I need to share my joy! (aka the Happy Thread)

[UltraMarginal]

That's very cool, I've just looked up the wiki and it looks like there was only about 2 seasons, one with 68 episodes and the other with just over 20.

I guess that makes it hard to market a season1 and season 2 box set.

I wonder if there are any plans to take this to Blu-Ray remastered. I remember signing a petition a few years ago.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Just got the good news that in 2 Sundays time, I can pick up my second ever car and craziest purchase of all time - a brand new Subaru Impreza Sport (hatch).

Since moving to Japan this year... so for the last 9 months, i've been car-less! Where I am, it's more than doable - getting around on the bike is commonplace and shops are at most 15 mins away. I've become so fit, I can slaughter the big hill in town now, which is a far cry from the huffing and puffing when i first arrived!

That actually made it harder to purchase the car - made me question how much i even need it. But it's also been a great & unusual experience of living it down for a while - i think i'm really going to appreciate having a car again as a result!

My old car was a basic Mitsubishi Lancer that was 2 years old when i got it. Served me well for a decade and i was sad to sell it off. Sucks that the Lancer line is dead, i probably would have bought another if I could. Truth be told, i would have driven the old one around until the wheels fell off too!

Since moving forced my hand though, and it's not like I buy a car every day... i decided to go all out. Well, almost - i put the idea of getting something with a turbo on the back burner for a while

But, i've got the top of the range model coming. 18" wheels, up from whatever + plastic hubcaps i used to have on the Lancer! Sports pedals, leather wrap steering, an 8" display with the GPS and heaps of other cool stuff i barely knew existed a few months ago! I got it in ice silver metallic - i'm not one for vanity plates and despite not being a WRX - he'll be a reformatted BT Silverstreak in my mind!

I turned down the chance to test drive (after i'd already bought it), so I can save my first drive for the moment where i devalue it off the lot I've sat in it and had a fiddle and really pleased so far though, and it's been getting good pre-release press too, so i think I made the right decision.

Sorry for long post but i'm pretty excited Expect pics in a few weeks!

[Paulbot]

As a kid I loved the Peanuts books so when Fantagraphics announced they'd be putting out hardcover collections of every strip I decided to start buying them.

This was making a very long term commitment to make back in 2004 (my first ever Amazon.com purchase!) but 12 years later the final volume has been released and my collection is complete!

[UltraMarginal]

That's awesome Paul!

[Akky82]

Kurdt, my first (written off by a beamer driver), second (torched via random act by random person supposedly), and third (replaced because my wife couldnt drive manual) cars were lancers. 2000 VRX, 2007 something (only put 17000 on it, cant remember but the 2.4L was a step up), and a 2010 activ (not 2.4L sadface). Loved them all and would probably of driven the first one til it fell apart too but accidents happen.

Decided on a mazda 3 for the reason you said, lancer line is dead, no update except a facelift in 7 years or so.

As for the joy sharing, tuesday arvo my pregnant wife went for a regular gp checkup and was told to go to hospital where she was rechecked, blood pressure still high, and admitted with pre-eclampsia. Wed morning a steroid injection given as precaution for baby's lungs, and after some checks they found her red blood was low, and ultra sound showed the bub had stopped growing... so they gave her a second steroids, and told us they'd be cutting the baby out thurs morning. Got delayed but at 3pm yesterday afternoon he came out at 34 weeks, 1.9kg (4.3lb) about the length of a milk bottle and had a tiny bit of trouble breathing but as of 11am he was off the tubes, and out of intensive care at 7pm.

[M-bot]

Congratulations Akky! Sounds like you guys went the more traumatic route to get there, but things are going on the right direction now. All the best of health to Mum and protoform.

[Raider]

Congrats Akky! As long as mum and bub are doing fine now that is all that matters

[kurdt_the_goat]

Kurdt, my first (written off by a beamer driver), second (torched via random act by random person supposedly), and third (replaced because my wife couldnt drive manual) cars were lancers. 2000 VRX, 2007 something (only put 17000 on it, cant remember but the 2.4L was a step up), and a 2010 activ (not 2.4L sadface). Loved them all and would probably of driven the first one til it fell apart too but accidents happen.

Decided on a mazda 3 for the reason you said, lancer line is dead, no update except a facelift in 7 years or so.

As for the joy sharing, tuesday arvo my pregnant wife went for a regular gp checkup and was told to go to hospital where she was rechecked, blood pressure still high, and admitted with pre-eclampsia. Wed morning a steroid injection given as precaution for baby's lungs, and after some checks they found her red blood was low, and ultra sound showed the bub had stopped growing... so they gave her a second steroids, and told us they'd be cutting the baby out thurs morning. Got delayed but at 3pm yesterday afternoon he came out at 34 weeks, 1.9kg (4.3lb) about the length of a milk bottle and had a tiny bit of trouble breathing but as of 11am he was off the tubes, and out of intensive care at 7pm.

Congrats on the baby, glad it all sorted itself out in the end

Posted some piccies of my car over in the Non Toy Acquisitions thread. Absolutely loving it! And the new Impreza managed to win car of the year in Japan the other day which was some good news to get, having just bought one lol.

Mazda 3 (it's called Axela here in Japan) was on my shortlist as well, but i think i had my heart set on a Subaru from beginning. The 4WD Axela is more expensive (at least here) than Impreza too, particularly in AT, which i had to get because of the wife (and also because i'm lazy. The 3 is definitely a nice car though, Mazda sure have come a long way over the years!

[Akky82]

Geez, learn to park ... but seriously it's nice, I was eyeing off a slightly older pearlescant white impreza to replace my motorbike but things happened when buying the new house and ended up going for something a little bit bigger (house wise, keeping the bike for now). I pass an original STI almost every day parked on the street, still want one ... still thinking of an older (maybe 2007) impreza wagon.

Wife is home, we've both done skin to skin, he still has semi-regular episodes where he stops breathing, starts getting bent outta shape and then goes to cry and that kicks the breathing going again.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Geez, learn to park ...

I have no excuse.. no wait, I'm gonna blame the crying baby in the car. Yeah that'll do

Keep an eye on your bub and remember there's no harm in taking them back to the hospital for checkups in the early days if you're worried about something. We went back for just a small clicking in her joints... no one there will ever think less of you.