trinacriabob

Jeff Spicoli

Sounds like you like all those demographic and statistical charts. They're interesting. They almost become predictable cliches. Lowest SAT scores/highest teen pregnancy/lowest high school graduation: It's the inland, non-coastal Southern States (MS, AR, etc.) and Nevada (a very white trash kind of place) Highest SAT scores/lowest teen pregnancy/highest high school graduation: It's the (Nordic) Upper Midwest (MN, WI) and New England (more so NH, VT) Back to the topic at hand, (Southern) California failed to instill a commuter rail/heavy transit rail lifestyle as it should have for its intended growth, giving rise to a mind-boggling freeway system and those ramps/interchanges that postcards are made of. They're doing rapid transit 40 years later, after all the infrastructure is in place and sprawl has occurred. It embarrasses me that my hometown of L.A. has a despicable rail system (with the only line that's worth a damn being the "Red Line" because it's a fully grade-separated heavy rail subway system on a dedicated track) and all the other lines are essentially trolley cars (Green, Blue, Gold, and future Acqua lines) that run through the streets of South Central. Nice. Come on, this is America's gateway city to Asia and Oceania. Atlanta, where I lived for 2 years and really enjoyed, has a stellar transit system in its MARTA Rail (it's similar to BART and the DC Metro). Well, looks like the Bay Bridge will be open for Monday morning's commute...and BART trains will be less crowded.

Today: We had the office Halloween party. Sections were broken up into themes. Our area was "Old Western Town." I was going to set up my office as the town bordello (a lot of red velour, and not much else). That didn't fly. (Damn, virtually every Western town of any significance had a bordello). So, instead, they gave me rolls of paper and I did mural type drawings of Western landscapes (mesas, cactus, sagebrush, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and bighorn sheep, etc). to cover the walls. I ate so much I have to go lay down (quantity of what people brought in "potluck" style, but not necessarily quality). Tomorrow (actual Halloween Day): Not a damn thing...looking forward to a quiet weekend. Your Halloween plans?

surfer

I was waiting for this. (I was a year off, thinking it was 1937, but, what the hell, they had the foresight to do 5 lanes in each direction on different bridge decks. That's right. The architectural statement was unnecessary. While the old cantilevered East Span was hideous, a sleek, high up in the air causeway would have done the trick. The insertion of that suspension component with the tower that looks kind of modern/kind of retro/kind of Coit is large part of the bridge's cost (overrun).

That's because Sarah Palin comes from that area...kind of makes sense :wink:

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DVT (not a Cadillac, but a radiology procedure)

RA just found out a co-worker, late 30s, has this ... so does Kathleen Turner and it has dramatically changed her appearance (I what ED stands for, so what is RP?)

I'm not sure the negative campaign tactic is a good approach. This is a little bit more pungent than what Fusion/Milan dish out against their competition, which is facts -- the reliability of those cars has been remarkable vis-a-vis their Japanese competition. Flash back 10 years - the Intrigue commercials were very sexy, for lack of a better word. They made you aware that this was a different car within that genre, hence the tag line "a sophisticated twist on the sports sedan." If one went further, into print ads and into automotive reviews, they would see the inevitable comparison to CamCord. It's worth a chuckle, but its credibility isn't the best. They need to sell this car on its merits.

VD

Whatever "pencils out" as keeping more money in your, and your family's, pocket. Especially in these tough times.

topiary animals

yard work

I guess it's also cultural conditioning. My upbringing was so damn patriarchal, that my Mom always said "how high" when my Dad said "jump." Don't get me wrong, they got along, but each needed that tell/be told dynamic to make the marriage work. Today, I doubt if you even see that in Catholic Mediterranean Europe. I think it still exists in the Eastern Mediterranean where the people are of Arab stock, though. I also believe that this conundrum in role definition has dealt one hell of a blow to the institution of marriage, and to (all kinds of) relationships as well.

Part of it will be handled by BART, who will run longer trains and more frequently. Wow, some of the snobs in Orinda, Lafayette and Walnut Creek may finally get to see the inside of a BART train.

vaginas ought to be vertically symmetrical...unless there is an infection in the labia or something...unbelievable...now that's an overactive imagination... ...back on track: - (to anyone who has this older-younger pattern as a "constant") - what is the attraction to someone who is significantly younger, to the point that they could almost be your biological offspring? I'm curious as to the rationale.

scoop (in some towns, a poop scoop is necessary when you walk your pet)

Yes on the G8. I quickly grew to really like it. Most G8 drivers seem to appreciate and understand cars. I haven't seen any morons behind the wheel of one, from a quick "ISTJ" point of view... The Camaro is ok. I'd like it a lot more if: 1) the "roof rail" wasn't so chunky and the greenhouse wasn't so limited (revisit '67,'68,'69...there was more glass) 2) the circular headlamps had a more rectangular shape, to match the rear taillamps 3) the interior panel wasn't so austere...they could have kept the same "retro" theme without being as boring It looks best in white and silver.

Well, North Central California. I'm from LA (native, at that ). Pit stops in: New Jersey (kid), Atlanta (right after college), and OR/WA (parents relocated there). Pretty crazy about the bridge, though. It'll be interesting to find out how something in its structure just sort of snaps and falls off.

Commuting to work this morning, I thought this was a joke. But it's true. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the "workhorse" of the bridges in the Bay Area, is closed. This one connects to the city to the East Bay where millions of people live in Oakland, Berkeley, and many other towns. (The postcard bridge, the Golden Gate, connects the city to more remote, way more expensive and less populous areas). Unlike almost exactly 20 years ago (Oct 17, 1989) when the Loma Prieta Quake popped a section out of the roadway, this time, there was no natural disaster. A connecting rod on the "East Span," which they are actually replacing with an entirely new bridge as we speak, snapped and hit a few cars during the commute hour. Have you been following this? Crazy! Link to Bay Bridge closure / mishap

Yeah, the "mom thing" seems to be the "line of demarcation." At least, you can talk about travel, restaurants, sex and NOT "their kids." Plus I'm sure many of these urban cougars in the Southland have had their share of time spent "under the knife" to prolong their shelf-life, making it easier to hit on the 20's to 30's set. On another note, there was a movie (it would be considered a "classic") and it's called "Summer of 42." The kid is about 15 and the girl is about 22 or 23, so hardly a "cougar" scenario as it took place during World War 2. It's about an infatuation with an older woman and it is outstanding. I've seen it numerous times.

necessary

+1 A reason to drool... (more drooling had it been in coupe form) Those were the most beautiful American full-sizes of that span of years, and with sleek (enough) styling to wear aluminum alloy wheels. Thanks! What a beauty.

If it's the '76 version of the green, it's that metallic lime. Scary stuff, though interesting when the white seats are contrasted with lime carpeting, seat belts and instrument panel. Still, it wouldn't be my choice. Funny that the white interior would be matched up with a black retractable top. I wonder what the story might be there... The perfect Grand Ville convertible would be the metallic rust, a white interior with the tan accents, a white top and rally wheels...and, if it makes a difference in mpg, a 400 V8 instead of the 455 V8. Regardless, all of these Pontiac big block V8s run with the indestructible Turbo 400 3-speed automatic transmission. My choice for the coupe would be exactly the same, except that a tan cloth interior would replace the white interior. Makes me want to look for one to keep as a hobby car...