The Nibbana Family

When my buddy James planned his latest visit one of the first things he said was, “Do you want to rent exotic cars again?”. I laughed while trying to determine if he was serious or joking. Turned out he was serious. Although I wasn’t in a position to rent a car of my own, James was kind enough to share his ride… and he even let me drive!

After driving the Lambos, there was only one car worthy of comparison: the Ferrari F430 Spyder. For those of you out there who have never gotten the opportunity to pilot a Ferrari – well then, I’m sorry. You see, words can’t adequately describe the exhilaration felt when taking the 490hp 4.3l V8 to it’s 8500rpm redline and the symphony roaring behind your head that’s more melodical than mechanical. Videos don’t do it justice. Imagine trying to explain to someone who’s never flown what it’s like to fly. You simply must experience it for yourself.

The cabin in the F430 is all about the driver, with every control and display angled that way. Passengers are clearly meant to sit in awe, thankful to get a ride. A crimson-colored tachometer nods to tradition and a 8,500 rpm redline, flanked on each side by F1 style paddle shifters to make quick duty of shift work. With a quick push of the engine starter button the Ferrari fired to life and we were off.

The highway is where the Ferrari really shines and it becomes apparent right from the get go, this is where this car is at home. Blipping through the gears is met with pure delight as the transmission shifts smoother than anything else that I’ve had the privilege of driving. The really fun part though is when you drop it down a couple of gears and put your foot in it. The noise that comes out of the exhaust will make other guys jealous and women blush. It’s addicting, intoxicating and will get you thrown in prison if you’re not careful.

The F430 comes equipped with carbon ceramic brakes – a $14,000 option imported from the Enzo. You can use these to terrify your passengers. With brakes this efficient, you can wait so long to hit them that each turn can feel as if it will be the last for the F430. When stopping with conventional brakes you want to apply hard pressure at first, then ease off as the ABS activates. But with the ceramic brakes, you brake lightly at first – then, after the ABS jiggles, you brake harder. Compared with regular brakes you are braking for a shorter overall amount of time.

Running up and down the coast of New Jersey, we had adequate opportunity to stretch her legs and see what this beauty could do. We received several nods and partook in several skirmishes with a Corvette Z06, Porsche GT3, and a Subaru STI. Handling amongst traffic is a cinch. The steering is so intuitive and so beautifully weighted that placing the car is effortless, and the chassis is so fluent and poised that it’s easy to dial out understeer with raw power. The F430 corners flat and true. This is sensory overload, and it’s great!

At the end of the day it was hard letting this one go. Part of me began contemplating ways to trade in my mortgage for an F430 payment and figuring out sleeping accomodations. To own one is worth the price of admission few can afford. To join the few who have had the opportunity to pilot such a divine work of art is an honor. One more check off the bucket list.

When I was 10 years old I had two enormous posters hung over my bed. One was a red Ferrari Testerossa, the other a white Lamborghini Countach. I would stare at those posters and endlessly daydream about one day getting behind the wheel of the real thing. As luck would have it, that dream has come to life. I discovered a rental agency outside of New York City called Gotham Dream Cars that rents everything from Ferraris and Lamborghinis to the Mercedes McClaren SLR and Bentley. My buddy James was coming into town and we decided to each rent a Lamborghini, he a Gellardo and I chose the Murcielago.

When “Lambo Day” was finally upon us, I was just as nervous as I was excited. How often do you have the opportunity to drive a car that costs as much as your house? I settled into the seat of the Murcielago and familiarized myself with the interior. Formula 1 style tiptronic transmission: check. 580hp V12 engine: check. Enormous 14″ wide tires: check. Updated will and testament: check. After signing my life away I was handed the keys. It was time to cut this monster loose!

Seeing a bright orange Murcielago on the open road is enough to turn heads. Seeing a bright orange Murcielago next to a bright yellow Gellardo is enough to break necks and cause whiplash! These things are attention getters, no doubt. We hadn’t driven more than a mile from our starting point and already I had a feel for what it would be like to be a naked supermodel walking down a busy street. Not familiar with the area, we accidentally took a wrong turn into a residential neighborhood and people were literally coming out of their homes with cameras and kids to get a peek. Everyone was gawking!

We made our way up the Pallisades Parkway to a public park called Bear Mountain. Here we found lots of curved, open roads where we could have a little fun and play a little cat-and-mouse. Once confident I simply put my foot down, watched the revs climb and blipped my way through the gears. Intoxicated is the only way to describe what I was feeling and to be honest, I couldn’t tell you how fast I was going, nor do I care. I simply enjoyed the sweet melody of the V12 at 8000rpm as I down shifted and the computer controlled transmission rev-matched the gears before re-engaging the clutch. Who needs a radio when you have a symphony right behind your head?

Truth be told, the day ended way too fast and it was over before we knew it. Caught up in all the excitement I didn’t realize until afterwords that we had hardly gotten any video or photos. Oh well, that just means we’ll have to do it again!

Here are two.

Help!

This has been a big summer for me! Ari, Mom and I stayed home this summer together and did a lot of fun things. Ari took art, science and literature classes at the local library while Mommy and I went to the kids section and played with their toys and read books. We went to the pool a few times too. I love to swim and am not afraid of the water at all. Mom and Dad have to watch me because I will try to get in by myself. We did other things too, like go blueberry picking, visit a nature center, and feed alpacas and llamas at a rescue farm.

A new playground was built near the pool. Since it is only a block from us we watched it grow and we finally got to play on it a few weeks ago. It is so much fun! There is a see-saw and swings. There are huge slides and lots of ladders I can climb, even though that part of the park is for the older kids.

Grandma took my cousins camping last week and Mom, Dad, Ari and I went too. It was hot but a lot of fun! We went tubing on the river and I loved it. I hope we go again sometime because it was so much fun. Mom or Dad held onto a rope that was attached to my tiny tube and they pulled me around or let me float down the river while making sure I stayed close to them.

Finally, I have been learning a lot of words too. I am learning to tell Mommy and Daddy what I want and need. I can tell them when I need to go potty or when I want to play outside. I also just learned to tell them I want to watch Elmo’s World (not Sesame Street, just Elmo’s World). I think I might drive them a bit crazy with that one. I also know some songs, or part of songs. I know “Tomorrow” from Annie, my ABC’s (although I just say A,B,A,B over and over), and a few others. I also know how to tell Mom when I want to hear songs!

I like staying home with Mommy and Ari, and I love seeing Daddy a lot more too. It has been a really good summer!

Gas prices continue to rise as petroleoum prices soar above $100 a barrel. We’re all used to hearing news reports by now that gas prices in the U.S. may approach $4 a gallon by summer. Why are prices so out of control?  Who is to blame? And who gets all the money from every gallon sold? These questions led me down a road of conflicting answers, and some of them may surprise you.

Before we answer these questions, lets travel back in time and look at gas prices just a few years ago. Today, a barrel of oil is over $100. In 2005 the price of crude oil averaged $50.23 per barrel, and crude oil accounted for about 53 percent of the cost of a gallon of regular grade gasoline. In comparison, the average price for crude oil in 2004 was $36.98 per barrel, and it composed 47 percent of the cost of a gallon of regular gasoline. Gas prices during this time averaged $2/gallon. Within four years we have seen the price per barrel almost triple, the largest price increases since the late 70′s!

So who, or what, is to blame? Just look around and you will find no shortage of finger pointing. You can blame big oil companies, the war in Iraq, Bush, China, OPEC, and a number of others targets bearing the blame in one form or another.

It’s easy to blame the big oil companies.  After all, ExxonMobil continue to report record profits of $39.5 billion in 2006, up 9 percent from the year before and $40.6 billion in 2007; the largest annual profit by a US company. Exxon’s revenue last year allowed it to surpass Wal-Mart as the largest company in the United States. ExxonMobil wasn’t alone. Shell saw profits grow 68 percent, to $9.03 billion. BP announced profits at 34 percent above last year, and ConocoPhillips saw revenue jump 43 percent. However, to place the blame squarely on big oil companies would be short sighted. After all, about 28% of the cost of each gallon of gas goes to the distribution and refining process and big oil companies only profit an average of $.07-.26 per gallon.

So how about the war in Iraq? Although oil production in Iraq still hasn’t returned to pre-war levels of 3.7 million barrels a day, production has returned to 2.4 million barrels. That 1.3 million barrel difference isn’t a huge factor in the worlds consumption of 86 million barrels a day. Price increases resulting from the war in Iraq have long since been absorbed, much like increases resulting from hurricane Katrina and 9/11.

Blame Bush? Blame the government? Well, as for regulating prices, the government has little to do with what we pay at the pump. The federal excise tax is 18.4 cents per gallon and the state tax varies by state, but averages about 24 cents. For every gallon you pump you pay about 42 cents in tax. The big oil companies make less per gallon than the government takes in tax. Also consider that the government has closed more than 24 refineries in the U.S. since 1995 and still struggles with drilling in Alaska where oil may be plentiful but environmental factors are still in debate.

It’s all China’s fault. Our most trusted newspapers tell us that China’s “soaring demand,” “insatiable thirst” and “quest for oil” are single-handedly responsible for the run-up in energy prices (though some people will also lump India into this argument). Chinese oil consumption has been on an amazing rise over the last decade, with its demand for petroleum increasing by more than 3.6 million barrels per day between 1996 and 2006. But the part of the story that is repeatedly left out is that over the exact same time span, U.S. oil demand rose as well, and our growth of imports of oil were even greater growth than witnessed in China’s imports. Perhaps we’re just angry because they didn’t ask our permission first to buy “our” oil.

How about OPEC? OPEC accounts for two-thirds of the world’s oil reserves and over 40 percent of the world’s oil production. Most significantly, OPEC’s oil exports represent about 70 percent of the oil traded internationally. This affords them considerable control over the global market. Its net oil export revenues should reach nearly $600 billion this year, and its influence on the oil market is dominant, especially when it decides to reduce or increase its levels of production. 50% of the cost of each gallon of gas you pump goes directly to cost of crude oil, that is, OPEC.

So, who do you blame? Any way you slice it, America is the number one energy hog in the world. If we want to find someone to blame for high energy prices, then it’s time to take a good long look in the mirror.