Pretty, clean engine bay

Alright, so I just got the car back, she ended up making 413.27rwhp and 370.91ft/lb of torque, and has a nasty sound…it is truly awesome. Working on finding a good camera to capture the audio, so stay tuned for that—the video I took the night I went out to the shop didn’t turn out very good, the audio on the camera I was using SUCKED pretty bad, and that’s unfortunate. Oh and I found out that I’ve been missing out big time…a 60 punch in 2nd gear is where it’s at!

After driving it sporadically for the last couple of weeks, I’m learning what people refer to as “less daily drivable” as being stuck in traffic is absolutely no fun, having to drive slow, stop and go frequently with a big cam…doesn’t work out so well at low speeds, and has actually died 3 times while pulling into, or out of a parking spot. It’s running much too rich I’m afraid, and I’m only getting 15-17mpg on the fuel economy, so I’m thinking I need Billy and the guys at Billy Ranck Motorsports to re-evaluate the tune. Other than that, I love it…regardless of the temperature, I’m always cruising around with the windows rolled down, just so I can hear the cam. I love it!

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Getting ready for the plumbing

So I went by my lot today, and visited with Celeste, my sales rep for KHovnanian Homes, and found out some great news. First of all, the permit is in, and the ground has been broken. The lot is all benched up and ready to take on the plumbing next week. Shortly after, the foundation will be poured, and then it’s off to the races. The friend I have who recommended KHovnanian and Vista West to me was at this stage about 2 weeks ago, and today I drove by his lot, well he’s already got walls, a roof with shingles, and bath tubs! That’s all in 2 weeks! So more to come, as I’ll start making 2 trips a week out there, probably Tuesday and Friday to check progress and take pictures.

The other great news! So this is going to start off sounding like bad news, but it works out very well for me. The one big expense (besides a fireplace) that I opted not to take was upgraded tile for the entry way, extended entry, kitchen, nook, backsplash, laundry room and bathrooms…an extra $2000, that I just could not justify when the “Level 1″ tile did the job. The only thing about the “Level 1″ tile was that there were 4 choices, ranging from white all the way to mostly white…with very little variation. So naturally, I picked the darkest, or most beige of the 4. Well, poor Celeste found out today that my tile choice had been discontinued back in May. Goody! After some well formulated thoughts to her manager, and to the flooring manager, the decision was made to allow the many new homeowners to choose a “Level 2″ tile upgrade for free! So I chose the “Desert Thar” tile, which is a much darker tile, and makes a wonderful transition between the Coffee Brown Sile stone counter tops and the Spice Cabinets. I’m very pleased with this! Oh, and she also stocked back up on the snacks and drinks, so overall, it was a very successful trip.

Enjoy

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Today is Wednesday, and a Woot-Off!, so I woke up to 20+ text messages of the current and past Woots since midnight. It’s early and cold at 4:55 in the morning, and don’t let anybody tell you any different. However, if you can stand to move around for the 20 minutes in sub 60° temperatures, you can save a bundle on your electric bill.

However, back to the Wednesday of the story, the middle of the week. The weather is going to be nice, the sun is going to shine, and it’s all downhill from here until Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is by far one of my favorite holidays, if not the MOST favorite…Always such a wonderful spread of food, which I am greatly looking forward to. Not to mention it’s almost the holiday season and gas prices have fallen below $2, first time in a few years that I can remember…back in 2005 I believe I remember it being $2.15, and although gas for me is not below $2, I have seen 93 octane for as low as $2.079. Not bad. I got a full tank in the Speed for $23.

Currently listening to “Name That Tune” on the Lex & Terry Show, one of my all-time favorite bits they do, but we’re all very sad that this is Scott’s last week. Scott has been the producer for the Lex & Terry Show for many years, and he’s going back to Florida. Jason though, the replacement, seems to be pretty cool so far, but he’s got quite a pair of shoes to fill.

I’ve spent most of the last couple of weeks getting this website designed the way I wanted it, but I think I’m finally happy with it, so do please let me know what you think. That’s all I’ve got for now, I’ll write more later, stay tuned.

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So it’s time I grew up and got out of the “rent race” and out of an apartment. So why not have a house built? I think that’s the only way to go nowadays, with the market what it is…So that is exactly what I’m doing. I decided to stay close, and a friend highly recommended KHovnanian Homes, in the new subdivision “Vista West” over here in Fort Worth, so that’s what I’m doing. Pictures of the progress will be posted in the gallery on this page, and if you’re curious about the floor plan and the drawings for what it will look like, click HERE. The flavor I chose was Exterior D.

Here is the where the subdivision is being built:

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