Croc

Nick: in Santa Monica they have a Panera somewhat near to the Promenade, on Wilshire. It looks like an old, converted Denny's. Try it sometime, and get back with us ;) That's the only location I'm aware of, but go to their site for one that's prolly closer to you: http://www.panera.com

razoredge: Thanks. I studied late-19th and 20th century America in a very good class last year, Film, Power and American History. We learned about labor movements (yes, unions were the ones giving us weekends, 40 hour work-weeks, and worker's comp/healthcare), the development of movies as part of American culture, the creation and rise of the Hollywood as we know it, and we learned all about the social issues that caused these other movements to happen. What made this class unique, however, was that we learned through books and films of the time period of study; for example, we watched silent films to learn about how life was depicted in the 1910s. We watched Grapes of Wrath for the Depression era, we watched Rebel Without a Cause for the 1950s, some movie about an interracial marriage for the 1960s, a Blaxploitation film for the 1970s, and Working Girl for the 1980s. Then we compared and contrasted the books and movies to get an overall picture of American history. Fascinating. But I digress... As far as that image of California, you have to realize that California really should be broken into two states: NorCal and SoCal. Each has a very distinct culture. The ultra-liberal, environmentalist, idealistic, etc resides in the North (where they say "hella" all the time), while the Republican, conservative, wealthy, consumer culture, beach culture is primarily in the South. But God is it beautiful... I know you aren't into Cali, but if there's one thing you should do before you die, drive the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego to as far north as you wish (at least go to Pacific Palisades). Excepting the industrialized portion of this between Long Beach and Los Angeles, it is the most beautiful drive you will experience. It won't be fast, but the scenery is great. empowah: I agree. LA is very urban. You gotta drive pretty much out of the county to find anything resembling modern suburbia, and even then it's difficult because everything is so tiny due to high demand. I do NOT like Panera bagels, and I have not bought just "bread" from them, but I do enjoy the artisan sandwiches and soups. If the bread bowl is any indication of the bread, the exterior is pretty hard, but the interior is great. That's how I prefer my bread, actually...like a French baguette: hard on the outside soft on the inside.

No, what this means is whoever throws my phone should expect an immediate punch in the face. There would be no hesitation from the moment my phone breaks to the moment my fist hits that person square in the face. [post="20100"][/post] I agree 100%. If ANY Cingular employee ever treated me (and my phone) in such a manner they would get it. Now, I'm not one for violence, but I can be VERY persuasive with managers and upper management B) But then again, I've never had anything to suggest that Cingular employees aren't professional, courteous, and concerned with customer service. My mom has found the same, and she switched from Sprint to Cingular. Loved trading in her old brick of a phone for her new RAZR (though she wished we had gotten her the silver one since the inside of her purse is black).

The RAZR is great. Best phone since my old green-screen Nokia. I love how compact it is and doesn't make a huge bulge in my pocket. Reception is good, and it has a plethora of features. Motorola offers a special USB cable and PhoneTools software so I can transfer pics to my hard drive and vice versa...and create and transfer my own custom ringtones. Right now I have Haste The Day "Long Way Down" (Goo Goo Dolls cover) as my ringtone. Also got some Senses Fail on there...I love it. ETA: T-Mobile also has the RAZR now I believe...

Whatever Josh...what did you expect in posting all this? You want to expose all of your company's bad business practices and yet you don't want a negative reaction? I've had great service with Cingular. No problems ever. The insurance claims I've made all went swimmingly and in-store. I've never been given the run-around. Staff has always been honest and upfront about limitations on promotions. I don't see what's stupid about rollover. You already are paying for the minutes, whereas with another provider you lose them if you don't use them. If I have a month where I don't use many minutes, followed by one where I am constantly on the phone, it helps me from going over and all the associated fees. Now maybe I've just had an above-average experience with Cingular. I'd be happy to hear from other people. As far as the money they've been making (or not), I really don't give a rat's ass as long as it doesn't hurt my service. GM's lost money before, but it doesn't matter as long as my vehicle drives well and my service experience is good. -- Put another way, if someone came on here working for McDonald's and talked about rat feces in the product, wouldn't you expect people to say "wow, glad I eat Wendy's"? I don't see why I'm a "Coc." :rolleyes:

I'm not offended, I just don't understand it. And I don't know which "image" you refer to. I look forward to your explanation. Don't worry you aren't the first to mention this, you're just the first person to whom I'm asking of it.

Schlotzky's used to be good. But then they started cheaping out, using Ranch dressing instead of Mayo, and shrinking the sandwiches. Lots of people stopped going, and they shut down in Indy as well. I'm surprised you don't think Panera sandwiches are large though...they're large enough for me!

Wow...this is what makes me glad I chose Cingular. Now I know I'll never buy a Sprint if they care this little about their customers.

Why apologize? I agree with you. It is a very good sandwich though ^_^

GATTACCA happened a while ago...

What's that mean? And could someone please explain to me why there seems to be so much hatred directed toward the fine state of sunny California? I heard this even back in Indiana, and I never understood it then. Since when did California carry such a negative connotation. And what Californian culture is negative, NorCal, SoCal, or both? Please explain I really don't get it. :blink:

People aren't having sex any younger than they always have been. Even in the 1950s if you'd do a little research people would have sex at the same "young" ages they do today. Why wasn't there such an outcry? Because people married younger. Teh Ricer Civic: If FlyBrian is the exception to the rule, then I know a whole hell of a lot of exceptions. In fact, I don't know one person who really fits the "rule." NOS: I'm not sure I agree with your assessment of each decade. The 1960s was a complete counterculture to the uptight and "perfect" 1950s. Hippies, marijuana, "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" really was the defining aspect of this decade. The 1970s was affected by Vietnam intensely, and a lot of melancholy. In a way it was somewhat of a reaction to the 1960s, with The Brady Bunch being the Leave It To Beaver of its day, but the 1970s still had a lot of sexual liberation what with disco and much of the soul music of that decade. Race relations were starting to improve with The Jeffersons being one of the first television shows to feature an all-black regular cast devoid of many of the typical stereotypes. Feminism was also a dominant theme, with Roe v. Wade. The 1980s featured a conservative backlash, as women's rights were setback immensely. The pro-family stances of the 1980s were a thin veil of anti-feminism. AIDS was a huge epidemic, and the overall climate was that a wholesome, sex-free lifestyle was best. At the same time, there was a strong subculture that resisted this. Cocaine became epidemic in Los Angeles and other areas. Twisted Sister, among other groups, resisted censorship. The Parental Advisory stickers were born during this decade as a result of Tipper Gore being an utter prude. Commercialization, greed, and materialism were dominant themes as well. Even music began to be commercialized. Look no further than Milli Vanilli, the epitome of superficiality. "Corporate Rock" was born in the latter part of the decade. Rap and Hip Hop were born during this time, and race relations were strained. The 1990s had many themes as well, though I don't know if we have enough critical distance to really analyze them accurately. The early-mid part of the decade was somewhat of a throwback to the 1970s with the music being more melancholy, a reaction to the over-hyped and over-produced 80s scene. Picture Kurt Cobain in his red Seattle flannel and his guitar. Lillith Fair took off. People started becoming more health concious. With continued economic prosperity, self-help and gurus became popular. Look no further than Martha Stewart. "Lifestyles" became the new fad. Whether or not you could cook, everyone had to have a big designer kitchen with sub-zero refridgerators and Viking ranges. People started embracing "gourmet." Look at the growth of Panera; it's just a sandwich, right? Style became very important as well. Look at the growth of Target, offering ordinary household items in different colors or quirky designs to set themselves apart. Individualism: look at the appeal of Volkswagen or Mitsubishi during the latter part of the decade. One thing to note: every time in American history that "family values" has been pushed, it has occurred immediately after a major economic recession, whether it be following the Great Depression in the 1930s (Hollywood censorship was very strict during this time), WWII and the start of the Cold War in the 1950s, the late 1970s and early 1980s, or in 2001 with the withering economy and 9/11. People tend to want to cling to what is "familiar" and "safe" and "utopian" (stereotypical 1950s) during times of crisis. This decade? Who knows...we are still living it. Get back with me no sooner than 7 years.

It was ugly, that's what happened to it.

When my family vacationed in Morrocco this guy tried to arrange a marriage with my then-13 year-old sister with his 18-year-old son in exchange for a better price on a rug. CREEPY

Haha I've done that to people when they're tailing me, flashing their brights, and generally being obnoxious even though there's no way to go faster/let them over.

Depends on my mood. If I make a big breakfast, it usually is a Sunday. Sometimes if I have the forsight I prep some french toast Saturday night so it's nice and ready for cooking on Sunday. Sometimes waffles sound good, but our waffle iron is terrible. I'm never in the mood for pancakes. Never cared much for those. I'd have to dress them up a lot to make them appealing, and on Sundays I value simplicity. If I'm entertaining on a Sunday morning, the brunch will usually have most of the following: French Toast Bacon Omelettes (bacon, onion/chive, cheese, cilantro) or another type of egg Muffins Bagels Fruit Salad My sister usually helps though...makes things a little easier :) There's nothing better than a good breakfast...

If they do strike, I hope GM can get all the scabs they need. In this kind of economy, I'm sure there are plenty of people who are willing to work.

Wow, really? :rolleyes: I'm glad you've got the eyeroll down. That puts you on par with 13 year old girls. Congratulations, I hope you're proud. I'm not even going to defend the points I wrote; you won't read them. Since you didn't even read most of what I wrote. Wow, really? :rolleyes:

...and with this they are pretty much leaving the U.S. Too bad. It always sucks when brands leave markets, but at least there will be less duplication with GMC... Check out ther website sometime. They only have 2 models (four if you count extended versions of each). Their Ascender is a clone of the GMC Envoy and Envoy XL, while the GMC Canyon is a clone of the Isuzu pickup. Seriously, I think the only differences might be that the Isuzu Ascender doesn't have the amber turn signal that the Envoy does...

Ok, I'll bite this one... A supercharged V6 does not have the premium image of a V8. Why? Superchargerd V6s are less reliable than V8s, and the V8s are undoubtedly smoother and more refined. V6s might get better fuel economy, but V8s produce more power. More power commands higher pricing. Case closed, as this is all very well-known facts, unless you just want to argue something pointless...again.

Yea...I've checked out Torrents too and they seem to be very solid. Moreso than the extremely popular Equinox on which they're based.

Prolly cuz any phobic hetero Bible-thumper says that it is unscientific bullshit since he slept with his subjects...nevermind that creationism--oops--"intelligent design" is unscientific bullshit... Tangent: people like that really sadden me. I am 99% sure that this guy I used to be friends with is bi or gay (and his older bro most def is gay), but his mother is such a hate-spewing Bible-thumper that both of them have severe psychological damage and are very much in denial. Just saddens me since I have no idea what they must go through on a daily basis... :(

@ Quantum: Only is such a good song...prolly my favorite on the new album. Nice remix!

My friend Xiamara is never wrong with her gaydar. It's remarkable. She can spot it a quarter mile away no joke. Mine's pretty good for a straighty, but doesn't come close to comparing to hers (she's bi, mostly straight or hetero-flex, whatever you wanna call it). She and I do agree though that homosexuals easily make up 10% of the population like Kinsey suggested (frankly we think it might be closer to 20%), and 20% are heterosexual, and everyone else falls somewhere between with various degrees of bisexuality. That's just how we perceive it from our people-watching, and I know it doesn't take asexuality into account, but that's pretty hard to spot (anyone able to spot it?) Just my $.02 Anyone else?

Riviera (Velite, but with new name) Chevelle (Impala is a sales leader as FWD...keep it as such) Camaro G8 GTO Sceptre (Buick flagship)