trinacriabob

Spotted this in the parking lot at Lowe's. It's either a 2002 or 2003 Pontiac GP, the final year for the coupe. This model was born as a coupe and no one would have imagined they'd make a sedan out of one. I came very close to buying one in the summer of 2003. I was in Spokane WA visiting a childhood friend, and had to make myself scarce until the end of the work day. I go to a Barnes and Noble and then wander over to an adjacent Pontiac dealership. They had a GT coupe like this and it was discounted beyond belief. (Had it been a Subaru, they wouldn't have needed to do that.) Since home was about 300 miles away, I could have driven off in it. I chose to pass. Good decision. But I've got a soft spot for the last Grand Prix coupe.

I also saw this at the dealership. It's the sticker on a new Malibu FL. Is this a new model? FL meant "fleet" and it was being held at the extreme edge of the property, where I found a parking spot. Check out the better flexibility for fleet ordering - 2 better priced and separate driver confidence packages and the power seat is available as a stand alone item. It came with the rally wheels. The only obvious thing missing was a leather steering wheel. Okay price, I guess.

Saw two interesting cars today: In the supermarket parking lot, a guy was getting into an "old" Riv that had temporary plates. I asked him if it was a '91 or a '92. It was a '92. He told me it was sapphire blue metallic (the darker metallic blue) and it had blue leather bucket seats. He said it had a little over 60,000 original miles and he got it for about $3,500. He was beaming about it. It all looked good except that it had the padded blue landau roof that cluttered up the lines of the side rear passenger window and the rear back lite. These cars looked better without vinyl tops. At a dealership to look for a part, I saw this classic. Wow. It was a 1983 and ran with the 5.0 (307 c.i.) V8. I didn't get a photo of it, but the Brougham interior was equally in perfect condition. It was hard to fit this Olds 98 (aka "la cathedrale roulante") into the photo.

Was at Dollar Tree picking up some basic items on Saturday. I saw a new black Hyundai Sonata in the parking lot. I thought about it. It was ugly.

I see news stories of people in the South (LA) and in "the South" (FL) who are violating social distancing rules and holding church services. Stooo-pid. I guess the concept that "God helps those who help themselves" doesn't resonate with them. This is problematic when, in mid-March, prior to all the protocols taking effect, a choir ensemble two counties north of Seattle met to rehearse. It didn't turn out good. On the bright side: J&J is identifying vaccine candidates for trials in September. The FDA approved the use of the anti-malaria drug to treat COVID-19 patients with active cases. Some famous people have bounced back - Sophie Trudeau - mid-40s, Tom Hanks and his wife - early 60s (he is diabetic type 2) ... they evidently took the very long flight from Australia to get back to Los Angeles. We'll definitely hear more as more VIP types heal up. Holding good thoughts ...

Je connais le funiculaire - un fois! Mieux pour les personnes qu'ont fait son retraite. Il n'y a pas de paquebots de croisiere durant l'hiver ...

There is or was a funicular in DTLA dubbed "Angel's Flight." It transported people from the flat part of downtown up to Bunker Hill. You really can't tell what's Bunker Hill since so much grading has gone on and it's basically where the towers of the Financial District now stand. - - - This really annoys me. You go to the dumpster and see so many cardboard boxes in there. How about breaking them up into pieces and recycling them weekly or biweekly? Ditto for looking into a trash can and seeing empty plastic water bottles and aluminum cans. When you're at IKEA, the bellwether of Nordic efficiency, you will also see empty plastic bottles and aluminum cans. It's even worse at IKEA when labeled containers are right next to each other. What's wrong with people? One of our country's biggest hazards is stupidity. If people can't figure out how to recycle the basics, how are they going to figure out how to protect themselves and their loved ones?

I don't trust some of the reporting ... at all. I'm talking China and Russia. China's numbers almost appear frozen and Russia's seem too low. Russians have traveled freely to Western Europe and some EU airports now show signage in the country's language, English, Chinese (probably that, instead of Japanese), and Cyrillic characters (so probably Russian). The weekend days are allocated to getting the necessary staples. Off to do just that. very balthazar

Thank you for the comic relief. This is analogous to those movies where they are chasing each other around the table or the pirate/wench chase scenario on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disney. The ride has been altered, given that many people are so uptight in the New Millennium.

Anyone else need a haircut? I need a haircut. They actually stayed open a few days longer than did eateries, but I declined. Still, I don't want to look bohemian or anything!

Spotted on February 20th ... delay in posting Either a '77 or '79 Bonneville base sedan - pimpy red interior (look closely for the crank windows on the passenger door) - Pontiac rally wheels - in great shape for a 40+ year old car

Exactly what I've been thinking. Our last national trauma unrelated to an economic cycle - in 2001 - was, by some, equated to "innocence lost." No longer can we go to the gate at the airport for domestic flights to wait for relatives and friends coming in, or wait with them as they depart. I wonder which simple pleasures will go away this time around. I don't think that price ($250K to $300K) is that weird for 1400 s.f. in NJ, within reasonable distance of New York City. If that thing (with 1400 s.f.) were on Seattle's Eastside, especially north of I-90, it would be listed for at least that price, if not more. And it would sell in the blink of an eye. The difference might be that the area shown might not be as desirable as Seattle's Eastside. It's also that the "real" price in NJ is a lot higher because their property tax bills are barbaric. They're far higher than about 1.2% of the property's approximate value that you'll see in a lot of places.

If a person belongs to a political party and can't see what's wrong with an especially polarizing and controversial candidate, that shows a lack of critical thinking and that they don't want to reason. This applies to both parties, and both "extremes," on this go-round. I crossed party lines and voted for Bush 41 both times. This last time, I voted for Hillary. I don't really like her ... or her husband. Had Jeb Bush been the GOP nominee, I would have voted for him, instead. People should be able to change their opinions about someone or something based on how the facts and behaviors stack up. Trash talk is fine among friends and in R-rated movies. It's not on presidential tweets. I don't understand why people who shouldn't like 45 at all actually like him. As the saying goes, "A poor Republican is like a cow that is pro-leather." Back on topic, it looks like reaction to the current situation was delayed by bureaucratic red tape at the CDC. I think that, had we bought an extra week or two on the front end, this could have been less jolting.

Doesn't Greece have their own day on the calendar set aside for this celebration? Is it also March 25? Efharisto! Is it a lockdown or shelter in place? I thought it was already in effect there, given WA's caseload.

Reaching back into the "photo file" Seen on March 5 - Pontiac GP ('05 to '07, keyless trunk lid) ... spotless ... oddly combination: a sunroof, but with the standard bargain basement wheel covers Seen a few days ago - Ford Fiesta - this thing jumps out at you ... for some reason, the econoboxes have all the weird colors ... interesting that it has the turn signals in the outside mirrors, which means it's not the base model

That's about 2 to 3 weeks away. He's delusional and imprudent. So is that guy from TX (governor?) who says that elderly people can take it on the chin for the sake of getting the economy going. I feel sorry for Fauci. He has had to stay composed and bite his lip. He's a medical scientist and not a politician. I'm sure he doesn't suffer fools gladly. As for Italy, numbers in the north (the overwhelming majority of the cases) "appear" to be tapering, though not fast enough. The problem is that the south of the country is expected to see an uptick. Part of it is that the people in the south tend to be more unruly than the more industrious northerners. Then, you have idiots in this country. I heard a report of a "coronavirus party" in Kentucky and the governor was ticked. Then, there's a photo of a 20-something in Missouri licking a carton at a supermarket in Missouri to flout the rules. I believe he was arrested. Fresh air and going outside into nature are important, as long as you're not near anyone.

@oldshurst442 Very true about the wide open spaces in Canada. You showed an aerial photo of a town named Chibougamau in Quebec. When you fly into YYZ or YUL from overseas and you have one of those video screens in front of you, you are likely to see Chicoutimi in Quebec on the monitor. I think it's a reference/radar point, since it's probably a small town. I like that name. I have to congratulate Americans, and the world, for their "never forget" posture regarding September 11, 2001. We're coming up on 19 years, so almost 2 decades. We cannot afford to forget. This current crisis makes for another "never forget" event. When we are able to get past this, they (pharma/medical community and governance) have to act proactively - vaccinations with broader coverage and plans in place to deal with triage events. We cannot afford to forget this event, either. Even before this all happened, I asked my doctor to include it in my last set of labs. I never knew what it is. I always assumed that it was a line item in the standard metabolic panel or complete count blood tests and I could look it up on my portal. It's not. It's a separate test. I was able to find out and will never have to ask again.

The rental agencies seem to have a "floor age" of 25 for normal rates, because some ask that when you book on-line. I'm thinking there might be a 21-24 rental rate, and an even steeper under 21 rate. I'm trying to remember how old I was when I rented my first car. It might have been 20, but it was a local rental while the car was being repaired. I know for sure that I had 2 "interesting" rentals when I was 23 and 24. The first one, at 23, was taking a Lincoln Town Car from White Plains NY to JFK because my boss had flown out a day or two before me. Driving a huge car like that with no road feel whatsoever on "the Hutch" and the Van Wyck Expressway next to the center guard rail was stressful for a "kid" with some zits still left on his face. When I was 24, National handed me the keys to a decked out Olds and I drove it around for a week between NYC (including Manhattan) and Washington DC (near the Capital Mall). It was unnerving because, in the West, freeways are big and ramps are long. I sighed with relief when I uneventfully drove it over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, on the Belt Parkway around the perimeter of Brooklyn and into Queens, and, again, finally dropped it off at JFK. This looks like a '76. Very nice. I preferred the base version or the Esprit more than the flashier ones, as long as the base or Esprit had rally wheels. Regardless, I liked every generation of Firebird more so than the equivalent Camaro.

Thanks for the link. As big and populous as China is, for it to zero out makes no sense. I can accept that cases have plummeted and recoveries are up. What about those closed cases - Isn't there some criteria about how many negative tests a patient has to get within a certain time frame to be deemed recovered? is there a way to test for antibodies (blood work) on someone who has had it? That would be cumbersome. Do these people who have recovered have immunity? All cruise ships are either being detained offshore or heading to their home ports. This is weird since noroviruses have messed up various ocean voyages over the years, but they seem to be specific to a particular voyage. All the talk is confusing. You'll see an article where a young person says it's the worst. Then you'll see an article where a middle aged person says they've had worse influenzas before. A person doesn't know what to think.

Three guesses and the first two don't count. Depending on their academic calendar, some colleges and universities have their spring breaks during different weeks: two weeks ago, this last week, and this upcoming week. I didn't figure this out until recently. It probably helps the lodging and restaurant industry handle the load. And have enough cars at the rental agencies. Who'd rent cars to most of these brats, anyway?

Seeing something like this might have sent them scrambling home ...

Is the 24 Hr. Fitness in a shopping center, with an exterior entrance on the first level, next to quaint downtown Kirkland still there? Yep, LA Fitness branches are closed as well. As for food, being able to eat at Denny's - which I don't knock to begin with - might be like sleeping at the Waldorf Astoria.

I live in a very quiet neighborhood that has always been almost too quiet. Somehow, it feels even quieter. Same idea, different foods - oatmeal every morning and many cups of tea - I've also lost about 5 pounds since I haven't eaten my usual junk food that I buy at check-out.

Seems too soon. I wouldn't know. As they say, "haste makes waste."

What? China is letting people circulate at this time? City or region specific?