Robert Hall

This morning I saw an early '70s Ford custom van, very '70s style--pale yellow with green striping, bubble windows on the back sides, slotted mags, chrome side pipes. Groovy!

I've got to go back to Original Pancake House some Saturday...they are an Oregon chain w/ a few stores around the West...great thick bacon, and many types of pancakes, incl.... bacon pancakes. Pancakes w/ bacon bits. Heaven.

There is a really clean late '70s Skylark coupe around here that I see occasionally... within a few blocks of me, there is this car, 2 Novas, 2 Venturas (1 4dr, 1 2dr)....all in really decent shape for 30+ yr old cars.

And Buick Governor. In CalIfornIa, it could be the Buick Governator..

Ooooh...I got a good one, for the older Buick demographic---Buick Viagra.

Hmm..that little turd might make a good small Chevy, below the Aveo. Or a Saturn.

Yeah, I'm trying to think outside the box for something international and futuristic. Diplomat might be a good name if Dodge hadn't used it on such boring cars...it would fit with Accord...diplomacy, statesmanship, etc... Another name that's kind of out there that I like, that connotes quiet luxury is 'Serenity'. Not as comatose sounding as 'Placid'.

LaCrosse. Lucerne. LaDeDa. How about 'Laguna'? Chevy hasn't used it 30+ years. Or Lacuna... something in New Mexico, IIRC. Lucene would have been good, but too close to Lucerne. Or how about Buick Strasse, the 'street'...plays up the Opel connection. For something futuramic sounding, I'd go out on a limb with something very bold, like Buick Zytor, or Buick Zygon. Haven't had any names beginning with 'Zy' that I can think of.

Yeah, wasn't the last Skylark an N car, replaced by the underAchieva? A long time ago, it was a midsize, replaced by the Century in '73. Then a Nova clone. Then an X car..then an N car...

Those people are kickin' it West Virginia style (lard land).

I had 4 slices between a toasted sesame seed bagel for breakfast today. Had 4 slices between a couple pieces of toast a couple days ago, with bacon salt. Was good.

Ideally, a model to compete with the 3-series in size and price. Buick isn't overtly sporty, more the comfort side of entry-lux, like Lincoln and lower-end Lexus. If Buick does bring back the Riviera name, it better be a 2dr...a 4dr Riviera would just be so wrong.

Ah yeah...someone already set up a BlagoBlog to discuss all things Blago

Maybe acting can be his next calling...I could see him as a villain or corrupt politician in the next 'Batman' movie, would add some local color (since the Batman movies are filmed in Chicago).

A Chevy or Buick with this engine could give GM a Taurus SHO competitor. Maybe this engine could be used to build a Malibu SS or Regal Super (or LaCrosse Super).

Mmm...bacon. I've been on a bacon kick lately...made bacon w/ pancakes for breakfast one morning, bacon in a bagel another morning, bacon and toast, and bacon-wrapped bacon.

Heh-heh...a friend of mine has a Prius for a daily driver, 50+ miles round trip. Though on Fridays he commutes in his weekend toy ('08 Challenger SRT8). I guess one day a week is enough excitement.

If the door still opens and closes, I'd leave it like that for a while...battle damage. I wonder if the driver's seat is damaged, and the side airbag(s) probably went off also.

Century could be a good name for the small Buick. I could see a 3 sedan lineup for Buick in the future--- Delta II Century, Epsilon II Regal (Insignia based), Epsilon II LaCrosse.

The Cruze is a Daewoo design, isn't it? Like the Aveo..not sure if that's any better for the American market.

That car had like a zillion miles, though, didn't it? Who knows how often the previous owner(s) serviced the tranny...

Just got off the phone w/ my sister...sounds like the weather is horrible in the Dayton area...she's trying to drive from Beavercreek to the airport to fly home to Phoenix this afternoon...

Thinsulate-lined gloves, toque, Thinsulate lined ski jacket, snowboarding pants, waterproof snow boots. That has been my venture-out-into-the-blizzard wear for years.

I've heard it's been a rough winter...my Mom and brother are about 60 miles south of Akron down in Tuscarawas County in Amish country... I was back there for Xmas, wasn't too bad then. My Mom went without power for 11 hrs yesterday, though still had heat (gas furnace, private gas well). I was back in Kent and Cuyahoga Falls a couple of summers back, first time I'd been there in about 10 years--lots of changes, some for the better (lots of new buildings on my old campus). Downtown didn't look too good, though, a lot of the bars I hung out in as a student are gone. Went up to the Flats in Cleveland while I was there also, looks pretty good, some redevelopment going on in Cleveland, looks like...quite different than when I remember it from I frequented the area in '88-94..

Talked w/ my brother in E. Ohio this morning...my Mom was without power 11 hrs yesterday. On her birthday. At least the gas furnace still worked. I wish she would get out of that hell and move to AZ or back to Florida. Sounds like the weather in the Midwest and NE is horrible right now.