New England Forums are weak

What is it, vacation? What?

Just weak here over the past few months, except Chrissy poking fun of my motionless ZHP bumper monument in my garage.

Regardless, not that you care, but here's what I've been up to:

Rather than get two new bikes for my kids, I decided to take my son's old tony hawk bike, strip the parts off of it and re-paint it pink for my daughter with custom painted hearts/butterflies, etc, looks SWEET. Almost ready for clear coat, she's going to die when she sees it and my son will never know the difference. Got him a new Mongoose, so he'll be all set as he has way outgrown that other one.

And I found out I have some fuucking squirrels chewing the bark on my gorgeous 30 year old Japanese maple I have out at the end of my driveway. So today, I took some Bhut Jolokia (AKA Ghost Pepper) sauce, added like 2 tablespoons to a spray bottle and mixed it with water. Sprayed pretty much every branch I could reach and the main trunk of the tree. I hope those bastids take a bite and have hot lava pouring out their azz. Wish I could get that on camera! If you've never tried ghost chile sauce, go out and get some, you'll never forget it!

Other than that, my summer has been filled with work, mostly on the wife's car, so mine has been neglected. Did her control arms awhile back, and most recently, oil pan gasket and power steering hoses/reservoir, which led to about 9 hours on my back under the car. Car was blowing a quart ever 2-3 days before I fixed the gasket! F'n oil and these cars.. man.

OK, flame suit on.

This summer has been a total wash for me. I haven't been able to do anything. Had my first child back in February and she just about eats up all of my free time. It's a struggle just to find time to mow the lawn. I haven't been out on my kayak. Haven't fished. The most action my Trek has seen is me filling up the tires in the spring. I haven't even washed the M3 in over a month - horrible sin. Not that I'm complaining - she's awesome.

For those of you with kids, how long until you have some "me time" again?

I had a dream last night that I was having a kid.... Lol I wanna see the bike?!? Pics?

Originally Posted by Crespo5190

I wanna see the bike?!? Pics?

Of my Trek? Here's the only one I have handy from the day I brought it home.


I miss the STI. Sadly, it was a tad too small for the baby seat AND I could never teach the wife to drive a stick, so it had to go. I couldn't justify having two fun cars after the baby arrived. To all of you out there thinking about having kids, make sure you buy all of YOUR toys first.

Originally Posted by MightyY

This summer has been a total wash for me. I haven't been able to do anything. Had my first child back in February and she just about eats up all of my free time. It's a struggle just to find time to mow the lawn. I haven't been out on my kayak. Haven't fished. The most action my Trek has seen is me filling up the tires in the spring. I haven't even washed the M3 in over a month - horrible sin. Not that I'm complaining - she's awesome.

For those of you with kids, how long until you have some "me time" again?

Haaaa, join the club! Like 90% of my modding was done before kids, and I refinished my ZHP wheels when my son was only an infant during his daily naps. My son is now 6 and my daughter is 4 and I still rarely have any "me time." Get used to it, goes with the territory. You will come to enjoy spending time with your kids pretty much over everything else eventually. Only "me time" I get is when I play softball now and the wife watches the kids, or if we can get my in-laws to watch them and have a planned night out. The first year or two is rough man, so if you're planning on having another one, do it fast, the more gap you have between the two, the more you realize you don't want to go back to square one again. Square one when you have another child is almost worse than square one with just one, because you have to take care of both and they are at the young age where they still depend on you for most everything (meals/dressing/diapers, etc). Once they are about my kids age, they can feed themselves, dress themselves, actually start to do things FOR you too, like little slaves. HA!

It is amazing watching them grow up and it does happen fast, so enjoy those times you can hold your little girl tight next to you while she is so small and won't talk back. Say goodbye to exercise too pretty much, all those people that claim "when you have kids, especially when they start walking, you'll get plenty of exercise!" obviously never REALLY exercised in their entire life, or at least rigorously. I barely get any exercise nowadays because of the kids, get home from work around 5:15ish, see kids, play with kids, then it's bedtime and that alone takes an hour or so of your time. Me time is gonzo!

But, pretty soon my son will start turning wrenches on the BMWs, he's already interested in what I am doing with them all the time and is almost big enough to actually start doing a few things, which will be SWEET. Oh if I only had the knowledge about cars I have now when I was his age, I'd be a master mechanic!

Originally Posted by MightyY

Of my Trek? Here's the only one I have handy from the day I brought it home.
Attachment 461319

I miss the STI. Sadly, it was a tad too small for the baby seat AND I could never teach the wife to drive a stick, so it had to go. I couldn't justify having two fun cars after the baby arrived. To all of you out there thinking about having kids, make sure you buy all of YOUR toys first.

Hands down GREAT advice! Money just disappears when you have kids and a house. What did you get to replace the STI? Nice Trek! Here's mine that I got probably 10 years ago... worked great until I went on a recent ride and realized the shifter housing was cracked and I couldn't change gears on the rear derailleur anymore. Have a new set coming in soon to fix her up though.. Put on some semi-slicks because there is a 5 mile bike path near my house and I rarely go off road anymore..

Man... Thanks for the tip. I guess sport cars aren't made for kids... Unless It's 4dr m3? Lol

Nice bike by the way

Originally Posted by Crespo5190

Man... Thanks for the tip. I guess sport cars aren't made for kids... Unless It's 4dr m3? Lol

Haa 2 doors not at all..

I fit my two kids in the back of my 330i sedan with two car seats no problem, just have to sit a bit more forward when they are in, and then move it back when they are out, thank god for 3 seat memory positions!

Originally Posted by trizzuth

Haa 2 doors not at all..

I fit my two kids in the back of my 330i sedan with two car seats no problem, just have to sit a bit more forward when they are in, and then move it back when they are out, thank god for 3 seat memory positions!

Amen to that. Haha I honestly have never used memory button. When I do save one position the next day its like totally something different. When I press the button on a previous seat memory I had, I think to myself... How the hell did i find this comfortable.

M3+baby=doesn't work. I've only put her in there once. What a pain in the ass. If I'm lucky, I drive the M3 once a week to go run a made up errand.

I replaced the STI with an Audi A6. Much easier to get the baby in and out. The wife can sit comfortably in the front seat with the baby behind her. Still AWD for the winters. All the wonderful luxuries the STI didn't have. Slow as s***.

I love the Trek. It's exactly what I wanted in a bike. It's a hybrid of a road and mountain bike. Now if only I had time to use it. Wish I had sprung for the model with hydraulic calipers instead of the mechanical ones.

Funny you brought up the exercise thing because I haven't worked out a single minute since she was born. I currently have the biggest gut I've ever had.

And man, the NE Forum IS weak. We've devolved into talking about kids.

Originally Posted by Crespo5190

Amen to that. Haha I honestly have never used memory button. When I do save one position the next day its like totally something different. When I press the button on a previous seat memory I had, I think to myself... How the hell did i find this comfortable.

Memory button 1 = normal driving
Memory button 2 = wife's setting
Memory button 3 = Auto-X setting

Originally Posted by trizzuth

I fit my two kids in the back of my 330i sedan with two car seats no problem, just have to sit a bit more forward when they are in, and then move it back when they are out, thank god for 3 seat memory positions!

I must have the largest car seat because there was no way to sit comfortably in the front of the STI with that thing in there.

As soon as I get in my car I'm going to press #3 and see where it takes me. what is good to do out in New England? Beside getting ready for football season! #PatNation greetings from SoCal

Originally Posted by MightyY

Memory button 1 = normal driving
Memory button 2 = wife's setting
Memory button 3 = Auto-X setting



I must have the largest car seat because there was no way to sit comfortably in the front of the STI with that thing in there.

Ha, here's mine:

Memory 2: Kid mode
Memory 3: Comfy normal driving mode

don't really use Memory 1, and my wife doesn't drive my car except rarely so that is good.

The infant car seats are a b(tch because they have to go backwards and take up So much room. I think when I had to deal with that I used to put it in the middle so it gave a bit more room to put the seats back, either that or it went on the passenger side and I just made the wife deal with lack of legroom. Sooo much better now that they are both in boosters, just took the back off of my daughter's seats this week too, so even more room now! YESS! can't wait till no seats and their feet can do in the footwells. Worst part about car seats? Having them for every car.. at this point, my wife and I both have two, and I had to get two for my in law's car because they take care of them a lot when we cannot, esp during the summer, and F pulling a car seat out and putting it into another car... pain in the BUTT. If you ever need extra infant seats, let me know I think I have 2 in my basement that I could sell to you cheap, in case you need one for the same situations as I noted above..

I agree I just had my first born daughter last august. From then till February and maybe some nights it's hard to sleep through the crying until they get their bottle. I have a e46 coupe and stick my daughter behind the passenger seat so it doesn't effect my seating situation. It's just the taking the car seat in and out that sucks so I set one of my memory seat settings to pull up just enough forward so I can just pull the top part of the seat up and forward to just pull the seat right out and I'm good to go. As most of I did most of my mods while my girl was pregnant and from then on till maybe 2 months ago when I gave upon it after setting my eyes on a 2008 530xi (looking around still). But I stopped also because her first birthday is coming up,and we all got bills and rent to pay so it makes it Hellas hard to put money into my car at this point. Plus I got an expensive taste in clothes so what couldve been mods are actually designer shoes jeans shirts and belts. On the other note the e46 is up for sale cheap. Pm me for more info

Originally Posted by trizzuth

If you ever need extra infant seats, let me know I think I have 2 in my basement that I could sell to you cheap, in case you need one for the same situations as I noted above..

Thanks man. I've got 3 bases for my infant seat. One for the Audi, one for the wife's MINI (even harder to get baby in there than the M), and one for my parents car.

I can't wait for her to be front facing. Maybe then, I can get her in and out of the BMW easier. Of course, by then, maybe we'll be on #2...

Originally Posted by MightyY

Thanks man. I've got 3 bases for my infant seat. One for the Audi, one for the wife's MINI (even harder to get baby in there than the M), and one for my parents car.

I can't wait for her to be front facing. Maybe then, I can get her in and out of the BMW easier. Of course, by then, maybe we'll be on #2...

ah, but once she outgrows the infant seat, your needs will switch from one car seat and 3 bases, to 3 actual car seats that are the right size/fit for her to replace the infant seat she's grown out of. I swear I must have spent nearly a G on car seats thus far. ridiculous!

Memory button 1 = Vacuum rear foot well
Memory button 2 = Normal driving
Memory button 3 = Vacuum front foot well

Originally Posted by Kubica

Memory button 1 = Vacuum rear foot well
Memory button 2 = Normal driving
Memory button 3 = Vacuum front foot well

Hey now, that's not a bad idea! Maybe I will use my spare one for vacuum rear foot well since my "normal driving" position has the seat almost as far back as it can go...

been on vacation quite a bit. I went sky diving at Sky Dive New England, in Maine. Then spent the weekend in NYC, followed by this past weekend in the Cape. Got to take my new ride to all three as well. Loving the FR-S so far