Looking Fine, gals..

Meaning of Life

What is the meaning of life?

This has been an unanswered question on my mind for the last couple of years. Not to sound too much like a philosopher, but while each one of us is different, we are all the same.

Everyone's life consists of one thing, that being routine. We all lead different lives, but we always follow a routine. Whether that routine be going to work, or to school - it makes no difference. After a while that particular routine gets boring and as a result you try to change it. You know what I mean - take a different walking route, go to sleep a little earlier or even listen to different music.

I believe I passed that stage long ago and now I don't even try to change my routines to improve my life. I see life as nothing but routine (some good, some bad), but don't worry, this isn't some pathetic cry for help. I enjoy my daily activities.

Odd way to look at life, isn't it? Yes I guess it is, perhaps it's far to deep. Do people even think like this?

Today's Updates

What does today's updates consist of? Well, for starters - I'm nearly recovered from a bad cold which has restricted me to my computer chair for two days.

Rush announced tour dates and none are in Vancouver. One show in Seattle and Oregon and then they skip Vancouver and go to Calgary (lived there one month ago..) Pisses me off, but there is the chance of getting tickets for the show and flying down to Calgary. It's not a very high chance though..

Lastly, I've been working with different video developer systems and have created this video to hallmark some of my favourite gals. Enjoy!

BTW, as I right this, it's 3:38 AM. Been a long time since I've done anything like that.

Weekend Video's (#2)

Today's video update. Enjoy =)

Rush - Driven (1996)




Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me) (1985)



Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick, shortened version (live - 1978)

The Making of Paragon

The making of Paragon, Neil Peart's signature cymbals by Sabian

Methyphobia?

"What! You're how old? You've never been drunk? What in the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

Any of those sentences and/or words are something I hear frequently from my personal friends as well as my fellow forum users. Surprisingly, most people are cool with it, but the question remains: Why do you not drink?


The number reason I do not drink is because of something called - Methyphobia. For those not familiar with the terms, it means to have a fear of alcohol.

As far back as I can remember, "this stuff" has always been a fear of mine. Although, I suppose the next question to ask is, what is there to be afraid of?

Much I say. My first issue with alcohol is that it has proven many times to alter people's actions. I like to be responsible for my own actions, which is something I know certain individuals have troubles with when they are drunk. I do not want my mind clouded, I do want to do or say anything that I might regret.

Now I realize drinking a beer doesn't automatically make you irresponsible, or a complete drunkard - it's just something I want to stay away from. The thought that my actions might result in someones death (perhaps a car accident) is a terrible thought. Let alone, damage to my own personal vehicle. I want to be in control of myself, 100 % of the time.

The second part of my "fear" regarding alcohol use is the fear of addiction. I fear that by touching an alcoholic beverage that I will generally become used to it, and that will eventually lead to a dependency of it. As the general public would already know, being an alcoholic isn't a pretty situation. It leads to depressive states, uncontrolled anger, constant lying and even, suicide.

All of the above make up my "Methyphobia". In fact, the same general fear applies to drug usage (which is precisely why I've never used any)

Sorry for the short post ;) There isn't much else to say. For anyone who is a drinker, please note my post is not meant as an insult. If you drink, that's fine with me, but you'll never see me with a drink in my hand.

Cheers

Love is in the Air...

Kate Beckinsale Van Helsing Interview - The best free videos are right here

Exclusive Exotics! What Exclusivity?

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Ahh, supercars? What could honestly be more entertaining and cooler in the world of the automobile? Nothing I would imagine – that’s why a supercar is called a “supercar”

What is a supercar? Well I suppose it is a vehicle which is expensive, powerful, fast and exclusive. That last part, “exclusive”, is that true? Well perhaps that’s not to so anymore, because these “exclusive” supercars are becoming less and less exclusive as more manufacturers appear each year. Not to mention, the actual production figures set for these new generation of supercars is downright absurd.

I suppose you could say the birth of the supercar was with the Lamborghini Miura in the early 70’s, however that was at a time when the supercar market was small. In fact, it belonged to two companies, Porsche & Ferrari. Lamborghini was just a follower at the time but still, that left only three supercar manufacturers to purchase from. Also worth mentioning, none of these brands sold exceptionally well, with the exception of Porsche. Even then, over those 40+ years of 911 production, the Cayenne SUV outsold every single 911 made in those four decades.

The real market of the supercar started in the 1990’s when a hoard of new manufacturers appeared as well as a new generation of hypercars from the legendary Porsche, Ferrari and now Lamborghini. Porsche’s offering was a homologation special called the 959, powered by a 2.8 litre Boxer 6 cylinder developing around 450bhp.

The 959 truly marked a new era for supercars, not only in terms of speed, but technology. In fact, no car at the same time had anywhere the same level of technology, and even by today’s standards, it’s one of the most complicated vehicles ever built. The 959 featured computer controlled AWD (new to Porsche at the time – purposely made for a 959 made to compete in the rally world), a self leveling suspension with an adjustable ride height, sequential turbochargers, and an advanced body design with a 0.31 CD. By the time the 959 went out of production (in 1991 – I think...) Porsche had made a little under 300 examples. The biggest problem with the 959 project was that because the 959 was so expensive to make, Porsche lost a ton of money on each and every 959 sold. So then it goes without saying – the 959 project was a failure, in terms of gathering money anyways.

At the same time, Ferrari had developed a supercar commemorating their 40th anniversary, the F40. This 478bhp supercar didn’t have anywhere the technology of the German wonder, but it was a far greater success for the supercar world and Ferrari. Originally, Ferrari had planned to make just 300 vehicles, but the orders kept pouring in and as a result, a total of 1,315 vehicles had been built by the time its production stopped in 1992.

The F40’s success had sprouted a new root among the supercar world – not only was it a great success, but it was the first time an exclusive supercar had been made mass produced. Adding to the F40’s glory was the fact that it was the first production car to hit 200mph, and in 1988, the F40 could sprint to 100mph in under 8.0 seconds.

Once into the early 90’s, Lamborghini revealed a successor to the Countach, called the Diablo. Even British manufacturer, Jaguar, wanted a piece of the action and revealed the XJ220. Originally a concept car, to be powered with a V12 hauling an AWD system, set for a new goal – 220mph. By the time the XJ220 had been officially made available to the public, it featured neither a 12 cylinder nor an AWD drivetrain. However, it did feature a 3.5 litre V6 derived from Jaguar’s racing program and to squeeze some extra power, Jaguar installed two turbochargers. The end result was an astonishing 542bhp! (far more than the 959 and the F40) While it never reached its 220mph goal, it did reach a recorded 213mph (making it the fastest car in the world until the McLaren F1 arrived)

As for production – Jaguar had not planned for the XJ220 to be F40 popular, and like the 959, a mere 300 were produced.

By the time the mid 90’s arrived supercars were arriving at a new peak. In this year, Porsche released yet another homologation special, the 993 GT1. However, this time Porsche was much more careful and stuck to 25 vehicles (the required limit by the racing association)

1995 was also the year when Ferrari released their 50th anniversary car, the F50. This time, Ferrari had a very much different approach. Rather than modifying an older 8 cylinder, it was deemed proper to install a modified F1 12 cylinder into the F50. 4.7 litres, 520bhp – 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds. While the transformation from a forced induction V8 to a naturally aspirated V12 had its consequences (drop in torque for the F50, just 347lb-ft compared to 425lb-ft of the F40) the F50 was the first Ferrari road car to seriously focus on F1 technology for the road. While often criticized for being a step behind the F40, in terms of handling and power delivery, it was miles ahead. A total of 350 F50’s were built, making it a far less profitable vehicle than the F40.

Of course – the McLaren F1 should be mentioned. Thrown onto the market in 1994 with a price of a one million Euros, McLaren sold just 64 vehicles. The F1’s party piece was a 6.1 litre BMW 12 cylinder (with 627bhp) and with its lightweight construction it could propel it’s self to 100mph in 6.3 seconds. The F1 was also capable of 240.1 mph, smashing the previous record held by the XJ220.

The 2000’s marked yet another new generation of supercars with higher profitability and sales figures. In 1999, small Italian manufacturer Pagani joined us and in 2000, both Spyker (Dutch) and Engineering B (Italian) joined the fray. In 2001, a manufacturer called Koenigsegg arrived, Lamborghini released a new supercar, the Murcielago and in 2002 Ferrari also released a new supercar, called the Enzo.

Since 2000, the supercar world has been joined by a fleet of newcomers. By the time Ferrari’s production of the 360 Modena had ceased in 2004, they had sold over 8,000 units. In 2004 the world of the supercar was joined by Porsche again, but this time, Porsche made sure they would make a high production supercar that was guaranteed to make money. They succeeded and they weren’t the only ones, because Mercedes had a dip in the honey pot too.

Since its release in 2001, the Lamborghini Murcielago has already sold over 2,000 units and in just 4 years Lamborghini has already sold 5,000 Gallardo’s. Porsche rapidly sold out their entire 2004 Carrera GT production line. Originally 1500 units had been planned, but that was dropped to 250 units, however by the time production ceased in 2005, 1,275 had slipped out.

Ferrari sold out 399 Enzo supercars within a matter of months. The 400th Enzo was given to the Pope, and spawned off the Enzo was a car called the MC12, produced by Maserati which had the same 6.0 litre 12 cylinder as well as the same carbon chassis as the Enzo. 50 MC12’s were produced, excluding the MC12 Corsa (a trackday version)

Over 1,100 Ford GT’s were produced and over 1,000 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren’s have been made. You know what’s really amazing? Bugatti has already delivered 60 Veyron’s, and they still have nearly 80 other Veyron’s to build. I forgot to mention – they are worth more than one million Euros a piece!


The point being is the world of the supercar is no longer exclusive. Sure, 1,000 vehicles is rare, especially when compared to the volume sales of a Toyota Camry, but in all honesty, the rate at which these supercars are being produced has somewhat damped their appeal (in my eyes anyways) Supercars used to be rare and special – while there are still those certain manufacturers which do retain old school values and production (Pagani and somewhat Koenigsegg) many of the big companies have turned to a massive production line with big profits.

Of course, that’s how things go. This should be fully expected – but it still bothers me.

What also irritates me is the amount of models being released from these manufacturers. How many versions of the Gallardo have we had? I’d say too many – 2006 MY, SE, Spyder, Superleggera. How many Koenigsegg models? CC8S, CCX, CCR, CCXR, CCGT..

Weekend Video's (#1)

Some great music for you to listen to!

Firstly, someone was able to record Far Cry (Rush's new single from Snakes & Arrows) and insert it onto a backdrop of the album cover.

Rush - Far Cry (2007)



Neil Young - Heart of Gold (1971)



Frozen Ghost - Should I See (1986)

When Not Rushing?

Above: Canadian born, Tom Cochrane

Music? Is it not an escape from a tormented world, to a place where you cannot be bothered by anyone? It’s simply you and the music.

Actually, that’s dribble. While partly true is some people’s life, in mine it is simply a hobby. A big one at that, I consider music to be one of my greatest passions.

Now it’s obvious that Rush is my favourite band and as a result, they get the most playtime in my collection. Which I’m more than fine with, because with two and half decades of music to listen to, I never get tired of them. However, when those times arise when I must put Rush away, its bands like The Fixx, Tom Cochrane, English Beat and Dire Straits which fill my appetite.

I was born in the late 80’s and as a result you might think that I grew up on 90’s music. However, that’s not the case; I wasn't into Nirvana or Pearl Jam. By the time I started listening to music (can’t remember my age) I was pre-exposed to music from both the 70’s and 80’s. My dad had never lost grip of his favourite bands from those eras.

Anytime I went with a ride in my father’s car we listened to music from the 80’s. The particular bands which stand out were The Doors, Billy Idol & U2. Because of that, I loved Billy Idol (and still do today), but for the longest of time U2 was my favourite band.

You see, I grew up on both The Joshua Tree and Unforgettable Fire albums. While the Unforgettable Fire was a great album, The Joshua Tree was an amazing album! Timeless, entertaining and well written. Aside from the obvious hits (Where the Streets Have No Name, With or Without You & I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For) I very much enjoyed One Tree Hill and the powerful - Bullet The Blue Sky.

As 2002 approached my interest in music multiplied and I was introduced (by my dad of course) to bands such as The Police, English Beat, The Fixx & Tom Cochrane. The one thing all of these great bands shared in common is that they were at their peak in the 1980’s (more or less)

Therefore, it goes without saying that the 1980’s is my favourite decade of music. The whole electronic synthesizers and strange sounds might have been a turn off for some, but I loved it. Of course, that really depends on who has using this new age (at the time) instruments. Some bands made a complete hash of it and rather than implementing synthesizers into their music they quite simply replaced the guitars with them. The end result was a terrible squealing organ…

Thankfully there were bands which were able to mix those traits. Rush, was obviously one of them. They felt they had the utmost responsibility to keep their music original and stay modern, but not let the electronics destroy it. Therefore Lifeson’s guitar notes were not drowned out, neither was Peart’s drum kit (equipped with cowbells, gogo bells, an electronic xylophone and God knows what else). The integration was seamless and another band which did an excellent job with doing so, was The Fixx.

The Fixx did a fantastic job at adding synthesizers, but without destroying the rest of the music. On the subject of The Fixx, I should get it out of the way – they are my second favourite band.

I knew very little of them until I decided to pick up a greatest hits album based on the merit of “One Thing Leads to Another”. Amazing song to say the least, but the greatest hits album I purchased allowed me to further explore The Fixx’s music. How about Red Skies? What an amazing track – Cy Curin’s voice is so energetic. I can’t even explain the brilliance of this song, but if you like Red Skies and One Thing Leads to Another, check out: Deeper & Deeper, Less Cities - More Moving People, Sunshine in the Shade, Saved by Zero, Stand or Fall & Are We Ourselves.

It should be mentioned, while there were certain bands working to combine the new age pop technology with their style, there was a certain band who took complete advantage of it and developed a new style: The Thompson Twins. While the career of the TT was short, they did manage to squeeze two amazing hits out: Doctor Doctor & Hold Me Now. Both of which were amazing songs (and big hits!)

Both songs featured full out synthesizers with midi activated sounds, something similar to Rush, but magnified by ten.

So then, The Fixx are my filler when I’m not Rushing. Of course, simply leaving it at Rush and The Fixx would be improper because I love much of the music made in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

A complete list (I think..) of my favourite bands:

Rush, English Beat, Fine Young Cannibals, The Fixx, Tom Cochrane, Valdy, Dire Straits, U2, Gordon Lightfoot, Frozen Ghost, Thompson Twins, A-Ha, Yes, Pink Floyd, Men At Work, Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, Jethro Tull, Bob Dylan, Talking Heads, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver, The Eagles, R.E.M, General Public, The Police, America, Eric Clapton, Simple Minds, Neil Young, Elton John, The Who, Bread, Barenaked Ladies, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Tears for Fears, Moody Blues, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers & Crosby Stills Nash & Young.

Why, Why, Why?

She is why..

A Celebrity Obsession

Is celebrity obsession/worship unhealthy? According to a book published by one Oliver James, it is. It’s all part of a society disease, which Oliver calls Affulenza.

Should a person feel guilty for admiring a celebrity? I say not, but then again, I suppose I suffer from Affulenza. Although I should mention the book does not directly refer to celebrity obsession as having Affulenza, but if you read deeper you'll see it is a side affect of a materialistic world.

It’s no secret to the users of GermanCarZone that I have an obsession with a certain individual.

www.germancarzone.com - My user ID: 7.3 AMG

All of this is evident by my rather large picture & video collection of her, let alone the fact that multiple pictures of her were featured in my avatar.

Before we actually get to the actual individual, I must ask, haven’t items which are not available to you (for whatever reason), always more desirable? I’d say they are, because people fantasize about vehicles, homes and even clothing.

The individual in my case would be British actress Kate Beckinsale. Honestly, I am in love with somebody I’ve never met, but I shall try & explain why. What started my attraction for the lovely Kate Beckinsale was her looks. Actually the question should be, how could it not?

I think Ms. Beckinsale is one of the most gorgeous women on the planet and then some. Every little aspect of her. Her gorgeous eyes, her amazing lips and oh bloody hell, that amazing hair and I mean amazing hair. In fact I think her hair is one of the most attractive things on her. Whatever style – short, long – simple brown or blond streaked. I’m getting butterflies thinking about it right now.

Then there is her body, which to say the least is also fantastic. Her breasts are not overpowering (can breasts be “overpowering” – in my case, yes) Her arse is more than fine and then there is her side profile – I’m not sure what it is, but she has the most beautiful side profile I’ve ever seen. In fact, Kate as a package is every bit a piece of artwork as a classic Da Vinci Painting (sorry for being dramatic..)

Of course, regardless of how beautiful Kate is, if she acted like a ditz then I would blacklist her from my “dream girl” list. Thankfully, Kate doesnt portray herself in the public (interviews and what not) as a complete idiot.

Having viewed various interview clips I honestly believe she is a very intelligent woman, and to back that claim up, she went to New Oxford College where among other things she studied French and Russian literature. When she was in her early teens she won the British bookseller W.H. Smith Young Writers' competition. Intelligence and beauty, what else could you ask for?

How about a sexy accent? Actually, she’s got that covered too. Oh how sweet her English accent is. Like music you never get tired, perhaps something smooth and soothing from Simon & Garfunkel.

Overall, Kate Beckinsale is one of those rare individuals which makes me smile, at anytime. Whether I’m sad, or happy – she never fails to bring a smile to my face. Perhaps it’s her magnetic personality combined with those killer looks?

I’ll try to end this endless appreciation like this: sex is the last thing on my mind when I think of Kate.

New Album from Rush, Snakes and Arrows

Rush

What a hell of a ride it has been for the Canadian band, Rush. Seriously, the three-man band, consisting of Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart have now been together for 33 years (well ok, 32 excluding 2007). On May 1st, Rush releases their 19th album and it's called Snakes & Arrows

Perhaps a little history lesson for you (and I actually), on how I became such a big Rush fan. Well it was three years ago when I became hooked to Rush and I now set them as the standard in my music collection. I had heard the name "Rush" many times, but wasn't sure who they were. In fact, the reason I did not "find" them earlier was because my dad was not a fan of the band, and because much of my great music taste was adapted from him I trusted his word and ignored Rush. However I couldn't ignore them forever, especially when the radio stations kept playing Tom Sawyer. Over and over, and I couldn't get enough of it. Eventually, I did buy a Rush album, and that album was Moving Pictures.

Initially I had purchased Moving Pictures simply for Tom Sawyer, but I did end up listening to the whole album. One after another: Lime Light, Red Barchetta, YYZ, Witch Hunt... I couldn't get enough, in fact Rush became my favourite band after I had listened to this album. Boy oh boy, is it fantastic. I must be honest though, the only song I wasn't "sure" about was Vital Signs, I thought it sounded a little too ..what's the word? Fast paced? I don't know..

After gloating on Moving Pictures for months I heard another song on the radio, one called "The Spirit of the Radio". Wow, I couldn't believe how amazing this song was, especially with it's mix of blues, reggae and hardrock. After that, shortly followed Subdivisions, which I had purchased Rush - Gold to listen to. Through that album I was able to experience Rush's earlier music (2112, Free Will, The Trees) as well as the later prog-rock 80's tunes (Mystic Rhytmns, Time Stand Still and Force Ten.)

I feel as if I am mumbling..perhaps I am. It's not easy to explain my thoughts on this great band, all I can tell you is I've currently got nine CD's , as well as 1.2GB's of music on my computer from these kick ass guys. What most amazes me is that they have continued to make great music through all of these years.

Signals - Without a doubt, a fantastic album.

Grace Under Pressure - Skeptics step aside, love this one too.

Power Windows - Not as good as GUP, or Signals - but still amazing

Of course as time has passed on, I feel Rush's overall song list has declined. Some of the later albums (Presto, Roll The Bones) didn't quite have the same number of hits - but those which were hits were fantastic.

Anyways!

I've just listened to the new single, Far Cry on Rush's site (http://www.rush.com/)

Naturally, being a Rush fan for three years I think it sounds fantastic. It's amazing how many great songs Rush has produced over the last three decades, this is yet another great one. The general hard rock reminds me of Rush's 2002 Vapor Trails album and that's a good thing. One thing that dissapointed me about Vapor Trails was how Lee's voice was slightly "perfected", as a result it didn't seem that natural. Having said that, Earthshine was and is a fantastic tune (So is Secret Touch and Ghost Rider.)

One thing I have noticed about Rush's Vapor Trails, is that in my opinion the songs sound better live than they do in the studio. One can check out those songs live on R30 and Rush in Rio.

Anyways, sorry for detracting from Snakes & Arrows. The thing I noticed about this album (or at least Far Cry) is that Geddy's voice sounds more natural than it did in Vapor Trails. It's amazing in fact, proving the 53 year old front man still has plenty of talent and ability left. I can't believe I have to wait nearly two months for the album to be released :(

You know what's even more exciting than a new album from Rush? A concert tour for a new album! That's what they'll be doing very soon, a summer tour is planned and hope to hell they come to Vancouver.

Bravo Rush (Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee and Neil Peart) for 30+ years of great music.

Starting The Flame!

A blog eh? Well I suppose I have caught the "blog bug". Honestly, at first I thought they were a little silly. Now I see the benefit to such an item and this will be where I update daily happenings in my life.

In the next couple of weeks I will talk about my recent move to Vancouver as well as my favourite band (Rush), releasing a new album, my obsession with a particular celebrity, among many other things.

To kick this rubbish off, my real name is Bruce and I was born in Calgary Alberta, Canada in 1986. Currently living in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Cheers.