trinacriabob

^ meant to say by Eddy Grant.

At the top of the boom before the Great Recession, Nevada's unemployment rate was about 2%. Then, at the bottom of the trough, they were among the ones in worst shape, with unemployment at about 12% or 13%. The spendy condo towers that had been overzealously built when times were good then didn't sell at the needed pace. Now, in Reno-Tahoe more so than in Las Vegas, those units are occupied and sought after and, for some reason, have gone way up in price, as has all real estate in Northern Nevada. Could it be Lake Tahoe? It's hard to imagine Reno as a free-standing unit and being all that alluring without its proximity to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra.

I saw a Kia Amanti on each of the last 3 days of December. I had almost forgotten those. They look like a car meant to be in a cartoon. They remind me of a curious mix between a mini Bentley and a pumped up Lancia Ypsilon, which Italians refer to as the "elefantino." I have also seen quite a few Saturn Aura sedans in the last week of December. I forgot if they are on their own platform or if they share a platform with other GM cars. I'm guessing they started out with a 4 cylinder. I do know that they also offered a 3.5 V6 and, that, while the Impala and the Monte Carlo got VVT in that engine with their '06 refresh, the Aura and a couple of other cars did not. That way of delivering VVT, by putting another mostly solid state rotating piece at the front of the camshaft, was a novel way to put VVT on a conventional OHV engine and, apparently, it worked. And, if it were to fail or the sensor went out, it settled on a certain cam position for "limp home" mode.

Love the new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The old East Span cantilevered bridge parallel to it was still up or being pulled apart when I did get to see the new East Span and drive over it in either 2015 or 2016. Beautiful ... and the 5 lanes on each side smoothly feed the stacked 5 lanes in the suspension spans going into and away from the city on the west side of the Yerba Buena Tunnel. The old bridge was the one in which one of the roadway segments collapsed during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

I wasn't listening to it by choice. I went into a drugstore/market at lunch and it was playing. I chuckled. I remember this goofy song by Eddy Grand and the movie of the same name, back when Kathleen Turner was at the peak of her career after becoming a household word from the movie "Body Heat," which also features William Hurt, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, and Mickey Rourke. That's one of the best suspense dramas I've seen to date. If you haven't seen it and like that genre, I recommend it. Also, you cannot use the bathroom during the last 15 minutes because some key clues and twists in the plot are shown during that time.

What is the final situation with Lordstown? Yes, I, too, have seen it right next to I-80. Is that more modern cable-stayed bridge a photo you took? Interesting.

I had either a Peugeot 107 and 207, with a manual, in northern Portugal on vacation once. It was zippy, the fuel economy was great, and it was the only manual econobox I've ever rented that I've actually liked. Then, at the end of the YouTube, when the announcer does speak, it was in Portuguese. So, the commercial, a very funny one, could be for the Brazilian market, the Portuguese market, or both.

^ ^ I forgot to mention that the Roadmaster wagon was a 1985 ... with a little over 70,000 miles ... 33 years old. This would have shared the same full perimeter frame/chassis as the last RWD Park Avenue and LeSabre, with coil springs at each wheel. And, I believe the 5.0 (307 c.i.) powered the RWD Fleetwood Brougham and other Cadillacs of the same year. It's interesting how Cadillac turned exclusively to Olds Rocket V8s (for the Seville in the '70s and for their big RWD cars in the '80s) if they weren't building their own Cadillac V8 for a car.

I sometimes go to purchase things at that large enterprise based in Arkansas and get out of there quickly to avoid any potential theatrics and drama. Today, as I was walking back to my car, I saw a Buick Roadmaster wagon with the wood grain paneling and alloy wheels, along with the cascading Parthenon grille and trademark Buick hood ornament. Its exterior was in good condition for its age, but not in great condition. I couldn't take a photo because the driver and his friend were getting into it to drive off. I asked if it was a 5.0 (307) or 5.7 (350). They said it was a 307. They said it only had a little over 70,000 miles on it. When it turned over, the engine note was pure Rocket V8 magic, although they don't purr as quietly once they get older in either miles or years. The small block GM 350 V8 (whether Olds Rocket, Chevy, etc.) has made the list of the Top 10 Engines of all time. I believe the Buick 3800 V6 is also on that list. I am glad to have owned 2 of the engines on that list, with the former in my very first car and the latter in my last and current car! Happy holidays, folks.

Almost all of the gains in the stock market (did the Dow brush 26,000 or 27,000?) under the current President have been eliminated. I was once sitting at a Starbucks having coffee and an Ivy League trained economist of Indian extraction was sharing the same long table. This was in late September. I told him that, in my mind, the Dow should more realistically be at about 24,500. This was all too simplistic for him. He could only talk in ivory tower econometric models that he did as part of his work. Well, I was only partly right. The slide has exceeded what I said by almost 3,000 points. Bah hambug.

It has happened. Seattle now has a second commercial airport to augment SEA, which is on the south end so it can also serve Tacoma. The "new" one is at Everett's Paine Field, so it's the same airport from which we've seen all the historic Boeing maiden flights. The airport is north of town. Its airport call code is PAE. I'm figuring it's been less than a year. Less is more. (170, 200, 250?)

Okay, good, it's something that some mechanics will do. It's not unheard of. And I'm guessing this part is performing as it should.

What I meant is if the part is pre-ordered. When I had my ISS replaced several months ago and I wanted a GM part, the service appointment was made in advance. The part, obtained from a dealership, apparently, was already there. I'm wondering if some mechanics have Amazon accounts.

Three questions: 1) With cars now having platinum and iridium spark plugs, the intervals between changing them has become fairly long. I'd finally like to change my original platinum spark plugs. Are there ever issues where the spark plugs have been in the cylinder block for so long that its tough for the mechanic to get them out? Is there something they can do prior to putting on the socket wrench that will make them turn more easily? Also, do you know if, on transversely mounted GM V-6 engines, they access the 3 rear spark plugs by the firewall (a) from above or (b) by hoisting up the car and working from the space behind the exhaust manifold but in front of the catalytic converter? 2) What might cause a engine to shudder slightly when the ignition is turned on? It doesn't happen all the time. Most of the time, the engine remains still and you just hear it turn over. In a RWD car that my dad once had, the engine did this upon ignition or during hard acceleration because a motor mount was giving up the ghost, largely because of oil that was on the underside of the chassis. Any ideas when this is NOT the case? 3) Are independent mechanics amenable to ordering parts from Amazon? Amazon has more auto parts than do some of the big retail chain auto stores, along with reviews of the parts, and the prices are often favorable. I know that the mechanic would have to mark them up. Have you known of independent mechanics that will order from Amazon or do they just tend to stick to brick and mortar stores that can deliver auto parts to them? Let me know what you think. Thanks.

Mine formed a line from Sacramento to Modesto to Orange County (Santa Ana/Irvine). I guess that would be close enough. Note that the hot spots (orange and red) for these areas make an upward sweep all the way up to the Pacific Northwest and across to the Upper Midwest and western New York state. When you're going through this, you can definitely pick out the Southernisms. I lived in Atlanta for a few years and remember some of their folksy expressions. However, one of them - you "might could" (do this or that) - was downright irritating.

This sure has morphed from how to pronounce Impala. So be it. Has anyone noticed that some people add a subtle "t" at the end of the word across, that it becomes "acrost?" I've heard this in many regions of the U.S. I have not heard it in the Northeast, in South Florida, and in SoCal. I have heard it in NorCal and points north of there. I wonder where it hails from and how far it has spread. You guys have all done the quiz that tells you which region of the U.S. you may be from based on how you speak the English language. You just answer some 30 or 40 multiple choice questions. It's amazing.

I have no problems with the French(-Canadians) whatsoever. They have a quick wit, a good dose of sarcasm, and a worldly outlook. (Maybe some of the rednecks don't.) I will never forget reading this. When the Quebec Referendum still had some followers but was starting to sputter, some politician in Quebec City was defending the maintenance of the French language for official affairs. His comment was: "We do not need to speak French ... We need French in order to speak." Classic! And, with an accent, that must have been a hoot to hear in person.

I can't tell Quebec highbrow French from Quebec redneck street French from French highbrow French from French redneck street French. Generally, you can tell street French (whether in Quebec or in France) because of the way the people dress, behave, and/or if they are good candidates for the Jerry Springer Show because they are talking out of the sides of their mouths and because their speech is gravelly. All I know is that I just stick to what I learned in 3 years of high school French. It has worked well so far. I've been treated better for speaking French to Francophones. Not only that, you'd be surprised at how quickly the language comes back to you if immersed in a place where you have little choice but to speak French. And, I learned that, while it may have been in the textbooks, calling a waiter a "garcon" has been unacceptable for at least two decades!

I'd say "jag-wahr." And "Bon-uh-vil" (for the American market) but "Bonn-veel" (for the French-Canadian market).

Haha. Brooke Shields went on to become a Princeton University graduate.

Back to cars - when GM stole America's heart with its frameless door colonnade opera windowed coupes ... which had great engines and great transmissions and could go the distance. 1975 - last call for round headlights, but still sold like hot cakes - enter the inline 6 ... there weren't that many around ... they were usually the loss leader advertised for $ 3,999 and had no a/c ... this same year, Olds also released the 260 c.i. V8 and was dubbing it the "baby V8." I think this was the last year for the bucket seats that swiveled out toward the door. 1976 - a good thing gets even better ... over half a million of this model alone sold ... this was a cool color and they also had the real dark burgundy called "mahogany" at the same time ... back in the day when you could pick from close to 20 colors, free of charge ...

I found the Dittos print ad! http://www.bermanphoto.com/ntzcsggdco1wpjzji8705w6qz8t9xl They had these in all these goofy colors. At this time, the guys were wearing Levi's corduroys in all these different colors, Hang Ten t-shirts, Clarks wallabees shoes, and Greg Brady hair. Truly a forgettable time in American apparel and style.

In looking at these photos, it hearkens to the days of the Dittos jeans with the horseshoe seam, blouses with cap sleeves, and wedge shaped Cherokee platform shoes. Don't forget the Farrah (RIP) hair. I think this look lasted into the early '80s. You might even be able to dig up the Dittos print ad that said "You Can Feel the Fit." Does anyone remember that window of time? And, if you remember that combo, you probably remembers Angels Flight pants. People are selling that stuff for some coin on EBay. Why would anyone want to have that clothing around? Some aspects of the '70s were scary. The cars were cool, though.

THIS is how you pronounce Impala: I'd rather have it be pronounced withOUT that exhaust note, but the car itself is in impeccable shape. This had to have been the most provocative Impala ever as well as one of GM's most unforgettable models. And, back then, they could actually spend the money to change cars to some degree each and every year.

Happy holidays, C&G people ... however you celebrate them ... and happy new year. It's always a relief when they're over, though, because life slows down back to normal and you can get to work on those new year's resolutions. *cough*