mustang84

That interior actually isn't too bad for an early 90s car...I like the color combination they used. The center stack is a bit of a box, but overall it's pretty nice. What do you guys think of the Aston Martin Lagonda? I've personally never really been a fan...I like boxy cars, but the shape of the Lagonda is a little strange...and it's a far leap from the sexy shapes Aston normally has.

Yep, we're getting into parking more this year. For our project right now, we are required to have 100 spaces in an underground garage...there's a lot of things about parking lots that you don't think about until you design one.

We have a grocery store chain here called Hy-Vee, and one of the employees has an '87 Buick GNX. He parks it way out in the boonies where there is a curb area for only two cars, angles it, and puts a little foam padding running the length of the passenger side to prevent dings. For a daily driver, that car looks brand new.

I have a habit of backing my car into parking spaces. I'd say 85% of the time my car is backed into a space...about the only time it isn't is when I'm in a lot where it's busy or I'm in a hurry. My dad does it all the time and it's rubbed off on me. So, do you pull forward into a parking spot and then have to back out when you leave, or do you back in first so that when it's time to go, you're all set?

I don't know about you guys, but I have noticed a lot of new domestics on the road here at my college. One of my friends just bought a 2005 Escape, another just bought a Saturn Vue, and a co-worker from last summer is looking into a Fusion. I'm seeing tons of new G6s, Mustangs, Cobalts, and Focuses on campus...and even some Fusions now and then. It seems like my generation doesn't share the same bias toward American cars as many of the Boomers do...we didn't live through the "bad times." Whereas some Boomers seem to just care about reliability, younger people largely care about the style of their vehicle. This is why it's great to see the Big 2.5 pumping more dollars into the styling department...bland isn't going to win people over anymore.

Just a normal ring...I don't like it when I'm sitting in class and all the sudden "My Humps, My Humps, My Lovely Lady Lumps" starts blaring from someone's phone.

Center as in Manitoba area or Ontario?There's definitely a huge difference between Montreal and Western Canada. I've been to Vancouver, Victoria, Banff, Calgary, Lethbridge, and Manitoba before...there's a completely different feel in that part of the country. Victoria seems a lot like Britain with all the double-decker buses and European influences. Vancouver is highly scenic and dense, sort of like Hong Kong. I really liked Vancouver a lot...I want to go back someday. The view from Grousse Mountain was amazing. Alberta down by Lethbridge reminded me a lot of Kansas. I remember there being lots of wheat fields, flat land, and grain elevators. There was a really neat provincial park where you could climb rocks south of Lethrbidge...I can't remember what it's called. I don't remember a lot of Calgary and Banff since I was young when I was there, but from what I've seen in pictures, it looks like a nice place. Canada has some strange names for large towns though. Medicine Hat, Swift Current, and Moose Jaw come to mind.

The thing about Westboro is that those people have absolutely no rational or logical thought process. The sad part is that they are infecting their kids with this hatred, kids that could go somewhere in life. I find it hard to even call them human beings. Fred Phelps and the gang are on the same level as the KKK, Nazis, and the Taliban.

Lol, yeah the Travelodge wasn't the greatest...the lobby is a little misleading.Our room was on the 2nd floor and had two floor beds with two lofted beds above that were attached to the walls with huge bolts. The room had this weird angle and the bathroom door opened the wrong way for some odd reason, so that when someone was coming out of the bathroom it swang out into the room right into the walkway instead of over toward the window. You would have to close the door to get through or scoot by on the bed. I don't know what they were thinking when they designed that. Also, I think the maid watched TV in there when she cleaned the room, because everytime we turned on the TV the volume was blaring! We ate in that little breakfast room every morning...free croissants, cereal, and toast. Those croissants were pretty good, too.

Yeah, the trees have already turned and leaves were actually falling. Hopefully there's still some left on them when you get up there. I'll post some pics tomorrow. The first night we went to Rue St-Paul with all the narrow, winding streets that look like Paris. That was probably my favorite neighborhood...we ate at a French restaurant on the corner of St-Paul and St-Jacques called Le Grand Cafe or something...I can't quite remember. I had some really excellent spaghetti, but I spent $25 in that place...ouch. The next day we went to the historical museum down by the river where they built over top of the ruins of Montreal's first buildings. Some of the other stuff we did that day was a walking tour through the Plateau to check out some of the residential neighborhoods...and we saw some neat graffiti artwork along the way. We also saw some house in the Plateau that was some kind of "experimental" work...I can't remember the name of it. The third day was the busiest....we toured Universitie de Montreal and saw the Student Union building, which was pretty neat how they use color to define different functions. Then we went over to the Quebec National Archives building, Le Institut, a Cinematheque, and somewhere else. The fourth day I did a bunch of site research for our project and a lot of walking around the city. I was analyzing the activity along certain streets at different times of the day, so I got to see pretty much everything. The Place des Arts plaza and Palais des Congres building were pretty neat...I also walked around old Montreal a lot more. The two things I really wanted to see but didn't get the chance were the Expo park and the Olympic Stadium...they were too far away and I never had time to check them out. Foods I ate included Portugese, Italian, French, Japanese, and Chinese. I had Udon soup from the Japanese place which was some really good stuff. I tried a little escargo...nasty...don't want to eat that again. Our hotel was at the Travelodge right near Complexe Desjardins. It was a good location because it was right in the middle of everything and right by our site (an empty lot two blocks to the south...we visited an architecture firm that was across the street called Panzini Architects...the principal was Italian and was working with the Italian owners of the site to develop a huge mixed-use residential/hotel tower on the site). But yeah, I had a great time there. It's a really nice city with lots of variety...it's like going to Europe without actually going to Europe.

I got back from Montreal Tuesday afternoon after our flight was cancelled Monday evening due to hail in Chicago. It was a good time over there...I did a lot of walking and sightseeing. Anyway, here are some interesting observations I had while I was over there. Everybody dresses up all the time. Doesn't matter if it's Monday morning, Saturday night, or Sunday afternoon...they're always dressed to go out on the town. I have never seen a place where strip clubs are right next to shoe stores and family eateries. Rue St-Catherine and Boulevard St-Laurient had little strip clubs and sex shops nestleld in among all the "family-friendly" businesses. People don't have much of an appreciation for cars there. On a lot of the parking lot signs around the city, somebody spray painted "voitures = suicide." I was walking down Rue St-Paul when a Francophone spit on a Chevy Silverado that was parallel parked on the tiny street. They love their Pontiacs. I swear I have never seen so many Pontiacs in my life. I didn't know Canada had a Pontiac Aveo...and I saw a ton of G5's, Pursuits, Sunfires, Montanas, and Grand Prixs. People drive pretty terribly. Our taxi driver cut off at least 6 semis between Dorval and Ville-Marie. Not much use of turn signals from what I could see. Tim Horton's are everywhere. The taxis seemed to be mostly Centurys, Intrepids, Camrys, and Montanas. I rarely saw Panther cars while I was there, and none of the cabs are yellow. The weather is a bitch. It rained for a good chunk of the time I was there, and it was a cold, windy rain. I can't imagine what winter must be like. I loved how on nice nights the city opened up to the street along Rue Peel, St-Catherine, St-Laurient, etc. A lot of the cafes have outdoor seating and the big windows open up so that you get fresh air inside. Everybody seemed pretty fit and in shape. I rarely saw obese people when I was over there. Food is expensive, beer is expensive...finding cheap places to eat was kind of hard. The Metro stations were really warm...almost a little uncomfortable for me. They can tell right away that you're American when you try to speak French. The girls are gorgeous...like all of them. Canadian Customs was pretty easy to go through, the people were friendly....US Customs were full of armed guards and stern looking people...it felt like I was entering a police state. Dorval Airport was really modern looking and nice...the leather seats were comfy. It made Des Moines' airport look like a truck stop. The IGA food store in Complexe Desjardins was one of the weirdest laid-out grocery stores I have ever been in. There was no logical order to anything, and all the signs were in French...so I spent an hour just looking for a couple items.

Spring, then Fall, then Winter, then Summer. I really enjoy the renewal and green that comes with spring...the temps are in the 60s, light breezes, thunderstorm season, and abundant sunshine. I like rolling down the windows, cranking up some Van Halen, and ripping down the county roads where you can see for miles around you since the corn isn't obstructing the view yet. Fall is nice too...I like the change from the heat of summer to the colorful times of fall. It makes me think Christmas is right around the corner, you have pretty decent temps, and it's just kind of the season to start bundling up. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's allergy season for me...stupid hay fever. Winter is great in the beginning when you get the first real snow and the whole landscape is covered in white. Especially if it's cold enough so that the snow is powdery instead of slushy. Wet snow is good for throwing a snowball or two, but it's also a sign that slush is right around the corner, and I really don't like when the streets are covered in gray slush everywhere. Winter starts to get old in February though...by that time, snow is no longer a novelty thing and all the melting starts making a big mess. You get tired of seeing your car dirtied up every day. I don't dislike summer, but it's hot and humid most of the time. It's great for getting a tan and summer activities like BBQ's and swimming, but overall it's not my favorite season. Oh, I forgot another reason I don't like summer as much...all the flies, mosquitos, gnats, and Asian Beetles that are everywhere. Those little buggers get old really fast.

Also, someone over at GMI pointed this out...go check out the Chrysler website. There is a button for "Ask Dr. Z" that takes you nowhere. On the Sebring page, there is a contest titled "My life. My car. My mess." to find the messiest car. Then, on the Sebring page, you click on details for more info and just get some pictures, like clicking on the 2.4L button just shows you a picture of the Sebring engine. And on the exterior pictures link under "style," all the Sebrings are photoshopped into the background image. Seriously, what gives?

Chicago Bulls Three-peat, 1991-1993...back when the Bulls were on fire

I'm sure it'll be back up again next summer, probably $3.50+ per gallon. Don't forget that it's an election year...

I've always thought the 80s were more interesting even though I don't have as many memories of it as the 90s. From all the 80s movies I've seen and TV I've watched, it was just a cool decade...the 90s were like the hangover after the party got busted. Although I'd rank the 90s higher than the 00's...we're already halfway through this decade and there's nothing about it that really stands out as great.

I remember that they used to show the movie "Ghost" like every weekend on HBO when I was about 7 or 8. I got so sick of that movie after a while.

Remember Rescue Rangers, Duck Tales, and TailSpin? Those all seemed pretty similar to me. I liked how Rocko's Modern Life always put a funny spin on common, everyday things. They're still kinda funny today even though I'm 22. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svZWdzoZDuk

HAHAHA...Oregon Trail in 60 seconds:

I always ended up with some numbskull on the party that would always get snakebites or get lost...I always wondered why they never made a "drop" feature members of your party, since you could dump everything else!I used to shoot like 3000 pounds of buffalo but only be able to carry 300 back. I was always the cheapskate. I never took the toll road or hired an Indian guide...so half the time I would end up hitting rocks or having my raft overturn.

There wasn't an official "Oregon Trail Day"...it just that most schools in America set aside time to play the game Oregon Trail...I remember playing it in 5th grade during our computer classArbor Day is the day they plant trees and talk about conservation...the blue jean pencils were made from recycled denim You guys didn't have Trappers?? Those were like a staple of elementary school back in 3rd & 4th grade, and even up through middle school Gak was the gooey stuff from Nickelodeon that came in a container, they have a commercial of it on RetroJunk.com The whole acid washed jeans and flourescent shirt thing was just an early 90s trend

You know you're a 90's kid if... * You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!" * You can sing the rap to "The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air" * You remember when Kurt Cobain, Tu Pac, and Selena died. * You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey from "Blossom" and that "How Rude!" comes from Stephanie from "Full House" * You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons. * You got excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school. * You remember reading "Goosebumps" * You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, wax off" * You took plastic cartoon lunch boxes to school. * You remember "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls * You remember the craze and then the banning of slap bracelets and slam books. * Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? was both a game and a TV game show. * You watched Power Rangers but would never admit it * "I've fallen and I can't get up" * You had a pair of rollerblades * Two words... Trapper Keeper. * You ever got injured on a Slip 'n' Slide * You remember boom boxes vs. cd players * You knew all the characters on "Saved By The Bell" * You played and or collected "Pogs" * You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet or Nano and brought it everywhere * You watched the original Ninja Turtles and had all the action figures * Yikes pencils and erasers were the $h!. * Your sister would get a new beanie baby every week * You remember a time before the WB. * You were addicted to "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" * You remember how stupid it looked when your parents did the "Macarena" * You thought Brain woud finally take over the world * You have played the games Crossfire, Hungry Hungry Hippos, and Connect Four * You had a Talkboy or a Gameboy, or envied those that did * You know what a "Gak Attack" is and had a can of your own * Doug, Ren & Stimpy, Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, Salute Your Shorts, Wild & Crazy Kids, Rocko's Modern Life, Hey Dude, Double Dare, Pete and Pete, and Ahh! Real Monsters were better than this SpongeBob $h! * You know where the reference to whizzing on the electric fence comes from * You felt bad for the Trix bunny because the bastard kids never gave him any Trix * Your parents made you wear acid washed jeans and flourescent oversized shirts * You always wanted a pair of LA Gear sneakers * You had a bowl cut or know someone that did * You always wanted to punch the TV whenever the dog from Duck Hunter would laugh at you * You used to say "rad," "dude," and "awesome" a lot * You know what a Big Wheel is * You remember the "blue jean pencils" they gave out on Arbor Day

I found these funny... Facts about Mr. T 1. Every time a bell rings, Mr. T pities a fool. 2. Mr. T speaks only when necessary. His main form of communication is folding his arms and slowly shaking his head. Regardless of the situation, he is always understood. 3. Mr. T once punched Chuck Norris at the exact moment that Norris roundhouse-kicked Mr. T in the chest. The result was the 80’s. 4. Twenty-three. That’s the number of fools Mr. T has pitied in the time it has taken you to read this sentence. 5. Mr. T does not break wind. He destroys it. 6. Mr. T ended the civil rights movement by getting on a bus … all the caucasian people moved to the back. 7. Mr. T is allergic to doorknobs. That’s why he can only kick through doors. 8. Mr. T’s pity for fools is used by mathematicians as a demonstration of the concept of infinity. 9. There are only four horsemen of the apocalypse because Mr. T is going to walk. 10. Mr. T coined the phrase “I see dead people” after the wait staff at Denny’s forgot his birthday. 11. Mr. T’s edition of the VH1 show “Where Are They Now?” was the shortest in the show’s history. It was 10 seconds of a black screen with the words “Right Behind You” written on it. 12. Contrary to popular belief, Mr. T is not black. It’s just that the sun is afraid to shine on him. 13. Behind every great man there is a great woman. Behind that woman is Mr. T. 14. Mr. T once pitied the sun. The ice age followed. 15. Mr. T puts the laughter in manslaughter. 16. The last time Mr. T went to McDonald’s, Ronald McDonald greeted him. What occurred next proved to be the most violent beating of a clown ever recorded in human history. 17. Mr. T was fired from the Psychic Friends Network for always predicting “pain.” 18. If there is a fool in the woods and nobody is around to hear his jibba jabba, Mr. T is still able to pity him. 19. It took five women 2 years to give birth to Mr. T. 20. Mr. T once appeared on the show “Fear Factor,” not as a contestant, but as a stunt. There were no winners and six deaths. Mr. T has not been invited back. 21. You can lead Mr. T to water, but chances are that you will die there. 22. Ever have a sharp pain in your chest that you can't explain? That was Mr. T, and it was a warning. 23. Mr. T once stated that he "doesn't wail on sissy boys." This led to the pink polo shirts with popped collars craze. Little do those pitiful fools know that Mr. T was just making it easier to find sissy boys to wail on. 24. Mr. T once bit off more than he could chew. He ate it anyway.

Could someone fill me in on the whole Corvair / Ralph Nader thing that led him to write "Unsafe at any speed"? I've seen a Corvair before with the license plate "F NADER" but I don't really know the story behind it.

About four years ago, I worked with a guy who was in my grade at high school. He was pretty hefty and not too hard of a worker, but he was friendly and told jokes a lot. Most of the time we were working in different parts of the plant, but a few times we had to glue boxes together so it was just an afternoon of shooting the $h! and making boxes. He only worked that one summer and quit about two months after starting. I'd known him some in high school too. We had the same PE freshmen year and I saw him around the halls every once in a while. He was a pretty nice guy to everyone at school, despite his size that could have easily made him a bully if he wanted to be like that. But he was a good guy. Last spring, I got a call from my mom saying he had killed himself. Word flew around my hometown within hours of it happening...you know how small towns are. His wife was cheating on him and had kicked him out of the house...he felt like he had nothing to live for anymore. He drove his truck out to an empty farm field one evening, stuck a shotgun in his mouth, and took his life without any drama. It seems like some people stare suicide in the face and don't have the will to do it, and others go through with it without even blinking an eye. I don't think anyone should blame themselves...if someone's suicidal, that person will ultimately make the choice. You either have the will to carry on or you don't. It's sad that so many actually go through with it, though.