trinacriabob

Yeah. I have a religion but try to remain in the "moderate" frame of mind about it, and dislike the few zealots we have. When you scratch beneath the surface, all of the zealots are more 'effed up than the non-zealots in any particular sect. Israel? Don't do Israel. My baseline for international travel is: Western Europe, or "the European part" of South America, that the country is predominately Christian or Catholic, that I speak their language, and that the crime rate/internal strife is reasonably low. It's a VACATION, not an adventure.

Real creative pic...we would never be able to identify you walking down the street by it... My response to thread: The Cure

uterus

I've been to Carr in Vancouver WA. Their downtown dealership was a dump. I wonder where that one will be built...probably toward Westfield Shopping and the Auto Row in the newer part of Vancouver WA across the 205 bridge from Portland. Funny that you would even bring this up. In my last "real" architecture job, we did some multi-brand car dealerships. It can be a hassle when they are not in the same family. They were foreign. You have to talk to ALL of their corporate architecture departments, there has to be little, if any, visual connection to another brand name, there have to be separate service aisles if the size of the complex warrants it, so you have to a separate customer identity for sales/service/parts counter and a common area for bathrooms, parts bins, stockrooms, etc. For GM or Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, the "separation" is less of an issue. In summation, I think it's just fine. It's a more economical approach and doesn't duplicate resources. Plus, if it's GM, it only seems to make your buying decision easier and your attachment to a brand stronger. I know that, seeing the Buicks and Pontiacs together only made me think "gee, I think the craftsmanship in a Buick is excellent...too bad I can't get the Pontiac personality with Buick's attention to detail." Well, it just confirmed I was more of a Buick buyer. Interesting topic.

Moscavide (:rotflmao: - acho que e um nom muito estranho)

Well, I can see where it brings on the "I don't give a $hit" factor because it has to do with E.T. (entertainment trash), but it was one of the biggest failures and tragedies in the legal system within the last couple of decades: OJ walks away and Scott Peterson (though obviously guilty, but a fertilizer salesman in California's sleepy Central Valley) gets nailed AND given the death penalty. BOTH of these dudes, in my mind, had a similar amount of "dirt under their nails" to have had the book thrown at them in their respective murder trials.

Sri Lanka

That's hilarious.

Non ci posso credere. Sei un vero Europeo, e ti piace questa "catena di spazzatura." Non c'e ne sono ristoranti Italiani autentici a "South Philly?" Credo di si.

Yeah, right, none of us know what you look like beyond the fact that you probably clog the shower drain once a week. :rotflmao: My response is Galore

Is this dude a piece of $hit or what? He couldn't keep his nose clean. He was just found guilty of theft and kidnapping in Las Vegas. In a way, I think he had a "survivor's guilt" issue. He obviously knew he did it because he became so self-destructive afterward. I heard he was not treated well in public and probably had to constantly look over his shoulder. If he was truly innocent, he could have had a clear conscience, could have lived a life of luxury and could have been surrounded by blonde poon. I guess he'll have to take what's available in adjacent jail cells, or Rosey Palms, now. Justice is served. May the sentencing be just as harsh.

With your off-the-charts IQ, you can't offer something better than THAT. They seem to have circulated that rumor about SEVERAL entertainment figures and they are never proven. My response to thread: cat

power

We can count on reg to comment on the (insert front part of acronym)-ILF observations. Yes, scary that, in times like these when there is such a need for leadership, no one is rising to the occasion. They're too smart, that's why.

Billy Bob's Barbecue in Gulf Breeze on the way to the beach or Founaris Brothers Greek Restaurant on Pensacola Blvd. near where the cheap hotels are for those day-hopping it to the beach.

Linda Blair (not all of you will know who that is)

It's the combination the greasiness of the food and a lot of the patrons. One needs intravenous Prozac/Zoloft to enter a Waffle House in certain neighborhoods and at certain times of the day.

split personality (you know, Germanic and Italian, is that YOU?)

Sagittarius ()

Good chains: Italian: Macaroni Grill, not bad, though they need to lose the "crayons and white paper tablecloth;" good because each dish tastes different Greek: Daphne's Greek Cafe - found only in the West and throughout SoCal - can you a believe a skewered chicken kabob, shaved gyro meat, small Greek salad, rice, pita slices and tsaziki sauce for $ 8.49? Mexican: most are ok, though not that imaginative and Acapulco's in Portland is my favorite of the sit-down ones. Of the fast food ones, El Pollo Loco is pretty good...especially with a coupon Argentinian: Gaucho Grill, chain in SoCal American: Cheesecake Factory is super reliable, Bob's Big Boy in the California format (there are Big Boys in other states that carry different "first names") for that damn double-decker hamburger and bleu cheese dressing, Hometown Buffet has some decent stuff, especially for a Sunday morning buffet, Boston Market, the Black Bear Diner in the West, Lucille's in the West Bad chains: Italian: Olive Garden, bad because, underneath the white sauce/red sauce "fork in the road," they all taste the same, Buca di Beppo, effin' awful and bad kitsch atmosphere - aimed at those who don't know EYE-talian food, C&O Trattoria in SoCal American: Denny's, Shoney's (in the South), Waffle House (in the South), all of the American fast food chains, sorry but I hate In 'n' Out Burger for which people in CA line up Chinese: PF Chang's-go from having lunch there to the office and then home sick Good stand-alones: Italian: Riccardo's (Lake Oswego/Portland, Oregon), Bocelli's (Gresham/Portland, Oregon), Trattoria Volare (San Francisco), Pirate's Pizza (Reno), Le Tre Marie (Montreal), Garcia's (?) Pizza (Champaign IL) Greek: Niko Nikos (Houston), Athenian Gardens (Toronto) Mexican: Paco's Taco's, Grass Valley/Nevada City, CA, a bohemian Sierra town full of retreads/burnouts - a $5 burrito that's off the charts, American: The Big Yellow House (Summerland, immediately south of Santa Barbara CA), Phil's BBQ - San Diego, CA, Mission Cafe - San Diego, CA (the weird segment of San Diego society, but there's a line on weekend mornings), Redrum Burger off Interstate 80 in Davis, CA, MaryMac's Cafeteria in Atlanta, Gladstone's on PCH in Pacific Palisades CA (definitely) Bad stand-alones: Italian: Battista's, Las Vegas, NV forgot the name, but it's a long-time Italian restaurant in San Diego's Little Italy amidst all the new trendy Italian eateries, Mama's Red Tomato in South Lake Tahoe CA, Italian Cottage in Chico CA Greek: Greek Village Inn, Sacramento CA American: The Proud Bird, adjacent to LAX runway toward El Segundo (deplorable, but you can see airplane take-offs and landings) which may have changed name, Moonshadows in Malibu CA Notable buffets: Casino style: El Dorado Hotel in Reno NV on Tuesday nights is Italian theme night: mushroom ravioli, seafood tortellini, polenta, chicken cacciatore, braised steak with Italian type seasonings ... and all the other stuff that doesn't rotate such as roast beef, turkey, ham, seafood, and on and on...and only $ 14.99 - Reno Hilton, now called Grand Sierra Resort, breakfast buffet that is unbelievable for about $ 8.99 American: Marriott Marquis downtown Atlanta brunch, Fontainebleau Miami Beach Friday night seafood buffet Mexican: Paco's Taco's - a different restaurant on the West Side of L.A. by different owners from the one listed above where we'd go for the lunch buffet during college and would have to be carted out in a wheelbarrow Overseas restaurants: Italian: Chiaroscuro, outside of Florence IT and only locals go there, they come up with different pasta dishes all the time and they are off the charts, La Tartaruga, in Messina, Sicily, IT, where the food doesn't change and portions are huge/inexpensive and the couple who owns it fight with each other (she's up front and he cooks) Brazilian churrascaria: hey, ZL-1, what's the name of that chain churrascaria near Praca de Chile in Lisboa? It was great! Food I can't comment about: Thai, Indian, Vietnamese - I don't eat it

conservative

Dracula (where you been, smallchevy?)

mustard

I hear you. But this one is a big baby. A good-natured dog has an even better effect on someone's state of mind.

They are beautiful dogs but bigger and harder to handle than what I would like. They're classified as working dogs, right? I have only had 1 dog, an Australian Shepherd, that was in the 40 lb. range. I love that breed of dog and would get one again in a heartbeat if I had more time on my hands and was less selfish (read: stayed at home more). Right now, it looks like I've been adopted by a cat that may have been abandoned. Again, I don't know what to do because it's sort of the neighborhood's cat and I don't want the vet bills. For the last week, I have come home from work and it waits for me (yes, I have fed it). However, this docile purring cat sprawled out on my living room floor seems to lower my blood pressure a notch.