Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

The first real pictures of Subaru's 2015 WRX STI were leaked last week before the Detroit Auto Show (which starts tomorrow).  There isn't much known just yet, though Subaru will be live streaming their press event, here.  Now to explain the title of this post, which at least gave me a chuckle...

• Something Old:  There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth about the looks of the new STI from NASIOC to The Car Lounge, this is par for the course for most new Subaru models though (the 4th gen Legacy and BRZ being notable exceptions to this rule).  Most of what I've (other than the Corolla jokes) seen has been that it looks like the current Evolution.  I can see how some reach that conclusion, but in my opinion looking a bit closer I see styling cues from the GC8 WRX STi.  I think this is especially noticeable in the front fascia turn signal and foglight area, the headlights and grille while not direct cues seem to be evolutions of the past designs.


• Something New: Like the new WRX, the 2015 STI is riding on the all new Impreza platform.  The early impressions from the major car mags and websites about the new 2015 WRX have been incredibly positive.  Like the STI models before it's only logical to assume that Subaru will improve and sharpen the already impressive handling even more in the 2015 STI.


• Something Borrowed: While the forthcoming 2015 WRX is using the FA20 DIT, it has been confirmed in leaked dealer pre-order docs that the STI will have a 2.5L engine.  The last time I checked Subaru doesn't have a 2.5L variant of the FA2x DIT engine, unless it's a very well kept secret.  While I'm sure that one is the works, I'm crossing my fingers that Subaru uses a variant of the EJ25x engine until the new engine is ready.  Hopefully one that shares the bottom mounted turbo location first seen in the 5th generation Legacy.  Silly me, but with a lack of aftermarket turbo options I'm hoping that a Legacy inspired turbo placement will result in something that I can use for my 5th  generation Legacy GT.


• Something Blue: The first pics of the new 2015 STI are in World Rally Blue Pearl with gold wheels (a timeless combination in my humble opinion), I've got nothing to really add here.  The definitive Subaru color on the new top model, yeah it's just right.

Stop Me If You've Heard This Before

The first full week of the 2014 wrapped up yesterday.  I'm thinking that it isn't too late for me to get my resolutions in for the New Year though.  Last year was a busy one, especially with the arrival of little one number three.  Hopefully this year I can slow things down a little and get more done.  Well here's my list of resolutions for 2014 and with the exception of the very first one these are in no particular order.

• Spend more time with my family:  As I mentioned in my intro to this post my family grew in 2013, I now have two boys and a little lady (five, two, and new as I like to say).  I have to admit this little guy was a surprise, but I'm very glad here's here and healthy.  Spending time with two was interesting, but a third is definitely game changing to me.  It isn't enough just make sure your kids have the clothes they need, that they're fed, or if they even have the toys they want.  These little people are going to need more individual attention and I since they're children I'm certainly going to need to work on my patience.  That means more exploring neighborhood "mountains", putting together new Lego creations, or just the two of us Cars & Coffee outings with oldest son.  It also means not scratching my head when my little girl introduces me to her Doc McStuffins or Minnie mouse doll for the 50th time or if she falls down the princess rabbit hole hard this I suspect some tea parties may be in future this year.  I'm cool with that, besides I really like tea.  At about 2-months old my youngest can't really do much other than eat, sleep, and look cute.  He'll be up to more this year as he gets older though, tummy time, just hanging out on dad.  Other than the "no sense of time" thing infants are a joy to be around and it's going to be an interesting journey to see the little person he grows into and just how different he'll be from his big brother and sister. 
  
  In addition to more individual attention, 2014 means more family outings.  More trips to the Smithsonian, National Zoo, the National Aquarium, more trips to see nana and grandma, and figuring out the logistics of our annual Spring trip to NYC for the NAIAS (now with 3-kids in tow).  When we're just around the house, family cooking time should prove to be entertaining and memorable as well.  It's not just my kids that need more attention this year though, I'm very sure my wife would appreciate some more time this year.  From doing more with the kids and around the house to addressing a lack of date nights and just one on one time away from the kids.  Make no mistake, we love our children, but adult interaction is necessary to maintain one's sanity.


• Blog more: I started blogging last year and was doing it pretty regularly for a while.  Then work and some life events caused mute to slow down quite a bit.  I really like blogging though; it's a great way to get one's thoughts out.  From baking/food, gaming, and definitely cars I plan on being more active at my Bake | Game | Drive and becoming a more active contributor at Tunergy.  In addition to being more active, I'm going to start making my posts public.  I thought about this for a while last year and it was nice sharing things with my friends and family.  This year I'm going to put it out there and see what those on the interweb think.  You know, perhaps there are others out there interested in baking, gaming, driving/cars, or even all three at the same time.  At the very least it should make for an interesting year.


• Bake something new: I baked a few new things last year, my first loaf of challah, a peach pie, and a few new cakes.  This year I plan on finally tackling some more difficult items, specifically pastries.  From croissants to turnovers it's going to be fun learning some new things.  I think I'll add some new bread to the mix as well, perhaps some honey wheat and maybe even focaccia.  I'm also going to try to improve at cooking as well this year, after all cakes and brownies don't make for good dinners.


• Install some car parts: I collected a closet full of parts for my Legacy last year, wheels and tires, Bilstein dampers, a strut brace, and a few other things.  This year everything gets installed, hopefully once the weather gets nicer.  With a properly modified suspension I believe it'll difficult to wipe the smile from my face after spending some time driving (provided I'm not stuck traffic).  If things go well I may even be able to get a Stage 1 Cobb tune in this year as well.


• Work through my game backlog: I have a very serious backlog of games to work through going as far back as the Sega Saturn.  I've been slowly working my way through my 360 catalog and this year I'm going to make a dent in several platforms.  I'm trying to hit the big series titles (Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, and etc.), quirky downloadable games (Mark of the Ninja, Sine Mora, and etc.), and some classics (Phantasy Star II, Castlevania: SOTN, and etc.).  In between all of that I'll be trying to get my fighting game mojo back, build a respectable PS3 library, find that "ah ha" game for my oldest son, and even explore a return to PC gaming.  It looks like 2014 is going to be a busy year for gaming in my home.


• Catch up on some TV: With little ones around a lot of my TV programming involves three channels; Nick Jr, Disney Jr, and Sprout.  Spending more time with the kids should tire them out bit and allow us to reclaim our television.  I've already started working my way through Firefly (which is way over due and required to keep my status in certain communities), but there's plenty of NCIS, Community, and Key & Peele to catch up on as well.


• Get the house painted: We've been in the house coming up on two years and I feel like we still haven't really made our mark on it.  However, we did pick out colors, small furnishings (accent rugs, a coffee table, and the like), and even have all of our drapes.  Other than my youngest son putting a slight and unexpected spin on the kids' bedroom situation everything else is ready to go.  This year we make it happen even if it's a room or a floor at a time.