trinacriabob

dragon

dominatrix

safety belt

exercise

Well, it seems I am seeing way more NEW American cars on the road. Great! This morning, I saw another new red Camaro parked next to a meter and, on the freeway, I was following a brand new black Mustang. (Gosh, darn, the slight design adjustment in the rear light panel with the tapered taillamps makes it very attractive). I also see lots of new Fusions still wearing their new dealer plates and quite a few new Malibus. I also see many new Focuses. What I see less of is Enclaves, which started out hot, and seem to have waned. (Personally, I don't like them, they're too bloated and bulbuous). I notice this because I live in a state that wears its love for foreign cars like a badge of honor. Bleh... So, do you seem to be spotting more NEW American cars these days (relative to NEW foreign cars)? Are you happy about that?

seismic

bullet trains

DMC

Janet Reno (never saw that SNL episode, but I could imagine...)

pineapple

What I've found is that some of the flip-flop ladies are also MUMU ladies. Correct me if I'm wrong. But mumus + flip-flops + smoke breaks...well, I wouldn't want them working for me.

Mwahaha... ...My interpretation: something that (kinda sorta) looked good, couldn't be built and/or didn't support its intended use (internally) and for which the graphics had that "unfinished" look....

IT'S ALIVE! Funny, as if it's a person. When I saw the thread title, I thought it was about sexual rite of passage into adulthood, but, ok, I guess the kid IS lucky. I was happy as a clam to get access to a Cutlass Supreme!

Yes, on the part about kids. Yes, on the meds...Ambien ROCKS. Seriously, Capriceman, we do care. The introduction of the granchild into the equation makes this a lot tougher. You might have to leave the door open (especially for the kid) and she needs to knock on it, on terms that aren't hers, but a good middle ground for both parties. Then, with all this anger, is she in therapy? Self-destructive behaviors are a big red flag for therapy (or TE-RA-PEE, as Dr. Ruth would say). But, be careful, when people are told they need to be in therapy, they either get angrier or further into denial.

Yes, amazing. Large organizations can be scary. I worked for BellSouth in Atlanta and was surrounded by stupid people who couldn't see past the ends of their noses. But they didn't irk me...they were more entertaining. The combination of Southerners from the area, transplanted Northeasterners and South Florida types who were indignant at being transferred to "the ATL," riding up and down in the same elevators, made for "never a dull moment." Plus, I loved the neighborhood I lived in, commuting on MARTA and working close to downtown Atlanta...it helped offset the lackluster abilities of many co-workers. But it pushed me to go to graduate school in another field!

baked

I know BLS releases figures any day now. I always track the Southeastern states. GA and FL are right around 10, SC is around 12+, NC is around 11 and VA is around 8. The good news is that they appear to have peaked and are inching back down. Also, the figures I look at are always statewide figures. I could only imagine that Charlotte is in far worse shape employment-wise than is Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill because the latter area is diversified and has the less cyclical government/university sectors that employ a fair number of people.

Mustang, what does this term (in bold) mean? The figures are always strange, since the parameters are hard to define....do they mean anyone who is capable of working in an architectural firm, do they mean architectural graduates, do they mean licensed architects or do they mean AIA members? And then you hear conflicting stories...I've heard it said newer graduates are more in demand because they are compensated less and then I've heard that more experienced architects are in demand because they can wear many hats and can be autonomous. Who knows...I do know that the density of architects has always been highest in SF, Seattle and Boston. That I believe. I also know that there are many weird turtlenecked, round glasses types in the field that use this external charade as a "smokescreen" for competence. I only like architects who can manage to look and act normal, and STILL do the work. I went to school with some people who had good design and technical skills...and were/are totally normal...you can't typecast them...they can fit into engineering, business, pharmacy, education, IT or any curriculum because they don't buy into "the look." I think the abnormal ones have hurt, and will continue to hurt, the profession since those paying the freight (developers, owners, public agencies, etc.) automatically place them on a lower rung than other types of professionals. Sad, but true. In North Central California, I actually see some firms looking for 10-15 years of experience types for big complicated public work. I'm not in the market, so I just muse "...ok, interesting." I think there is definitely work in places like Austin and Houston. I also think that, in 6 to 9 months, things will really pick up. I think than in 3 years there won't be enough experienced people to do the work. All of this being said, I just came home from our picnic with a headache and had to lay down. Good news, I bolted for 1 hour to get my struts checked and they are under warranty, so I get some new ones this weekend. Bad news, good Gawd, I just realized how many people I work with irritate me, so I got my food and only talked to a few people I like.

Bleh...I know how you feel, so "enjoy" it while you can... Today's our picinic, so that will be interesting. Getting to see everybody make idiots of themselves. I will be steering clear of "Hannibal," who is the consummate geek. The food is generally fantastic, so I'll indulge in the endless varieties of food (and skip dinner) and then disappear in the afternoon to have my (passenger side) struts looked at, since they are under warranty

sombrero

I once drove someone's '83 LeSabre with the 4.1 Litre V6 in...drum roll...St. Paul, MN (the one and only time I've been there) and I was apprehensive because it was February and there were traces of snow/ice on the highways (is it 90 or 94?). The full-size entry-level Buicks were nice enough, so I could only imagine how nice an Electra or Park Avenue could have been. Their boulevard ride was fantastic. Pushing down on the accelerator and hearing the "unfamiliar" sound of an even-firing V-6, instead of the more familiar sound of a small block GM (Olds) V8 in such a car, was "weird"...so it would have been interesting to be inside the cabin of a diesel-powered GM luxury car of that point in time. The DTS seems to be the only thing left that alludes to that era, it seems. But, let's face it, GM 80s sheetmetal is unique in its artistry.

Wimbledon

Yes, it would be interesting to see all the colors. I bet white shows off its lines fairly well. Thus far, I've seen red, silver and yellow (in that order of frequency).

Errrr... ...maybe I'm too structured to the point that I'm not good at diagnostic work. I don't like it. I like working in the "prevent" mode, instead of the "detect" mode. That's probably why I overmaitain my car and make lists/spreadsheets for everything. So, I'm glad there are people out there with diagnostic/forensic type skills.

Credit the 22:1 (+/-) compression ratio. But then, the high compression ratio is part-and-parcel of the diesel engine, regardless of who makes it. Echoing what was said earlier, I am sure you will have a mechanic who is familiar with GM cars and their range of offerings, including the diesels.