The Lounge

See, I wasn't kidding--the plane in the background is the Lockheed L188 Electra, a 4-engined turboprop that began its career in 1957. I flew on one of these circa 1965, between Denver, CO and Sioux Falls, SD. A few L188 Electras are still in use today, usually for fire-fighting.

Looking for some info/floorplans on L-shaped farmhouses, vintage Greeek-Revival-esque stuff, nothing to be found online that matches up with my target. Anyone know any resources or books to check?

When I was little, I first got Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys and then Legos that I would play with for hours and build all these little cities. Then as I got older, I got K'Nex, Micro Machines (I had so many of the city sets that I could cover half of a room), and finally my favorite toy, Girder and Panel. I found my first Girder and Panel (known as KenStruct in the 70s) set at a garage sale...it's basically where you construct skyscrapers with these little plastic beams and columns and then you snap on these plastic panels for the walls and windows. The first set was from the mid 70s, and then one day at Toys R' Us I found out they had a new set and got that for a Ch…

Uh huh... so the question is, have you ever ridden in a Police car? And doing it intentionally or having an ex cop car doesn't count. So... have you? If so.. entertain us with a story. So... why did I start this? Last night... I got a nice ride in a cop car. Yay. I was riding my ATV late at night (no, not nude or without lights again), like around midnight for something to do since I wasn't tired and the electric went out preventing me from getting on the computer last night (I really don't know why... it wasn't storming or anything). Well... I forgot that I had switched to my reserve tank the previous time I took it for a ride. I was riding through the woods near B…

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Atlantis thundered away on its final voyage to orbit Friday, hoisting an experienced crew of six and a full shipment of space station gear. Atlantis sped through a perfectly clear afternoon sky, blazing a trail over the Atlantic before huge crowds eager to catch one of the few remaining shuttle launches. Its destination is the International Space Station, which was soaring over the South Pacific at the time of liftoff. The shuttle should catch up with the orbiting complex and its six residents Sunday. More than 40,000 guests — the biggest launch-day crowd in years — descended on the Kennedy Space Center, all of them eager to witness…

One last thing ... Link: http://bit.ly/IwHfx

It crashed into a field and broke into three pieces. Weird to see such a massive aircraft lying on the ground. No fire, 17 people on board, some injuries.

What is the difference between 365 condoms and a Goodyear Tire?] One is a Goodyear and one is a great year. LOL. Sorry I just got a huge kick out of that and it has stayed with me all day.

What GM movie car do you like the best- To me it's the Impala ragtop in Boyz in the Hood. What's yours? Wasn't it a Pontiac Grand Am or something in that really wild chase in The French Connection? Also like... The 58 Chevy and 55 Chevy from American Graffiti, the movie Two Lane Blacktop, and theTrans Am in smokey and the Bandit. Non GM car things that were obviously cool were the chase in Bullet, but I loved watching Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry. The ending where the Charger slams into the train I saw when I was like 7 years old and it was my first real taste of movie violence involving a car. That scene has stayed with me for a long time. Chris

BALTIMORE - Maryland’s highest court on Tuesday upheld a state law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, ending a lawsuit filed by same-sex couples who claimed they were being denied equal protection under the law. Maryland’s 1973 ban on gay marriage does not discriminate on the basis of gender and does not deny any fundamental rights, the Court of Appeals ruled in a 4-3 decision. It also said the state has a legitimate interest in promoting opposite-sex marriage. Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20839946/

I'm thinking its because I've been listening to an insane amount of Bjork lately, but I'd like to visit Iceland. And would even consider moving there, if I felt the need to leave the country. I realize its pretty much the last place on earth anybody would ever go, but has anyone ever been? And on a completely different subject, why cant I find a cruise that boards in New York or Miami, then goes around the friggen world? Circumnavigating the globe on a cruise ship would be sweet. Time consuming, but sweet.

There's a live police chase on an OC freeway now on CNN, white 2007 Yukon..blasting along passing everything, in and out of HOV lanes.. on the SB 405...up to 105 mph. Stolen apparently. Female driver. Britney making a run? Apparently been all over the place for over an hour--I-5, 605, 57, etc.. They are saying stolen rental from Anaheim. OnStar is getting several name checks...apparently, the rental agency called OnStar and OnStar called the police. The reporters asked if OnStar can remotely disable the car... Now on I-5 near Dana Point..must be making a run for Mexico. Now the talking heads are joking about the gas mileage and that it had a full tank, …

Yech! For those on the semester system, final exams are right around the corner. Mine start on Wednesday night and I have two others, all at night time, within a week from that because I am in an evening program. I have been burning the candle at both ends, ending up at coffee shops with my books from 11 pm to 1:30 am or so since I find myself cat-napping at weird intervals. The upside: I will be DONE with finals, and with my degree program, in less than 10 days. I think I can manage. What about you? Big finals load? Are you coping / what do you do to cope?

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/982267/396/State-Trooper-pulls-over-driver-of-unsafe-Ford-Pinto Seems as though he had a lawnmower style gas can on the passenger seat, with a rubber fuel line feeding into the motor via the outside of the car... Pretty much looks a lot like what rolls around on Ohio highways, actually... ...although it's usually the Import guys going for the moar lower look...and its probably safer this way than when it came from Ford. ...and notice the lack of a floor board below the passenger seat where the gas can sits...

Today, I saw a bunch of last(2)gen Monte Carlos on a major boulevard in my area. They ranged anywhere from early 2000s up to the 2006/2007. Some of them, unfortunately, were kind of "blingy(sp)." I look at this car and study it. It has some good angles and some bad ones. The overall side profile is good. The frontal 3/4 view is good, too. The rear hump is not at all good and the too-low and too-heavy fender sculpting is not good, either. This is a car that could have been much better. I think that it was "sort of" intended to be a Cutlass Supreme price-point personal coupe, though it was not marketed that way. I think the GP 2-door that ran through 2002 was way …

A few pics I snapped today while visiting my girlfriend at her work - a local retirement home. A few hundred people live here and I would say a good 95% of the residents' vehicles are domestic. And before the 'fixed-income' talk comes up, its true, but their income is at a far higher level of being static than most people; this is an expensive place to live, so these aren't your poor, ill-educated old people living off government cheese like some editorials love to espouse about. You're looking at Buick, Mercs, Cadillacs, and Lincolns, typically no older than mid-90s. Take away the Centuries, and very few of the cars cost under $25,000. Besides those f…

Do we have a peanut butter appreciation thread? If not, here it is. The only real problem I am aware of with peanut butter is its pretty high in calories. But in return, you get full. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM OK, here goes. My faves in the peanut butter world. TRADER JOE'S the basic creamy unsalted or crunchy unsalted is the best best best! I add a little honey and stir it in, but even without its SOOOOOOOO good! MARANATHA. Expensive, but so worth it. The creamy no stir is awesome, the regular Maranatha is fabulous as well. SMUCKERS A little bland and I am not diggin the finely chopped added texture but otherwise for cheap PB is pretty good. JIF Jif Na…

I love automotive museums. Tell everyone about some of your favorites, your experience, the location. I especially like the ones with streetscapes.

...to go to a dragstrip.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9662037/ I thought GM was the leader in hybrid buses, but now in one order DCX will almost match the number of hybrid city buses GM has sold. Anyone know more about this deal? What made them go with the DCX buses as opposed to the GM buses? :huh:

She has the gold medal locked up...has a huge lead and on the 2nd to last roller, she deicdes to show boat on the jump and falls. All she had to do was coast across the finish line. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11403461/ I cant imagine feeling bad about winning a silver medal....but damn....

I saw these and really wanted to share them. I don't any negative comments in here, I am tired of those. So if anybody has anything good to say about this incredibly attractive woman, I mean, come on, I'm salivating over these pictures. Anyways, I know she doesn't always look her best, and it has to do with how she stands, her posture, but these pictures are freakin' phenomonal. Again, only positive things please. Thanks. And I won't to see this die either, without someone commenting... :lol:

Can't read the decklid name from the actual ad, either. Pic appeared in print in a Feb 1960 magazine.

So its that time of year. I'm not a big hockey fan, but I've caught some of the playoffs, as a Chicago native its nice to see the Blackhawks playing decently. But on the NBA side, this has been amazing. If you guys haven't been paying attention, the Bulls and Celtics are playing probably the greatest 7-game series I've ever seen. 6 games, 7 overtime periods, amazing play by both teams. I cant wait for Game 7.

http://videos.streetfire.net/recentvideos/...88f01445abc.htm

Remember the Cutlass? Well, this is what it's turned into. Thought you guys would enjoy this glimpse of the near future as much as I did.

Hey all, Does anybody have any opinions to share about baltimore? My girl friend and I are thinking of moving there late next year. We both graduate in may and I can easily get another senior paralegal or project manager job in DC. We both like the idea of Baltimore because it is so much cheaper then the greater NYC area where we live now even though we would both be working in DC and we would be getting paid roughly equal to NY wages. From what I've gathered Baltimore has parts you wouldn't want to be caught dead in but has great parts along the river like Ferderal hill. We're both suckers for row houses and we've been to some of the good areas and really like t…

As fellow chatters on one of my favorite website (this one, if you didn't know), I wanted to give you guys a first glimpse of a revived online magazine: AutomotiveTraveler. Some of you have seen the individual articles, but please take a look at the first full publication in years. Make some comments...share with your friends if you like it...but just take a look. I'd be interested to hear what you think of it. http://automotivetraveler.com/jump/2124

Well I most likely will be buying new and all stripper models no options at all. First 08 Cobalt Coupe 2.2 5spd price 11,000 DARK BLUE Second 08 Aveo 4 door 1.6 5spd price 8,000 Color either red or black Third 08 Colorado 2.9 5sp regular cab short box price 11,500 Color ? Fourth 08 Silverado WT 4.3 reg cab reg box price 12,500 color dark blue or white Can you guys give me some pros and cons or reviews. What one would you pick. I'm getting my Dads GM discount so that helps a lot. Insurance is highest on the Cobalt and cheapest on the Colorado So hard to choose.

Happy Birthday to NOS and Andrew! Make it a good one

I am the Oracle of Delphi, I see many things in GM's Past and Present, but my true gift is being able to see things in GM's future, way in its future in fact, it's almost as if I think it, and GM changes to match my thoughts! Nice meeting you BTW!

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/861135480.html Classy!

Well here is the first thread... First Post... on Lenovo... I have basically already have been ready for something faster, with a web cam and larger HD even tho I have a larger 500gb External hard-drive. And with alot better graphics card... I decided on a Dell Vostro 2510 due in part to the attractive $379 rebate that ends tonight. So here is what I ordered and I can't wait to upgrade it. I have a friend who is in need of a small computer and will sell my Lenovo for a small loss and move on. Here is what I am getting... Also I was so excited I could still get XP! I will moving my 2007 Office Suite and CS3 Suite over as well. I now can game on it, wahoooo! Tell me w…

Today at the exhaust shop, I was standing there watching the guys do their thing, when an old farmer walked up to me and struck up a conversation: "Is this your truck?" "Yup." "You didn't get a Toyota?" "NO! I hate those things!" "Did you see where Toyota is rolling over GM, Ford and Chrysler?" "Yup." "Why do you think that is? I just don't understand that." "It's the media, putting ideas in people's heads. It's not real experience. I've always had good luck with my GM trucks." "Yeah, the media's putting on a big show, trying to put the American companies down. We had one (a Toyota truck) on the farm back in the 80's, and that was enough. It was a good litt…

Link to eBay auction It's even in Texas!

One of mine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=liikCN_-Zco

A bear cub sniffed out a barbecue-chicken-and-jalapeño pizza in the back seat of a vintage red Buick convertible at an upper Kingsbury Grade parking lot on Sunday, jolting onlookers and leaving a cheesy mess behind. About 30 people watched the cub lumber around the Tahoe Village parking lot before it homed in on the Buick and the pizza. Frightened swimmers stayed inside the nearby pool area as the bear - ignoring the car's horn which blew non-stop as the cub pressed the seat into the steering wheel - crawled inside to ferret out the pizza that was on the floor. "The bear was loping along in the parking lot and then decides to get inside the car," said resident Jerry Pat…

Part 3 Rules: 1) Any AIRPLANE 2) Your 5 favorite in total 3) Any Nation

:AH-HA_wink: Yeah, I know. It's the wrong state. Nerdcore.

I was doing my commute today in the Cav, but I left about 5 minutes earlier than I usually do, and as I was driving past Bow Trail on Crowchild Trail south, I noticed a dump truck that is always going slow (~30KPH under speed limit) that I have to pass, but today it was on the side of the road with engine troubles. When I got to my destination, I heard that there was an accident that happened about 6 minutes after I passed there, a school bus full of school children sideswiped the dump truck, shearing the side of the bus off and killing one nine year old kid... It just sends a shiver down my spine, the bus in the accident, well, I'm either or in front of, or behind of it…

Link: http://theborgerspeaks.blogspot.com/

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ip83hAy...I974WQD8S94PU00 Sure thing Tommy.

Lately on cable the movie "Demolition Man" (1993) has been playing a lot. I've alawys liked this movie, (1) because it's a movie based in the future, and (2) because all of the vehicles in it are from GM (what a future!). It's not the greatest movie of all time and some of it's plot is a little "too out there" for realism, but I find it to entertain me well enough. Anyway, I've always wondered where all of the GM Ultralites came from as featured in the movie. Many are police cars, but if you look close enough you'll see some "civilian" versions driving around. That and the fact that one civilian version is used in the "Bicentennial Man" (1999) and "A.I. - Artificial…

Bears vs. Colts. Cant wait I want both to win!

Well... it is good, I suppose, to learn where one's breaking point is. After tomorrow, I will have worked 30 of 31 days in January, only taking my B-day off {panicing; ocnblu scans his master list}. Some days were as light as 5 hrs, some as heavy as 11. Apparently, 29 days is about it, as I saw a few instances of failed processing & motor skills today, which is not good when you're a neurologic surgeon. Just kidding: I'm a contractor and have been working on interior renovation of a residential home. It's actually been enjoyable (nothing like being your own boss), tho the creeping brain fog of the past couple of days is a bit offsetting. One big plus: no pesky che…

1976 Cadillac Hearse w/Flame Throwers 105K - $625 http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/car/543621694.html

Professional wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy and their 7-year-old son Daniel were found dead in the family's Georgia home Monday, the Fayette County Sheriff's Department said. Complete story RIP Chris, I'll miss you..

Heard this on the radio early this morning. I'll botch it, but you'll get the just of it... This morning, President Bush's advisor came in to tell him news of the deaths of 3 Brazilians. President Bush shakes his head, then puts his head in his hands for a minute. Lifting his head he says, "Wow. That's outrageous. A million, trillion, ... brazilian?! Just how many is that?!" Thought I'd share. It woke me up and I was lmao'ing into school lol

I figured "boys" would get you in here faster than "guys" :P No idea. Okay, another girl thing. This is something that Nick would post (no offense dude, I don't mean it in a bad way.. if I did, I wouldn't post this!) and I'm lost too. About 2 or so years ago I liked this girl, Katie, quite a bit. Her cousin's family (she's real close to her cousin's family) and mine were cool with each other and hung out. Well, I hooked up with Katie. It was a bad relationship all because I had no idea what I was doing as a boyfriend. I didn't call, hang out with her, or anything. I was terrible and I admit it to this day to anybody.…

Just a quick run-down of what I'm doing to the S-10 exterior-wise. Tell me whatcha think. All-chrome grille: Clear parklights: LED Aftermarket Taillamps: Bumper Gone, Rollpan Installed: Eighteen-inch Wheels & Tires: New Paint: :AH-HA_wink:

So I had a job interview today. A recruiter place called Cyrpess contacted me asking if I wanted to come in for an interview for someone from WGBH. The interview went well, although I dn't have teh skill set he was looking for. No surprise...I'm a designer not a coder. After the interview with him, I had a second one with one of teh recruiters, who got more detailed info about me so they'll be able to better match me with potential jobs that I'm skilled in. It was about 2.5 hours total. It was a good day overall. For once, despite not having my friend's GPS I didn't get lost on the way there or back...amazing. Only problem was that in total for parking n the garag…

Friday we got about 6 inches of snow here. I got a message on my phone. It was my mom. "Billy! Don't be a cowboy! Don't be a cowboy going to work in your 4X4! Be careful! Don't be a cowboy!" First off... how old am I? Second... what is she trying to tell me? She's seen the previews for Brokeback Mountain? She consciously knows where I'm coming from? It's all a big mystery.... :huh:

As much as the actual military-oriented ones were, I planned on doing an auto one for the occasion. In honor of Veterans Day, it will be based upon Domestic nameplate vehicles. Rules- 1) Maximum of 5 choices. 2) These are your only vehicles. 3) Production cars sold in the US only. 4) Cars must be a model name or at least generation that is NO LONGER BUILT- this is the Veteran part, obviously. 5) As long as the vehicle is no longer on sale, any era is allowed. Happy Veterans Day, and enjoy!!

Yesterday I was driving, approaching an intersection. I had the green light. A Mitsu Galant approached from my right at the intersection, at the red light, pulling up past the white line. I noticed she had a cell phone to her left ear. She gave a quick glance my way, then pulled out right in front of me (requiring me to brake pretty hard to avoid hitting her stupid ass). She then got into the left lane beside me, in the right lane. I saw an opportunity. Her right side front window was down half way. I gunned the Sierra, pulled up next to her, rolled my window down and yelled "GET OFF THE PHONE AND DRIVE, BITCH!" She responded with a smug glance and a middle fin…

This is probably one of the cars in the lineup... http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/02/happy-chery-eastar/

So I was playing basketball back in 2003, went up to the hoop, got hit, came down on my hand with my arm outstretched. Ouch. Urgent care doc diagnosed a minor rotator cuff tear, told me to rest it and take enough ibuprofin to keep me from feeling my thoughts. Didn't help, my doc diagnosed the same thing. Finally, after having some problems with it the last few weeks, I had it looked at again. Torn labrum (not torn labia as I inadvertently told my boss). Surgery is an option, dealing with it is also an option. Didn't even get any drugs. Stupid doctors.

Its a 1976 Custom Cloud. Apparently... And for fun, the court case.

Hey guys: I made it! I am here. Just woke up from sleeping for about 6 hours at my cousins' house. It is hot and humid. It was a free ticket, so I had to put up with the routing. It took 37 hours of flying and FIVE segments to find available seats. The routing: 1 - Delta - Portland to Salt Lake City (Delta hub) 2 - Delta - Salt Lake City to Atlanta (Delta hub) - "red eye" 3 - Delta - Atlanta to Montreal 4 - Air France - Montreal to Paris - "red eye," they all are 5 - Air France - Paris to Florence Kid in the candy store experience: Upon arrival at the Air France check in at Montreal, I asked if my "favorite" seat on the 747 was available. It was not. I s…

We all got conditioned to having it in the steering column. Then, after renting Intrigues, GPs and Malibus, I found that having it in the dash is kind of cool. Slap on the wrist to LaCrosse and Lucerne for having it on the column.

From a Buick 8. If you haven't read this, do yourself a favor. As with other Stephen King books, it's very well written. And if you think a Buick is for Grampy and Granny, this will sure as hell change your mind. The story centers around the ultimate Buick from hell. A '54 Roadmaster with a dummy V8 engine, a dash meant for show, a key that cannot start any car of our imagination, a deap blue paintjob that's restant to all dirt and other Earthly substances and able to heal scratches (my, my, wouldn't we love to have that feature standard on a new Impala), fat ass whitewalls able to spit even the smallest grain of sand out of their treads, a steering…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo8u29dB7Eo