Endurance races in Gran Turismo 3 are a bitch! The easiest one, im my opinion, is the Roadster race. All of the cars are stock roadsters, so it's fairly easy to get a useable car from the start. I used a Mazda LS with super-slick (AKA high-endurance) tires. It took over 70 minutes to complete 40 laps, but I demolished the competition! I lapped everyone and almost double lapped the slowest car. There are four possible cars you can receive after winning this race (F688/S F1, Mazda Miata, Mazda Miata 1.8 RS or Mazda Miata RS) and of course I got the worst one (the plain Miata). Sigh.

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Review for PC at GameSpot. Jeff and I were going to split the cost of a copy, but then he realized his computer couldn't handle it. Looks like I'm flying solo!

The combined score for my flag football team thus far is 9-184 (0-42, 0-28, 7-35, 0-51 and 2-28). Pathetic!

Temple of VTEC Rumors and News - Honda HSC Concept foreshadows '05 NSX. Comments later.

Update: It looks like this is definitely going to be the prototype for the next NSX. It's a shame that Honda is probably going to keep HP in the sub 400 range, and probably closer to 300 HP. It coulda been a monster.

New Edition Announcements. Comments later.

Update: That is a link to a new model of Miata. A lot of people get into car racing through Miatas, so I'm keeping an eye on new model developments. I can't really fit into one, so it won't affect me.

Another night, another crazy dream though I can only rememeber a few details from this one. Basically, I was a spy and my boss was the developer lead for my team. My first task was to assemble a disguise that would let me infiltrate the ranks of my target. It required some sort of black cape, weird black boots, a wig and makeup to look like an old woman and four old, silver coins. I started to assemble this disguise and eventually realized it would not work and came up with a different one. I had on tight black pants, black dress shoes, a beige collared sweater (sort of like this one but with a collar) with the collar up.

Now that I had my disguise (if you can even consider that a disguise), I had to infiltrate the target location. From my surroundings, the locale was possibly the city of New York, but checking my maps showed St. Petersburg. So, yes, I was infiltrating a Russian installation. From here, the rest of the dream is very fuzzy. I do remember getting onto an elevator and having a woman roll her eyes viciously.

I do remember some of the emotions that I felt. When I was performing the first task, I knew that I was taking shortcuts and that my boss would be upset if he found out. I believe the same thing happened when I was actually on my way to the base. I was using some sort of device to track my location (probably a Windows Mobile powered device, naturally) and that was against the rules of engagement.

So in the past two weeks of flag football, my team has lost 58-0 and 28-2. Last week, my QB didn't remember how to hand off the ball and I plowed into him. The starting QB and the starting RB, plowing directly into each other. Too bad I was the taller of the two as my nose connected to his forehead. The blood started flowing immediately. This week, I jammed my middle finger on my right hand before the game started. That wouldn't have been that bad but I was starting QB! I couldn't feather out my floating passes like I wanted to and the team can't catch bullet passes. I gave up five interceptions, I believe.

I just realized that I have never attended class drunk. Oh well, there is always grad school!

About a week ago, I sent out an email to just about everyone in my address book that didn't live in Washington. The email outlined my new contact info for both home and work and that's about it. Well, some people didn't seem to appreciate this information:

From lwashnoc@yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 18:04:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: Laura Washnock-DiPietro
To: mbibik AT umich DOT edu

Mike,

I want you to stay completely out of my life, that is, after all, why I
broke up with you. This means that I do not want to hear from you and I
do not want you contacting, in any way, my friends and family. Trust me,
they do not want to hear from you either. I did not email you earlier
because I did not want to talk to you. I don't care about your new
address and phone number. I don't care about your new job. In short, I
don't care about what you are doing with your life. I also do not care
for you to know what is going on in my life.

If you are looking for closure, here it is. I broke up with you because
you made me miserable. You were emotionally abusive and controlling.
You put me down and made me feel stupid for being myself. When I broke
up with you, I was too afraid of you to be this direct. I am not anymore
and I am sick of you trying to weasel your way back into my life. Leave
my friends alone. Leave my family alone. Leave me alone.

Laura

Seeing as how a regular reply might not be appreciated either and I always need to get the last word in, here is my open letter of reply:

Laura,

First off, relax. We have not talked since the beginning of this
year. I sent two emails over that period of time inquiring about your
well-being. I love how that is considered me trying to weasel my way
back into your life! I send an email to everyone in my address book about
my new contact info and this is the reply that I get? That is just a bit
dramatic!

Twice you mentioned leaving your family and friends alone. I can only
assume that you brought this up because they received the same contact
info email as you did. Had I known that would upset them so much, I
definitely would have reconsidered sending it to them! Sarcasm aside, I
will not trust you when you say they don't want to hear from me. A few of
your friends didn't like me while we were together and I'm sure a few more
switched sides when you broke up with me. I do know that certain people,
including at least one sibling of yours, think differently. You may have
requested that they all shun me but that cannot affect their true
feelings. Who is being the controlling one now? It's a shame that you
cannot trust them to make their own decisions.

I made you feel stupid? I'm sorry; I must have acted as a mirror of some
sort, allowing you to see yourself for who you truly are. It does not take
much for someone whose only intellectual hobby is to watch VH1 for hours
on end to think of themselves as being stupid. Try reading a book.
Better yet, try challenging yourself! Outside of your required courses,
did you take anything difficult in college? I know you didn't make it
into the honors program, but there are some difficult classes offered to
the rest of the school as well.

So, you broke up with me so that I would stay completely out of your life?
Is that how it works? Why is it that so many other people have the ability
to break up and at least be cordial? Actually, if I remember correctly,
you have no contact whatsoever with any of your exes. Why is that? Do you
understand how to forgive people? Are your emotional abilities so
black-and-white that once you break up with someone, all emotion toward
them must turn to hate? Do you even understand how to separate the
concepts of friend and significant other? Hopefully you will learn with
Alex. Hey, he was one of my good friends back in elementary school. He was
probably one of the main reasons why we broke up and still I do not hate
him. Forgive and forget.

Here is my take on the situation as a whole. You met Alex while we were
together and while our relationship was having problems. Having a small
shred of morality, you knew that you couldn't cheat so you decided to
break up with me to be with him. Though we did have problems, there was
still some good in the relationship. While you were with Alex, you had to
channel that emotional energy somewhere. The easiest emotion to channel
into is hate, so there it went! It is much easier to hate someone with
support from people you are close to so you slandered me enough to gain
this support. When you saw my latest email, you felt a slight twinge of
interest but you had to kill it. Instead of forgiving and forgetting, you
redirected that twinge into the anger spewed forth in your email. For that
emotional outburst, I applaud you.

Even if I am completely wrong, know that you have now proved yourself as
the paragon of emotional puerility you were destined to become.

M.