Festive cheer is kicking into high gear, so I’d like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holidays!

Regular posting will resume on the 27th, and then next week, I’ll be taking a look back at 2008’s top stories and outlining just what we can expect in the new year.

All the best,

Kevin RE Watts
Editor, The Passionate Pursuit

Welcome to the new and improved TPP!

At first glace it might not look like a big change, but I’ve made a big switch with the software powering the site, moving from Drupal back to Wordpress. Don’t worry, even if you don’t know what I’m talking about, the difference is going to be apparent. Let’s get to a rundown of some new features:

• First of all, there should be some substantial speed improvements — from my tests it’s a 900% increase, if you can believe it.
• The Lexus Model Database is now in much better shape, I’ve built it into a real section that’s easy to update and navigate, making it an actually useful feature on the site.
• Comments are now threaded! This is probably the thing I’m most excited about. Also, I’ve implemented Gravatar support, meaning that commenters can use avatars.
• There were huge problems with the old commenting system, and I never knew when people had left comments unless I checked manually. That’s been fixed as well.
• The biggest change is the improved support for advertising. No longer buried, I’ve increased the available options to accommodate an significant interest in banner spots.

Big day, that’s for sure. There’s plenty of little things that need fixing, but hopefully it’s all minor. If you spot any showstopper bugs, though, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Kevin RE Watts
Editor, The Passionate Pursuit

I found this promo video for the Lexus LS 600hL a few days ago, but decided to wait on posting it until today’s release of Quantum of Solace — while they’re totally unrelated, but the music is straight out of a James Bond movie:

(Been looking forward to this movie for months — so much in fact, I’ve started reading all the Ian Fleming novels.)

Lexus Chile has honored me by featuring my LS 400 in their history timeline:

My photo:

I’m not entirely sure why my ‘94 LS is filed under 2001, but you won’t catch me complaining.

Today marks the first anniversary of The Passionate Pursuit! It’s funny the way time works, at times it feels like I’ve only just started, and in another way, it seems like something I’ve always done. I’ve learned a lot over the past year, running this site is a very rewarding experience.

To mark the occasion, I asked the photographers of some of my favorite photos over the last year to contribute their images as wallpapers for my readers. The response was great, and I’ve very grateful to be able to share these images:

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Thanks to all my loyal readers, there’s plenty in store for the next year and I’m happy to have you on board.

Kevin RE Watts,
Editor, The Passionate Pursuit

No matter how unsubtle my hints were, I have some real doubts that I’ll be getting an Lexus LS 600hL for Christmas, December to Remember or no. Hopefully, some of you out there have better luck!

(Posting will resume on Boxing Day December 27th. Santa left me the flu for Christmas.)