The Lounge

Exxon Sees Record Profits for Any U.S. Co. By STEVE QUINN AP Business Writer DALLAS Exxon Mobil Corp. posted record profits for any U.S. company on Monday -- $10.71 billion for the fourth quarter and $36.13 billion for the year -- as the world's biggest publicly traded oil company benefited from high oil and gas prices and demand for refined products. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations and Exxon shares rose nearly 3 percent in morning trading. The company's earnings amounted to $1.71 per share for the October- December quarter, up 27 percent from $8.42 billion, or $1.30 per share, in the year ago quarter. The result topped the then-record quarterly profit …

Here's a taste of what I bought. Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85 Earth Wind & Fire - the Need Of Love Kev Brown - I Do What I Do a couple of Roddy Rod 12"s (with Kev Brown on the track) ABB Records Always Bigger & Better Vol. 1 MC Hammer - Let's Get It Started Deloach - "Labor Of Love" 12" Joe Jackson - Night & Day (the album with "Stepping Out" on it) The Art Of OneMind Levert - Rope-A-Dope Style Cameo - Single Life Prince - "Let's Go Crazy/Erotic City" 12" (inside of which, I found the start of a letter written way back in '88, apparently a chick telling some dude she had a new boyfriend…

...attempt a rod bearing replacement on a 1991 Jeep 4.0. Sure wish it wasn't so damned hot today.

I've got to go make sure a friend doesn't hook up with a fat chick and end 2009/start 2010 on a bad note. Have a safe and happy new year y'all.

This is a car I didn't know existed...thought all the FBs in the '80s were 4drs. Pretty cool. 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham 2dr for sale 17k miles

Dodge Rampage...I kinda like it in a quirky sorta way.

Well I set up my office on Friday. I hung the Ancient Egyptian papyruses and placed the various Egyptian gods and goddesses thoughout my office. As those here that know me well I am quite the Egyptophile, however everyone wanted to touch and feel my "Bob", They liked to see me wobble it. I was very surprised. This was a Christmas gift from my wife last year. See my "Bob" here: http://www.brookstone.com/store/product.asp?pid=532994

Yeah, super exciting topic, right? We all went out to brunch last Sunday and she wanted me to drive so I didn't want to pass up the chance (I had not driven it yet). It's an 04 Vue, with about 20k miles on it, that she purchased back in 06 upon our suggestion (yes, she only drives about 2 miles to work each day). I have to say I didn't think it drove that well. It felt slow, the CVT tranny was slightly annoying and anemic and the brakes felt really bad. I actually liked my 98 Jimmy better - which I wasn't expecting at all. I haven't driven a new 2008 or 09 Vue yet, but I hope for GM's sake that it drives better than her 2004. It's interesting, because the old …

Here it be:

...and it's KC! Happy Birthday and I hope you have a great day!

So my familt and I went to mass today...I'm not really religious for various reasons, but my mom insisted so we went (this includes my girlfriend). Partway through the mass the priest asked everyone to raise their had and repeat what he said (I forget the words), but this is exactly what it looked like: My girlfriend said that honestly scared her...and when you thin about it it is kinda freaky...it's like a cult...a really big one. Ain't religion great? (not really, but it can be entertaining).

Satan day was upon us yesterday... so what did it bring? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Grand Am's engine is back together. So... I bet you want to know about it? Well... I doubt it, but here goes... Does it run? Yes. Better? Eh... Wait, even the same as before? Eh... It's hard to say. It may run better, but the ticking has gotten even worse. Something went wrong. The fact that my dad ended up with two extra bolts isn't good. One thing that I do know is that neither of us could get the sparks plugs out. My dad isn't weak, by any means. They would not budge at all. I don't think that's a good thing, either. But back t…

Been super dead around here as of late it seems, So not sure how much action this will get. Do we still do the 'guess what I bought' game?? If so, any takers??

Which vehicle have you owned the shortest amount of time? And...which vehicle have you owned the longest? Shortest amount of time for me: 1997 Corsica/malibu ... just a bit over 2 years (1997-1999) Longest amount of time for me: 1979 Monte Carlo Landau ... owned since 1992 Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort "Tell them we're survivors" ... Rascal Flatts ... 'Life Is A Highway'

Well, the great Las Vegas experiment is coming to an end! I've decided to go home.....and resurrect my life in southern California..... Basically, ever since The Big Crash that began back in October, I haven't been able to make the kind of money I need to pay 'da bills....and I'm too far behind on my mortgage to keep hoping and hoping that next month will be the month things turn around. I don't have that luxury any more. I made AWESOME money in June, July, August, and even decent money in September. If that trend had continued, I'd probably not be leaving. However, I have a few GREAT opportunities back in Orange County that are offering greater income potenti…

I went yesterday and looked at a 2001 Regal. 56k miles, $11 grand, very nice car. I was ready to sign the paperwork and drive it home for the first few miles. Then I got on the highway and heard some hellacious road noise. I had the air on max and the radio on and the noise was still pretty loud. I turned the fan and radion off, the noise was still there, it wasn't engine noise and wasn't wind around the a-pillar, my best guess was either shoddy repairs after an accident or crappy tires. I go back to the dealership and mentioned it to the salesman (I drove it solo) and he ran an AutoCheck, which came back clean, so I figured the culprit was the cheap ass Firestone F…

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/1288922120.html Check it out, and sorry if this has been posted here earlier. Chris

Since nobody else has posted this- MT- Grand Sport vs Carrera S Test Great read. Sounds like they were pretty torn between these 2. They both tug at the heart strings and deliver incredible performance, but in different ways.

...at my high school reunion tonight at The Jetty in Stevensville, MD, but I chickened out because an old friend kept saying how much she REALLY wanted to see me after 27 years. She's a widow, she married a guy right out of school. We kind of had a "thing" back then, but I "gave" her to the other guy. I took the easy way out. Was it right?

We've been all over various forms of hard rock, but we all have soft sides somewhere in our evil little hearts, right? As much as I listen to some of the hardest rock out there, I also love a good emotionally driven slow song, rock or otherwise. What about you? Right now, I am loving this song. It's one of the best I've heard.

I'm a big fan of the 2000 -to- 2005 Impala. Pretty much the only flaw they have is that they have transverse mounted motors and are FWD. As far as sefety, quality & power economy and smoothness of the Impala it is all fantastic. Once they changed the burgundy tail light surround to black in '03 I pretty much thought the car looked almost PERFECT, even looks like it has a RWD stance. Is it just my obsession for RWD, am I just seeing things? THis car has always looked like it has a RWD stance to me. Am I crazy? Look at that healthy rear overhang...

I slept in until after 7 this morning, and when I got up to look outside... boom, reality hit. We have a very thick frost this a.m., and Thanksgiving is coming up next week. It's another year, winding down. A bright spot will be the big auto shows of course, and maybe a nice blanket of snow to go 4 wheeling in, otherwise, I am already looking forward to spring. Does anyone have snow yet?

Been too long since I did one of these, so here's a fresh one for you guys. Rules on this are simple- 1) Maximum of 5 choices 2) Any era and market is allowed 3) These vehicle are solely for driving enjoyment; no need to pick DD's, family haulers, etc 4) You can only choose ONE new vehicle, rest must be used 5) Price MUST be under $100,000 PER VEHICLE. No exceptions- no 105K, nothing contingent upon a discount, etc. Must be able to prove your choice. 6) You can choose ONE vehicle that is not street-legal. Can be a racecar, rock crawler, etc. 7) If your choice is well under the 100K mark, feel free to list any modifications you would…

Keeping it short and simple: What is it that attracts you to someone? Both body and mind. For me... Something about brown eyes grabs ahold of me and won't let go. I get all ga-ga for them. :D Overall, I prefer tall, dark, and hansom... minus the tall. I'd say something for women too but for some odd reason I seem to be attracted to them less and less each day. I don't understand it at all. I was sure I was bi. I'm just confused anymore... Anyways, what is it?

Copy & paste, replacing the name with your own. A- You like to drink. B- You like people. C- You're wild and crazy. D- You have one of the best personalities ever. E- Damn good kisser. F- People adore you. G- You never let people tell you what to do. H- You have a good personality and looks. I- You have a fine a$$. J- Everyone loves you. K- You are really silly. L- You live to have fun. M- Success comes easily to you. N- You are absolutely beautiful. O- You are one of the best in bed. P- You are popular with all types of people. Q- You are a hypocrite. R- F'ing sexy. S- Easy to fall in love with. T- You're loyal to those you love. U- You really li…

Well, I'm proud of myself. I happened by a used car dealership and wound up taking a very serious look at the car I covet, a Mini Cooper. This particular Cooper was an S with the stick, sunroof and the bonnet stripes that I absolutely hate. The very first thing I checked out was the back seat, and there is indeed enough room for a forward facing child seat, which is a good thing. Next was the driver's seat, specifically the driving position, which at first was terrible, I couldn't see anything but the visor when looking straigh ahead, but after adjusting the seat hight I got a good line of sight. Then came the drive, totally amazing, I had forgotten what its like to …

It would be nice if Toyota would follow the ingenius marketing model of Ford. Ford 500=Ford Taurus Mercury Montego=Mercury Sable Toyota Camry=Toyota Blandry Honda Accord=Honda Imbored LOL!

So today I made a trip to my favorite junkyard for the Shadow. I was hoping to find one with a 2.5L so I could see how the vacuum hoses by the throttle body hooked up. here were a few disconnected and I couldn't figure out where they went, and neither could Sixty8. As you may know, I finally replaced the value cover gasket...so there should no longer be any major oil leaks. My first real work on an engine, and it was very rewarding to it myself. Anyway, all they had was a 3.0 V6 Duster, and a 2.5 Spirit, but the Spirit had different vacuum hose routing. With that attempt failed, I decided to wonder around and see what else they had. There was a Mercury Meteor for $1…

Lets face it the latest cars out of GM are light years better than what it had been producing for the last twenty years. Look at the new Caddy's and the new Vette not to mention the SSR and the new SUV's and I think the company should be renamed to pay tribute where it is due. On this forum the new name for GM should be... LUTZWAGON!!!!! Can i get an amen brothers and sisters. :metal:

lol i'm just trying to see how effective salespeople are out there... i know that about 95% of my sales staff asks me for any info on GM... soo...?

Happy Canada Day to me and all the Canadians on here. Canadian Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. Retro picture.

I took the LaCrosse in for an oil change at the dealership on Saturday...based on time, not miles. I always seem to wind up talking to service advisors. For one thing, I seem to "file away" their comments and opinions on cars, maintenance, reputations, etc. This weekend, at the Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealership, I saw a used 2007 MC within viewing distance as he was writing up my LOF work ticket and I told him the decision process I went through in deciding on th Buick over the Chevy. He told me that it was a good choice, but that their experience with VVT has been virtually problem-free, but that the 3800s almost NEVER come back for anything. I then went into the showr…

I know that I'm normally not one to go and post things that would likely turn someone's stomach, but I've got to say this one. On the drive home this afternoon I was witness to an accident. This was a pretty bad one, Peterbilt 379 vs new Mustang. I've had basic first-responder training, and it happened about 30 seconds before I really arrived on scene but it was still bad. Looks like the Mustang ran the light, or was the last car in the line to turn and thought she could make it, but either way you slice it, 80,000-lb Pete doing 55mph through the green broadside into a new 'stang isn't going to be just a fender patch and move on. The truck driver was pretty badly fra…

Aww... watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkCQaN4Vugs this...

So earlier tonight my girlfriend pointed out that the cat was staring at the overhead light. There was this strange looking fly thing on it...it was long and skinny and had wings. Didn't look like anything I'd seen (or killed) before. So, I did what any logical person (who enjoys fire) would do: I used my little Bernz-O-Matic lighter (which works like a torch) and put the flame to it. It fell off and landed on my tool box on the floor. Not satisfied, I torched it a couple more times to ensure it was proper dead. It was cool because every time I did it the thing would singe and light up. But I ended up stopping because it smelt really bad! Then I vacuumed it up. I'm not …

....French Poodles perk up cock their head to the side. It's so much fun owning this car. Everyone stares at it, old men & women with arthritis stand up and work through the pain to tell me their personal stories of 1959 Buicks or 1957 Buicks or 1949 Chevys. So far I've averaged about two conversations with strangers every time I've taken out the car, & the Datsun has not moved a mile in the past two weeks. Yesterday I had a short interesting conversation with the G/F's Grandmother's neighbor about the Buick... then I got a hearty thumbs up and air horn from a truck driver in a red Peterbilt 379 with high rise smoke stacks. But then,…

I've been cutting the tall grass in the fields around my place over the last few days, and the stinging insect population is excessive this year. Today I got stung int my right lower eyelid, painful to say the least.

So if there's one thing Macs have that PC's don't it's the Helvetica font. So anyone have it that's willing to send me the font file?

Can you believe it....? I am one of the rare kids that never caught the Pox......and now, at 35 years old, I've got 'em BIG...! I must have caught it during my heavy travels over the last month or so.....in-and-out of airports and airplanes and stuff. It started out with heavy chills, fever, and night sweats on Monday and Tuesday (3-27, 3-28) and then Wednesday morning, the little red bumps started showing up. By Thursday afternoon, I was returning from a meeting in Nashville....and the red bumps turned a nice shade of NASTY....! I was SO humiliated flying home from Nashville thru Las Vegas to Los Angeles. I was broken out ALL over my face and head....but it loo…

Considering that reverse barely works, I have no plow lights, and there are no coner markers on the plow, Things have gone ok so far. Took an illegal run over to my family's neighborhood to get the first layer off, and I've done this place several times. At the moment we have fairly heavy snow coming down and it is blowing and drifting. Have probably had between 6-8" so far (hard to tell with all of the blowing. Fun,fun,fun. I have a few more hours until the ROPOS turns into a pumpkin due to the lack of plow lights. I'll wait a bit, take care of the dogs, make a Wawa run, and then plow until dark. The morning could be a real challenge, since I can't attack the snow af…

Ok, had too many Monster and Vodka's. Woo!! Anyway, the new Disturbed album is totally amazing!! Best album this year and David Draiman is so freakin, stupid HOT!! The snake bites make me HOT!! LOL And he looks the hottest in this video.... Prayer-Disturbed K thanks for letting me be a drunk dumbass, LOL

So I'm on Google searching for images to use for a little graphic design project I'm doing for a friend... I'm looking for an avatar style image of a kitten or cat... like a Hello Kitty style image to put a devils' tail and horns on and I come across this: http://chokersandwich.com/archives/2004_06.html For a second there I thought I was halucinating. I wonder who will be the first pervert to use the smiley? Oh damn, it's me.

autoblog

I mentioned in another post that while online 'window shopping' for newer-but-gently-used GMC Sierra pickup trucks the other day, I ran across a 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE Z71/4WD Crew Cab with a tad under 20k miles and appears to be in pristine condition for under $22k (GM Certified Pricing). A few e-mail exchanges between the Internet Sales Manager and I and now I'm planning to see & test-drive the truck in person on Friday (12/26). If they can get me out of my GMAC SmartLease (AURA XE) without any penalities, I may just bite. But before I do, what particulars should I be looking for? The truck was originally sold by this dealership and was maintenanced by them to…

well boys and girls. i'm sitting here and typing one handed because the other one is holding my little bundle of joy. I've come to a realization, it isn't bad at all to be a dad. we've only been home for a few hours and already I know this is what I've wanted to be. Holding my little one in my arms for a little while, even if she's screaming her lungs out and crying like the devil is a great feeling, I know that one day it'll all end, but right now, I really really love being a dad, seeing those big blue-gray eyes look up at me, I know that this is the right thing and it can't get any more right. Hopefully I'll have a picture or two up of her soon. So, how's about th…

My uncle was killed in a head-on collision a few hours ago with another vehicle. The other driver crossed the center line and stuck him on a two-lane highway north of Omaha. We have no details other than both died instantly. The last time I saw / spoke to him was at our annual family Christmas gathering, and I am now regretting not spending more time with him on that day. I'm basically in shock right now...the reality of it all hasn't hit yet.

I'm excruciatingly bored right now and I happened to notice that innocent ol' Ocn surpassed the comatose Fly as master of the post count. In other news, as of yesterday, a distributor has been ordered and is on it's way. I'm quite excited to bring life back to my Milly. Well, if I don't have any more obstacles to tackle. Hopefully the battery will still hold a charge. It's ancient and has been dead for a good 9 months now. As well, having sat for so long certainly couldn't have been any good for it. I'll be sort of sad if any new issues pop up. Whatever it takes, though. I need to get it back on the road so I can stop polluting poor little Ramsaytown and hand the Cutla…

Well, I'll give you the drama, drama version of it.... Many of you remember back in 2005 when I totaled my first Focus. I was sitting in the road and an 18 wheeler doing 45MPH hit me in the rear. I walked away with sore muscles and not much else. Today, the GF and I were carpooling to school. Luckily, I decided to wait for her and just ride with her instead of taking my own car. We get 300 yards from the entrance to school and BANG!!!! I had a bunch of books that I was going to sell back to the bookstore for cash. I sat them on the airbag on the dash and joked (as I have many times with various things) that if the airbag deployed, I'd be toast. Today we were sitting…

Dammit. I just sat here and ate an entire pack of beef jerky. Don't you hate when that happens? 14,000 grams of protein, yes... but 14,001 grams of sodium. I hate salty/savory snacks!

Well, I looked back on the lounge section and noticed there were no Katrina posts. If there were, my fault. Anyway. What does everyone think about this horrible disaster that seems to be getting worse everyday? Does anyone here affected or know someone who was affected by storm? I think it's horrible that so many people had died when many of those deaths could've been prevented but I think no one realized how bad this was going to be. Your thoughts...

Tonight is the final match. It is Italy versus France. Unlike the Super Bowl or the World Series, the World Cup only occurs once every 4 years....why, I don't know. It is being played in Berlin tonight. Any takes?

I spent 6 days in Las Vegas (106 to 108) every day. You walk out the door and it's like an oven. One day, walking around the strip with a friend, it started to rain from a thunderstorm. It was great. Followed by 2 days in Rancho Mirage (Palm Springs)...same thing. I will say that the mountains shooting out of the desert floor is quite dramatic but that weather just knocks you out. Now, I went to grad school somewhere reasonably cold. I remember that as being painful and that driving in snow was kind of scary. However, most really hot places have a great other 9 months and you can stay in A/C for the remainder. Which could you handle better...living somewher…

So OK, my neighbor (20-something with a wife and kid) comes running over and slams my doorbell. "Dude! Come look at my new car!" Poor kid's been trying to get out of an '88 Festiva he's been driving since his ZX2 engine died, which is fine... but he got... a...Scion xB. Dark blue. I mean, at least it's not one of those "special" colors, but omg. He told me to jump in, we took a ride around the block. I was hanging on to the "oh $h!" handle the whole time. He's happier 'n a hog in $h!. I'm kinda sad. You know that old joke about the kid on Christmas morning, throwing the toy aside while playing with the box? :AH-HA_wink:

http://longisland.craigslist.org/ctd/1783881887.html I'm smitten by this, and it's configured exactly the way I'd want a light-duty Home Depot/bike hauler. Well, tehcnically no - black is probably my last choice for paint color, but that's balanced out by the 5.3L FlexFuel (I'd have been happy with a 4.8L).

This morning it really hit me like a ton of bricks. This year has been all about panic and overreaction. From the obvious confusion of all of the federal legislators to the G3, there has been a strong tendancy to rush headlong into disaster mode. Yes, things are bad and will get worse, but I can't help thinking that no one is thinking anything through before reacting. Maybe it is just that I have had the experience of living through the late '70's, but I see the degree of panic exhibited across our society as near-hysterical. I don't mean to diminish the severity of things, but I do worry that we are so afraid now that we are flailing about and taking actions we wil…

I know that maybe some of us read but most of the time i love to i just dont find time and i try my best to read alot of books. Anyway i re-read George Orwells 1984 and totally understand it at a new level. It never ment much to me but I finally understand how and why he wrote it. You guys have read it right or am i the only one. if you havent read it you should! and i wont ruin it for you unless some people really want to discuss it. Other great books. Grapes of Wrath The great Gatsby Catcher in the rye- Caufield reminds me of BV in a way for some reason A Walk in The woods - love it to death

As some of you know my Girl Friend (maybe wife soon i mean after 25 years of knowing each other pretty close,maybe its time) was in a car accident a little while ago. Good news she is almost back to normal the only thing is they need to watch for blood clots that could lead to a stroke. She still isn't aloud to go back to work until august 4th. She is bored out of her mind sitting at home and apparently when the caprice got stolen and we were looking at cars she really liked the Silverado. Today im at work and i get a call from my dad asking why Kim needed his GM discount number, i had no idea. well i get home and see a shinny new 2008 Silverado regular Cab long box chill…

While working on my Cavalier today, it got me thinking about what my next beater will be. It's always nice to have an extra car when you need it. (or you don't want to drive your nice car in the winter) Even though it could be a few years...I pulled myself a list of cars that I thought would be good for the job. 97+ Buick Century 95-00 Buick Lesabre 92-00 Buick regal I realize that they are all buicks, but they are all good cars, and most of the time are well taken care of... Any cars make a good beater/extra car? It could be for good gas milage, winter beater, or whatever reason...

I believe he was indicating to me about how many chances Chrysler has left to get an interior right.

Link: http://autoextremist.com/page2.shtml#Rant The Kings of Short-Term Thinking Get Caught Flat-Footed - Yet Again. Detroit. The horrific, gut-wrenching scenes from the Deep South are grim and never-ending, and our hearts go out to everyone in the region, with the scope of the devastation and desperation impossible to comprehend. The effects from Katrina will be felt across this nation for years to come. But beyond the human toll and destruction brought on by the hurricane, we are now experiencing a furious storm of another kind that will cause a fundamental shift in the way the American driving public approaches vehicle purchase decisions and, in turn, a fundamen…

A very happy birthday to you sir! Enjoy your day!!

Mmmhmm. Driving down the road, knowing the speed limit is 45, I'm going approximately the limit. Well, I know that the road is about to reduce speed to 35 MPH, and I look down to see that I'm going 47. Well, I depress the clutch and downshift to fourth to slow down some. While doing so, I look up to see the "Speed Limit Reduced to 35 MPH" sign. Now I've slowed down a bit, but not enough, so I downshift to third. Just as I downshift I see a policeman on the side of the road, right after the 35 MPH sign. Well, needless to say, he pulls out and by the time he got behind me I was going less than 35 to slow down for railroad tracks. He flips the lights and that's all she wrote…

Accepted an offer this morning.

So I ran across this baby in some old images I had at an autoshow with my dad, Gotta love old pictures. So I hunted these down online and decided we needed to start a thread of our First Love Affair with Auto's! Sound off on what was the first auto you saw that sent you on your way to just love Auto's. AMX3 for me! 1970 American Motors AMX/3 Prototype Tucked into the corner of the Chicago Auto Show, this may be the greatest American sports car that never was. Seeking to keep pace with Italian and Detroit automakers exploring mid-engine designs, American Motors commissioned its own take in 1970. Six copies of the AMX/3 were built in Italy, using a layout similar to a De…