trinacriabob

Is it possible to know the disposition of a vehicle a person once had? By the VIN or other information? I'm not expecting an obit, but maybe the date (and geographic location) where it was junked, scrapped, etc.

It is happening more or less DAILY: Whether I am right behind the car waiting at the signal, or three cars behind it, that first car seems to have a "problem" pulling away from the signal. It takes me and/or the others to tap our horn(s) and that driver then starts to move. If behind them, you might see a cell phone being put down. If not, and you end up alongside them further ahead, you may see a phone in the picture. I'm not trying to be sexist, but most of the time it's women/girls. Statistical studies support this. Some guys do it, too. I'm not talking about polished professional women. I'm talking about teenagers who haven't been driving that long, ones who might have been in a sorority, ones who may be into Oprah or similar, and Karens. Every f***ing day? Every f***ing day?

It seems like I am always cleaning my inbox from surveys querying any customer service or similar interaction you just had. Dang. Anymore, it seems like you get sent one anytime you wipe your a$$.

Just thought about this because I just saw this: I saw an early 2000s Impala and saw how they still had the rubber bumper strips integrated into the body-colored bumpers, which are now how bumpers are designed/made in their entirety. It's much easier to see a severe dent or ding in a polyurethane bumper. It makes me think they changed to this to create more work for body shops. Ya think?

Stretching the dollar (in addition to Cafe 150): I don't really like Burger King, but, on Whopper Wednesdays, their regular and meatless Whopper are $3 through the app, so I went in, used the app for an Impossible Whopper, and it adds points to my account for future redemption. Bonus offers can kick up the points faster, so those need to be penciled out in my head. I last went in to redeem most of my points for a customized BK Big Fish sandwich. That was free. I saw their slice of chocolate pie that looks way better than a Mickey D's apple pie and got one. Because I had to wait a bit, I picked up my 2 bags and saw that the kid had put a small order of onion rings in there. I looked perplexed and he sort of motioned not to worry about it. This was starting to look very caloric, but I ate those onion rings anyway because I rarely do. I put the small balance I owed on my credit card, where lodging and restaurant purchases (obviously in addition to airline ticket purchases on the airline sponsoring the card) get twice the miles.

All funny, but this stood out. Interesting. Were they first-gens born in the Northeast and then transplanted down or were these kids born in Florida? They probably understood the language more than they spoke it ... and they might have even understood wooden spoons! Rossi was the first name of one of them? That is Italy's most common surname. I just looked it up - Smith is the most common last name in the U.S.

Don't get me started on the lists above. I will come back around to take a swipe at those. One of the things that sort of irritate me is how people name a kid with a foreign first name a few generations down as if to culturally appropriate or channel the culture. I've seen kids with names like Enzo, Giovanni, and several others. These people do not speak Italian, they probably have never been there or their going there is brief, and their connection to the country is tenuous. It's just recent trendy stupidity. Enzo comes from Vincenzo, so name that kid Vincent. And give that Giovanni the name John. (I know I can't tell people what to name their kids.) I find this a little insulting since Italian-Americans went through discrimination up until the last few decades and this is when their parents who had come to North America named them Michael, Joseph, Louis, Mark, and other "normal" names. And it's likely that these types described above were more connected to the culture. So, it's ludicrous that people who are removed from the culture have the foreign names. And it's also these people, who with a great grandfather on one side, clutter the consular channels to get dual citizenship for God knows what. * end of rant *

Do you get a kick out of different types of names? And wonder why kids' parents gave them those names? I had a guy named Supreme help me at a business in the Toronto area when I was there over Canada Day weekend. He said it was more in synch with the Motown group than with the Oldsmobile product. There was a guy who worked at one of the hotels I stayed at in Portugal last summer. He was very cool. Portugal has a huge diaspora that includes Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Goa (near India), and more. His name was Majeek, and I think it was a spin on Magic. He was definitely not from Goa, nor South Asian, so it wasn't a name from India. But, coming back around to the U.S., there was a guy who worked at a big box retailer who would bring out my on-line orders. He had a great name: Daejohn. It made me think of dijon mustard ... or that he could be John by day, but someone else at night. If you're going to name a kid, be sure to ask yourself how you would like going to school and into the workforce with that name.

I was wrong about the SS United States' speed on the Blue Riband winning crossing. Maybe you don't give a rat's a$$, but I'll still correct myself and tell you. I believe it was averaging around 35 knots, which might be 41 mph. It was NOT 41 knots. I wouldn't want a transatlantic crossing on any great ocean liner to be over in 4 days or less. Since there are no ports of call on the route, you can settle in for 5 or 6 days and take in all the different and interesting things there are to do on board.

Fall color in the ~at sea level parts of the Puget Sound B/basin (WA) and in the Portland area/Willamette Valley (OR) does occur in early November, so it's nice that it's "deferred." That way, a person can head to Eastern Canada, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and a few other places to also see peak color about a month earlier. I'm very much taken with autumn color.

On this first Tuesday of November, elect to join me in wishing Drew @Drew Dowdell an especially excellent day. Happy birthday, Drew!

Some "good news," I guess. The SS United States was America's flagship and is the fastest ocean liner ever built. It clocked the North Atlantic run between the typical lighthouse checkpoints of New York and Southhampton (UK) in a hair less than 4 days, doing some 41 knots per hour (which is insanely fast for a ship). It has been sitting at a pier on the Delaware River in South Philly for some 30 years. It has been under the purview of a non-profit conservancy. It's still there, but it supposedly looks kind of haggard. It also looks like it might be getting evicted. However, they have some interesting plans for it. S.S. United States could leave Philly after more than 25 years for redevelopment project (msn.com) Here's the site of the conservancy: SS United States Conservancy (ssusc.org) Here's a photo of the rendering for the project on the Hudson River in Midtown Manhattan:

Good morning ... ... a good morning indeed.

They can see that by running the plate or talking to you to see your documents. I don't feel that the general motoring public needs to know, even though it is sometimes interesting. Florida used to have counties on the plates, and I'd always get a kick from seeing one that said Monroe, Escambia, among others. Of course, the quintessential Florida plate should say "Palm Beach." That little "circle" * in the middle always brings to mind a place I wouldn't want to be swimming. * Lake Okeechobee

Good morning ... This lowers my blood pressure. Hope it does yours too.

Some other good plates are New Mexico, Arizona (they once had a deep red background that was unique, but the current one is also nice), Washington (though I liked the quasi-cursive font I once had there for 4 years at the very end of their having 3 numbers and 3 letters), Florida (good thing that they got rid of the county names at the bottom of the plates), and Rhode Island. The putting of counties on there is mostly a Southern thing, with few exceptions. Georgia, which has started to lean blue/progressive, still puts county names at the base of their plates. That does not help travelers, even within their own state. When they're parked at a hotel or a restaurant, it tells people they're out of towners. Agreed. That is the most unique plate in North America. Other interesting Canadian plates are Nova Scotia, Quebec, and British Columbia, where they spell it out as "Beautiful British Columbia." My cousin from Europe got a kick out of that and took a photo of a BC plate.

Sometimes, foreign countries have it over North America in some things and, then, North America has it over foreign countries in others. When it comes to license plates, we rule. I got over the idea of having a personalized license plate when I was about 25. No thanks. So, what I'm referring to is the latitude and creativity the various states and Canadian provinces have in coming up with designs for their license plates. A few are boring and they keep them, a few got to a good spot and they are hanging on to them, some keep getting better and better, and, with a select few, they landed on a great design and then moved on to a crappy one. An example of the latter would be Nevada, which, in my mind, had one of my all-time favorite license plates, seen below: Simple design, using two colors - dark blue and gray (approximating UNR's school colors), excellent Western themed font in the word Nevada, and a subtle but detailed desertscape with indigenous animal life and plant life and a mountain backdrop. Nevada's current license plate is sophomoric garbage. Do you have any state or provincial license plates you are a fan of?

When I need to put myself in a good mood, I might listen to this, which is in my collection. It never ceases to be amazing. Within this genre, there are a lot of musical artists, many of whom were African-American (some still are!) who had some one hit wonders. Andrea True and "More, More, More" make me chuckle because she was a good Catholic girl that went wild: daughter of European immigrants to Nashville, Catholic high school graduate, got herself into Vanderbilt, left it to become a porn star, and then became a disco singer. However, Donna Summer rules the roost through that incredible voice that is consistent across her work, but this song is her pinnacle. I was in a funk when I learned she passed away. R.I.P. Donna. This lady owned this genre of music in the '70s and the late Tina Turner, with a very different sultry and spirited voice, owned the derivation of that pop genre in the '80s. R.I.P. Tina. - - - - - When we were little kids, my parents would take us to MacArthur Park at Wilshire and Alvarado to walk around, feed the ducks, and ride the pedalboats. Today's MacArthur Park in Los Angeles is far from the wholesome place it once was.

How did I not see this? Perfect score on the driving portion. Possibly 1 or 2 wrong on the multiple-choice written portion. This was in California and the lady I did the driving test with reminded me of a Hispanic Diana Rigg lookalike. I couldn't believe how nice she was for being a bureaucrat. Some DMV employees can be surly. I was ready. I had had my permit for 6 months to a year. Driving meant freedom! I've driven myself across the U.S. and back in my 20s, so I put my license to good use rather fast.

Saw this walking into a supermarket and it interpolates Halloween and Thanksgiving fairly well ... Q: What do you get when you cross a turkey and a ghost? A: A "poultry-geist"

Here's another one of those handy lists I thought of sharing that has to do with renting cars. Assume you've left the rental counter or checked in some other way and now you're heading to your car. The 5 most important things to do, in my opinion: 1. Inspect the car, take photos of it are back up, bring any preexisting things to the attention of the rental agency, and see if there is anything that won't work for you. They once gave me a Malibu Maxx (no prize) where the rear over cover was missing, and I had to buy cardboard at Home Depot to toss around to cover my things. I've rarely had to give a rental car back, but I have done it a few times. Take at least 10 photos: 4 of each side of the car, 4 of each angled view, 1 of the glass, and 1 that pans the interior; if it has expensive alloy wheels, take photos of those that show their position relative to the car (which side, front or rear) 2. Make sure the lights are set to "auto." They're sometimes not set this way by the last driver and you might find yourself driving without lights at dusk until you figure it out. 3. See how many keys you have been given. In some places, they will give you one. In others, they will give you two. Take a photo of them on the hood or in your hand to corroborate that. 4. Adjust your seating position and that of mirrors to what works for you. 5. Then, set up your electronic devices and get an idea of the infotainment and climate control panels. Reset the trip odometer(s) if this matters to you or if they charge for miles. - - - - - Here's an additional 5: 6. Check the stalks, since each brand seems to invert these and the wipers and other functions might be on the side you're not accustomed to. They often invert cruise control and audio/info functions on steering wheel mounted controls, too. 7. Tap the horn as you're driving out, away from the rental aisle, to see how hard you have to press on the pad and what it sounds like. 8. Note what side the fuel goes in and how to release the latch. 9. Figure out where you're going to put things, both in the cabin and in the trunk for security and efficiency. Look for concealed cubby holes and areas where you can put small things (such as hotel magnetic keys, coins, etc.) and keep them out of view. 10. Throw a pen and a small writing pad into the console or, if no console, the glove box.

Needed to slot this one in ... taken in Virginia Beach VA on 9/10 This is a 1997 Olds Aurora. It was painted taxi cab yellow. I didn't ask why. The driver did delivery for a restaurant. I'll say that the first-gen Aurora nailed the dashboard and interior (love those subtle curves, which they rarely do as well anymore) while the second-gen (and last-gen) did a better job with the car's exterior styling. My two cents.

Happy Halloween, folks I think that, even if we have the paper behind our names, not many of us are suits but, rather, business casual ... or just casual. I'm going to be looking for some pumpkin pancakes and, should I see some receptionists' desks offering up free chocolate, that would be good, too. Enjoy this last day of October.

Does this Spark your interest? Maybe not. Multiple sightings of Chevy Sparks October 4 - Saguenay fjord (port), QC A local lady said it was okay for me to photograph her car in front of the QM2, beyond, moored at the Port of Saguenay. October 5 - Quebec City, QC Dang, these units are popular in Canada. I saw a lot of them. October 13 - Mont-Tremblant (near Saint-Jovite sector), QC Will you look at this? Two used Sparks for sale bookending a Buick Verano for sale. Kudos to this area for liking GM cars. I "met" this dealership a long time ago. The last version of the Grand Prix was fresh at the time and they had one on the floor or lot in the metallic orange/rust color. These would have been the very first year - with the trunk lock and the geometric patterned interior fabrics more suited to a Renault Twingo that they dumped the following year. I learned that the French word for cloth (interior) would be tessut(s). I couldn't find a photo with that strange interior, but this was the color of the car. I missed out on not sitting behind this dashboard for a good number of years. It's one of my all-time favorites. I really believe GM could have kept a slot for Pontiac in their line-up. October 22 - local car seen while shopping (U.S.) This is what was obviously one of their funky colors - Toasted Marshmallow. You can tell this car aimed at a younger audience with its unusual colors and low price point. So long, Chevy Spark.

Mutliple sightings of Firebirds/Trans Ams October 9 - Montreal, QC Here's a black pre-New Millennium Trans Am in near perfect condition. I really liked these when they were being sold, and after that, too. I don't know which V8 sits under the hood (Wiki is your friend), but this was the platform into which they put an Iron Duke 4 cyl. into the most basic model for buyers wanting a lower price point and lower operating costs. (Those said "fuel injection" on the door handles!) More Montreal staircases up to flats, too. October 13 - Montreal, QC Here's another great looking Trans Am in red - not my color for any car - but it's in impressive shape.