201. adrianne - April 15, 1999 - 6:33 PM PT
Phil
He just sent me the new domain today, and it's at work. But I'll try to remember it tomorrow. It's very "cool."
202. chloel - April 15, 1999 - 6:33 PM PT
Philistine
If I nod earnestly and say, Oh, right, Lyle Lovett, will you throw something or just throw up your hands?
203. MsIvoryTower - April 15, 1999 - 6:47 PM PT
Adrianne
I chose an alternative vehicle. I can't help it. I see those minivans, and I think of all the women who drove station wagons when I was young, the "stay-at-home mother club", and I can't do it.
(Note: this is not a slam against stay at home mothers, just an association I have with station wagons and minivans. I'm sure every mother who stays at home is hip in her own way, just not driving a station wagon/minivan, though.)
204. arkymalarky - April 15, 1999 - 6:51 PM PT
Hey, did y'all know that "Another World" is cancelled?! How can they do that! The show's an institution!
205. Philistine - April 15, 1999 - 6:52 PM PT
Chloe -
I'm a Texas chauvinist. Whattaya think?
Truth be told, I only have one Lyle Lovett album, <i>And His Large Band</i>. Good stuff, although his version of "Blues Walk" pales before T-Bone Walker's original. That's okay, though, because T-Bone is a Texan, too.
206. Philistine - April 15, 1999 - 6:53 PM PT
<Homer Voice>Stupid Fray! Utilize more HTML!</Homer voice>
207. MsIvoryTower - April 15, 1999 - 6:54 PM PT
Arky
It wasn't canceled, it was pre-empted by the Fray.
As the World Frays
One Life to Fray
Another Frayville
You're being filmed as we speak.
You don't drive a minivan do you? If you do, don't, please, I beg of you, don't wear curlers in your hair at the same time. Please.
208. CalGal - April 15, 1999 - 6:58 PM PT
Minivans are so awful. I have shuddered while reading these posts.
I won't even stoop to a four-door. It just ruins the line of a car, not matter what the make or model.
209. phillipdavid - April 15, 1999 - 7:04 PM PT
Not so, CalGal. A volvo just wouldn't look right without four doors.
210. CalGal - April 15, 1999 - 7:12 PM PT
You said that to torment me, didn't you?
Fucking VOLVO. Mom-mobile incarnate!
211. arkymalarky - April 15, 1999 - 7:20 PM PT
Of course not, Msit! I wouldn't put curlers in my hair for any reason!
I am seriously considering a minivan, simply because I can't stand the thought of an SUV, which seems to be what the cool soccer moms drive. The reason is that I live in my car, and also I feel safer commuting on such a bad road. I meet ten or more diesels, mostly log trucks, every day. It'll be at least a year and hopefully more before I let go of my good old Saturn, tho. I make my last payment next week!
212. Philistine - April 15, 1999 - 7:24 PM PT
Congratulations, Arks!
Nothing quite like actually owning something, rather than leasing it from the bank, is there? Reminds me of a satirical sci-fi story idea I've been kicking around for a couple of years, now...
213. RyckNelson - April 15, 1999 - 7:47 PM PT
Alright calgal,
We definitely have a philosophical agreement about the Volvo.
Some mini-vans however, rock!
Btw, in the U.S. Minnesota is the best state. Oh, and Minneapolis, St.Paul are the best cities in the world. Oh, is my snobbism showing? Well it's so juvenile of me, but, I just can't help it. Minnesota! Minnesota! I'm a damn cheer-leader. (on a downward spiral he continues)
Minnesota lakes, Minnesota rivers, valleys, fields, towns, cities, and most everything natural rates with anything in the world. Sheesh except the rain forest, mountains, canyons, oceans (we've a great lake), seas, huge water falls, etc... Well we've some grand sites to see. Guess I'm done cheering.
We've some fantastic fishing!
Driving sucks.
Some people suck but, hey thats everywhere yah go.
Minnesota!
214. tedphil - April 15, 1999 - 9:16 PM PT
Well, don't come to Florida. We're burning right now, literally.
215. IrvingSnodgrass - April 15, 1999 - 9:22 PM PT
"72. benear - April 15, 1999 - 12:37 PM PT
Irv is the only one around here that is cool."
Well, first time I've been accused of being cool. Where are those sunglasses? I know I've got a nehru jacket around here somewhere...
216. patsyrolph - April 16, 1999 - 12:30 AM PT
Any person who wears or has worn purple mesh shorts is serioso and stupendously COOL.
217. arkymalarky - April 16, 1999 - 6:04 AM PT
I know I'm cool now. When I got out of my Saturn and was headed toward the school building this morning, one of the kids said, "When are you going to let me drive your car?" That would *not* be asked of a minivan or Volvo driver! (or a Subaru, either)
218. JadeGold - April 16, 1999 - 6:08 AM PT
Arky;
I own both a Saturn and a Volvo.
219. arkymalarky - April 16, 1999 - 6:12 AM PT
Which one do you drive when you want to look cool?
220. IrvingSnodgrass - April 16, 1999 - 6:14 AM PT
You folks can have your cars, SUVs and minivans.
I have a motorcycle, and that is undeniably cool.
221. JadeGold - April 16, 1999 - 6:15 AM PT
Arky;
Fortunately, I am cool at all times.
I prefer the Volvo for the ride and the stereo system. The Saturn is good for short jaunts.
222. arkymalarky - April 16, 1999 - 6:17 AM PT
Haha! Cool *and* practical. I didn't realize until now that one could be both. I'm envious! I'm actually uncool and impractical.
223. TheDiva - April 16, 1999 - 6:25 AM PT
Jaysus.
I have an '87 Corolla with 167,000 miles on it, and no car payment. My insurance is about $575 a year, including collision.
Definitely uncool, if you rank such things according to the vehicle that gets you from point a to point b.
Definitely cool, if you rank such things according to how well you use your resources.
I'M SO CONFUSED!!!!!!!!!!
224. JadeGold - April 16, 1999 - 6:26 AM PT
My spouse prefers the Saturn. In the end, I think it comes down to the stereo pre-sets.
What kind of bike, Irv? I used to have use of a HD ElectraGlide in the great state of MN.
225. Philistine - April 16, 1999 - 6:33 AM PT
Diva -
Cool or not, "no payments" may be the most beautiful words in the english language.
226. IrvingSnodgrass - April 16, 1999 - 6:33 AM PT
Jade:
Indonesia has regulations on the size of bikes allowed, and my bike (a Honda Tiger) is at the upper limit of those allowed. It's big enough for me... Bali is a pretty small island, and I can get anywhere I need to go, usually faster than I could in a car, since the roads are narrow and traffic jams are common.
There are a few classic HDs around, but they are very expensive (a 30-year-old HD costs 10x the price of a brand-new Tiger), so I'll wait till I'm rich (hah!) before getting one of those.
227. ChristiPeters - April 16, 1999 - 6:40 AM PT
Irv -
I used to own, love, and ride a KZ 550 LTD. The only time I used any other vehicle was when I used the pick-up to either haul hay or horses. It was funny, because until my husband introduced me to how much fun they were, I associated motorcycles with gangs and 'bad' people.
I used to ride from Alamogordo, NM to Cloudcroft just so I could go off on the road that goes from Cloudcroft, past Sunspot, to Mayhill - A long, twisty FUN road through the mountains.
Unfortunately, I had to give it up after I was hurt. It's hard to ride a motor cycle when you can't use your left hand. I couldn't pull the clutch.
228. TheDiva - April 16, 1999 - 6:43 AM PT
Phil
Oh yes....see, I have this ongoing debate with Sweetie (Mr. 'I Want A Twin Turbo Corvette AND a motorcycle') about whether I need a new car....he wants me to get some enormous stylish thing with a huge engine, etc....and basically, I'm too damned cheap (not to mention broke) to do it.
229. Philistine - April 16, 1999 - 6:47 AM PT
I'm just pleased that I don't owe the bank any more money on my bus pass.
230. MsIvoryTower - April 16, 1999 - 6:49 AM PT
Well, I had a moderately expensive Acura Legend that I had to get rid of before it bankrupted me. Once it hit 60K miles it began to have major problems and I was suckered into thinking that *this* repair was certainly going to be the last one. Finally someone said to me (whose opinion I listen to), that car is a lemon, and after adding up what I'd sunk into the car over the last two years, I realized I'd plunked down over $5000 in repairs.
I quickly got rid of the car.
Expensive cars that suck you dry financially are NOT kosher.
231. IrvingSnodgrass - April 16, 1999 - 6:51 AM PT
Christi:
This is the third bike I've had in the past 23 years, and all have been for transportation. Where I live, there are far more motorcycles than cars, and bike gangs are unheard of.
I'd be scared to ride a bike in the USA, since car drivers aren't thinking of motorcycles when they drive.
232. TheDiva - April 16, 1999 - 6:51 AM PT
LOL @ Message #229 ah, yes, the glorious days of a college student. How well I remember them....
Ms
Toyota. Think Toyota.
233. Philistine - April 16, 1999 - 6:52 AM PT
This all reminds me of one of my al-time favorite bumper stickers.
"Don't like my driving? Support Public Transit!"
234. MsIvoryTower - April 16, 1999 - 6:57 AM PT
Diva
Yes, I did and got one.
The Rav4. My SUV wannabe.
Btw, Acura Legends were supposed to be VERY RELIABLE cars, that's what irked me most of all. Expensive and frivolous cars like sports cars are notorious for being costly to maintain, but Acuras were supposed to be expensive and low maintainance. Grumble, grumble grumble.
235. marjoribanks - April 16, 1999 - 7:01 AM PT
Funny how a thread topic of "cultural snobbism" among Americans immediately devolves into a "the car I drive" thread.
236. JadeGold - April 16, 1999 - 7:01 AM PT
How do you like the RAV-4?
I think we'll be looking into an SUV shortly.
237. ChristiPeters - April 16, 1999 - 7:03 AM PT
Irv,
Yes. In an accident involving a motorcycle and a car, it really doesn't matter if the car is at fault - the motorcycle rider is the one with the worst injuries. As I found out after my car wreck, knowing it is the other person's fault doesn't make it hurt less.
Between White Sands Missle Range, the airbases, the reservation land, and the parks, about two thirds of New Mexico is government land. So unless you are around Albuquerque, traffic is light. I was frustrated when I first moved to southern NM as it seemed that most of the drivers did not know how to use turn signals or the rules of right of way at a four way stop. Then I realized that the majority of the time there you were the only one at the stop sign or the only one in sight on the road when you needed to turn. I think anyone who grew up in southern NM and learned to drive there has BIG problems if they move to a more populous state.
Anyway, it was a safer place than some to learn to ride a motorcycle. I don't think I would want to ride one here.
238. MsIvoryTower - April 16, 1999 - 7:07 AM PT
Hmmm, Jade
I like it because it suits my small household, is easy to drive, and control, and easy on the wallet gaswise. However, the difference in power, manuverability, smoothness of ride, tightness in terms of stability on the road between this and my Legend is quite significant and I sometimes long for the latter.
If I had to do it again, I'd probably go with the 4-runner, or the Pathfinder, Passport, Trooper, or Montegro Sport. Bigger cars, more stable, better turning stability, larger cargo, etc.
I expect to keep this just until my clone gets old enough to drive, then pass it on to her and get myself something else.
239. IrvingSnodgrass - April 16, 1999 - 7:15 AM PT
Christi:
I've had a few motorcycle accidents over the years (though none for the past 18 years... haven't even had a car accident in that period), but nothing at high speeds. Every accident was the result of a car "not seeing" me. And these were in countries where motorcycles are common and speeds are much slower. And in one of those low-speed accidents, I woke up the next day in the hospital. I definitely don't think I'd ride a bike in the USA.
240. marjoribanks - April 16, 1999 - 7:25 AM PT
I broke my leg in a motorcycle accident once. It wasn't too bad, except that I managed to have that accident with a police van, destroying the back of it. Needless to say, the cops were pissed and caused me a hell of a lot more problems than I would have had otherwise.
241. Philistine - April 16, 1999 - 7:27 AM PT
Marj -
Well, is there any more obvious status symbol in the US than one's car? It is interesting, I agree, but totally in keeping with this nations obsession with burning fossil fuel. I'm actually planning on buying a car fairly soon, but I'll still keep my bus pass for day-to-day commuting. I like being able to read the paper, or chat up a nice looking young lady, or catch up on assignments on the way to class. And I hate looking for parking spaces, and stop and go driving.
242. Raskolnikov - April 16, 1999 - 8:11 AM PT
I have never understood the car obsession, or the view of it as a status symbol. I have always driven reliable little compact cars. The next car I buy will probably be a Prizm, Saturn, Civic, Jetta, or Passat. If I ever need the space of a minivan, I will buy one, unhesitatingly.
Sure, let me win the lottery, and you will see me in a Lexus, BMW, or a Jaguar, but there are thousands of things I would spend money on before shelling out 10-20k more for an upscale car (a home theater system, better furniture, camping equipment, an MBA, a broadband connection, an original movie poster of "Casablanca", vacations to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc.)
243. Philistine - April 16, 1999 - 8:19 AM PT
Right on, Rasko. I'm looking at an early 90's Sonata.
244. justlooking - April 16, 1999 - 10:39 AM PT
MajoriBanks
Message #235
Are we all Americans here? That's an assumption.
I listen to Benny Goodman. Got a CD when my daughter took up the clarinet in the school band. Wanted to encourage her with a selection of exemplary clarinet playing. I'm listening to it now and she's not here. I think he's cool.
245. tedphil - April 16, 1999 - 10:49 AM PT
Thinking SUV's? Think Suburbans.
They are large, bulky, carry lots of cargo, and have the highest survivalability rate in a vehicle to vehicle accident.
246. JadeGold - April 16, 1999 - 10:54 AM PT
tPhil;
Thanks, but no. Suburbans get very poor mileage. Plus, I kind of like a vehicle that doesn't require a parking space with it's own zip code.
247. incognito - April 16, 1999 - 11:30 AM PT
I always have trouble finding a spot for my Ferrari. I'm always afraid someone will ding it.
248. JadeGold - April 16, 1999 - 11:40 AM PT
incog;
I used to have that problem with my yacht.
249. Raskolnikov - April 16, 1999 - 11:47 AM PT
no prob. Do what I do: buy a helicopter. Just tie it to a tree and leave it in "hover".
(thanks to Steven Wright)
250. TheDiva - April 16, 1999 - 11:50 AM PT
I was gonna suggest flying buttresses, but I guess those are kind of moot on a helicopter.
251. incognito - April 16, 1999 - 12:06 PM PT
Steven Wright got that idea from me. He saw me do it once.
252. chloel - April 16, 1999 - 12:31 PM PT
justlooking
Do you have some Naftule Brandwein to go woth the Goodman? The unknown root of jazz, I believe - a theory probably old-hat or wholly exploded to real jazzheads.
About SUVs - yo, people, remember that they have a 'higher survivability rate' compared to the people they kill. Using other people's skulls as your crumple zone is not cool.
253. justlooking - April 16, 1999 - 12:56 PM PT
Chloel
I've never heard of Naftule Brandwein. Who is/was he/she?
254. TheDiva - April 16, 1999 - 1:00 PM PT
chloe
while klezmer has some relation to jazz, I wouldn't say that it's the *root* of jazz, known or otherwise. Interesting theory, though.
255. MsIvoryTower - April 16, 1999 - 1:17 PM PT
Speaking of those god awful Suburbans:
They are the Texas SUV of choice. They are ubiquitous in this State. I think it goes with the attitude that they believe that Texas is at the center of the Universe.
256. uzmakk - April 16, 1999 - 1:40 PM PT
SUVs exist, not for all the reasons that you people give for wanting them, but in order to burn the additional gasoline that is on the market and apparently will be for some time. Or, are we really becomming so affluent that we all need the things to haul our yachts. Every well-dressed blond suburban bitch in my area drives one of those miniature Peterbuilts. Additional cheap gas and a good advertising campaign will convince us all that we have to move up to the full size Peterbuilt soon. Oh, and don't forget the safety of your family.
257. uzmakk - April 16, 1999 - 1:41 PM PT
I posit a connection between SUV purchase and Viagra purchase.
258. uzmakk - April 16, 1999 - 1:43 PM PT
Especially, Suburban purchase.
259. Raskolnikov - April 16, 1999 - 1:45 PM PT
I hate SUVs. They are ugly gas guzzling behemoths which create road hazards by making it impossible to see anything in front of them.
260. chloel - April 16, 1999 - 1:49 PM PT
Diva
The *unknown* root of jazz doesn't mean the *only* root of jazz. Jokes about imaginary roots are reasonable, though.
justlooking
Brandwein was a master of klezmer (clarinet) at the last turn of the century; klezmer is partly bouncy, vaguely polka-ish, but is equally long on mournful wailing riffs. Conveniently, Brandwein is still in print (Pressing? whatever's idiomatic for currently available CDs.)
261. Jenerator - April 16, 1999 - 1:52 PM PT
All of this bad talk about SUV's! I think that the Range Rovers and the Land Cruisers are quite nice, actually.
262. TheDiva - April 16, 1999 - 1:56 PM PT
chloe
well, what's interesting is that the roots of jazz are sort of all over the place....both in the Western European cultural tradition as well as the African, African-American and even Carribbean. That's why the klezmer connection is so interesting to me....especially in view of the comments WRT Benny Goodman. If you've got anything you can link to about this, please provide it.
I've read where the New Orleans funeral procession tradition started after the African-American population in that city witnessed Italian Catholic processions on saint's feast days.....hence the tune 'The Saints Go Marching In'.
The whole form and tradition just fascinates the heck out of me.
263. chloel - April 16, 1999 - 2:01 PM PT
TheDiva
I haven't any written information to link to; I just hear a connection when I listen, and the chronology makes it plausible.
264. TheDiva - April 16, 1999 - 2:04 PM PT
Yes, good point. You never know.....after all, a Belgian, Adolphe Sax, invented the saxophone in 1840.
265. chloel - April 16, 1999 - 2:22 PM PT
Aha; I shouldn't have said 'jazz' per se, as the klezmorim apparently hit the US in this century (after at least three in the old world); but jazz after the 20s, especially the popular dance music, is evidently known to have been klez-influenced & vv.
Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw were klezmer players once. Klezmer was always dance music, and specifically partner dances, and not too tied to 4/4 - Here comes Swing!
Here's a Lark in the Morning interview with a modern player; and another summary.
266. JADEGOLD - April 16, 1999 - 2:24 PM PT
uzmakk;
I couldn't tow my yacht. It was much too large.
267. TheDiva - April 16, 1999 - 2:59 PM PT
Chloe
What cool links....how fascinating. I can *definitely* hear the klezmer connection when I listen to Goodman; and the bit about the black and Jewish musicians listening to one another rings so true...after all, jazz was integrated 40 or 50 years before the rest of the U.S.
Thanks so much for planting this seed in my head...now I've got a neat little mental, musical tangent to go off on this weekend.
268. ChristiPeters - April 16, 1999 - 3:04 PM PT
There is something to say for the safety of a large vehicle. When I had my car wreck, I was in a small car. So when I was broadsided at 50 mph the car crushed in on me before it proceeded on down the road sideways with the other car imbedded in my left hip.
It was, of course, pointed out to me afterwards that if I had been in our pickup I probably wouldn't have been hurt. The people who told me that were probably right as our pickup was a full ton duelly w/towing package. I think the bumper of the car that hit me would have been level with the truck's running boards.
So do I have an SUV, a minivan, or a pickup now?
Nope. I can't afford the cost of one, can't afford the insurance and gas cost if I had one, and I don't like 'em.
Will I get creamed in my newer small car if another idiot smashes into me? Probably.
That's Life.
269. chloel - April 16, 1999 - 3:16 PM PT
ChristiPeters
But how big was the car that hit you?
Fatalities in auto accidents were dropping until SUVs hit the road - car safety and emmissions standards between them were slowly beating the 'bigger than the next guy' arms race.
If you were hurt by a 'normal' car, ignore my rants; being statistically less usual doesn't make it any worse.
I contemplate, on occasions of behemoth-induced terror when driving a perfectly normal 4-door sedan seems as reckless as motorcyle-riding, how I'd feel if I killed someone else in a SUV and walked away... then usually I take the bus.
Unfortunately, two buses here have gone off the road recently: one driver had a heart attack and one was shot. Telecommuting, here I come.
270. uzmakk - April 16, 1999 - 3:55 PM PT
Also, you will notice that when the weather is bad that all of the vehicles in the ditch are SUVs because the drivers actually believe the commercials. They paid alot of money for those things and the laws of physics and hydrodynamics don't apply to them.
271. uzmakk - April 16, 1999 - 3:59 PM PT
Message #266JadeGold:
Surely if you harnessed several SUVs together they could handle your yacht.
272. uzmakk - April 16, 1999 - 4:00 PM PT
Or, you could go for the single Peterbuilt. Its the wave of the future.
273. doogie - April 16, 1999 - 4:08 PM PT
JADE:
I was actually going to concede that you would beat me in basketball (after my poor showing last night), but to hear that you actually want an SUV! Don't you know that good left-wingers are vitriolically opposed to them?
274. uzmakk - April 16, 1999 - 4:11 PM PT
For good reason, doogie?
275. chloel - April 16, 1999 - 4:12 PM PT
And what on earth does it have to do with her basketball?
276. doogie - April 16, 1999 - 4:19 PM PT
Anyone who wants an SUV is clearly not of right mind; it takes a sharp mental game to best me in basketball. I thought the connection was clear. Forgive me.
277. bubbaette - April 16, 1999 - 4:28 PM PT
i can understanding wanting an suv if you live in the mountains 2 or 3 miles from the nearest blacktop and get really bad weather. otherwise i can't understand the landyachts and beheamothmobiles as any thing but symbols.
278. wabbit - April 16, 1999 - 4:43 PM PT
One word: Subaru.
279. bubbaette - April 16, 1999 - 4:47 PM PT
i used to have a fiat 850 that would go anywhere til it bottomed out. it had only 4 cylinders and i could practically pick it up if it got stuck.
280. RyckNelson - April 16, 1999 - 5:39 PM PT
Marj!?!
JD!
Geran.
281. msgreer - April 16, 1999 - 5:50 PM PT
Think Toyota!
282. RyckNelson - April 16, 1999 - 7:20 PM PT
In no particular order.
'75 Honda civic wagon, 4 speed, owned it.
Black '75 Ford Elite (351 M), owned it.
'67 Galaxy 500 4-dr. (390 two barrel), owned it.
'74 Corolla (Deluxe) I would have bought one of these, then.
'76 Civic CVCC 5-speed, owned it.
'84 Suburu GLF 4-dr (opposable 4,owned it.
'72 Chevelle, (350 two barrel), owned it. Factory green.
'78 Chevy Nova 4-dr. (350)
'77 Dodge Aspen (Slant 6) (270?), owned it.
'68 Chevelle (straight 6) 3 speed, (purple 'round' tail lights), would have owned it.
'78 Toyota Corolla wagon, would have owned it.
All of those owned were just before, during or just after college. Junked all but the Elite and the Suburu, both of which I sold.
283. IrvingSnodgrass - April 16, 1999 - 8:07 PM PT
Hey, I think the two cars I owned during the brief period I lived in the States are worth noting as well:
a '63 Rambler
a '70 Mustang
Both were reliable and the two cars together cost me $350.
284. AzureNW - April 16, 1999 - 8:24 PM PT
'Classic' cars belch smoke and break down in inconvinient places, and the seats are uncomfortable. I will never, ever have another *used* car taking up space in my garage. Ever. I mean that.
285. incognito - April 17, 1999 - 12:19 PM PT
My first auto was a 1976 Honda CVCC Civic. A piece of trash!
My favorite car was my 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix, after my Ferrari of course.
286. lazygeorge - April 17, 1999 - 4:52 PM PT
Judging by my experience for the last few weeks, riding a recumbent bicycle is "cool".
287. joezan - April 17, 1999 - 7:04 PM PT
I have an uncle who is now actually quite rich (and drives a Lincoln). But when my cousins and I were young he was a sucker for any cheap (when they WERE cheap) foreign car he could get his hands on - Fiat, Toyota, VW - you name it. The worst, though, had to be his Simca.
You don't know trash till you've been in a Simca. I think they were built in Yugoslavia. Smaller and uglier than those old, boxy little Fiats, it was made of tin, and the seats were actually made of compressed cardboard, with about an inch of foam rubber stapled to them. It had no locks (maybe they were an option?) and you rolled the windows up or down by means of a little round knob - you'd be lucky to get the window half-way down before you got to where you were going.
And you wanna talk about belching smoke, Azure? This thing had a *2 cylinder*, *2-stroke* (as in chain saw) motor. The muffler was the size of a soup can. You couldn't just pump gas into it. You had to carry this 5-gallon can around, which took up most of the trunk space, as well as plenty of 2-stroke oil to mix with the gas. You had to run the tank empty before refueling. Otherwise, you risked ending up with a poor gas/oil ratio. You traveled around in a haze of smoke, and when you stopped at a light, visability for those behind you was zero. My uncle's car was, unfortunately, white. The entire rear of the car had a perpetual glaze of unburned fuel coating it, and if you so much as rubbed against it, your clothes were ruined.
Ahhhh, classic cars...
288. arkymalarky - April 17, 1999 - 7:09 PM PT
Joe,
Yet another very entertaining story.
289. RyckNelson - April 17, 1999 - 7:45 PM PT
incognito,
Joe inspired me to speak of the gems I found.
Hmmm... my little five speed Honda Civic CVCC was a front wheel drive demon. I could peel zero to sixty in about 7-10 seconds. Depending of road conditions. It meneuvered well and until the trany was trashed by my poor behavior the car was a little gem. All of nine months. I went through 'em. The longest lasting was the ugliest. That Dodge Aspen lasted me from '84 to '90. It died the morning of the deepest snow fall of my four years in Southern Illinois. Twelve+ inches fell and I just had to prove the old pile and a Minnesota native couldn't be beaten by a mear foot of snow. I rocked it back and forth with smooth action but, the trans was just to old. I knew not to do it, but, dammit I'm a Minnesotan and a foot of snow ain't nothin'. Well the car was pushed to a junk yard and that was that.
The Chevelle was the most beat up heep I bought. It had dents on every panel and a cracked windshield. It ran fast and furious but the timing chain broke and off to the yard it went.
The Civic wagon poped a tie rod while starting a turn from stop. Good thing to. What if?
The Nove got me back to Minnesota and died within two months. It through a crank bearing. Or at least that's what it sounded like.
The Galaxy lasted through a winter and just before I bought a Pontiac Ventura 350. Forgot about this one. It was also a speed demon. I loved that little car. It was trashed by some Malaysian students who drove it to New York. They broke the rear torsion rod driving over a bumpy snow drift across the road.
The Black Elite was my baby. I treated it like holy metal. I miss it.
The Suburu was an interesting car. It was used to get my current car.
290. joezan - April 17, 1999 - 7:55 PM PT
Ryck:
Absolutely NO snob appeal in any of those cars.
My uncle's Simca, however...
291. MsIvoryTower - April 17, 1999 - 7:59 PM PT
I bet no one had a woody. When I was a teen, my father bought my mother an honest to god woody. Big red behemoth, with wooded panel sides, rounded hood and fenders.
We used to cruise down to the beach every summer in that thing. Now that I look back on it, I'd love to have it.
292. joezan - April 17, 1999 - 9:38 PM PT
291. MsIvoryTower - April 17, 1999 - 7:59 PM PT
"I bet no one had a woody."
Oh, geez...I'm gonna pee my pants...
293. cigarlaw - April 17, 1999 - 10:00 PM PT
i am not a cultural snob. i do, however, resent all those inferior cultures pretending they are our equals. if they are so damn good, why aren't they californians?
case closed.
294. patsyrolph - April 17, 1999 - 11:00 PM PT
cigarlaw, nice to read you continue to make an acutely accurate argument. OTOH how many people of less sophistication would we want here in Callifornia?
295. ChristinO - April 18, 1999 - 12:04 AM PT
Hmmm....my favorite car was a '67 AMC Rambler. Three on the tree, Flintstone breaks on the passenger side, seats that went all the way back, and miraculously had a smog rating within the required parameters for a NEW vehicle. I loved that car. The last six months that I owned it I was driving it with only one gear---watching me parallel park by opening the door and backing up with my foot was highly entertaining for my neighbors. I bought it for $200 and put less that $100 in repairs into it----mainly because it was some kind of strange edition for which I couldn't get parts nor were they interchangeable with Mustang parts unlike most Ramblers at that time.
The coolest thing about the Rambler, though, was a spot on the right rear fender where a dent had been repaired and never repainted. It looked like a big cow head.
man, I loved that car.
296. ChristinO - April 18, 1999 - 12:13 AM PT
On topic for the Ms:
Cultural snobbery? Yeah, I'm guilty. I think my grandmother would call it "breeding" and while that sounds horribly elitist I'd have to say that it's only fair to call it as ugly as it may seem.
I suppose that much of it has to do with "manners". Things that just aren't done. Not to the extent that I'd shun someone for breaking a rule, but in general I have no desire to hang out with people who are uneducated, ungracious or ill-mannered according to how I define those things.
297. pellenilsson - April 18, 1999 - 12:23 AM PT
joezan
Simca was a French car.
298. Slackjaw - April 18, 1999 - 12:27 AM PT
I have always (well, for the 1.75 years I've lived here) said that I love California, but for all the Californians. 78 million or so people who consider themselves the most enlightened, open minded people on the planet--but most who say anything about it assume I am glad to be out of Indiana, and that it must be a pretty lousy place to live. And it's not just the Palisadeans either--I get this from people from Ontario, Sacramento and San Dimas (home of Bill and Ted)!! I have found that cultural snobbery in this state runs very deep. I have a feeling that most people from CA who only know I'm from IN, but not what I do, presume that I lack their education or intellectual sophistication.
But, truth be told, most Hoosiers I know look down on Californians too. They instinctively pity Mrs. Slackjaw and I!
I guess it's just selection bias once again. Many people think where they live is the greatest. Otherwise, they move to someplace else they like better.
299. Slackjaw - April 18, 1999 - 12:28 AM PT
I mean, SAN DIMAS! And Riverside!
It kills me.
Riverside, CA: cultural mecca of Riverside County.
300. CalGal - April 18, 1999 - 12:49 AM PT
Slack,
"I have a feeling that most people from CA who only know I'm from IN, but not what I do, presume that I lack their education or intellectual sophistication."
No. But we would *never* let you choose a restaurant. We hear tell that Indianans are so barbaric they still cook dogs.
And while most people think that their home state is the greatest, Californians know that their state is the greatest. It is that unshakeable, calm arrogance that makes us so irritating. New York City natives have it, too. Naturally, they have it about the wrong place, but they're just wrong. It makes no matter. They have the 'tude.
While people in other states are irritated by our unquestioning acceptance of our locational superiority, we find any assertion to the contrary to be....amusing.
A joke that only amuses Californians (and I may have told it a long time ago, so apologies if anyone remembers it):
I have a friend who moved out to California from Maine. She loves her home state, and for the first three years of our friendship she kept on comparing Maine to Californai--and Maine always won!!!
A true Californian cracks up at this punchline. No one else understands. They may even remonstrate--but Maine is a beautiful state. Lobsters. Nice scenery.
And the Californian is saying, what are you, NUTS? It's fucking MAINE!