The Lounge

I hate weddings. No real reason, I just do. I got an invitation for an old friends wedding next month. I really dont want to go, because I really dislike weddings. Have I mentioned that? I tried using the no babysitter excuse(a lie, btw), she said that I could bring my son. I'll think of some way to weasel my way out of going. All this got me thinking about mine, which is tentatively scheduled for sometime between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2020. I've already asked if I can have someone stand in for me during the ceremony so I can play video games or something. That got a no.

...and I smelt like peanut butter.

We are often looked at as a gentle people, low crime rate, peace keepers, blah blah blah....well it's all a myth and just take a look at this example of our ever increasing crime wave, be warned it's shocking: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080731/...ba_bus_stabbing

Germans to Join Together with Bluetec Here's where strength in numbers comes to the fore. Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have joined forces and will begin equipping all their U.S.-slated diesel offerings with the Bluetec system. In doing so, they will set a standard for diesel offerings in the States, have a common, marketable brand and will have massive purchasing power over Bosch who creates most of the components necessary. Audi and VW have already signed on to the deal, with BMW's CEO, Norbert Reithofer and our favorite mustached-marketer, Dr. Z of DaimlerChrysler, expected to work the details out this week. A formal announcement of the automaker's intent…

...but wonder if you are the only one.... A discussion about NBC's "Friday Night Lights" (Fridays, 8p central) set my mind to wonder about what other shows are on TV (or WERE on TV this season) that you watch, but wonder if you are the only one.... "Friday Night Lights" is definitely one of those for me. With Connie Britton (from ABC's "Spin City") and Kyle Chandler (from CBS' "Early Edition") and an amazing cast ... it is one of my favorites each week. And, while it is critically acclaimed, it doesn't have much of a fan base, claims NBC. Others for me include... ABC's "Pushing Daisies" (Wednesdays, 7p central) ABC's "Samantha Who?" (I think this was originall…

Okay, I know this is a loaded question, because everybody will have "their" own favorite brand to recommend. A close friend of mine wanted me to go with him 42" LCD TV shopping this afternoon, mainly because he can't fit what he wants to buy in his '05 Grand Prix and needed me for my Envoy (friends with trucks ). I really didn't mind though, because I haven't spent much time with Jeff lately. Anyway, a we started off at Best Buy to see what deals they had. He looked at LG, Samsung, Toshiba, and Sony there. Next was Cicuit City, with pretty much the same offering, but adding in Westinghouse. Last stop was at BJ's Wholesale Club, where he looked at a Philips, Ole…

headache He's actually not bad for being 2, better than my 8 year old nephew, but its still irritating.

List your auto finds here, from New Auto Releases to Oldies but Goldie's!

I was wondering what the wage was in peoples area and where the average stood. In Alberta which is the highest paid province in Canada has one of the lowest at $6.10/hr. I think wages should start no lower than $10/hr!

06 Passat 06 Passat black int 03 530i 04 RSX-S 03 A6 So my favorite is the BMW, but it is also the most expensive. The A6 is the cheapest, but also has the highest mileage. The Passat is one of the cheaper ones, and the newest, but the biggest drawback for me is FWD. Same for the RSX-S, but both will be better on gas. I'm really leaning towards the BMW or Passat, but am having a hard time deciding if I want to pay $2k more for a 3 year older car, as it would be stretching my budget right now.

a friend of mine wrote this and i thought it was pretty fn cool so i figured i would share with C&Gers, this kinda relates to everyone but is more aimed at my generation. enjoy Before the Internet or the AIM Before semi automatics and drugs on the street Before playstation2 or X-bOX Before the 5 hours of homework you put off every night... ..Way back... I'm talkin' bout hide and go seek at dusk. Red light, Green light. Playing kickball & dodgeball until your porch light came on. Mother May I? Red Rover four square Hula Hoops Running through the sprinkler Happy Meals Getting the privelage to sit in the front seat of the car Wait... Wat…

Yup, the annual Ocean City, MD spring car show extravaganza is taking place tomorrow through Sunday. So I'm heading south tomorrow morning sometime. The weather forecast is iffy, but I have my room paid for at Rehoboth Guest House, so I gotta go. I hope the weather's decent. I want to post pictures when I get back, as in years past, but I think I'll only take pictures of Tin Indians this year, as a tribute. Then next weekend is Memorial Day already... time's a flyin'. I have to go to a place called Morris, PA, in Tioga County to see my little brother's freshly-purchased "cabin". Where in the heck is Morris, PA? What is it near? Ah well, can't disappoint little b…

They both go on sale this weekend. I'm not getting the PS3 until it comes down in price and I never really gave the Wii much thought, really.

A nice day. Clear blue sky, low humidity, and a nice breeze. What summer ought to be.

With GM's recent search campain to find the longest lasting trucks on the road, but excluding cars and obviously other makes, it left some of us dissapointed. Obviously it's not the same, but I figured why not show off you're car's reliablity to your fellow C & G members? It's fun if nothing else. If at all possible, provide some pics of your car, including of the odometer. This qualifies mainly for cars that still run, and perferable still are owned by you, but if you have a past car with more miles than whatyou currently have, that is acceptible too Enjoy! I'll post my car tomorrow when I can take some pics (kinda dark right now, plus I'm going to bed). Fun idea.…

I grew up with a dog - an Australian Shepherd. I'm still a "dog person." There are some cats where I live and all, except one, are skittish. This one grayish-brown tabby is a friendly little $h!. I thought he had an owner but I was told he does not, though people take care of him by feeding him. He comes right up to you and, if you sit down, it jumps into your lap and wants to be pet. He's a smart one, too...if you scratch his belly, he will grab you with both front paws but retracts the claws so he doesn't scratch you. My dog would do that...you'd tug on her tail, she'd take your hand into her mouth, but NOT bite down. Damn, domestic animals are…

So this happened yesterday: Now, I fully plan on keeping my car until it dies. That said, I've been considering whether to buy a cheap older car with good gas mileage to keep from piling up more miles than necessary on my primary car. Would it be economically responsible to find a ~$2K beater that gets about 30-35 mpg to trek the 30 miles each way to work? Or would initial cost, insurance and probability of repair make it not worth it? -RBB

Hmmm... how do ya like them apples? HARSH YOU SAY?? 1. There will be no special bilingual programs in the schools, no special ballots for elections, and all government business will be conducted in our language. 2. Foreigners will NOT have the right to vote, no matter how long they are here. 3. Foreigners will NEVER be able to hold political office. 4. Foreigners will not be a burden to the taxpayers. No welfare, no food stamps, no health care, nor any other government assistance programs. 5. Foreigners can invest in this country, but it must be an amount equal to 40,000 times the daily …

So this summer I'd like to put in enough extra hours at work to get some wheels for the Intrepid. I was thinking either 18, 19, or 20 inch wheels...although I'd like to see what they look like on the car in those sizes. Anyway, these are the 2 that I really like: http://www.custom-wheels-car-rims.com/Stor...;ShowLarge=True http://www.custom-wheels-car-rims.com/Stor...;ShowLarge=True I like the elegant simplicity of the V10's, plus they closely resemble Dodge's style of 5-spoke wheels I like the slightly more daring but still tasteful design of the Foose wheels. So guys, what do you think would look better? Or is there another style that might look good. I'd consider …

Last night, I priced out an HHR SS with limited slip, upgraded speaker system, and performance driver's seat There are quite a few showing up at Chevy.com's "Find a Chevy" button at area dealerships. I think I'll be doing some driving this weekend, trying to find a few of these hot little babies to ogle.

So just a few minutes ago I watched some young punk wipe off his laptops screen with a small American flag while his db friend put it upside down on this stick it was on. If my girl didn't need to attend this school he would be going to f@#king hospital right now.

This car is killing me.... This is why you should never help family out (by buying one of the cars)... I took it to the dealership and found some stuff out: - My slow to shift trans (only when cold) is common on the year of my Balt for some reason (2006) - That even though the brakes were strange (pedal), they were fine. Part that surprised the heck out of me: all FOUR steelies are bent- two pretty good. Now, the ride issue it has I thought was due to the fact that it is due for tires, but I wasn't expecting that....how does that happen, anyways? I didn't realize that there was that many potholes around here... Now I expected a few issues...but wow, this is…

...Pleasure myself. :D First: Second: Third: Fourth: Fifth: Sixth: :P

So... what's your biggest regret? The ones that are 'shareable' (I think I made up a new word, lol) Mine is confiding something private to someone that was not trustworthy and later used what I had said to hurt someone else.

These wicked pissah designs brought to you by "DoMiNo" on carspyshots.net

Boldride had their story published on Yahoo Auto's today. They asked who built the best concept cars and in researching for this story they found even 6 yrs after the production lines stopped, Nobody built better concepts than Pontiac and they were from the 80's! Nobody better than Pontiac Concepts? 1986 Pontiac Trans Sport 1987 Pontiac Pursuit 1988 Pontiac Banshee 1989 Pontiac Stinger Concepts did not stop in the 80's either. Just a taste of what you can find at Boldride web site 1990 Pontiac Sunfire 1992 Pontiac Salsa 2007 Pontiac Solstice So what do you think? Is Pontiac the best out there for building Concepts? If …

http://tags.jalopnik.com/5121491/how-old-i...in-people-years Take the mileage on the car's odometer and divide by the model year. The result is your car's age if it were a person. So for our cars: Prizm---- 188000 miles and it is a 1994 so my car is 94 years old. Intrepid--- 196000 miles and it is a 2000 so it is 98 years old. Shadow--- 217000 miles and it is a 1989 so it is 109 years old! Marquis--- 189000 miles on it and it is a 1993 so it is 95 years old. How old is YOUR car (in people years)?

http://delawareonline.com/assets/pdf/BL133941430.PDF

Tonight is the night that is election night in your town. In Detroit, the major story is Kwame Kilpatrick vs. Freeman Hendrex for mayor of Detroit. As it looks right now, Freeman will be the NEW mayor of Detroit, something I sincerely hope happens. Thoughts and what not on local elections in your town?

97 and humid. I hate this weather more than I can say. I hope it is a short summer.

Pick a few new cars that just make you say...what on earth were they thinking? Here are my pics. VW Routan-who thought VW buyers would want a rebadged Chryco minivan? Apparently VW has an 18 month + supply of them. Nissan Cube-not even going there BMW X6-Cpying the Aztec? Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix-bigger, uglier, heavier, less fun to drive than the previous model and less fuel efficient also. The Routan is by far the worst, imho. Chris

Kicking this month off with a commercial spotting at the gym. Why GM is missing the beat with marketing. Awesome Toyota commercial, they do not have an EV out yet, they admit it as they say EVs today are a great commuter auto. Then they do this: Wanna go places? Check out the biggest lineup of Hybrid auto's. They review all of them and end with their tag "Let's go places" Well done Toyota.

Thine eyes doth not decieve. Courtesy of Jalopnik.

Come out of the music closet. C'MON, fess up. Tell us what music acts you like....that people might make fun of you for. C'mon, take it like a man. OK, ........ ROXETTE. !

Motor Trend has an article, complete with a photo timeline, on the history of the Ute. Check it out if you get a chance and are interested.

This here pic is one I spliced together. The B&W shot to the left was taken in 1948, the color shot- this past weekend. I didn't notice either mark until I got home and downloaded my pics and compared them to the older shots, or I would have investigated it close up. It's the same location and the same stone block, right in the middle of nowhere. Kinda spooky- I could see if the fresh marks were in '48, but vice-versa; IDK. Must mean something.

Yes, someone actually defiled a great MC/SS with a Hummer grille. I guess it works with the 40-wheel drive suspension lift.

Here's something you don't see everyday; a new car company called Fisker Coachbuild based out of Newport Beach, California will build the Tramonto, a $250,000 supercar. The company is owned by Henrik Fisker, former Aston Martin design chief, and the 710-hp car will be limited to about 150 units. This thing is increadibly cool looking. Pics

I came across this 1957 Pontiac Safari and was curious about the value. Production appears to be about 1,300...running a 400 with TH400. Headliner needs work and it's missing a chrome piece on the back, but overall it appears solid.

I'm not really into piercings and tattoos, but for a little while now I've been thinking about getting a tattoo of my children's names & birth dates (something simple) and thought it would be a nice upcoming father's day gift for myself. So basically I decided that I wanted to find a Latin verse and get it tattooed with my children's names & birth dates below it. I'm thinking of this, and would like anyone who knows & understands Latin to make sure this is correct: amāre ad infinitum (love without end) I don't trust Google completely with this, as I won't have the money needed to remove it if incorrect

Link

On http://www.mtvoverdrive.com there are three clips of this movie. To say the least......it's going to be one helluva scary flick! I know we have some avid movie watchers here on C&G and I'm anxiously awaiting your reviews.

Unhappy America If America can learn from its problems, instead of blaming others, it will come back stronger http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaySt...ory_ID=11791539 NATIONS, like people, occasionally get the blues; and right now the United States, normally the world’s most self-confident place, is glum. Eight out of ten Americans think their country is heading in the wrong direction. The hapless George Bush is partly to blame for this: his approval ratings are now sub-Nixonian. But many are concerned not so much about a failed president as about a flailing nation. One source of angst is the sorry state of American capitalism. The "Washington consensus" told th…

Exec who ushered Toyota to NASCAR set to retire By Official Release March 4, 2008 07:05 PM EST TORRANCE, Calif. -- Jim Aust, who has been responsible for Toyota's motorsports activities in the United States for the past 10 years, has announced his retirement. Aust will step down on June 30 as vice president of motorsports for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and president and chief executive officer of Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A. Toyota's racing programs in the U.S. flourished under Aust's leadership and included a victory in the Indianapolis 500, multiple series championships and the expansion of the company's racing activities into NASCAR. AustBeginning i…

This should raise some debate around here, and I am interested to see if we could come to any kind of concensus. What do you think captivates the essence of a particular decade of design? Is there a particular model that comes to mind when you think of the '70s, for example? I will submit the following picture of an '82 Cutlass coupe as my thought of a quintessential '80s design. Let's hear those comments!

It was a tumultuous year all around. The year started with the inauguration of a new President who represented hope and change, though not much has been delivered yet. The Great Recession took hold of the country in the aftermath of the financial meltdown of the previous year. Unemployment remains high and afflicts several members of C&G. During the year, the self-proclaimed King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died. Also lost were Walter Cronkite, screechy pitchman Billy Mays, Farrah Fawcett, Patrick Swayze, and Ted Kennedy. Jon and Kate were overexposed. From South Carolina came a new meaning for “hiking the Appalachian Trail” thanks to its governor and a new politi…

Tonight I was supposed to go out with this girl I know for her 21st birthday, but she ditched me. Here's the whole story... I met her earlier this year...she lives on my floor pretty much across the hallway from me. We hung out quite a bit last semester, and things were good. Unfortunately, in November she had a falling out with a couple of people I am also friends with, and she hated them and they hated her, so I was kinda caught in the middle. Anyway, this semester we would always talk about going to see movies together or just hanging out. She'd always be suggesting we do something, and then when the time came and I tried to set something up, she'd either leave m…

Just sayin' -RBB

Top 10 small cities 10. Eden Prarie, MN 9. Fairfield, CT 8. Boise, ID 7. Scottsdale, AZ 6. Overland Park, KS 5. Cary, NC 4. Columbia/Ellicott City, MD 3. Sugar Land, TX 2. Naperville, IL 1. Fort Collins, CO My critiques: 10--Minnesota, seriously? 9--I dont have the $$ to live in CT 8--I dont like potatos that much 7--Heat 6--Its in KS and not the good part, with the flat empty roads 5--I'd rather live in GA not GA Light 4--Maryland is still a state? 3--More heat 2--Used to live near enough, its not that great 1--Expensive Link There is more crap at the link, like a state-by-state breakdown of best cities, youngest cities, cities with the most sing…

Now that it's after Thanksgiving (in the U.S. and Canada) I can start talking about Christmas and everything that comes along with it: decorating, cookies, parties, gifts, snow (hopefully), etc. I think I've learned this rule from my parents who have followed it to the 'T.' A local radio station began playing an all-Christmas playlist about two weeks ago, I believe, and that got my thinking about Christmas songs. I downloaded a bunch yesterday in my spare time and now I have a question for my fellow C&Gers. What is your favorite Christmas song? Personally, I like "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo" by Trans Siberian Orchestra, "Where Are You Christmas?" by Faith Hill an…

It's the first actual "date" in a long while.. I'm hoping to make the best of it. We're going to see a movie then it'll be dark when the movie gets out, so we're going to take a walk down some pathways behind the one school (it's really nice back there) and it's a long enough walk to get to know her a lot better. I'm so excited, guys; wish me luck! (omg I feel like Nick lol )

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6226463/new-ca...uick/index.html 2009 Toyota Venza: It's a Buick! Posted January 14 2008 09:08 AM by Todd Lassa Filed under: New Cars, Motor City Blogman, Toyota, Crossovers, Detroit Auto Show DETROIT - Toyota describes its 2009 Venza as a vehicle for sedan owners who want to move up and SUV owners who want to downsize. It has the comfort of a Camry, the function of a 4Runner and the luxury of an Avalon. And, Toyota neglected to say, the look of a Buick. Why not? Until the American brand's emerging renaissance, pundits called the Avalon "the world's best Buick." For the Venza's premier, Toyota even copied the Buick Enclave's signature…

So here i am, 1 month away from graduating High School... Scary. A few months ago i applied to Adelphi University, for Criminal Justice... they told me at the time i was getting a scholarship for my academics, but didnt tell me how much. Tuition + fees comes to $24,000 a year, and without winning the lottery, there would be no way i could go. I applied for every financial aid i could, and since my family is pretty poor, i hoped that would help. Welllllllllllllllllllllll i just got the letter a few days ago... $13,000 from Adelphi for Academics $1,500 from a Federal SOEG Grant $5000 From NYS Tuition Assistance Program $4,750 from Federal Pell Grant grand tota…

Anyone identify what this truck is? Can you Identify this car? Can you Identify this car? How about this weird little number?

Im in the market looking for a new truck and last night I test drove a '07 Canyon Crew Cab. Wow that thing was nice. Smooth ride, decent amount of power, and quiet engine. The interior looked pretty good to me. I heard so many complaints about it, but it was nice to me. I also test drove a '07 Frontier. That thing was a piece of garbage. The interior felt cheaper than the canyon with all that hard, cheap plastic. The ride was bumpy. I also noticed in the frontier that when i hit the gas kinda hard, the transmission was searching for gears. That seemed kinda odd to me. The Nissan salesman was in shock when I told him I didnt like it. And was tring to get me into a Titan, b…

It's been awhile since we've gotten this much snow. We have anywhere between 6-12 inches depending on the exact area. Some roads, they are just now plowing. I had fun going to work on roads that hadn't been plowed. It was the first time the Jetta had to deal with alot of snow. Did well, except I had to be pushed into my driveway, with it being on a incline without being able to get a run at it. I made it up one pretty long and steep hill somehow on the way home.