Advice from a old hand at drifting.

This is a post to a fellow member of floridadrift.com asking what he should do being new to drifting.

The best way to start drifting is to do just that, start.  Ignore some of the retards on here.  I started drifting about 6-7 years ago.  All I had at the time was a honda crx. It wasn't drifting per-say but I e-braked it around the corners all the same.  After i totaled that crx I got a bone stock 95 240sx se.  What helped me in learning drifting the most was a few buddies and I went to construction sites late at night and practiced in the dirt.  Also when it rained we stormed the streets in force.  Not only does the dirt, grass, or rain slick pavement compensate for lack of power but it forces you to be more precise with your counter steering and throttle pressure.  It is much easier to lose control under those conditions so you learn to be more sensitive and precise with your movements. Not only that but it saves on tires immensely. A year or so after that I stepped up to a red-top sr20det motor and then it unlocked the real potential of the car.  Our crew would hit Ocala every Saturday night burning rubber and just plain showing off.  If it wasn't for that initial practice on softer surfaces I wouldn't be near the drifter I am today. Granted now I reverted back to where i only drift when its raining and that is if it happens to be on the way to work, I still enjoy it all the same.  Plus it is really satisfying doing it with traffic behind you knowing their mouths must be on the floor thinking I almost wrecked.
So in summation, just get the car and work more on your technique than your car. My buddy, for example, drifted for years in his 92 Toyota pickup truck. No lie. -Kasey

The best steak I've ever had. Ever!

I went to my local butcher in the neighboring town of Wildwood, FL. Its a a store call Best Meats.  I have never been to a butcher. I would always go to the local grocery store to get my meats. Even then I would only get a top sirloin at best.  I was extremely impressed with the meat I received, and the service they provided.  I got two cuts of porterhouse from them.  They did not have any filets in the case which is what I had to get. (because that's what the wifey likes.  I like new york strips myself so it was a natural fit to go with the porterhouse. Half ny strip and half filet separated by a T-bone.  They cut them fresh for me at about 1.5"s. Using a guide I found at steamykitchen.com I did the following...

I took the steaks and liberaly coated them on both sides with Morton's Sea Salt.(see below)
When I say liberally I mean a lot. The guide said you almost want to white out the red of the meat. Also only use sea salt, it taste better than table and it has bigger crystals that absorb more moisture.

After 20 minutes I flipped them over, adding a little more salt to each side and then let them sit another 20.

Next I washed all the salt off of the steaks under the sink faucet. Once the salt was all gone I patted them completely dry with a paper towel and peppered them on both sides.

Then all that was left was grill time.

About ten minutes on each side at medium heat and viola! A juicy, med-well, no need for A1(which says a lot), and barely a need for a fork and knife worlds best porterhouse.

These steaks were some of the best I have ever had. Even the wifey who is by no means a steak lover said she would have just eaten steak and been happy without the crab legs we had too. She raved multiple times about it, which is very uncommon.  Even our son pictured above, who does not eat meat of any kind except chicken, liked it.

I've only had two other steaks that rivaled mine. One was prepared by a retired Perdue Meat Company employee. The other was from a private, very expensive restaurant in The Villages, FL that resides above the restaurant that I work at. (President Bush ate at that restaurant on one of his tours) I happened to get a bite of one of their steaks in a food trade.

This was still better that those. It was like a party in my mouth and everybody came. I know I did. It was food-porn at it finest. Tastebudgasmic. 

Sorry there are no picures of the final product ecept for the left over ny strip. It didn't last very long once we tried a bite.

A bientôt!

Captain Morgan's faggoty red-headed cousin.

Admiral Nelson!  I'm not sure why I write a lot about alcohol since I really don't drink that much but nether-the=less. Next time you are at the liquor store pick up a bottle of Admiral Nelson.  You will see exactly why the title of this post is named such.  I did learn something from the butt pirate though, I like rum on the rocks.  Why not, I drink almost every other liquor on the rocks. I had poured a shot to  Maybe I'll spring for a bottle of Captain private stock or a good Mount Gay. {which the Admiral has visited a few times ;) } And if my gay jokes offend you...Piss Off.

Nightmares

I find nightmares to be such a curious oddity.  It has been longer than I can remember since my last one.  I had completely forgotten the realism.  The raw sense of dread, fear, and hopelessness rooted in my chest upon awaking at a situation I was stuck in and had no control of.  The ironic reality is that I do have control, at least I should have control.  The feeling is so real its practically edible.  The mind is a wondrous powerful entity of the body.  So little of it is directly under our control and its possibilities are so far past our own understanding.

'65 Below' podcast novel

65 Below, by Basil Sands, is a free podcast novel available from podiobooks.com.  I was very impressed with this novel although I honestly did not think I would like it as much as I did.  I'm not even sure why I got the impression I would not like the novel.  The tale led you through the wilds of Alaska to help a newly retired Marine stop a Korean terrorist cell from unleashing a biological agent that has the potential to cripple America.  Sands does a fantastic job of pulling you along the story and keeping you interested without being overly crude or vulgar.  Defiantly recommended, and I look forward to listening to some of his other work in the future.

Scott Sigler

Gritty action, surprisingly deep memorable characters, unexpected plot twists,  intelligent humor, scientifically accurate fiction,  and situations that will make you squirm in your seat.  Author Scott Sigler, found at http://www.scottsigler.com/, brings you all this and more with his gripping audio books, called podcast novels, and physical novels.  If you have never listened to an audio book then I highly recommend trying one of Scott Siglers podcast novels.  They are free to download on the http://www.podiobooks.com/index.php website.  You can download them straight into your mp3 software.  Forget what you think about first when you hear the words audio book.  This is not boring, mellow-dramatic self help tapes.  These are well produced, action packed, adrenalin pumping movies for the mind.  Give one a try.  maybe Scott's "Earthcore" "Contagious" or "Nocturnal."  All amazing.

Triathlon results!

Lake Louisa State Park triathlon sponsored by the National Training Center

Event distances:
.25 swim
7 mile bike
1.5 mile run

Time: 44:06

Bike computer data:
Distance: 6.87 miles
Top speed: 26.5 mph
Time: 24:16
Average speed: 16.8 mph

The way the event is set up, the racers are released in waves.
First the elite class was released.
Exactly one minute later they released the kids.
At the two minute mark they released the ladies.
Then at the three minute mark they released the guys.

When i crossed the finish line my time displayed 47:06.  I subtract the 3 minutes in delayed start and am left with my time of 44:06.  What place you cross the finish line is indifferent to what wave you started in. My place was 45th out of a loose guesstimation of 80-100 people total.  When I left the water in the last wave I was approximately 10 places from the very last person. ( water not being my strong suit.) Then I suppose I passed 25-45 people, some with 1 or 2 minute head starts, to reach 45th place.

Overall a fun successful event.  It definatly put me in my place on where I am in my training progress.

Next event: June 12th!