trinacriabob

Enterprise's fleet is truly all over the map...I always scout out the lot before I go in and then ask for a GM car, followed by a Ford product if one is not available. One thing I DON'T like about Enterprise is that they are slightly militant about inspecting the car both when you take it off the lot and when you bring it back. It kind of reminds me of the few times I've rented cars in Europe.

thermodynamics

I patched up an old friendship just recently. Actually, it was with my best friend from grammar school. We had had a falling out in 2001, and again in 2008. BOTH were about money. For the first falling out, he had asked me to help him sort out some of the financial paperwork after his divorce. He literally handed me a file box in complete disarray. Not only that, he would ask me for small advances, and was never caught up in repayment. Total loss for me: less than $200. For the second falling out, it was about sorting out his child support status. I told him I could only help him recalculate the right balance. He expected me to take his side that he should be absolved from his financial responsibility. A huge argument ensued. Except for his financial mismanagement, which shouldn't impact me, we've had no other disagreements. Last Friday night, I showed up on his doorstep with two gifts for each of his small children. He remarried in 2005 and has two little kids. They asked me to come in and have pizza with them. As long as we don't talk money, the friendship should last. Ok, that's my good story as we enter the holiday season. ANY GOOD STORIES?

cold shower

Donna Summer

the 80s

Good luck, Dave!

The Exorcist

I won't go down the political path with this, so I'll keep it "statistical" and then come back to the topic. Typically, 60% of Americans get their health insurance from working for large enough employers, 27% get health insurance because they are either older (Medicare) and/or because of their inability to pay (state Medicaid programs). That leaves 13% "high and dry" because their employers don't offer it, they are self-employed or are in a transitional situation. (Gee, could America, or any country, for that matter, do without its small companies and small entities?). I don't have the time or energy to pencil it out, but I have some empathy for the 13%. I have had to take the COBRA option before, and it's not fun to write the check, but I'm fairly averse to risk, so that's how I dealt with the transitional period. Reg, I hope things go well for you in 2010...it's only 12 days away and I really believe things will get better.

actually can be good for you, high in zinc and not too bad in fat response to thread: litigation

response to thread: Joey Buttafuoco ("buttafuoco" means "flame thrower" in Italian and his last name has been incorrectly pronounced from the very beginning of his fame...hmmm, let's see how clean this remains) Carry on...

Ditto. I watch about 50 hours of TV ... in a YEAR.

The BLS releases their state-by-state employment stats today. They release at around this time every month. The news is that 36 states posted unemployment drops and 8 states posted increases. It's going in the right direction. California is STILL over 12%. Here's the link: BLS Labor U.E. by state I interviewed for a different job on Dec. 3, was interviewed again on Dec. 8 and then found out on Dec. 14 that I didn't get it. It took me about 1 hour to get over it. I thought about how geeky and uptight those present at the second interview were, that it may not have been a good long-term fit. It may take a little bit, but things ought to get better.

ghetto blaster

crafts

Thanks, Siegen, for starting this post. One other person at work also loves planes/ships, so we were glued to the webcast on Boeing's site this morning from about 9:55 to 10:35 am Pacific time. As the 787 approached its designated runway and paused before take-off, my pulse was racing. The take-off was flawless. What a beautiful aircraft...the raked wings give it an incredible presence. It ought to succeed as a versatile plane, since it can easily adapt to a run like LA-Denver or New York-Atlanta...or from LA all the way to Australia or from New York all the way to Argentina. I look forward to being a passenger. And it is close enough to my birthday for me to mark the date this historic event occurred.

paper

There's a lot written about how famous people overstep boundaries. Their fame sometimes gives them a sense of entitlement. It harkens to the Elliot Spitzer story. If he wasn't a pro golfer, I doubt anybody would notice him, yet he bagged a "trophy." People would notice her (though the Nordic look doesn't do anything for me). I wonder what wasn't working out. Very, very sad. Saddest of all is that his little kids will be hurt by this scandal, both in the short-term and in the long-term. There's a billboard on a major boulevard nearby that has Tiger advertising for that brand of watches he is signed up with. It has not been taken down yet.

solid state

computer programming

Congrats! Makes it a long time many of us are posting here. I found the site looking for info on the 2005 LaCrosse, which would have been late 2004 or early 2005, when you were 16 or 17. (We December babies tend to be the among the coolest.) Happy 21st birthday.

rescue

exhaust

cutter

cabin