New Stuff

Celebrating - Romero Britto

After 12 weeks, we finally received our Romero Britto print from Park West Gallery. We got it at our Honeymoon cruise and we have been expecting it with anticipation.

Backyard project continued (The Mulch).

After the first part of the project was finished, then came the mulch. It's quite different, we like it, but will take sometime getting use to.

Before	After

See more pictures: {flickr.com}

Backyard project

Massive pulling of weeds this weekend. We decided enough is enough and the plant life in the back of the house was getting out of control.
We hired a couple of teenagers to do the hard work. :) After six ours of pulling and tearing you can see the results.

Before	After

See more pictures: {flickr.com}

She said "I Do"!

On January 1st, 2006 "She said YES!" and now, on April 28, 2007. She said "I Do!"

The ceremony was in the Sunken Garden at Como Park Conservatory in St. Paul, MN.

Z4 M Coupé

Goodbye to a good friend, my E46 325i. Hello to the new beast, a Z4 M Coupe!

Born on May 11 and delivered on May 30, you can see it here coming off the transporter right after traveling during Memorial Day Weekend.

Configuration: Color Interlagos Blue, Black Interior, Carbon Leather Dash, 8 way power seats with memory and Heated Seats. That is it, everything else is standard.

Specs:
Powertrain: S54 3.2-liter, 330-hp @ 7900rpm;I6; rwd, six-speed manual
Torque: 262-lb-ft @ 4900rpm
Curb Weight: 3230 lbs
Top speed: 155mph (limited)
0 TO 60 MPH: 4.9 seconds (claimed)
Fuel Milage: (EPA COMBINED): 19.6 mpg
Torsional Stiffness: 32,000Nm per degree !!

Picture Gallery:
Z4 M Coupe pictures

Reviews:
AutoWeek
SPEEDtv
Edmunds
Wheels24
Road & Track (video available)
Terra(en español)
Sport Car International magazine

She said YES!

Under the New Year Eve fireworks and light show at the Happiest Celebration on Earth, she said YES!

Foyer Light

Installing this light was a pain from the begining. The design is just plain silly with screws that are very hard to get to. On top of that, reaching the light was hard, but we got it done.

Before

After

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Dining Room Light

We finally got rid of that poor excuse for a light that we had above our dining room table.
The new light is simply fantastic, elegant and simple, with a satin nickel finish and nine light bulbs.

Before

After

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This is me during the installation trying to determine the correct height for the new light.

Before		After

2005 Fall BIR

Marie and I went to Brainerd International Raceway (BIR) over the weekend. We had an fantastic time and unbelievable nice weather for MN in the middle of October. The high for both days was in the mid sixties with mostly clear skies.

This was my 4th time driving at BIR but it was only Marie's first time at a racetrack. Marie was, understandably, a little apprehensive driving her automatic 4 cylinder Honda Accord. This was a North Star BMW CCA Chapter event, so a lot of BMW driving around and a fair share of Porche, WRX and others.

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However, as the week progressed, Marie's smile widened and her skills improved. If we had awards for "Most Improved Driver", Marie's was it. She consistently got into the triple digit speed going into turn one, handled very heavy braking going into three and was ready to move over to allow faster cars to pass after turn 9.
She now knows what her car can do, and more important what she can do. She is a lot better prepared to deal with unexpected situations that require performance driving while on the streets and freeways. I feel so much more relaxed knowing that she is safer as a result.

Me? Man, that 91 318is is FAST! With help from my instructor we found some different lines around turn 4 - 5 and for turns 7 - 8 - 9. The car is much faster now through those sections of the track. I was also able to increase my exit speed out of 10. We were able to walk out into the track on Saturday afternoon, after the track went cold, and go examine turn 10. The perspective from the ground is so different. The turn is very wide, long and with some banking. Touching the texture where the material was repaired (the black patch) and the regular track material was educational. It is easy to see how the black patch can be slippery in the rain.

I love my little red car and I cannot wait to go out on the track again next year.

OktoberFAST 2005, Elkhart Lake, WI

I'm at Road America again with Badger Bimmers. This time driving my E30 318is for the first time at this track. So much FUN!
I had a great first day, nice weather in the high 60's, a good instructor and a trouble free day. I got along pretty well with my instructor, Paul Leeder. He signed me off after the second session, which was very nice for me. My little E30 is pretty light and without the extra (weight) passenger it really makes a difference.

(more pictures to follow...)

[Posted with my trusty Treo]

I'm at Oracle OpenWorld 2005!

This year, OpenWorld is a huge event with around 32,000 attendies and a total of 40,000 people. It includes vendors, providers, as well as PeopleSoft, JDEdwars and Oracle users from all over the world. It's being hostend at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA

[Posted with my trusty Treo]

Mud Room is painted

We finally painted the mud room. It used to be plain white, a little dirty since it was the original paint. We used a light brown color, Poplar Island, from the Ralph Laurent collection. Since it's a high traffic area we decided to use Duration Home by Sherwin Williams wich will make it easier to clean and maintain since it can be washed.

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About Duration Home

Patented cross-linking technology makes Duration Home so revolutionary that it resists household stains better than any other interior paint.

* Stains can't penetrate the surface
* Most spots wipe away with water
* Clean without leaving shiny burnish marks
* Even matte finishes can be washed

With Duration Home, your room will stay as beautiful as the day it was painted.

Outdoor Karting in Cokato,MN

I did some Kart racing at Stockholm Karting Center. This is a very, top notch facility. The karts are in very good shape, the track is nice and wide with elevation changes.
I undertand there are races just about every weekend during the summer. They have a showroom, where you can check out a lot of kart gear and the latest Intrepid model karts.

[Posted with my trusty Treo]

Marie is homeless!

It finally happened. Marie is now homeless (but she will soon be co-owner of my house). We closed on her house in Chann. today.

How is this for weird coincidence? The person that bought her house is the same person I bought my house from in 1998. It's such a small world, I mean, what are the chances of something like that?
At any rate, I'm extremely happy that she's now stuck living with me. Ha!

The Ultimate Drive®

I took part of the Susan G Komen Foundation Drive For a Cure

For the ninth year, the Komen Foundation is partnering with BMW to raise funds to support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment initiatives as well as to increase awareness of the importance of early detection. The Ultimate Drive� program features two cross-country caravans of 18 specially-marked BMW cars to take the Komen message to the streets of America. Guests are invited to test drive the vehicles to raise money for the Komen Foundation at BMW centers across the nation. For each mile driven, BMW contributes $1 to the Foundation.

]]> Task: Drive a BMW car from Park Place BMW in Rochester, MN to Sears Imported Autos in Minnetonka, MN

The car I was able to choose was a 2005 BMW X5 4.4i SAV. A nice ride, no arguments. A lot of space, many fancy and cool features, a huge panoramic sun roof, leather (of course), automatic, etc... Would I get one? Not really, but that's just a personal preference.
I drove down to Rochester with my friend Rob S from the BMW Car Club, we got there at 3:00pm Plenty early to pick out favorite rides, right? Think again. The two available 6 series were taken, 7 series take... the choices X3, X5 and Z4. I opted for something I didn't see myself buying, an X5.
After a small lunch/dinner, an a short meeting e departed Rochester close to 5:00pm
Arrived at Minnetonka around 6:30pm and then the shuttle took us back to Rochester to pick up our cars. Yeah, I know... lots of driving. I ended up getting home a little after 10:00pm.
Was it worth it? Of course!