Car Fasion 07: September 2009

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

No hunting tonight

I have a bit of a sore throat and am therefore heading to bed early with a book. I hope to be back tomorrow with a shitload of gorgeous freebies ;-)
Cheers, Angie aka IkeaGoddess

Feast of St. Jerome

Painting by El Greco, “St. Jerome, cardinal”, c. 1587-1597

Today is the feast of St. Jerome!

He is a the famous curmudgeon of the bible - by which I mean, he is a Doctor of the Church, and famous for his translation of the bible from the original Greek into the vernacular of the day: latin. He was a noted scholar with a keen mind and a sharp tongue as well as gifted in languages.

'Saint Jerome and the Angel' by Simon Vouet, 1625

If he was alive today he, who knows how he might have put all our instant mass media to use....he was well known for his scathing letters and commentary on all sorts of goings on in the culture and even the church at the time. He was not a mushy feel good sort of guy, he was grouchy and reportedly ill tempered and critical, with ascetic leanings. Sort of like an old, holy version of a modern day James Carville maybe, but OH so so much better.

Painting by Joos Van Cleve, "St. Jerome" c. early 16C

And that's the thing that I tend to take away from St. Jerome. Not only is he the patron saint of librarians, students, school-kids, translators (and hey, I should be hitting him up for prayers daily, what have I been thinking?), archivists and so on. I think he just might be the ticket, the patron and go to prayer guy for grouchy critical folks like me! He shows us (ok, me) that even us grumps can get to heaven and God can work even through the grouchiness and beyond. It gives me hope, I tell ya!

Painting by La Tour, "St. Jerome"

Happy Feast Day!
St. Jerome, Pray for us!

1967 Ford Mustang Shelby White Blue Paint

1967 Ford Mustang Shelby White Blue Paint Car Racing

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

New Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde

The ne Alfa Romeo is back at the Frankfurt International Motor Show with world premieres and models currently in production. Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde will be powered by a 1.4 MultiAir TBi engine developing 170 hp. The Alfa MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde comes with the 17″ satin titanium-finished wheels which is based on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione supercar. The same color is used for the headlight frames and the wing mirrors, while the dark finish of the headlight parabolas is achieved by a brand new metal sublimation technology.

Tuesday’s Freebies

1967 Ford Mustang Shelby

1967 Ford Mustang Shelby Car Racing

Monday, September 28, 2009

Happy Bday BuddyBug! TWO decades!!?!

This is pic from his 13th bday.
The last time I could hug him, head to head.
He now towers over me.

Happy Happy Birthday to my first baby, now TWENTY years old.
I cannot believe it.

You all know BuddyBug, sort of, virtually at any rate, if not in person.
What can I say? I'm his mom, he was my first child, I gave birth to him two weeks early in a scheduled c-section because he was upside down and wouldn't turn around. I had no idea, a hint maybe, but really, NO clue he would forever turn my universe upside down. I had NO idea then how deeply you could really love a person; how being a mom completely transforms who you are at the very core.

But, enough about me.
Today is about him.
He is almost officially an adult.
But he has changed so much in the past few years that I see much more the adult in him than the little boy that once was.
But now and then I still get a glimpse of that shy observant happy kid.

His music bridges his whole life, from his toy piano in our front alcove way back in the Palisades...to the living room (called the "piano room") that is filled with music of all stripes: piano, multiple guitars, stands, old second hand violin, cords, picks, sheet music. A strewed reminder of my boy.

He is steady. His demeanor and personality even as a small boy was to be calm and observant, thought-full. Maybe too much so, overthinking simple things, commonly struggling with decisions (ahem...Buddybug!).

A rabid sports fan, favorite channel ESPN, period. Ever.
Sports, music, liturgy, graham cracker cream pie...these are his top loves, in no particular order.

Faithful. In all ways. Loyal to his friends "to a fault" as they say.
Tardy, terrible time manager.
Distractable and optimistically procrastinating, always, perhaps forever.

Ah. This is my son.
My twenty year old son.

All the cliches ring true:
"How did this happen so fast?"
"Time flies!"
"He was just my baby a few days ago, wasn't he?"
"He's still my baby boy."
"He's a fine young man."
"I'm not quite ready for this."
"I SO like who he has grown into."
"We are so very very proud."

Happy Happy Birthday BuddyBug!
I so wish I could give you a birthday hug in person.
But you have all my thoughts prayers and wishes today.
We all love you, so much, all twenty years of you!

Stage 3 Roush Ford Mustang | Car Racing

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Wedding Dresses - How to Buy Dreamy Wedding Gowns Online

Wedding dresses are literally the icing on the cake on every bride's wedding day.

You can find perfect wedding gowns online, or simply brainstorm which style of wedding dresses to start looking for as you narrow down your search.

First you need to determine which types of wedding dresses are right for you.

Your wedding dress should tell the world exactly who you are. After all, this is YOUR day, and your wedding gown is the key way that you share yourself with your wedding guests — and, of course, your husband-to-be.

By now, you've likely given some thought as to what kind of wedding you would like to have: traditional, informal or a theme wedding, perhaps.

Here are some general guidelines:

In formal weddings, brides generally wear long white/cream-colored wedding dresses and a veil, perhaps a train and, of course, gloves.

In semi-formal weddings, brides generally wear long white/cream-colored wedding dresses, a veil and gloves if desired.

In informal weddings, brides have more flexibility. They can wear wedding gowns of any color — short or long — or even a suit.

What about theme weddings? Here you should decide first on the theme and then on the formality of the wedding you've always wanted to have. Only then is it time to shop for wedding dresses and wedding accessories to determine which ones match your theme!

As you can see, the most important aspect to consider when selecting wedding dresses is your own sense of style.

For specifics on what's appropriate to wear for each type of wedding, I recommend Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette, which devotes an entire chapter to wedding dresses and other fashion dos and don'ts, or Vera Wang on Weddings, in which Wang shares her vast fashion expertise with you as you plan your wedding. Both can be purchased from any major online bookstore and have great tips on buying wedding dresses.

How can you purchase wedding dresses online?

The Internet can be a tremendous help when you're looking for wedding gowns and have a tight wedding budget. And let's face it — most of us do have to keep the bottom line in mind when we plan the most important day of our romantic lives.

After you have given some thought to the type of wedding you want to have, I recommend that you:

Look through bridal magazines and check out your options by flipping through the pages to see which wedding dresses are available in your area.
Go to local bridal stores and try on wedding gowns.
Look online to see what other wedding dresses are available to you. In case you're uncertain about buying wedding gowns from an online vendor, bear in mind that there really are online bridal shops that deliver the same level of service as regular stores.
Compare the in-store price to the Internet dress stores to find out which is the better deal. Many online stores offer you discount wedding dresses because of their vastly reduced overhead costs!
Narrow down your search to a handful of wedding dresses that make your final cut.

When you've gone through all these steps, you're certain to have accessed all the wedding dresses available to you -- and you will very likely save your hard-earned money if you end up finding discount wedding dresses available only from an Internet vendor.

Good luck with your search! Though it might seem daunting at first, if you follow these tips, you'll be well on your way to finding a beautiful range of perfectly elegant wedding dresses.

2009 Lexus GS 450h Pictures

Lexus GS 450h enters its third model year as still the only hybrid-powered luxury sport sedan in its segment. With its advanced technology, high performance and indulgent luxury, the rear-wheel-drive 2008 GS 450h is the premium model in the GS series.The Lexus GS 450h is not a car, it's a decadent lifestyle. I had it wrong, Lexus drivers aren't bad at all. They're spoiled in a way we all want to be.The GS 450h begins at $56,400 and goes up from there. The hybrid powertrain also enhances performance, but doesn't seem to help much at the pump. I averaged 24 miles per gallon in mixed driving, which is on par with the EPA rating of 22 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. Naturally, this thoroughbred requires premium fuel.

2009 Lexus GS 450h Pace Car

Lexus GS 450h safety car will make its debut at the annual Muscle Car Masters, held at Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway on September 6, 2009.Lexus GS 450h the world's first volume production performance hybrid sedan - has become Australia's first hybrid pace car.Lexus GS 450h features a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, paired to an electric motor system, delivering 254kW of power, while using 7.9 litres of fuel per 100 km.The powerful Lexus Hybrid Drive system propels GS 450h from 0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds.

Weekend Freebies

THE JOY OF GENRE BENDING

I'm a crimewriter, or so I'm told. I can't be a mysterywriter, I suppose, there isn't much mystery in my books. As I'm fond of saying, they're "don't do its" rather than "who dun its." In any event, I'm what is referred to as a genre writer.

That's okay with me. It certainly means I'll never win a Nobel Prize for Literature, or probably a Booker, a National Book Award or a Pulitzer either. For that matter, I'm probably a longshot for an Edgar, too. Or an Anthony. Or a Dagger. Or any of the other awards for books of my genre.

And that's fine with me, too. I don't think my books are easy to classify, which is just the way I like them. When my first novel, THE LIVING ROOM OF THE DEAD, came out, Borders shelved it in the mystery section. Barnes & Noble put it in general fiction.

I wonder what's going to be made of the book I just finished writing? (If it's published. My agent hasn't even seen it yet.) For lack of anything else to call it, I've dubbed it a "romantic noir." Huh?

It does have romance in it. Well, developing romance at any rate. And atmospherically, it is pretty noir - whatever the hell that means. There's crime, even a murder, but the plot doesn't in any way revolve around that. For one of the characters it's a coming of age novel. It's kind of historical - Los Angeles in 1947. It deals with issues of race and class. For those of you who read my Ray Sharp novels for the sex scenes, sorry, there's no real sex in it. There's drugs, though. And a lot of music.

So what the hell is it?

I don't know and I don't care. It's a book. Some of you will like it. Some of you won't.

That is, if it ever gets published. It's the sixth book I've written. So far all five of the previous books have been published. I don't have any collecting dust on a shelf or in a closet. This one is currently at the stage where I've sent it out to my first round of readers and I am awaiting their remarks. When they're done with it, I might tinker with it a little before sending it to my agent, or I might not.

But I like it even though I have no idea what sort of book it's supposed to be. And if all goes according to plan it will be the first in a trilogy (as opposed to a series) of thematically-linked books set in Los Angeles in different eras. 1969 is next.

If you want to know what genre it is, I can't help you. Sooner or later, probably after I've sent it to my agent, I'll post an excerpt on my website and you can judge for yourself. If it matters to you.

Does genre matter to you? Do you need to be able to pin down what type of book a book is, before you're interested in it? How specific do you get? Let me know what you think. I'm curious.

Suzuki Kizashi Concept Chrome

Suzuki Kizashi Concept Chrome Car Racing

Saturday, September 26, 2009

2009 Lexus LF-CH Concept Car

The 2009 Lexus LF-Ch Concept is scheduled to go into production by 2012 but there is no word yet as to whether or not the vehicle will be available here in United States. The compact hatchback is set to compete with the Audi A3 and BMW 1-series