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"...because in the desert, you can't remember your name, cause there ain't no on for to give you no pain...." I had to shed a mountain of cobwebs to decide say HI here. Been a while. Likely half a decade. Don't worry I've now got Castrol coursing through my veins. I use Valvoline for my hair. Mobil brightens the teeth right up. I take my supplement of Pennzoil for the omegas and brain health. Nothing like Quaker State for breakfast. I voted for Amsoil in the election by the way. In oil we trust. Amen.

I really like the Satanic Church, probably the only church I could happily join. From that tree....

This sort of dog is a rare blessing. The populated parts of Western Turkey have worked hard to go 180 degrees (well, not quite that far) from their "Midnight Express" reputation and you just don't mistreat the cats and dogs who roam freely around Istanbul. This video makes it easy to see why a good many dogs are more likeable than most fellow human beings.

It brings on a sigh of relief when: "What car am I being assigned?" "A Malibu." The less drama, the better. Spending the Christmas holidays in SoCal. I wouldn't consider THAT drama-free, but a familiar place in a familiar car.

Lastly...

I am in a fiery mood today... Peace on earth, goodwill to all men...

Stop buying anything American. This includes American media. They will be running out of money sooner rather than later. I like this woman and her commentary. Agree, and Turkey is on my Bucket list.

Interesting read and comparison of the ID.BUZZ versus EV9 Volkswagen ID Buzz vs. Kia EV9: Which 3-Row 7-Passenger EV Is Best?

@oldshurst442 Excellent read and I totally agree with the writeup, let the GOP burn themselves to the ground. Treat them like the addict they are and self combust. Opinion: America voted for a dumpster fire — Democrats just need to let it burn itself out @A Horse With No Name Very cool video on making a wooden cup. Woodturning - Cubism | Watch Another awesome wood turning project. Crazy what people will think up. Woodturning - I Maxed Out My Lathe! | Watch We are getting hit hard starting tonight through next week, heavy rain, winds and snow. Atmospheric River Set to 'Wallop' Western US: What We Know Seems the incoming administration wants to kill off safety for the sake of profits, focused on Robotaxi profits. Trump team set to end key vehicle safety rule opposed by Elon Musk's Tesla: report

Seems McLaren has been sold to the UAE. UAE buys McLaren after carmaker suffers record loss Seems Nissan has a all new Leaf coming in a form of a sedan. Be interesting to see if they can get this out before they run out of money. https://www.carscoops.com/2024/12/2026-nissan-leaf-ditches-dorky-looks-gets-much-needed-glow-up/

WoW, Chery Automotive of China is wanting to show that their EVs are 5 star crash safe for the occupants. The harshest crash test is the U-Turn crash test where two autos hit the U-Turning auto in off setting corners. Safety to the occupants with minimal degradation of the body is pretty impressive here. @trinacriabob You might get a faster crossing if this does get approved to be built. Inside the $20trillion Transatlantic Tunnel That Would Link The US to the UK in Under an Hour : The Hearty Soul

WOW, You Go Standsbury, you bury them just like the Movie series called The Purge, it seems we are back to the 1950's with Blacklists and the attempt to purge the country. This Heritage 2025 Purge Program is why we have to Fight for the Constitution and freedom rights of all and not a Purge of non-MAGA people. WOW!!!!

I have family throughout California and many call Caltrans, CrapTrans. Seems they do enough to get it going, but barely enough to keep it going let alone doing it right, not so right! Crazy messed up area for sure. Then how bad is it when you compare it to the Major F'd up mess of Texas and Florida. This is an interesting watch. What happens if Trump ends the electric vehicle tax credit? - CBS News Another interesting read that shows how conflict of interest is a big problem in Idiot47 administration. Ramaswamy’s threats to claw back Rivian loan spark criticism of Elon Musk’s DOGE role | CNN Politics So, hope the Idiot fails big time and this does continue on as it is the right, smart move for USPS as EVs make far more sense than ICE for the little amount of driving they do. ICE maintenance is crazy high compared to EVs; long term this reduces cost for USPS. Common sense which is no so common on the incoming idiot47 administration. Exclusive: Trump may cancel US Postal Service electric mail truck contract, sources say | Reuters Honestly, I can easily see a major recession hitting the U.S. due to incompetence around killing off IRA.

The Arco Arena is in Sac, but in the Natomas area, and built when it was a much emptier area with a lot of fields. It is/was one ugly stadium. The Kings used to play there. The rapport with the Lakers was strained. Someone on the L.A. side called Sacto a cow town. The locals were pissed. The locals supposedly would bring cowbell triangles to games with the Lakers played at home. I'd have to look if that's true. Karma is a bitch. The Monarchs also used to play there. I won't go there. A place where I worked once hired a girl who had a Monarchs sticker on her SUV rear window to work as a "paraprofessional." She had to work on something for me. I sensed she didn't know anywhere near enough. I asked her if she knew the actual dimensions of a 2x4. She did not! This wasn't kindergarten. She wasn't working out very well ... for anyone. One day, she stopped showing up, either because she was stressed out or knew she was going to be let go. There is/was all this empty land and they still haven't gone through all the hoops to put in the light rail from downtown to the airport through that soulless Natomas area. City nicknames go from Sactomato to Excremento, and then some. I have/had a few smarter friends who worked at a few wings of the government there and they either got complacent or had nerves of steel to keep plowing ahead to be achievers alongside some duds. Living in the foothill communities is the way to go if you have to live in that metro area, but you'll have rattlesnakes as neighbors.

I remember the Arco Arena being kind of off by itself. I recall eating at a few restaurants downtown that were nice. Been 20 years since I’ve been there. My sister did a few gigs for a few years at CALPERS, CALSTRS and CALTRANS, I visited a couple times to go to concerts back in the day.

I'm having trouble letting go ... of my Alitalia app!

It is indeed a very cool thing! It's a place in the flyover zone that you can't fly under. LOL ... sorry. Someone in the audience always asks about this. It's interesting when they slide in the final piece - the keystone - and it fits perfectly. (Of course, there have to be tolerances all throughout.) The movie they show is very informative. A lot of cities can't plan ahead because they don't know what's coming, like the arch. There should have been a mall or lawn devoid of buildings beyond the arch stretching quite a ways to the west. One big turd is Sacramento, CA. There is a mall to the west, unobstructed between the interstate and the capitol. There should have been 3 more malls in the other directions. To the north of the capitol, it gets dumpy very quickly.

I remember when they reported from overseas where the parents were and the mother was completely dysregulated, cursing America and saying they were good boys. Good boys don't plan and make lethal attacks at major civic events. There is a big ingrate factor in America. Some people are able to move here and are then still disgruntled. It's a hard thing to come to realize that this country works in concentric circles. There is still a lot of power in wealthy WASPy dynasty type faimilies here and the circles then fan out. People who are more and more dissimilar from that yardstick find themselves on outer rings and they might be pissed. However, their kids have the option to break that fairly fast by getting an education and doing things with it. This is even more problematic in (South)Western Europe where who you know means even more. Sure, some actress from Sicily or singer from Naples from the working classes got a break, but it's not that common because it's systemic. Case in point: grown-up frat boy type Jesse Watters made an uncalled for comment about the likely fate of the accused shooter. If you think that, shut up. It's obvious that Jesse Watters is very silver spooned as he is one arrogant SOB and thinks he can say what he wants. They got rid of Tucker Carlson. They could get rid of a few others on that network. Some people appreciate being here, knowing it's not perfect, and some people are here and fuming.