trinacriabob

I don't think about it. I went from having about 10 friends from college that, over time faded, down to 1...I happen to be on vacation and staying in his place in San Diego as I write this. Some got married and their wives changed the dynamics (those bitches) and others, upon reflection, were jerks. I also have some high school friends and neighborhood friends that remain. Fewer friends from the workplace, though. You know what the deal is: your best friends are those made with NO ulterior motive...that is, you make good friends when younger (and that includes college) because that's who you really enjoy hanging out with...you didn't factor "what they could do for you" into the equation. I try not to think about it. However, if you are doing things you like (hobbies and such), then you ought to meet people you are cut out to be friends with. It sounds like you have ruled out bars...good for you. Pursue other avenues that involve intellectual interests. I've always meant to ask...what part of the country or major metro area do you live in? With a name like "usonia" I've always assumed Chicago and/or Midwest. Am I right?

I was watching some taped Lisa Lampanelli this weekend.My response to thread: tree

Ha haActually, it's kind of sad. I really like it when somebody comes from humble origins, and not of the "good ole boy" breeding, and makes it big.It's what America is supposed to be all about. This guy blew it, though, by using bad judgment, apparently.

impotent Did you hear about the black guy who went to get a vasectomy wearing a tuxedo? He said "If I'm gonna be impotent, I'm gonna look impotent." Next.

important

agree

French

Dracula

sandwich

self-employment

unsolicited

eating

Here as we speak at a college friend's house. He moved here from LA and never looked back. The only problem: in HS, the smart people headed north to Berkeley, Stanford, Santa Clara, etc. and the stupid BPs headed to San Diego State to major in communications and marketing, so SD is not chock full of the sharpest tools in the shed.

lockjaw

Are you a chunkster to show for it?

free-wheeling

Have you seen how this is operated? It is a lever that is not in the least bit SMOOTH in operation. It is clunky. It was great the way Cadillac had it in the past when it was a lever that followed the underside of the steering wheel's curve. The new air bag setup may not allow for that.

I travel where I want to go, not because I have to. I made it a point to get my own professional shingle so I am not owned by a corporation (2 years at in a mill like Bell South confirmed that).Schools: yeah, graduated the first time at a criminal 22 years of age (you know, slumming it in the lowly 1200s SAT range) However, do check to see that Univ of Illinois and Univ of Wash make the US News and World Report Top 50 Universities list while TA&M and OSU do not. Swiss schools, well they're just pretentious and European, not good old "roll up the sleeves" American! See, for my low SAT score and the strands of gray showing up in my head, my memory is STILL pretty good and maybe I shouldn't be in a Buick after all. I'll always love you , not hate you, B, despite the gratuitous references and displays of wealth and connections!

Mustang, is she ugly to boot? She's gotta be, coming from Oregon and all. I don't know why 2 cities as beautiful as Portland and Seattle have the UGLIEST women and everybody there and who's been there acknowledges it, even Tom Leykus!The week before I left for Europe from Portland, I drove my mom to Trader Joe's (oops, writing about my mom again, better go to a therapist) since she doesn't drive. It's a West Coast chain that has high end or ethnic foods. In the aisle, I am complaining to her in Italian (dialect) about the woman in front of us who has short gray hair, a liberal t-shirt, Indian jewelry, khakis and hiking boots, telling her she is typical Portland ugly and that my Mom needs to get out of the house more and see how ugly the locals are. I leave to walk around and sample some free coffee. That woman ran into my Mom by the sauces and told her that her own parents were Sicilian. Hopefully, she just figured we were speaking Italian but didn't deduce I was ragging on her! Never got to see whether she had a Subaru outside. Bleh!

I spent 6 days in Las Vegas (106 to 108) every day. You walk out the door and it's like an oven. One day, walking around the strip with a friend, it started to rain from a thunderstorm. It was great. Followed by 2 days in Rancho Mirage (Palm Springs)...same thing. I will say that the mountains shooting out of the desert floor is quite dramatic but that weather just knocks you out. Now, I went to grad school somewhere reasonably cold. I remember that as being painful and that driving in snow was kind of scary. However, most really hot places have a great other 9 months and you can stay in A/C for the remainder. Which could you handle better...living somewhere really hot (PHX or LAS) or somewhere really cold (Minneapolis or Montreal) if you had a choice?

Santa Barbara was there on Wednesday

I'm in Cali right now and the never ending procession of imports of the roads is daunting. I don't think that someone in South Orange County or Walnut Creek will proclaim loudly that they want a 'Bu over the Camry. I wish them well. They need a good staple car. You don't like the ass...I don't like the C-pillar. Lately, a lot of rental cars I've had have visibility issues when turning lanes. Not fun.

Had a graduate evening class at Univ. of Wash. Same thing. The prof (a real pissy a-hole) ran a discussion oriented seminar. But every time anyone raised their hand to speak, you could tell he didn't care, would cut people off and go on to the next person in a repetitive cycle. He was very cavalier (great word) and elitist and I will not give a dime to the school as a result of the bad slate of profs. there (yet they are always in the Top 50 national universities in US News and World Report).Some teachers want to teach, others want to research and advance the body of knowledge in a field and still others are dysfunctional a-holes who bring their baggage to class.

beater as in car

This thread was started by and is about you.My mother and I were relatively civil after at least 15 years of no conflicts until 2003-2004 when I confronted her about an estate plan and found she could not stand up to my brother who had been influencing her. She essentially trusted that he would write me a check for 1/2 the amount of whatever remained when that time came. Her friends corroborated that I was unfortunately out of the loop because I didn't live in the area. She told me her intent was that I get 1/2, yet it took me a year to convince her that it had to be formalized. The arguing did not let up. It went on every day. I was devastated and exhausted. Neighbors who got a wind of all this and family friends were furious at her and supported me. Some have cut her off. In the end, the attorney told us that everything I wanted documented was the correct way to go and quite standard, based on FIVE paperback books I had read on will and trust preparation. (Instead, my estate plan took a total of 2.75 hours because I was so well prepared that the attorney complimented me). I think that such denial of a major problem and the hell I would have gone through is a damn good reason to dislike a parent and it will be very hard for this wound to heal. I think that this is only surpassed by a situation as when a child is hm-hm abused by a step-parent and the natural parent wants to live in denial that it is not happening. (I know of a case like this and it has destroyed that girl's life). Back to you. The digression was not cool, WPBH and Bill.