MexicanDragon

Ross Perot, former Presidential candidate and eccentric billionaire, dead at 89. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48927718

Bought some steaks the other day. NY Strip and Ribeye. Cooked one of each tonight the Serious Eats way (cool side of grill covered, finish on hot.) Not bad. May try sous-vide with a grill finish for the others.

This is a bummer, though another "he was still alive?" moment. João Gilberto, dead in his home in Rio de Janeiro at 88. https://www.spin.com/2019/07/joao-gilberto-bossa-nova-dead-at-88-obit/

> Think that pretty much sums it up.

Happy belated Thursday!

Heh, I already talked to Sam about this one. 414hp 6cyl is the exact same output as the e9x M3's V8, but in an even more athletic package (700-750lb expected weight difference.) It's 33% less than the 911 GT3 with only about 17% less power. Looks fantastic. I actually like that yellow/orange (not quite sure which it is). Sam, Spring delivery; seems like you'll have plenty of time to sort out what's going to head out.

Nice, Jose! The Ginger Avenger and I went with Xavier (aka Half-Mexican Dragon) to our second mtb demo day in as many weeks. We hit up Pivot today and took out a Mach 5.5, Mach 6, and Switchblade, respectively. Some of the best climbing mtbs I've been on. However, we did have the Biscuit Boy special on hand, just in case.

Had a long weekend, and randomly started watching The Wire. I've never seen it, but I'm ~15 episodes in and loving it. I've also started watching Letterkenny which is a pleasant surprise. I'm a couple seasons into that as well. Was funny enough after randomly sitting in on an episode that I watched 3, then went back to beginning to start it. It's a nice palate cleanser coming from The Wire. I also am interspersing with a pinch of How I Met Your Mother as I went to show a friend something from an episode, and then it just started playing, and I watched more of it. Time for 3 more episodes of The Wire at 4am as I'm attempting to stay up the rest of the night.

I was asked to have a biscuit for our neighbors to the north before their baseketball game.

@cetoole would be proud!

I mean...

Oh, I would never advise anyone to get an Audi that was not going to have a new, CPO, or some other extensive warranty. I've Loved Audi for a long time, but one bad experience and it's been determined that the family's anxiety is too high to risk being in an Audi without a warranty. I don't see myself looking at really you needing an Audi, but an RS4 Avant has been one of my dream cars.

Seems you're heading in the right direction. When are you looking at S5s, being disappointed, then looking at RS5 and thinking "that's closer, but..." And then checking out a used R8 and smiling for the first time that day?

Love it, Jeff. That was quite the upgrade from the previous build shown in your pics above. Clicking through the old pics, the teardown/rebuild, and then seeing the pics of the new place, I'm really happy for you guys. I was just thinking I haven't had a biscuit in a week or so; perhaps that helped?

Hey, idk what you're talking about (since I'm technically at work...)!

Don't worry, you're second in line See? Just because Bryan retroactively ordered this years ago, in expectation of the need for a Focal rig, and is first in line, doesn't mean you've lost your place in line!

*cough* @Aura *cough*

Loving that you've gotten back in the game, Knucks! I particularly like this one.

Colin made food. I ate his food. Supposedly it is called "buldak", and also referred to as "Fire Chicken." Soooo much better than whatever grawk posted above. https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/buldak

Glad you liked it! I figured for the $$$, it's tough to beat. There is also the e46 M3 route, which are a blast, and N/A. You could get a lower mileage one for half the cost of the M2, and a smaller fraction of a Porsche. Also, there are plenty out there that have been Turbo'd or S/C'd. You wouldn't love a stock exhaust note, but if you wanted to tinker, I wouldn't discount it. I'd consider a later model (04/05), with the ZCP (Competition Package), you know, if you wanted to look. Also, @shellylh has an M235i, and I think she'd tell you that she <3s it. I love that car in Alpine White, btw. Is it an M2 Competition? (That's what you'd want to look at.) Edit: M2 vs M2 Competition weight - M2 is 55KG lighter. The M2 also has a different engine, and 365HP vs 405HP (single turbo version of M3/M4 engine.) Especially if you consider depreciation, it may be worth looking into used/CPO'd M2 (think 2017). https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-comparison-tests/a26910664/bmw-m2-vs-competition-quick-drive/

Binge watched Catch-22 a few days ago. This was done by George Clooney, and while I didn't think it captured it quite the way I read it, I thought it did an admirable job with the material. Now I'm going to have to catch the 1970 movie; I've heard good things.

A little more snug, but have you checked out the M2?

Mmmmmmmmmmm3s. So if you're looking for a bit older/budget cars, as drivers (and not collector cars, yet), the e90 (sedan) and e92 (coupe) are great. I'd stay away from the e93 (convertible) because, well, it's just wrong. These are the 414hp V8 engines that you seem to enjoy. I haven't driven one in a while, but I did get to autocross an e90 M3, and it was a blast! These ran from 2008-2013, I believe. The reason you're having trouble finding an e90 is that there were about 4x as many e92s made as e90s. Luckily, they are *typically* better cared for. The F80 (2014-2018) is when they had the controversial split of M3 (sedan) and M4 (coupe.) They are doing odd = sedan (3/5/7 series) and even being coupes (2 (previously 1 series; we didn't get the hatch in the states, sadly)/4/8). Wondering about the 6 series? Yeah, uhmmmm... 5 door fast back, so, yeah... it's just a 6? The F82 is the M4. The F80/F82 have a few different trims over the years, going from 425-450ish HP, with turbo 6 cylinder engines. There is a competition package, and later a CS (Club Sport) package, which get you in the higher HP ranges. If you want to talk M stuff, LMK. I'm on tons of groups, and I see plenty of things for sale. I'm happy to help you keep an eye out for a nice e9x/f8x.

Right!??!??!? I've been shown that multiple times, and it's just brilliant.

Heh, thanks for all the birthday wishes, guys. Started the day off working til 9 am, took a Nyquil-enhanced nap, got woken up and hung out with fam and the pupperz, ate some pizza, got another nap, and now back at work. Stayed away from thorn bushes/bikes/things with wheels. As tradition, due to crazy/busy schedules, we'll probably go out for "birthday dinner" in about 2 months I think I'll have to order some CAKE.