trinacriabob

Good morning ... 416d037c-a50d-4e5a-8755-ff1afb477d5c.mp4 blame it on recent use of Lufthansa.

Indeed. I was caught in it within the last week. A beautiful flight on a Lufthansa jumbo, defying the jet stream headwind, was going to make Newark in 7.5 hours. Cruising at 600 mph if going west is almost amazing. However, we then circled over the Hudson River Valley for almost an hour. Cloudy outside, too. I will now avoid that hub and try to use IAH-Houston Bush if on United if possible. Big Texas skies. I have a lot of respect for ATC folks. They have so much on their plates.

For buying things, I don't like IKEA. For the bright cafe', I do. Yep, Denver and those dips in weather that go away very soon.

Here, and in some other cars, it's deliberate and clean ... not just a moulding that looks poorly pasted on. If we want to look back, the last MC ('06-'07) had some fussy, stupid things on the exterior that could have been fixed to make for a more compelling "swan song."

Random thoughts ... for real: A lot of last-gen Impalas are on the road and in excellent condition. Except for those thick pillars, they did dial in the ride and handling. Yes, SUVs are easier to get into and out of. I'm having breakfast at IKEA in Jacksonville ... frickin' hot here these days. Cheap and pretty good breakfast. Free coffee (or tea) ... hello!!! Love the custom homes on the A1a south of Ponte Vedra Beach.

I'll have to give a listen. I would imagine. Two words say it all: Mary Richardson (Kennedy). I learned of this in the last 6 months or so. This is what I refer to when Americans, and others, should NOT forget and forgive easily.

Good afternoon: Is this one ugly s.o.b. or what? (Not political.) It's all those years of "clean living " - - - - - I found this under RFK Jr. laser eyes ... like something out of the "Twilight Zone."

I'm glad you like the color combo like I do. Plus, it's two-tone inside. It was a welcomed difference. I'd prefer the larger displacement and the 6 speed automatic. I don't need 9 gears! Also, the only thing I hate is the kink in the rear C-pillar moulding. It looks like a fabrication mistake and could have so easily been designed out of the car.

@G. David Felt I agree with this broad rule of thumb. I once tried octopus in a seafood salad at a Y2K celebration. I thought it was chicken. I kept chewing and it was weird and rubbery. With my mouth full, I again asked what it was. I was told "polpo," initially misunderstanding it to be "pollo." I went to the bathroom and spit it out. I now do eat things I didn't like before - lamb, pork chops, and more shellfish. The few times I've had lobster lately, the quality seems to have gone down, so I'm not as impressed as I used to be. - - - - - What I was going to say ... People love to talk about cars. What may initially start out as a tentative (parking lot) conversation turns enthusiastic when it's genuinely only cars that you want to talk about.

An oldie but a goodie. It could almost run on just its instrumentals.

Thank you for the responses. Yes, it's near the sea and seafood is big, but octopus wouldn't go to the top of their list. Cuts of bigger fish and shrimp would be considerably more common. I would think ahead and realize that some food is visually off putting, such as octopus and, in the States, alligator or rattlesnake, even if the latter supposedly taste like chicken. The hostess was of the sort who would be too obtuse to ask. I worked around the octopus and only ate the rice and condiments in the risotto, so the main dish was not filling.

A family invited people to dinner. You didn't ask what they're making. The main course is an octopus risotto. And not much else. I would think that's inappropriate. I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't want to eat snails in someone's house in France or gator steaks in someone's backyard barbecue in Florida. Your thoughts on serving a "polarizing" dish like that.

I think that Americans should not forgive as easily as they do. Forgiveness is overrated. And that's me speaking as a Catholic. Those people will continue to pull the same $hi+. Musk's weirdness and nastiness should not be forgiven and forgotten. He should have stuck to being a businessman, if you even want to call him that. People should walk away from products and services offered by rotten people, and that would even include changing doctors, for example. I had a real "winner" of a doctor 3 years ago, as in one rude mofo.

Nicely composed photo. - - - - - White smoke ... and I'll never forget where I was/am. I am in disbelief. The new Pope is American. (There's a reason for everything.) I could put this in the joke thread, but won't ... Q: What do Trump*, Elon Musk*, Luigi Mangione*, and the new Pope** have in common? A: Their college degrees (baccalaureate) were all granted in ~ Philadelphia. * UPenn ** Villanova

About food and the "boot country," there have been some changes due to globalization. By that, I mean much more interest in fast food, candy bars, and bad snacking. In the last 20 or so years that I've been coming here almost annually, I can see that the Big Mac attack (translation: bigger butts) has been more pronounced, and "growing." The people, primarily younger women, used to be very thin, and now I'm seeing some of the bigger rumps, and jeans to accommodate them, that are part and parcel of Americana. I love me a Big Mac meal about once a month, wherever I may be, but not much more than that.

Oh yes. Also, this way, I skip dinner and/or just eat a snack.

I know most of us here love food. Here's what €14 got me for lunch: 4 spinach and ricotta cannelloni tubes, a nice piece of swordfish, steamed spinach with tasty garnishes, and a bottle of ice cold water. Delicious ... and good for you. I went here yesterday and they didn't have pasta and main choices that were as good. Big supermarkets tend to have a large cafe' section that features good lunch specials and the locals gladly go there. And I tend to be cheap, so ...

I didn't realize Hyundai ICEs are not reliable. I thought they were in it for the long haul. I have trouble with the desert aesthetic for long periods of time. I have friends in the urban area near PSP and also in the High Desert. It's sunny and dry, but driving across all the emptiness can become depressing after a while. The southern part of South America was to my liking. Chile's capital of Santiago was very, very safe and I've heard it has more crime now. Its seaside town of Vina del Mar was something. The south of Chile begins to look like Scandinavia. Uruguay was my favorite country.

Some songs are timeless and some of the older ones are so honest in their lyrics: "L.A. is a great big freeway Put a hundred down and buy a car In a week, maybe two, they'll make you a star Weeks turn into years, how quick they pass And all the stars that never were Are parking cars and pumping gas" Classic!

Buona domenica! Beach of the small town of Donnalucata, Sicily

Ditto to both ... I have heard one person make the comparison to the Lambo and it was during the time I had the rental. It's not very upright and I had my issue with the height of the door opening when entering and exiting the car. It initially was VERY upright and kind of frumpy looking.

MECHANICAL PHOTOS This is an overall view of the engine bay This is the placard describing conformance to emission requirements Yep, count 'em ... there are 4 - - - - - END OF PHOTOS

INTERIOR PHOTOS View of the front of the cabin from the driver's door ... this gives a clearer view of how the 2 main screens are placed on the dashboard View of the front of the cabin from the passenger's door This is the main instrument pod and, around the speed readout, the distribution of important data is clear (which seems to be how many pods are now organized, which is appreciated because setting up Bluetooth and all the controls takes a slight amount of time). There are also green indicators for "ready" and "EV" mode At times, I did not care for the race car type vantage point from where seated and it took adjustment of the seat and the tilt steering wheel to get it closer to one's comfort level The console is clean and simple in its layout It's a tug to the left and forward for reverse ... and a tug to the left and rearward for drive This is the rear seating area of the passenger cabin I do like the roofline and the gullwing feature in the rear door ... this shows what over the shoulder visibility looks like The rear storage area is respectable and, with the roofline, it seems a little more vertical, so it was advantageous to put luggage on its sides Thankfully, there is this cover over the rear and its texture and attachment is similar to other cars ... and, in Toyota, it was similar to the one in their economy car Aygo that they sell in Europe

EXTERIOR PHOTOS Side view ... and some palm trees Angled front view Angled rear view ... note the interesting taillamp arrangement Low-slung, sports car appearance, yet it's a practical small HEV sedan that's come a long way

Today I'm deep fried in "trinacria" ... Three days of this. I didn't want to leave and go to a more rural place with no view in another area. The outline across is the Italian mainland, so I'm about 30 miles south of Messina, where the distance across the strait is about a mere 1.5 miles. As I'm traveling south on the autostrada after checking out, this pullout with an Autogrill has a nice view of Mt. Etna. I went into a store to pick up some groceries and saw this: Fonzies and Cipster! Cipster is spelled for Italian phonetics because Chipster would be pronounced "Keep-stare." While going for a haircut based on Google reviews, I passed by this place. I had to take a photo showing the "team spirit."