the “check engine” light that came on in my car mysteriously turned itself off today while i was driving.

one less thing to worry about or veiled harbinger of doom?

the “check engine” light came on in my car yesterday and gave an “P0740 TCC CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION” error. this, i’ve discovered, means that there’s a problem with either the control system for the torque converter or an issue with the torque converter itself. i looked it up to see if anyone else with my car has this problem and i came upon an upsetting website that lists over one hundred complaints relating to the complete and sudden failure of the transmission while in traffic.

since the car still drives normally, i’m going to close my eyes real tight and assume that the control system is the faulty one of the two. after all, only one of these complaints cited the P0740 error so i’m hoping that it means i’m not going to end up blocking traffic for hours on Lake Shore Drive one day.

another year, another fantastic Dakar Rally. this one will live on for quite some time.

i saw a lady in a big SUV come to a full stop at a green light the other day. it was awesome.

it’s snowing like crazy in Chicago at the moment. thank goodness i’m safe and warm indoors watching 2012 Dakar Rally participants race through the South American desert.

got a parking ticket today because i didn’t feed the meters in a private lot. the good news is, the fine was actually cheaper than what i would’ve had to pay to park there legitimately.

i went to a classic car show a few months ago and met the event organizer who also turned out to be the owner of several vehicles at the show including this one: a 1950s Pontiac Chieftan. unfortunately, the Chieftan no longer runs (note the tow rope) and has some rust problems but it’s still beautiful.

as a car, it’s a tired piece of rusty junk. i would never want to drive this thing around (underpowered gas-guzzling engine, weak brakes, no power steering, probably weighs something like 12 tons) but then again, i wouldn’t have a go in a Qin Dynasty chariot, either.

as a historical object then, it’s brilliant. i could stare at this thing for hours and take in every last detail, intentional or otherwise, from the contours of the rear quarter panel to the rust patterns on the grille.

fantastic.

look at what my brother Dan got me for Christmas!



it’s an official shirt from the now defunct Hayate Racing Team which carried on with the Ninja ZX-RR after Kawasaki withdrew from MotoGP at the end of 2008. Hayate’s existence only lasted for the 2009 MotoGP season during which they shut up their critics with an astounding second place finish by rider Marco Melandri at the French Grand Prix.

to me, Hayate embodied the true spirit of motorsport: they didn’t have the money, the factory support or even a terribly competitive bike but with sheer grit, determination, and talent, they managed to achieve some amazing results. watch out for them next year as they return to MotoGP under the Forward Racing banner with Colin Edwards on the BMW-powered Suter. i can’t wait.

i know i, for one, will be wearing this proudly at the Indianapolis Grand Prix next year.

remember when i said that i knew of someone who parks his motorcycle inside his office?



how awesome is that?

joy of joys, my replacement disabled parking placard finally came in!

rockstar parking: initiated.