What is nice about FM3, is I only need one copy of the 69 Nissan Z, as you can apply tunes while in the multiplayer room, so I don't need multiple copies like we were forced to with FM2.