Found it?

I think I may have found my ideal cell phone: the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. Of course, it's not been released yet, and it will probably cost a small fortune when it is. But it has all the features (I think) that I'm seeking, and it's neat looking, and it's not your "usual" thing (I have a penchant for the unusual, remember?). It will support (according to the specs on Sony Ericsson's website) the UMTS 2100 and 1700 bands, so it should be compatible with TMobile's 3G network (whenever they get around to rolling it out); note: I'm not an expert on this particular area, so I could be wrong, but the bands are correct, as long as the technology is the same, it should work. It has (according to the advertised specs) a WVGA display (800x480 res, 3 inches diagonal, touch-screen), supports virtually every GSM/3G band available worldwide, has a pretty cool "curvy-slidy" design with full QWERTY keyboard, and is fairly trim at 4.3" x 2.1" x 0.7". Pretty cool. The only drawback is the M2 ("memory-stick-micro") slot instead of the (near-industry-standard) micro-SD slot, but I can get over that. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you don't even need a 2.5-3.5 adapter (or, worse, a proprietary adapter).

If anyone wants to send me one, rest assured I'll happily accept it. No fear of a refused gift here!

As far as my "need" for a more fun-to-drive vehicle, I was thinking on the way from work to our church's free tutoring (I was helping with doing, not receiving, the tutoring), that the Villager, also sold as the Nissan Quest, has a Nissan VG30E V6 in it. This is essentially the same V6 that was used in the Maxima, the 300zx, and the 200sx V6. The 300z had a turbo (and later a twin-turbo) version. Now, the Nissan/Ford partnership (it was sold as the Mercury Villager, but Mercury is part of Ford Motor Corporation) required the head design to be changed to a non-interference version (most other Nissan engines are interference designs, which means if the timing belt breaks, you're in for bent valves and major damage; with a non-interference design, a broken timing belt just means strandedness and a less-expensive repair). This engine was later enlarged to a 3.3 litre version (in the Nissan trucks and, I think, the later model Quest/Villager), which was supercharged in some applications. Anyway, I wonder if I can take the heads and intake & exhaust manifolds (and probably the ECU) from one of the turbocharged versions and soup up my Villager a bit; and maybe add some larger wheels and lower profile tires, and a custom lowered suspension... then the Villager might be a bit more fun to drive. Perhaps (and I don't know if this is a relatively simple swap or a bit more involved) it would be possible to replace the automatic transmission with a manual from a Maxima, too (which would improve the fun-to-drive quotient immensely, and just be plain cool: "Hey, I have a manual transmission, turbocharged sport van!" Then Peyton would have to leave me alone...). Note to sport minivans: look out for the Renault Espace. That was a 10-off (they made 10 of them) Renault (French) minivan with a Formula 1 drivetrain: mid-engined, V-10, really cool. That's a minivan any sporting driver wouldn't mind driving, I'm sure!

Now, take a look at the picture to the left; click it to zoom in if you need to see it bigger. That's not retouched (other than the fancy framework; pretty nice job I did, eh?), nor is it deliberate - my daughter was trying to open her Capri Sun and managed to puncture the pouch not once, but twice. My wife commented, "Maybe she has a future in piercings." (Why didn't I think of that?)

Ah, well, I think I need to watch a movie or go to bed (not yet sure which I'm going to do), so I'll leave you for now. Hope this has been somewhat diet-food-like for you - you know, enlightening. Heh-heh. And don't forget to send me an Xperia X1 if you feel like it; if I end up with more than one, I'll be sure to offer any extra(s) to other poor soul(s) in need of a really cool phone. Thanks in advance! :)