Gave the E-M5/OM 50/1.2 combo a little workout on Saturday. This time I
tried to find a lighting preset that was brighter than most - out lights
still suck for photography. Oh, well. It's still a bunch of white guys
who really know how to play the blues. The last 4 are new ones:
http://zone-10.com/tope2/main.php?g2_itemId=5407
And then there's s short series of photos of my baby, my almost constant
companion for the past 13 years, my 2001 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS. I was
originally going to get a new WRX a couple of months back until Sheri's
former employer decided that I really didn't need a new car after all...
bastards.
Meanwhile, she's finally starting to show her age, and I can just feel
the beginnings of some more maintenance issues that I really don't want
to spend any more money on. And a guy I know who's just as fanatical
about Subarus as I am has been after me to sell her to him for a year,
so I finally gave in. He's going to clean her up, fix whatever needs
fixing, and he's going to have fun with her now. It's rather
heartbreaking, but I know she's going to a good home.
That was my first new car, ever. I ordered her the way I wanted, not
the way everyone thought I should so the resale value would be higher.
Screw that. I'm in it for the long haul. I'm buying the car for ME,
not for some other guy a couple years down the road.
After 13 years and 194,000 miles, I can confidently say it's the best
car I've ever had. Truly feels like an extension of me on the road. I
know exactly what she's going to do in a given situation, and Daphne's
as sure-footed as they come. Full-time AWD coupled with a really low
center of gravity and the Kumho shoes she's been wearing since the
relatively crappy factory Bridgestones wore out has made for a car
that's been an absolute blast to drive, no matter what the weather. And
I've shared the story about the high-speed 360-degree spin here before.
She's still ours until Thursday evening. We're down to two 2-seater
Hondas for now, and Thursday is Sheri's mom's 95th birthday and we're
going to try and take her out for dinner. After that, I sign over the
title and my friend gets to take her home.
I'm sure there are those of you who view cars as simply an appliance, as
utilitarian machines to get you from point A to point B. I'm not one of
them. I really love driving, and driving in a spirited fashion. I've
worked hard at being fast yet smooth. I've watched hours and hours of
top sports-car and racing drivers to learn. Practiced, practiced,
practiced, even did some SCCA parking-lot solo events. For me, a really
well-designed performance car adds another level, brings excitement and
joy to the act of driving. I know that at least Ken understands.
Especially in light of the fact that there isn't a brand-new WRX sitting
in my driveway to take her place right now, Thursday is going to be a
very tough day for me. And even then, if I did have one, the designers
at Subaru have completely, totally, lost sight of what made the Impreza
look so freakin' cool. The bulldog stance, the face, the overall
lines.... the photos I've seen of the 2015 WRX that debuted at the LA
auto show last month look like every other boring vanilla
Nissan/Toyota/Honda/Ford/Hyundai sedan on the road. I suppose it's a
blessing in disguise - as long as the drivetrain engineers haven't lost
their mojo, the fact that the body designers are now all a bunch of
soccer moms just means when I do the spirited driving, I won't be
attracting any attention to myself....
http://zone-10.com/tope2/main.php?g2_itemId=2907
--
Paul Braun
Certified Music Junkie
Valparaiso, IN
"It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever." - David St. Hubbins
"Music washes from the soul the dust of everyday life" - Harlan Howard
--
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Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
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