trinacriabob

+1 It's NOT a chick flick. It's a legal drama...with some element of comedy. In fact, some dude I used to work with in Seattle said the same thing after I told him what I did over the weekend...I had to correct him. Two comments: 1) I can't stand Julia Roberts...her looks are very pedestrian and she makes waaayyyy too much for those looks and "B" acting ability. I think that "Mystic Pizza" (saw it on a plane) or "Pretty Woman" are more her speed. 2) I love the part where she drops off her kids to that fat lady babysitter. I saw it in Italy the second time at an outside screening and it was dubbed. As she is walking up the stairs of an apartment complex in some God forsaken part of the SFV, I tell my cousins "now look, this lady who will open the door is standard issue 'white trash'." My cousin turns to me and says "Well, isn't Erin Brockovich 'white trash', too?" I guess Europeans learn quickly.

Dharma and Greg

Having rear struts put on my Regal today and there is a Pontiac dealer down the street in Portland OR. I walk over there. I saw TWO 2008 Grand Prixs, labeled as such on the sticker. No change whatsoever, except about $ 200 more expensive.

There's the absurd pushiness of trying to be lured into buying quite a ways from your home town. Then there's this one -- the judgment of what you should drive based on what you drove onto the lot or what you are wearing, even worse when accompanied by a smart-ass comment like that. I encounter the other situation -- I was in Chico, at a Pontiac-Cad-GMC dealer looking at GPs and the salesman was saying he could picture me in an STS, saying that would "fit me" better. Let's see, that's an 18K spread between the base level cars described immediately above. He wasn't pushy, though, as he knew I was from out of town.

Very, very important, Frank. You have to ascertain the other's motivation. I hate being in that conundrum. Mine have fallen into the blend zone every time, at about a 50:50 mix:They like me romantically. I like them as a friend. I like them romantically. They like me as a friend. Given what you posted initially, I'd say move on. I've never had problems doing that once I finished college at 21 and a half. That way I don't waste time, energy and money. As companionship becomes more important when you get older, I am finding it a little easier to get on the level playing field lately...as one of my never-married childhood friends (w/o kids !) is in conctact with me again.

BLACK. Ok, it's appropriate for some cars in that it makes them look sinister or elegant. This is a given. I don't like it because it doesn't highlight a car's good styling lines, is hard to keep clean and, to some extent, is less safe than a lighter colored car....you almost always see a white car at night, even though that's not quite my favorite color. Your least favorite car color?

I was thinking U.Va., mint juleps on the verandah and Rolls Royces My response to thread: Miami Beach

genealogy

Charlottesville

Lucky you! Enjoy! What a great opportunity. And be sure to report back as to whether the French really are arrogant! I missed two opportunities to go abroad with school. In undergrad, I could have gone to either Italy or Germany; however, it was better suited to BSBAs (other than those in accounting and finance where courses have to be sequenced a certain way). In grad school, they did an exchange with Versailles, France. Again, I didn't go because I was taking a 3.5 year program down to 3. The Versailles program instead pushed the 3.5 years to 4 full years. So, what have I done about it? Go to Europe practically every damn year.

Hardly!My response to thread: third world

"Un preservativo"... a preservative, or maybe a preserve....like marmalade.... where did they come up with a word like that?

That's not how I like to interact with people; however, it just showed how completely one-sided the transaction was. One is obviously on vacation, dressed like they are going to plop themselves into a lake, with no documents of any kind and they are going to buy a car from this guy? It was about his immediate needs and not my longer-term needs. People like that give salespeople a bad reputation.I did not feel immature or regret it. I just prefer that people use their common sense and employ more courtesy so it doesn't come to that. Sidebar: I once got a coupon for an opening night at a new Gold's Gym. They would be having a taco bar. One co-worker who kidded to me that I always stood him up whenever he wanted to go have a drink (he had no clue I was going to school, as I kept it from the office) again said let's go get a drink or something to eat. I said "YES!," we are going to a health club opening for their taco bar and whatever liquids they have. Upon getting there, I was hounded to join (I already belong to 24-Hour Fitness) but I insisted that I had to think about it. They were borderline surly after that. I didn't ask you MOFOs to send me an invitation to your opening.

party animal

Glad to hear you had a nice time. I love Tim Horton's ... it makes breakfast seem "foreign." As for the home prices in Columbus, what you save in the home price, you'll have to fork out for anti-depressants and/or therapy. Just kidding.I myself went to Tahoe one day and the Yuba River another day...in a rented G6. The weather was nothing short of glorious.

Pooper Scooper

That's the way it should be. I was on vacation in Canada (the province of Alberta) once and stopped in at a Chevy dealer. I couldn't believe what a gentleman the salesman was. Very courteous and informative -- he knew I was from the States, and still was interested in telling me about various products and features, as well as talking a little bit about...you know....US/Canada similarities and differences. If I lived in Alberta, I would have bought a car from him in a heartbeat.

At such a low price, it made sense to rent instead of take the Regal. I had rented a compact. When I got there, they had no cars. They gave me a Trailblazer. They are nice, but not stunning. And even with a 4.2 Vortec 6, they are NOT economical. However, it was the lack of a canvas in the rear that caused me to take it back a few hours later. "Please give me something with a trunk." "How about a G6?" "Perfect." The overall stance of the G6 inspires confidence. It's rakish and the wheels are planted at the outer corners to the greatest extent possible, elongating the wheelbase. The rear quarter view is probably the most attractive. The front fascia is somewhat attractive, being more angular and less pointy than what is found in the Grand Prix. In fact, the G6s front end should have been grafted onto the Grand Prix instead of the pointier features its bigger brother has. I can't help but make comparisons to the Grand Prix, as this is sort of a baby Grand Prix...much the same way the Alero was a baby Intrigue, right down to the similarities in the dashboards of those 2 Oldsmobiles. Getting inside, the comparisons continue. The circular vents, in-dash ignition (kudos) and smallish stiffly bolstered buckets (demerits) say Grand Prix ... again. However, I instantly missed the wrap-around effect of the Grand Prix which has a very interesting dashboard. This dashboard is more linear and easier to get to know. Controls are logically placed and the gauges are nicely clustered. Interestingly enough, at night, they are a nicer hue of red instead of orange. Between this and the more reasonable proportions of the gauges, it was nicer than the Grand Prix. I liked the few smartly used faux wood inserts but dread any urethane steering wheel...once you've piloted behind a stitched leather wheel, it's hard to go back. It makes for a car that feels completely different, in my mind. The driving experience is also mixed. There is no doubt that the G6 can be described as taut and athletic. It is, if I am not mistaken, on the Malibu platform, which rides more serenely but doesn't handle as crisply. I don't attribute this to the EPS (electric power steering) the Malibu has ... it has to be the tuning of the suspension bits. In fact, this G6 did not have the EPS, probably owing to the fact that it was 3.5 V6 equipped. These come with conventional hydraulic power steering, evidently, and the road feel was definitely present. (Personally, I don't mind the electric steering mated to the 4 bangers which makes the handling very nimble). The 3.5 V6 makes the car quite lively, at over 200 horses pulling this little sled. The mileage wasn't as good as it could have been...some 23.5 mpg in mixed driving, but I had the A/C on and much of it was in mountain terrain (to get the inflatable mattress onto Lake Tahoe!). Interestingly enough, this 3.5 has VVT. So, now, this engine is not only found in the Impy and the MC, but this car and the Aura, such that they are putting out about half a million of those powerplants per year! Steering and response is almost go-kart like, so it is a fun car to drive. It feels quite stable at 65 to 70 mph and on winding roads. However, it is far from being a boulevardier. Interstate 80, as one starts approaching the higher elevations in the Sierras, has abonimable pavement surface, probably because of all the chains that have rutted it. On these surfaces, it rode busily. Not only that, outside noise was not that well contained. Other larger GM cars, and even the Malibu for that matter, I've rented and driven over this route did not cope with the pavement as poorly as the G6 did in terms of noise and vibration. Also, any imperfections on poorly maintained samll 2-lane mountain roads transmitted into the cabin without being filtered out. Again, even the Grand Prix seemed to handle these better. In short, the G6 is a sensible package. It is not as comfortable as I would like, neither in the ergonomics of its seating nor in the isolation of road imperfections and wind noise. But, it is likeable -- definitely more so than its predecessor, the Grand Am. It's an ideal car for a student, someone just starting out in the work world, or someone looking for competent transportation in the high teens (in terms of $s) if it were 4-cylinder equipped. To those audiences, I recommend it.

flight deck

You're out of town and you're bored....or actually interested....in CARS. So you go down to the local car dealership that has the brands you like to look around. Am I the only one that does this? I hope not. Well, when I do, I always preface any approach with "I'm not local...not from the area. I'm just looking." This way, they don't "invest" their time in me. This weekend, I went out of town in a rental car. I see a B-P-GMC dealer and decide to stop to peruse the inventory, seeing there were some GPs and LaXs. I was dressed in shorts, t-shirt and sandals and, as the salesman approached, I said "I'm not from the area. I'm just looking around." So, I proceeded to look around and sit in a few cars. He came by again and asked me where I was from. I told him and, figuring it was about 150 miles away, he said "How'd you like to drive home in a brand new car?" I absof@#kinglutely hate that, having had that happen 3 or 4 times. Every time this has happened, it was a less than professional type of salesman...kind of a slickster, if you will. You tell them you're not from the area, you are dressed like crap and "on vacation," you have no pad or calculator on you....c'mon, how many people would consummate such a purchase far from home unless they have seen the car on the GM website "Find a car"? I was probably a jerk and said "No, I don't impulse buy a big ticket item...that's how 'low-life' buys a car." He was fuming. Yes I was a rude jerk in return, but I intensely hate that approach, being so methodical about home and car purchases, as I'm sure many C&Gers are, knowing quite a bit about cars. With all due respect to the other auto salespeople on the site like Carbiz and others, I personally like to work with the informed low-pressure salesman who helps me buy a car. Once I've done my shopping, I think about who was the most informative and least pushy...that's who I want to have earn the commission. Have any of you had any similar scrapes at an auto dealership?

Frank Lloyd Wright was a train wreck...5 or 6 marriages, bankruptcies, arrogant...and his work wasn't even uniformly good.

Glad to see #3 is rated where it is. I've always liked their price. A "baker's dozen" of those is actually reasonably priced. But my last purchase's package has "stale dated" -- that's how much action I'm seeing lately.

butter

I-80 (goes over the Donner Pass, el. 7,300 ft., which I will do today)

Well, I'm not in architecture as of roughly Spring Break and, if I ever dabble, it will be on my terms. I plan on keeping my license(s). I do like small scale residential.I sort of saw the writing on the wall while in the architectural program. It is clearly a step below the professionalism than being in a business, law, or health curriculum. How could it not be? It's full of pussified catty men. There are some people who are only good at design and useless at anything technical, yet they are granted a degree, and here is where the problem lies. I got As in design but I also sat in the front and payed attention in all my structures classes. In fact, when I opened "the envelope" containing my licensing exam scores, my highest was a 96 in structures-general, which floored me. The problem is that these bull$h!ters get into firms, don't do any work and only want the glam part of the job: design and client contact. Just like the pussified a-hole (married, but with all his dapperness, crisp articulation, weird mannerisms and plants, kind of questionable) that came into the firm I worked for and caused everybody under him to leave. My attitude toward them: go to work for a f@#king advertising agency instead! It's not always bad. But there are more unprofessional firms than professional firms and that nauseates me.