Slide Dog Millionaire

Let's face it.  In today's world, some people take things way too seriously, and the automotive scene is no different.  Everyone should be in it for the love of the scene and enjoying the journey one takes with a car.  Sadly, there are some who just make things unbearable.  Whether they are voicing their disapproval over someone's car, or someone being too hard on him or herself for a poor performance, it's easy to take the fun out of the culture which is something that needs to be avoided to keep everything going.  Drifting is one aspect of the automotive culture that has this problem.  What started out as a fun, grassroots type sport has now exploded into the mainstream and international fame.  The competition is fierce and the competitors no less.  You have to be at the top of your game to stay up top, but does that mean the sport can't be fun anymore?  Surely not.

Meet Chris Hooker, also known as C.J the Husky, and the owner of this 240sx here.  Although young and somewhat new to the scene, his attitude is something that a lot of people can learn from.  While he strives to get better, he doesn't let that stop him from enjoying every minute he is behind the wheel of his car, whether he's driving it to a convention, or sliding it at a local drift event.  This car gets driven a lot and driven hard being that it is his drift machine/road-trip vehicle, and it's great to see Chris having such an awesome attitude towards everything.

Chris's story begins in the summer of 2008 when he picked up this 1991 240sx for the fair sum of $1,250.  The car, however, barely ran, suffering from rod-knock.  Chris said the car died after he got the car off of the trailer and into his driveway.  Not one to be discouraged, he jumped right in, getting his paws dirty, and the following week the motor was out of the car and ready to be torn down for the rebuild.  Ready for the challenge, and armed with only his willingness to learn, Chris set about reading all he could on building up his KA motor for boost.  During this time, he worked as much as he could at his job at the local grocers, and his free time was spent gathering all the information he needed to do the job himself.  After securing a small bank loan to fund the build, Chris started ordering the parts needed to build the motor.  During the winter months, the motor was sent to the machine shop for the necessary machining for over-sized pistons and having everything checked and cleaned.  Once back in his possession, Chris busted out his trusty service manual, and set about re-assembling his new KA motor.  The block has been fitted with CP pistons mounted on a set of Eagle rods with Clevite 77 bearings.  The head consists of a set of '91 DE cams and a Cometic head-gasket.  He finished the rebuild by spring of '09 and broke the motor in in NA form.

By the summer of '09, everything was broken in and running smooth.  It was at this time that Chris purchased a set of coilovers to get the car sitting right, along with a set of 16x8 +0 Sportmax wheels wrapped in 205/50/16 tires to get the stance on point.  This was how the car sat for most of 2009, and as it came to a close with Chris putting the car in the garage for the winter, he started to plan his latest makeover which would start in early 2010.  The winter months were spent reading and researching about boosting the KA motor, and collecting parts.  In March, Chris stripped the chassis down to take care of some body work and give the chassis a new coat of paint.  He decided on bright pink because...well, why the hell not!  Remember that thing called "fun"?  Well, this doggy was certainly having a blast building up his car.  With the body work and paint completed, it was time to bolt on all those turbo goodies Chris had been collecting.  Centered around a Turbonetics t3 50-trim turbo and a JGS top-mount, turbo manifold, everything was a straight-forward affair.  A Godspeed intercooler and Koyo radiator with dual Altima fans keep things cool while an Apex-i 3" down-pipe and 3" exhaust expel the fumes.  A Z32 MAF feeds the turbo with a JGS 400 waste-gate coupled with an AEM Tru-boost keep boost under control.  An EFI Specialists ECU, combined with an Apex-i NEO, AEM wide-band, Turbo XS Knock-Lite, and ISIS FPR keep fuel and timing in check, and everything running smoothly.  Lastly, an ACT 6-puck clutch and familiar welded diff get the power to both wheels and keep them spinning.  By May of 2010, the car was all done and Chris was ready to have some fun.

With the summer filled with drift events and conventions, this husky certainly enjoyed his car, built with his own two paws, to its fullest.  The two have become a regular site at the local drift events on the east coast as well as the surrounding area fur conventions.  Chris certainly had a great time building his drift machine, and even a better time using it.  Now isn't that what this hobby is all about?  Sounds a lot more appealing than dealing with drama, internet critics, and inflating egos.  Just build it, beat on it, and have a damn good time doing it.  With the car put away for the winter, Chris has a few things up his sleeve for 2011 which I can't wait  to see.  What is for certain though, is that Chris is going to have fun doing it.  So, from one husky to another, keep on it and have a blast!  You and your car are what this culture is all about.

Photos provided by:  Brenden Romus

Kaien and Howlie

Well, it has been awhile since I have updated anything.  I apologize for that, but there have been a lot of big changes going on mainly centered around a new job and doing a lot of photography work.  I've also been drawn back into organizing events for a few local, automotive groups next year so I do have a lot on my plate.

What I wanted to share here though is some progress on my fursuits.  Yeah, plural, as in two, heh.  My first suit is being made by Syber at Made Fur You which should be done sometime in the month of December.  I'm very excited to see her take on my fursona.  In the interim, I met a wonderful wuffy named Kio.  We sparked it off since we both share an interest in cars to find out that he is a rather talented fursuit builder as well.  He was open for commissions so I had him make me a head.  What he turned out is amazing.  The quality and functionality are superb.  I'm eagerly awaiting my second slot to come up so he can finish the rest of the suit to accompany his head.

Visit Kio's FA here:  Kio Wolf on FA

Another big piece of news is my bf Howlie's new head was finished by Fursuiting.com, so now his fursuit is complete again.  We spent the holiday together and took some pictures together:

Kaien the Husky

Finally, some artwork of me!  I've wanted some artwork done for awhile, just never got around to talking to the right people.  ^^;  Albeit, I'm lagging on updates, these pieces are rather recent, showing the evolution of my fursona from when my friend Aetherfax first penned me with my mate.

The first drawing is from my friend Carissa, or Adorable Foxie.  She's a fursuit builder and artist, and quite talented at both.  I saw a similar drawing of another character which is absolutely adored.  I asked her if she could draw one of me in the same style.  When she finally showed me the finished piece, I was quite ecstatic.  Captures my mischievous, playful nature perfectly.  Although, I am probably just fixated on my wonderful mate just out of picture.  =P

Next up is another piece from my good friend Aetherfax.  I needed a character reference sheet so I could finally have my own fursuit commissioned.  I figured since Aeth was the first to ever pen me, he should be the one to create my reference sheet.  I am truly honored to be able to work with Aeth in such a way.  He basically takes my ideas and brings them to my character just how I envisioned them.  After a lot of back and forth, sharing ideas and viewing numerous sketches (Aeth, thanks so much for making any changes that I requested!), Aeth finally delivered to me a finished reference sheet, and I couldn't have been happier with the result.  Not only is it a great representation of my fursona, but captures all of my unique touches that I wanted to incorporate.  I then sent it off to a few builders and now have a commission for my fursuit on order, which will be completed in December (more on that when updates come from the builder).

 I am very pleased with both pieces.  If you wish to contact either artist, please visit these links:

Adorable Foxie 

Aetherfax on FA 

Chicago Fur Meet

Two weekends ago I made a much needed trip back to Chicago to visit family and friends.  It had been awhile since I had been back that way, and with my promise to do as much traveling as I could this summer, I took a little, 5-day trip down to the Windy-City.  There was a little twist to this trip however.

Remember my good friend in North Carolina, Foxglove?  Well, through him, I was introduced to a fellow husky named Razz, who interestingly enough, lives in Chicago.  Not only that, but the time of my visit was during his birthday.  So, aside from meeting a friend for the first time in real life, I get to celebrate his birthday with him as well!  These are the trips worth remembering.

Okay, so I didn't really get to celebrate his birthday ON his birthday.  His mate was taking him on their own little trip the weekend prior to my visit and were returning on the Thursday I was getting into town.  Razz's birthday fell on a Tuesday, July 13th.  I got to my family's house on the 15th.  I did get to spend a good amount of time with my family, especially with my cousins Jenni and Tom, and Jenni's son, Tanner.

Friday was the day that I met Razz.  I went to go visit him at his work.  It was quite the experience, butterflies in my stomach, the whole excitement of meeting someone whom you got to know online for the very first time.  I felt the same way with Foxglove, as well as when I met my boyfriend and mate for the first time in Arizona.  It was kind of funny, because he came to the door first.  We greeted each other like we had always known each other, but in reality, it was our first time meeting, ever.  I stayed for a bit and chatted, keeping out of the way so he wouldn't get in trouble.  Luckily, his boss and the other employees he works with are all really cool and didn't mind that he had a visitor.  After about an hour though, I left so I didn't over stay my visit at his work.  I was going to meet him and his mate later to hang out, which gave me the chance to pay a little visit to my friends at Sound Performance and see what I could buy for my IS300.  I caught them just as they were putting cars away for the day but Reid and the owner Larry stayed and we talked shop for a bit, coming up with a new setup for my IS300.  The guys at SP are very knowledgeable, and Larry is one of the best tuners in the Mid-West.  I highly recommend clicking the link provided and checking out what they have to offer.

Later that night, I met Razz and his mate, Gixxer at the Woodfield mall.  I took them out to dinner in celebration of Razz's birthday.  We went to the Rainforest Cafe, which I hadn't been to in years.  We all had a good meal and a fun time.  We went back to Gixxer's place, where we made plans for the festivities on Saturday.  See, the reason Razz wanted me to come was because there was a big fur meet that weekend and wanted me to come down and check it out with them.  The start of the meet was going to be in Waukegan, WI, for a softball game and picnic, followed by bowling that night back in Chicago.  So, it was going to be an early, and long day.  I went back to my family's house and stayed up way too late still, hehe.

After a nice 3 hour nap, I had to wake up to go meet Razz at Gixxer's place.  Gixxer unfortunately had to work, so he wouldn't be joining us till later.  We left my LS400 at his house and took Razz's car to pick up his friend Heath, and then we were off to the softball game.  I was excited and nervous because my last experience with a fur meet wasn't the greatest.  I wondered if I would get the same reaction, but who knew.  The park we arrived at was pretty nice, next to a man-made lake which also had a nice recreational and fitness center.  The lake could have come in handy because it was HOT.  Probably near 100* with humidity and no clouds and no wind.  This was going to be a workout. 

We got there kind of early, but after a little bit, the furs started arriving in full force.  It was shaping up to be big, but Razz informed me that this was the biggest game of the year, so the turnout was expected.  Razz did a great job introducing me to a lot of other furs, a few of which I talked to a little.  Everyone was very friendly.  I was surprised to see some people getting into suit despite the heat.  Of course the socializing paused for a bit once the games got underway.  Since I was the newcomer, I sat on the sidelines and cheered Razz on.  I suck at softball anyways, so I wouldn't have been much use.  At the end of the day, Razz's team lost one game and one the other.

After the games, we drove back to the city and picked up his mate from work, where we headed back to Gixxer's place to get ready for bowling that night.  We sat around and talked for a little bit before heading out to grab some food at the Steak N' Shake, then headed to bowling.  The group pretty much rented the place out, and we had it to ourselves, including the billiards room, so I was a very happy husky.  I started racking them up and playing whoever wanted to play.  It was a lot of fun.  After a little the suiters started coming out in full-force, including Razz, who came to shoot some pool, even beating me, in suit.  Impressive to say the least.  After a few games, I started floating around with the camera, that is until the music started.

Now, Razz has a funny way of making people do things they normally wouldn't do.  He also told me, one way to get people to come talk to you at a fur meet, is to do something out of the ordinary.  Once the music got going, some of the people and suiters started dancing.  I've told Razz, without a lot of detail, that I breakdance a little, dancing at car shows and other events.  Well, Razz put me on the spot and challenged me to a battle.  Needless to say, once I started breaking and spinning, others took notice, really getting into our friendly battle.  It was great, I was not embarrassed at all, and afterwords, people were coming up and talking to me, asking me about all sorts of things, especially my cars (thanks Gixxer!).  At the end of the night, I had an absolute BLAST!  I met a lot of people, took a ton of pics, and just had a great time really hanging out with other furs.  We ended the night with some shakes again at Steak N' Shake, and then I was back at the family's, getting ready to leave in the morning.

It was a great trip, and well worth the time and money.  I needed a great experience with a big fur group to really boost my confidence in the fandom, and I got it at that meet.  I really can't thank Razz enough for inviting me down to hang out and share that with me.  I hope to be back at more of them in the future.  It was also great to make another friend (or a lot), finally meeting Razz in person.  Just something about meeting people in person whom you normally associate with just online.

Anyways, onto the pictures.  I will have a link to the gallery to make it easier.  Enjoy

Razz and I

Gallery:  Photos by Kaien

PS117 Updates

It has been awhile since I've given a proper update on why things have slowed down a bit.  The most simple answer is; life got busy.  Family, work, cars, relationships, everything got hectic and I'm trying my best to hold everything together.

The IS finally has it's first serious break since getting built.  The head-gasket popped between cylinders 3 & 4.  Still ran fine, just down two cylinders.  So, it's been sitting in my garage as my friends and I have slowly torn into it on our free time.  We have almost everything off the head, sans the timing belt.  My friend Brando will come down to mock up a new intake manifold for it before we go any further with it.  The rebuild is shaping up to be quite good.  Complete head work, new springs and retainers, new valves, new cams, bigger injectors, new intake manifold, and if all goes well, a new turbo.  Should be quite the car come 2011.

I'm back on the Civic again too.  After sitting for months, deciding if I should sell or not, I changed directions AGAIN.  This time though,  I will stick to my guns.  I knew this project was going to take awhile anyways.  I've wanted to get back into drag racing, and while my IS300 is a great candidate, I've wanted to build a drag Honda for some time now.  Since my coupe is a stripped shell, I figure, what better place to start.  I finished prepping the bay for paint and did some work to the front-end to get it ready for a good-sized FMIC and some big tires.  I will be joining the ever increasing group of Civics running an Exospeed Racing front end for the car.  Check them out here:  Exospeed Racing.  Going to be a blast when it's done.

I also sold my truck, so with two cars just sitting in the garage all torn apart, I needed some form of transportation to get around.  Another project I have been wanting to build is something in the VIP area.  I also looked into getting back into VWs, but I guess I still have to wait on that.  Some searching turned up a great candidate in Chicago and I had the car delivered to MN.  It's a 2000 Lexus LS400.  Yes, another Lexus in the stable.  This car is very clean, sporting just 77,800 on the odometer when I took delivery.  Paint, body, and interior are all immaculate.  I've already "borrowed" the Enkeis off my IS300 to bolt on for the time being, and am getting my suspension sorted thanks to GPR Auto.  Keep your eyes peeled for updates.

Otherwise, life has been life, filled with ups and downs.  Right now, it seems more downs than ups, but I just keep trudging along.  I'm still working hard to keep a relationship afloat and have some great friends to thank for being there when I needed the moral support to keep my head straight.  Working on some cool projects with my media-marketing company, so that helps take my mind off of things. 

On the furry side of things, I am finally having a suit made, which I am excited about.  First though, I needed a good reference sheet.  I got a hold of Aetherfax again, who drew the commission I had done for Dracul and I, to pretty much bring my character to life.  What he has shown me so far is great.  I can't wait for the final piece.  When it's all done, I will have a stand-alone feature showing the step-by-step process of my reference sheet.  Thanks again Aeth !

A Busy Weekend: EW4 and MN Furs Picnic

Whew, what a weekend!  I experienced all sorts of new things this past weekend since it was full-up with events and activities.  Good times, with good friends, and some amazing cars.

First up on Friday was the Eurowerks 4 pre-show party which kicked off with a car wash at SCI Performance followed by the traditional parking lot show at Kim Huoy Chor on University Ave.  Of course, the parking lot was PACKED despite the looming weather.  It was great seeing all of the out-of-towners who made long journeys to be at the show.  With the quality of the cars at the pre-show get-together, the actual show itself was shaping up to be a blast.

Saturday brought a lot of exciting things and a lot of rain.  First off, my good friend Howlie came down Friday night, but spent it with his family.  I picked him up Saturday morning and we were off to St. Paul for the MN Furs summer picnic.  First, we stopped at Cecil's Deli for a good breakfast though, haha.  Anyways, I was both excited and nervous about the picnic.  I had heard a lot about the event from a few of my friends.  These picnics (there are two a year I believe) are the closest thing to a convention that we get in MN with the turnouts being pretty big.  Of course, it was raining all day Saturday so who knew.  I was excited to really get a taste of hanging with a big group of furs, but nervous at meeting so many new people.  I am relatively new to the community, and if it wasn't for my friend Howlie, I probably would have been extremely shy all day.  In the end it was a good experience overall.  I got to see a lot of cool things and learned a lot.  I still feel very new to the whole community, but hopefully I will open up more and so will the community.  All-in-all, a great bunch of furs.

The picnic ran all day, so I took a leave to head to the old Grainbelt Brewery for the Eurowerks 4 show.  This is by far my favorite show to hit all year, and I can't even participate!  Some of the best Euros around gather here to show off.  Despite bringing out some top-class cars, the show remains very relaxed and welcoming with the annual trike-race and cup-cake eating contests.  Despite the weather, the show was great and I had a lot of fun taking pictures.

Expect a separate entry for the Eurowerks event covering both Friday and Saturday with pictures from both.  It was a great weekend though, and I spent it with an awesome friend.  It was a great experience, taking in both of my passions on the same weekend.

Oh, and I really, really want a suit now!  How can you not find this adorable?

Wish I took more pictures of the suiters, but I was too shy, even with the camera! 

Southern Hospitality: North Carolina Trip

So, I am writing this from my friend's house in Cary, NC.  Why am I in Cary, NC?  Why not?  Since I am finally done with school, I want to do some traveling.  I was having a conversation with my friend Foxglove where he stated he would be home alone for a week and I playfully replied, "I should come and keep you company."  Well, here I am!  Kind of a spur of the moment decision (finding last minute flights was fun!), but I was planning (and still am) to come and visit in June.

A little back-story then on how Foxglove and I first met.  You know, you meet some of your best friends in the strangest of ways, but this one is quite the interesting (at least to me) story.  You see, I never expected to meet many furs being active on car forums.  It just goes to show that everyone has their interests.

I post over on a large IS community board and posted up some new pictures of my car.  I have Fur Affinity tagged on my hood, and while no one took notice, one person did.  I received a message from Foxglove asking about that tag, and I was really quite surprised.  well, after a few messages, we're talking online, and before we knew it, I'm on a plane heading for North Carolina.  Yeah, not as fancy as you would think, but hey, I thought it was pretty darn cool!

I arrived yesterday and he picked me up from the airport.  I had never been to the Carolinas, or this part of the country before, so I was looking a bit curious.  First impressions?  I like it!  Reminds me a lot of Minnesota, but a lot warmer, haha.  Really, the scenery is not so different.  One thing he heard me comment on a lot was the style of the houses.  They are very...southern!  Sorry for the lack of a better description.  I like seeing how housing design changes in different parts of the country, but something about these houses, I just really like.  He showed me around Cary, taking me to some cool car dealerships.  Also checked out downtown Raleigh which was really cool.  Minneapolis and St. Paul are very old, so it was quite exhilarating to see a "new" downtown.  I will bring the camera and tripod next time out!

Today, when he gets home from work, we are planning to visit a good friend of his with some cool toys, including a st165 rally car.  Apparently, I will be given a ride against my will, haha.  I love rallying, but you could not get me into one of those cars to go ripping down a tree-lined trail.  Expect pictures and most likely a video of this husky screaming for dear life.  Oh, and we're going to go to dinner at a place called Bojangles!  Seriously, BOJANGLES!  Yes, I like the name.

No pictures to add right now, I didn't bring the camera with last night.  It's going to be a fun trip and the second round in June will be equally as good.  I like it here, and with a good friend like Foxglove to hang out with, I don't need much to come and visit...although he pesters about me bringing my IS300.  I should though.  Two friends, two of the same car, and a passion for two unique lifestyles.

The picture that sparked a friendship

Local Artist: Ratte

So, we're going to change gears for a minute here.  Car stuff is all fine and dandy, but I'm not so one-dimensional.  I appreciate art, whether traditional or digital, art has always been an interest of mine.  Of course, my own talents are lacking, but that hasn't stopped me from meeting some rather accomplished artists.

One aspect of the fur community that I love is the amount of art that is produced based on the fandom.  I have always liked anthro art, attempting to sketch and draw from time to time.  I say attempt because, well, let's face it, I do not have the talent for it.  However, I have met a few friends that do.

A rather local artist, Ratte, is somewhat of a celebrity over on Fur Affinity.  I chanced a message that eventually led to conversation.  I am quite glad I did.  Not only is she a very good artist, but a rather kind person.  I continually browse her gallery over at FA, impressed at every piece that I see.  Even the sketches, I am amazed at the detail and realism.

However, in one of our recent conversations, she hinted at a new piece she was working on, which she was incorporating some new technique.  Needless to say, I was curious as to what would result, but I knew it would be good.  When she finally showed me the finished piece, I was blown away!  The realism and attention to detail is amazing in the piece.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  If you want to see more of Ratte's work, visit her FA page and gallery here:  Ratte's Fur Affinity Page

Kaien and Dracul Commission by Aetherfax: Finished

The finished product of the sketch.  I said it would be amazing.  Completely blown away by it, and well worth it.  Aeth did a fantastic job, taking my description, and producing this.  This is why I love the arts and creativity.  You take thoughts and dreams and turn them into reality.  Speaking from personal experience, working in a creative environment is just so much fun.  Now, I don't turn out anything this amazing, but I still have fun and take pride in the work I do.  For Aetherfax, thanks again.  You did an amazing job and I look forward to seeing more work from you (family photo soon!).  Please visit Aetherfax on Fur Affinity for more info.

(this is the low-res version.  The high-res version is damn near breath-taking, IMO, haha)

Kaien and Dracul Commission by Aetherfax: Sketch

A husky friend of mine (the brother of my mate), showed me a pic of him done by an artist known as Aetherfax.  I loved the style and had been looking for a professional to draw a pic of me and Dracul.  So, I got Aeth's email, made contact, and put in for a commission.  Silence is a good thing as it means work is being done.  Good things are worth waiting for, and once the sketch was emailed to me, I was utterly impressed.  Keep in mind, this is just the sketch.  The final piece will be nothing short of amazing.

To see more of Aetherfax's amazing work, and to put in for a commission of your own, visit:  Aetherfax on Fur Affinity