A Better Daily: Introduction

As a car enthusiast I would love to have a track toy, say a 2ZZ swapped MR-2 Spyder with KW V3s and some RPF1s.  A ride with no compromises, dedicated to weekends at Summit Point or a local autocross.  However, having two little ones this won't be a reality for, well a while.  When the time came for me to find a new family friendly ride almost a year ago I really only had two main criteria, it had to be fun and my family had to fit.  My list was pretty short, I tried out all of the usual family sedan suspects but the Legacy GT was the only real contender out of that group.  I have wanted a Legacy GT since the BL9/4th gen, but with my daughter on the way it was just too small.  The BM9/5th gen addressed my space concerns and offered all of the performance on the previous generation.  This wasn't without compromise though, as it's very difficult to argue that the new 5th gen looks better than the car it replaced.  Other than the B8 A4 there wasn't a single offering from any other brand that offered space for the fam, a manual transmission, AWD, and turbocharged performance for similar money.  Though I would have thoroughly enjoyed Audi's excellent fit and finish plus the amenities, the BM9 offers better performance and ultimately more potential. 

Modifying my Legacy has always been part of the plan, but it wasn't until recently that I was able to get this ball rolling.  I only have a few goals in mind, to improve on the handling (it's a bit floaty stock) and some more go all while retaining all the aspects that make the Legacy a nice daily driver and great car for my family.  Being an all new platform I can't say there was much inspiration to draw from initially.  However, the JDM only Legacy GT tS was released and I found what I was looking for.  I started slowly with some aesthetic modifications, tinted the windows 40% and partially smoked tail lamps (I have some other small things planned as well).  Those things being done it was time to turn my attention to the suspension, specifically better rolling stock and firmer suspension components.  I've decided to go with a plus 1 wheel fitment, specifically a set of Enkei GTC-01s in 19x8 wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza S-04s (245/40-19).  Thanks to Sonny at the Tire Rack for the going the extra mile with this special order.  Ruling out a set of KW coilovers, the next logical selection was a set of Swift springs.  These will provide a modest lowering while firming up the handling nicely.  Since the stock dampers aren't up the task, I have pre-ordered a set of Racecomp Engineering's Bilsteins for the BM9 Legacy GT.  These have been a work in progress for about two years so this is an exercise in patience.  After everything arrives (it seems like most of these parts are months away) it's time for a trip to IAG in Westminster where they will put everything together with some Whiteline swaybars (26mm front/24mm rear) and bushings, plus a STI flexible strut brace topping things off.  Well Rome wasn't built in a day, but it certainly feels good to be one the way.

Taking delivery last March

Challah Back

I completed my second attempt at challah today.  Thankfully other than needing to get this braiding down there weren't any technical issues this time around.  Since there was much less flour used for this loaf I think that it will be even better than the first one.  Notes for next time, I think that making two loaves is the way to go since one turns out to be so large.  Also, for my third go it may be time to try some add ins (I've heard good things about chocolate chunks).  One thing is for sure though, I know the fam is definitely looking forward to french toast for breakfast tomorrow.

U R Not E

Sony revealed one of the worst kept secrets in the gaming world at their event last Wednesday evening, the PS4.  As a gamer the announcement of any new console is something that I'm going to have to opine on.  Although I realize the current generation of consoles was getting a bit stale (especially the Wii), I really wasn't in any hurry to grab a new system.  In regards to the PS3, the system has taken quite a while to hit its stride if you will.  In my opinion this is due the 360 simply being the better console for multiplatform titles, a better online experience in Live, and a convincing number of solid exclusives.  The PS3 is far from being without its merits though.  Exclusives like the Uncharted trilogy, Ni No Kuni, God of War Collection, Little Big Planet 1 and 2, Heavy Rain, and some others make the system a must own for any serious gamer.  For the money PS Plus is incredibly novel since you get an interesting selection of "free" titles every month or so.  Additionally it is still one of the best bluray players available.  Oddly enough from what I've seen from Sony's presentation it doesn't seem like they have really built on many of these strengths, yet.  The PS4 hardware sounds very interesting though, x86 based hardware and a PC style architecture should definitely eliminate the issues developers had with the PS3.  The new Dual Shock 4 seems a bit underwhelming and honestly looks a bit odd to me.  I guess placing a touchpad in the middle of a controller is the answer to a question that was never asked.  On the positive side, even though you can't play PSX-PS3 discs on the system Sony is promising a streaming based solution which on the surface seems interesting.  I am also intrigued by being able to play PS4 titles on a Vita.  This definitely seems like a hail mary to save the floundering Vita, but I think it may be good one especially if Sony lowers the price of the system.

All that being said, nice hardware is not much good without good software.  After all, games are the reason gamers purchase any console.  Sony quite frankly did not show any games that I care about or even found interesting.  I am pretty meh on the FPS genre so a new Killzone fell flat on me and the other titles shown did not do much for me either.  Drive Club?  Where was a next gen Gran Tourismo?  I will admit though that the list of 3rd party devs on board is impressive, so I'm guessing Sony will show more software the 2013 E3.  Overall, I'm sure most will agree that it is nice to know another next gen offering will be available this year.  Other than no games that got my attention and a suspect controller I don't think Sony made any real mistakes in their PS4 press event.  I can't speak for every gamer, but I have a healthy backlog of games to work through across multiple platforms so I am relatively sure unless there is a serious must own title I will pass on the PS4 until next year.

Oh yeah, extra geek points to those who get the post title.

Can I Challah?

Well 2013 has been here for a little while now and like most people there are a few things I wanted to try in this new year.  One of my goals for this year pertains to one of my favorite hobbies, baking.  I can do cakes, pies, tartes, cookies, rolls, muffins, and all manners of bars from brownies, blondies, and etc.  This year I wanted to add some more advanced items to my baking repertoire, specifically croissants, turnovers, wheat bread, focaccia, palmiers, and challah.  As of yesterday evening, despite some slight technical difficulties, I made my first loaf of challah.  Like most recipes that I've made for the very first time it isn't perfect, I need to work on my braid work and I won't even talk about the butter.  However, the bread is cake like in texture and slightly sweet and that is what I remember most about the challah that I have tried before.  I will definitely be making more loaves of challah as my time and baking resource permit, trying to get this classic bread just right.  Oh yeah, even with my rookie level braid work this challah makes for some awesome french toast.

Challah French Toast