The Lounge

I've posted pics of old roads (Route 66, the Lincoln Highway, etc.) and pictures of the "road ahead" from various trips and drives. But, one type of road I had not taken pictures of until December 18, 2010, is a BRAND NEW road. I'm not talking just new concrete/pavement ... I'm talking ... brand new ... as in NO pavement had been in that spot previously. For this photo shoot, the "Stearns Road Project": http://www.stearnsroad.com/ Stearns Road was extended from IL RT 25 to Randall Rd, providing a much-needed 4-lane bridge across the Fox River between Elgin and St Charles. The only other bridge crossing the Fox River between St Charles (IL RT 64) and Elgin (US RT 20)…

I just got back in from my morning walk and I'm sick to my stomach. Coming up to a "T" intersection, I waited for a '95-ish Monte Carlo (the new Christine) to come in from the right. Just as it passed about 20 feet in front of me, a squirrel darted out into the street, trying to make it across. I heard a tiny *snap* as the evil MC ran over the little guy's hindquarters and sped off. He dragged himself as quickly as he could to the near side of the street and collapsed in someone's front yard. I approached him, and stood watching as he convulsed and screamed a little squirrel scream. His eyes closed for about 10 seconds and he stopped moving, then started breathing a…

Link - http://bit.ly/feTdll

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

Last night, my best friend got into a head-on collision. Her parents called me at like 7.30 and were like "Julie* got in an accident", and I was like "I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can." So I get there and wait around for like 4 hours and finally get to see her because she was being released. I was so happy to see her alive, I started crying and she was crying, and everyone was crying. And then I said how lucky she was and how I needed to go, but I'd come over to her house and we'd talk. So I went over this afternoon and she told me all about it. She said it was her fault. She was trying to pass someone on a 2 lane highway, and that she mis-judged the space …

I didn't even realize today is Halloween until the professor in my first class today announced it. But, yeah, take it easy and be safe!

I do love summer. If only my balls weren't dragging the floor. 95 today. *basking*

http://www.cars.com/go/features/autoshows/...ept_hyundai_olv Seriously it is UGLY!!!

I vowed to never get another Taurus, after having two of them. My dad had like 2 or 3 of them as work fleet cars. My brother in law had one. I vowed to not ever get another. I got a 500, so I wouldn't have a Taurus. WTF do I do now. I was thinking about an 08 500. Ford sucks. They did it to piss me off, I think.

I am putting up this poll because I can't decide myself. I really want to do a project car and create something unique but cost comes into effect. I either want to do an 89 Dakota, 318 conversion but this would be a long term project to spread out the costs and badge it as a Dakota SUper Bee or Rumble Bee. I also may take that Aries I saw a while back or maybe the one in the junkyard for cheaper and drop in a 2.2L Turbo from a Shadow or Daytona. Intercoolers can be had for it as well. I really like the Aries idea to surprise people at the track if I can get it quite fast. There is a 10 second Reliant out there as well. 1989 Reliant "Relentless". A RWD K car has been done …

Happy birthday to CARBIZ, our member who refreshingly is one of the most "no bull$h!" people on this forum. Enjoy your day up in T.O.! Any plans? BTW, have you seen that great video of that street interview gone south on a street in downtown Toronto? It was so funny, that about 5 of us watched it DAILY at work for about a month, almost like a ritual.

However you celebrate your winter holidays, Cheers to you and yours. Enjoy yours-elves.

Have you ever met someone you had an affair with years later? This happened to me today. I was not married at the time, in fact I was 19 years old, she was 32 and the wife of one of my father's friends. It went on until I was 21, then GM transfered me to Mexico for a few years, so it ended. She and her husband came to the same Italian festival I went to today, in Wilmington. It was odd because I heard her call my name and I knew exactly who it was without looking. I found out they had moved from Texas to Cape May, NJ since her husband retired this year. Anyway it brought back many memories, most are good. Most of the memories are vivid and it feels as if it were only …

Hey Moltie, hope it's a good one, sir.

... with a new project. I decided that I couldn't stand bumping into stuff, tripping over things and sqeezing past things in the lower part of the barn. So, my helper and I have been re-organizing the layout of the barn all week. All of the landscape/construction/woodworking and other non-car items are all moving upstairs to the space vacated by the Hawk, Maserati and GTO. I can't wait to get this done so that the entire downstairs will be dedicated to my car projects. I'm trying to get the layout right so that I can build a "retractable" paint booth, make room for a lift, install better lighting and outlets, build an enclosure for the compressor, and have my heater…

So, a '03 Tahoe pulls onto the lot yesterday. A nice couple gets out, wanders around the show room. I greet them. They've had the truck for a year, they say, and their salesperson (whom they readily admit they don't like) told them that after a year or so they should be able to trade the truck in. (Oh, oh, I am thinking. Get out the backhoe.) So, I do a little more investigating. Mr. Customer's credit wasn't great a year ago, so Mrs. Customer had to co-sign. (Better make sure there is lots of gas in the backhoe.) Did you have a trade, or put any money down when you got it, I ask. No. (I'm going to need a special city permit for the size of this hole.) How …

As reported in the National Post yesterday, http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=445465 : "The online science magazine Tomorrow's Discoveries, which specializes in breaking major science news before it actually happens, reports the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 29 assisstant neutrons, some 100 deputy neutrons, and 222 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 352. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it…

Yeahhhh!

Just some daydreaming born out of some Sonoma-related frustrations. http://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/860186545.html This car is also located about 20 miles south of where the Cutlass originated from (Jellico, Tennessee), and somewhere around the town from where the Cutlass was originally purchased (LaFollette, Tennessee). I wonder what other gems I can find in Tennessee?

What air freshener device do you use, if any? And what unusual ones have you seen marketed? I saw a 'pine tree' with leather scent. Growing up, I remember our car usually had this little hanging wicker basket with a point at the bottom and a tassel. When you opened the lid, you would find lavender seeds inside. It was quite pleasant to the nose. Can there be a more iconic freshener than the 'tree'?

Saw this on Drivetribe. Anyone want to play?

Bloodbath in Germany Dressed in black camouflage gear, the only words 17-year-old Tim Kretschmer is said to have uttered during the schoolroom slaughter were: "Are you all dead yet?" Dozens of police arrived at the scene but the killer escaped and shot dead a gardener outside a psychiatric hospital opposite the school. He then hijacked a car, taking the driver hostage, and fled 20 miles to a car dealership. Once inside, he killed two more innocent people before a gun battle began with police The amateur video footage shows what is thought to be these last moments of his life. Regional police chief Erwin Hetger said: "He went into the school with a weapon and c…

Here's a random thought I want to just throw out here: how about a group of C&G members who own GM stock band together, combine their stock under one entity, continue to purchase a little more stock each month (since it's cheaper than a Florida coke whore), and eventually gain a chair on the GM Board?

It's going to be a hot, summer-like day to cruise around in your Pacific Slate Gee-Ate. Have a good one!

Had Mrs. PCS take a stab at it, it still needs a little work, she'll do more later today, and my eyebrows continue to gray ...

We have the what irks you in a Co-Worker, now lwets try another exercise and see what irks all of us with our bosses or as I sometimes call them "authority figures". My main one is a boss who throws a temper tantrum like a 2 year old when things dont go their way. I have a few of them. They have gotten better with me since they know I dont do things to cause such behavior. If you cant handle the pressure of the job then maybe you shouldnt do it. Simple as that. A boss that cant seem to make a simple decision is another thing that annoys me. Everyone has had one of these. So lets have it.

So, basically, I have to sell the Buick. And soon. I'm thinking perhaps a car lot would buy it. I have two local places in mind that specialize in older cars, one of which I'm going to call tomorrow. Every e-mail through Craigslist has been either from spammers or window shoppers (98 percent spam, 2 percent window shopping). Everyone who has called has never followed-through. I'm beginning to lose hope and I have to pay for my T/A before the seller changes his mind on holding it deposit free.

Learned how to drive three-on-the-tree. '77 Chevy G10 (I think, it was a big van) Not nearly as awkward as I would have thought. It also kept up with traffic pretty well considering it was laden with old furniture and stuff going to Goodwill. I had to learn on the fly too, since the guy who loaned it to me just asked if I could drive a manual and threw the keys at me. The hard part was figuring out that what I assumed would be first was actually reverse.

(Excuse me in advance if I'm coming across as some kind of car hippie. :P ) Anybody ever wonder what would happen if every car company in the world combined to make one single company? GM, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, DCX, Hyundai, etc. co-existing and living in harmony. Would it end pissing matches among car enthusiasts? Would the auto industry become less of a raging battlefield? Would it improve international relations? (This may be a stretch.) Share your thoughts.

Well, I think I have finally found a car. A solid example of a 1980 Pontiac Trans Am. It definitly needs some attention and restoration, but for $3,500 it is a nice, rust-free example. I don't have any photos, but if I buy it I will have a few. The T/A has less than 100,000 miles, no rust, but needs some new trim, paint, and interior work. But it does run and will get me to and from school and work, which I will have by November. The engine is a 305, which I think - correct me if I'm wrong - is the incorrect motor for this car. I think the offer I'll put out there will be an even $2,500. The color? Oh, red. Yeah, no way in hell am I putting a CB rad…

Driver goes 3 miles with lodged body A motorist hits a pedestrian on 34th Street, then drives to the Sunshine Skyway with the victim stuck in the windshield. The St Petersburg Times By CRAIG PITTMAN, Staff Writer Published October 20, 2005 St. Petersburg Times ST. PETERSBURG - A 93-year-old motorist struck and killed a pedestrian Wednesday evening, then drove about 3 miles with the body lodged in the windshield until he was stopped at a Sunshine Skyway tollbooth. The driver told officers he thought the body had fallen from the sky, said St. Petersburg police Officer Mike Jockers. "He had no idea he had been involved in an accident," Jockers said. "He d…

Screw convertibles, we need some affordable (preferably glass-roof) targas. The GTO, the 350Z, the Corvette...they all need the magic of the removable roof panel (not T-tops, either).

Well I got in to a huge argument that lead into me chucking a metric Cresent** wrench at the person. He started by saying that how much that chevy's suck (he is a ford guy so ill give him some credit). Then I get envoled and say Chevy makes some of the best cars and he says no Ford makes by far the best truck in the world. I said No they dont! It goes on and on. We start yelling at each other by now about the 350 vs 351. I made my argument about aftermarkets, Camaro's, and trucks. His base was that its faster and stronger and has way more displacement. Then we go into aftermarket. by this point Ryan a fellow buddy is holding me down while pat is holding down Patrick the g…

Mine just did when I hung up with the boss. Yea don't ask why he's calling this late. It was important!

Anyone have the standard features on a 66 Buick electra coupe?

Got bored at work, and found this: http://toronto.craigslist.org/pts/147341088.html Too bad it's not in Brookville.

Remember that feature of TVs a few years back where you could watch 2 shows at the same time with what was called "picture in picture"? Well, this is not exactly the same, but I photographed non-digital pics I took circa 1988-1997. Maybe someday I'll get 'em all scanned in and placed online somewhere.... It's funny how old pictures reveal a lot about your past that you had forgotten, in terms of people and events.... Wonder where some people are today.... COLORFUL Walt Disney World, FL, Summer 1989: Opryland Hotel, Nashville TN, Christmas 1995: Front steps of a relatives' home, Holsopple PA, Summer 1992: NATURE Western United States, 1991 (mid June to mid …

^ Go Check this out !!!...Way Ahead of the times !

Ok, so my new computer has a reccomended screen setting of 1680 x 1050 pixels, and most stuff look fine, except that some stuff (pics, smilies) appear slightly pixelated. I probably have to change the Internet settings somewhere, but if someone would tell me instead of me wasting my time looking, then I'd appreciate it.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/16/watch-this-ferrari-enzo-splash-into-the-atlantic-at-2011-targa-n/

Chevy just announced a new COPO Camaro. Love that idea.

Post pics and links here of stuff you find that's cool... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/681954-1966-porsche-912-5-speed-coupe-3-gauge-7k.html http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-cars-sale/679831-pics-fs-1967-912-coupe-irish-green-black.html It's 16K and not a project, but it is a local Columbus car...

Uh, the phone just rang. So, being a dummy, I picked it up. On the other end was a young lady fresh out of her "English as a Second Language" class. She wanted me to visit a resort in the Poconos Mountains. Just for taking the tour, I'd receive a free flat screen television. So, I asked her if the resort is "clothing optional". She didn't know what that meant, so I said "Do you have to wear clothes when you go there?" She answered "I am not selling anything. I do not know what the question is you are asking." I love telemarketers soooo much. :AH-HA_wink:

From the autoweek classifieds: There is another ad where Arie Luyendyk is selling his personal Bentley Continental GT. Only 9600 miles. $135k.

Suppose your kids comes up to you today and tells you he/she wants to start driving go-karts with an aim of maybe becoming a pro in some form of motor sports in the future. Would you be happy to let him/her have a go at it? Would you be worried about his/her safety? Would you try to steer your kid towards other activities instead?

Click

Hey guys, I am going to Vegas in 4 weeks for a 4 day fling, then I'm off to sunny (I hope) L.A. I've never been to either. Do any of you guys have any ideas of a) where to stay in the L.A. area - or, equally importantly where to AVOID; and b) what sights should I see? I plan to rent a car in Vegas and drive to L.A. with my 'other half.' Neither of us has been that far south or west in the States. (Actually, he has only been to Buffalo once - not the center of culture and beauty in the States ) I've been up and down the East Coast , been to Florida and driven across the upper States (N. Dakota, Minnesota, etc.) but never been to SoCal So, those of you w…

medical site Provided by: Canadian Press Written by: Alexa Olesen, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BEIJING - U.S.-based toy giant Mattel Inc. issued an extraordinary apology to China on Friday over the recall of Chinese-made toys, taking the blame for design flaws and saying it had recalled more lead-tainted toys than justified. The gesture by Thomas Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice-president for worldwide operations, came in a meeting with Chinese product safety chief Li Changjiang, at which Li upbraided the company for maintaining weak safety controls. "Our reputation has been damaged lately by these recalls," Debrowski told Li in a meeting at Li's office at which reporte…

As I have posted repeatedly, I grew up in LA and left a few years after finishing undergrad, largely because my entire family picked up and moved north. I went to Atlanta instead because that's where a decent job offer together with a relocation reimbursement presented itself When I was a teenager, I thought movie star sightings were cool and that they must have it together...at least more so than the rest of us. I was never THAT taken by them, however. After I moved away and could see things clearly, I realized that a lot of them have poor values, low morals, don't know how to channel their money and fame, and, are generally pretty repulsive. This stretches from Eli…

Finally made it to Yellowstone this past weekend when my parents came out to visit. I should go more often - the west entrance is only 2 hours away. Picasa photo page link - LOTS more photos than shown below Some highlights: DAY 1: First buffalo sighting: First hot spring we came to: Beautiful blue pool: Bubblin' mud: Old faithful (not spewing) to the right, and all the other towers of steam rising from the same little valley. DAY 2: It snowed overnight, and was supposed to snow during the day, but we decided to risk it, which turned out great. Nice scene just after the waterfall: Nice path back to another set of hot springs: One of many elk he…

This morning started off as just about any other Sunday morning in my house. I slept in until about 11:15 AM, mom and my cousin were off at church, dad was busy out in the garage, my brother was in the kitchen eating breakfast. I did my usual morning tasks (eat, brush teeth, pop my contacts in), when I decided to play some Game & Watch on my Game Boy. I’m sitting on the couch in the living room, when my dad tells me he’s going up to Home Depot for some stuff to fix our chimney with. I see him standing outside, with the driver’s door to the Sonoma open, and it looks like he’s going through something. A minute later, he knocks on the front door (it was locked), and tell…

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10846_7-6812103-1.html Vote for the Cadillac CTS...it's in third place right now and needs a boost. First place is the Acura TL with 440 votes, second is the Lexus LS600h with 302 votes, and third is the CTS with 220 votes.

... if the G8 ST isn't annnounced there, I may shelve all notions of a new car purchase. The truth is that I don't now, nor ever will, need to buy a new car again. I have all but decided that I will not settle for close anymore, either they build exactly what I want, or I will buy used cars I actually like. I will not compromise. Although I like the new Camaro, it just isn't me. I don't want to be part of such a large crowd. I may buy a used one someday, but I just can't see shelling out the cash for a car that is almost what I want. Sad really, I enjoy buying new.

Most of us no doubt have a collection of tools they use for their projects, be they automotive or otherwise. The question is: do you let them get dirty or do you try to keep them clean, and when they do get dirty to you clean them or not? I just bought a new tool, a Black and Decker Tri-Ratchet...which is awesome. I plan to keep it clean like all of my tools. I hate dirty tools, because then you get your hands dirty when you go to use a dirty tool, thereby getting other tools and anything else you touch dirty. I don't mind getting dirty, but I like my tools to look clean and new...maybe I'm just weird like that? My friend is the same way though. Neither of our fathers…

Have a look at this gem: http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-c...QQAdIdZ46528264 Wow...that interior. Its like cotton candy land!

Just wondering. My mom is really into this stuff. I believe in it to a certain extent, but I'm not really sure if I believe in psychics... Reason I ask is that my mom will see/talk to a psychic once every great while (every year or two) and tell me what happened. Well I usually don't agree with half the crap, but this time it might've hit home.

for your viewing pleasure/dismay i guess beer makes you sleep with anything.

Normally, I would have been asleep long before then, but last night, I was up, couldn't sleep. Click: EaRtHqUaKe! It felt like a freight train a' comin' through my house. 3.3, it was.

Hey gents and ladies (where's gmpg these days?) I'd like to think I'm fairly smart, but I'm always a "late adopter" (marketing term) when it comes to technology, for the pricing and for me to "get over" my lack of understanding the new technology. (Duh, I bought a 3800 OHV V6). That being said, I'm using my tax refunds to buy new hardware. Some brief questions: 1) Are the HP Pavilion desktops with Intel Dual Core or Quad Core reliable machines? Any pluses or minuses? What kinds of limitations to their use could I encounter by limiting the size of the hard drive or RAM? (I will not be getting a laptop, though my friend says they're ideal for a coffeehouse person…

I went to my local Walgreens today to pick up my prescription for the antibiotic Azithromycin, I have an ear infection from swimming in my heated pool ... I was shocked to see that this antibiotic is now manufactured by Wockhardt Limited in Mumbai, India. God how I long for the German health industry ...

When is the BMW S1000RR going on sale and how much will it cost?

And what can you tell me about it?

Our pets come up every now and then. More people here discuss dogs. I love dogs too. I am indifferent to cats for the most part; however, about 1 year ago when I lived in another neighborhood, there was a cat that practically greeted me outside my car when I pulled up from work and then came and hung out in my living room for about 2 or 3 hours before returning to his owner. He was well-fed. He didn't want food. He had a spot on the sofa he liked and sat there and purred.

Discuss.

This has been an albatross of sorts for me professionally. I started it back in late July last year, but with all the rain last summer, a few months off for winter, minor surgery, and other jobs tossed into the mix, I did not finish construction on this until yesterday. It was fraught with unknowns. Tho the plans were done up by an architect, he never shot a single elevation, and ultimately 25 yards of dirt had to be removed. Tho he spec'd the upright posts as cedar- he never spec'd the horizontal wall slats as anything. They turned out to be cedar, too, and the material costs ballooned. All the thinner horizontals had to be ripped- you cannot get 3" wide cedar planks. T…

Just something I was pondering....just made me wonder if these forums existed, would that cause us to talk other things besides cars and being silly with each other...or really, more to the point, make C&G one-stop shopping... Hell, it may wake up a lot of lurkers.... Anyway, sound off...

... 40k kms that is. I guess it's still a lot younger than a lot of cars here... May more trouble-free miles come. :)

I get the feeling it's used to test some really top secret weaponry and all that but is there something more to it than that? :huh:

If I need to get, say, an Ion sedan, how would these wheels look on it? 18" nice simple 5 spoke. show us the aftermarket wheels you like and where to buy them.

http://hawt.net/viewflash.php?id=637 34.88

So... I went yesterday. I went with my parents, grandpa and a friend of mine. We all walked around together to all the exhibits - if somebody wanted to see it, we would spend a little time. The only companies that we didn't go to? Toyota and Kia. Kia just didnt have anything new we wanted to see, and there were a few comments about not having enough coffee for the Toyota exhibit. GM's exhibit was really impressive. They had a stage where they drove the vehicles up as they introduced them. Lexus had a really impressive 'owners lounge' at the back of their exhibit. Show your Lexus key, get in to the lounge and get free coffee, food etc. Ford actually had a decent e…

All of these famous people are just dying left and right. Darren McGavin, Dennis Weaver, Don Knotts, Kirby Puckett yesterday and I've just recently heard Dana Reeve passed on last night. Puckett and Reeve weren't exactly what you'd consider old, either. What is going on??

I'm on one of the online dating sites, and I've actually met some nice girls from it. No relationships, but it's interesting. A few days ago, this girl bought me an online flower (which you have to pay for), and sent me a number of emails. She approached me, so naturally her interest level is quite high. I've talked to this girl a couple of times on the phone and she seems to like me. We're meeting tomorrow for dinner. Anyway, here's the problem. Just out of curiousity I asked her her height, and she said 5'10" I'm lucky to be 5'8" on a good day if I stand real straight. I told her I was 5'9" in shoes, and she said that she doesn't care. But I'm pretty …

OK, if you don't know what progressive rock is watch and learn. If you do, guess the Band, song and or album from the provided clue. If you guess correctly, post your own clue. I'll start with: "Something's wrong from the moon my friends. Something's wrong from the moon. As I look down at you my friends, something's wrong from the moon."

Anyone else ever check to see if they had any registered sex offenders living around them? I did today and guess what? 3 doors down from me, a couple more within 3 miles of me. Yikes. Also, if you ever get really bored and look at all the listings you'll see a lot of creepy old guys and the occasional unnattractive woman. We live in a scary world.

While going for a walk today, I noticed a dark red 98 Cavalier z24.....looks nice.. but needs engine work...1500 OBO... I talked to the owner-this is what I got- 96,000 miles-he was the only owner Bucks like a horse-runs.... Looks to be a head gasket-though coolant and oil are NOT mixing..yet. Engine is clean...lots of new stuff (brakes, battery) Everything works....(yes! A/C!) Since it really doesn't any offers...he'd take 500 bucks for it...... The only other offer was from a repair shop.... This would be my beater--replacing my rusting out wagon (stupid mortheast weather ) I have a good family friend who couldhelp fix the gasket.. What do yo…