trinacriabob

What the hell is a "liebschin"? You going over on Deutsche-Lufthansa? I hate that airline. They are the only one of the European carriers that fights with me about my carry-on "roll-aboard" bulging about 1 inch over the pre-determined size. Then you wonder where stereotypes come from. Ser grundlich, ja? I'd take Alitalia anyday. Yeah, it'll be late but at least it's theatrically Italian and you're in "the Motherland" the minute you walk down the jet-way!

WMJ, WMJ.... What if a Southeast Asian gynecologist was named Dr. Poon? Wouldn't that be a hoot?

Yo, P-C-S, is that your brother in your Av...or is it you? :AH-HA_wink: What, do your folks have kids scattered everywhere...how many?

You forgot to bold-up, small chevy!My response to thread: smell

I H-A-T-E Santa Monica. Period. The only thing I like about it is the ocean breeze, which is available elsewhere. I was born there and grew up 3 or 4 miles east of there. It used to be a nice but regular kind of place. Now it's so trendy. Parts of it are downright bleak and the only parts that are nice are north of Wilshire. Anything around Pico going through it are nothing short of gross. Plus, now it's got that Cameron Diaz/Charlie Sheen/Robert Downey Jr. patina. Bleh.There are so many other areas in the Southland I would rather live that don't have that hype.

I would hate to travel for business...especially INTERNATIONAL. I rarely ever have traveled for business...more for conferences or meetings, but not to do work. I'm a creature of habit and get more done when I'm in a routine and in familiar surroundings. Traveling for pleasure/leisure? I'm all for it. Worst hotel ever: Just this last October, I was en route from Montreal to Syracuse NY. I left Montreal about 5 hours later than expected and I saw an exit marked with a Rodeway Inn. So I stayed there. As I drove my rented Allure (LaCrosse) into the lot, I knew I didn't like the place. It was creepy, but it was very late. The sheets and bedding were so musty that I smelled musty for a day or two. I took about 4 showers a day for the next 2 days. I can't believe I paid $ 53.99 for this crap in the middle of nowhere, whereas I stayed at the Travelodge at SFO to see the Queen Mary 2 arrive and had a fantastic night's sleep for $ 39.99. When I got my e-mail to rate the hotel stay at the Rodeway in upstate NY, I blasted them. Unbelievable. Best hotel ever: A toss between the Westin Calgary and the Doubletree LAX. Neither hotel is special in a historic or landmark sort of way, but the beds were so comfortable (Heavenly Bed and some other marketing name at the Doubletree) that I turned in early and got up late at both places. The other thing was the price: about $ 89 CDN at the Westin and $ 79 at the Doubletree. For the nature of the hotels, the price-quality relationship was fantastic.

Yeah, right -- Mormons don't like Catholics, in case you didn't know. :AH-HA_wink:

Do you have any ascots in your armoire? :AH-HA_wink:

You're not kidding...I read that, benign as the Ozarks are supposed to be, that part of the country has a bunch of meth labs tucked away in wooded nooks and crannies and that rangers/wardens unexpectedly run into trouble when they stumble upon them while actually looking for altogether different things (hunters, poachers, whatever)......inspiring reading while sitting there in the dentist's waiting lounge...

It's amazing to see where this thread has gone...

No, Reg, it's because I know you've worked in enough office settings to have "been around the corner" so I knew you would agree with me. It isn't about being politically correct or being optimistic, we preach "reality." LOL. Delta, this "hit the fan" when you cited part of the reason for the diversion that you are in a relationship but not "getting any." Some people on this forum will be on that "like flies on $h!," pardon my crassness.

pot sticker

toad

Grrrrrrr.....I tell everybody "Draw the line at Sunrise Boulevard which runs for at least 10 miles in a N-S direction and clips I-80 to the north and US 50 to the south." Anything west of there is hideous, including most of the city, because it's flat and bleak. To the east of Sunrise Blvd., the terrain starts to undulate and, in about 15 miles, there are some interesting hills and ravines in the foothill communities. In fact, real estate in Folsom, Fair Oaks, Roseville, Rocklin, El Dorado Hills, and Auburn is generally of newer stock and more expensive.

It's Texas's Berkeley! When my cousin came over from Italy in 2002 and we were sightseeing around San Francisco, I told her: "OK, we're going to get on a BART train and ride it to the other side of the Bay for about 20 minutes...there's something I want you to see." Put it this way, the word "granola" has now become part of her vocabulary.

philanderer

It's not the quantity/frequency, P-C-S, it's the quality. Women that are not educated and have someone else's kids (baggage) are ubiqutous...how FAST can I run?And you're back to using THAT emoticon...

I'll bet.I'm all for "second-tier" metropolitan areas. As much as I enjoyed growing up in L.A., I think that chapter is closed. New York is waaaayyyy too much. And I don't like Chicago's geographic position and weather. And San Francisco is waaaayyyy too expensive. Ok, so where does the second tier begin? Probably 2 to 3 million and on down to about 1 million in the metro area. This would include Atlanta (which I loved), Seattle (too Nordic and uptight) and Portland (too close to Eugene, OR and too filled with hate for California transplants). I have to live in a metro area because I require more mental stimulus than what a small town can bring. Plus, I like the whole multi-ethnic patchwork that one can't find in a small town.

Brando...well, yes, later in life...My response to thread: Rosie O'Donnell

Leverage for what? Bad sex or ...no sex? Where's the door??? My best friend from college who now lives in S.D. had this periodic holding out from his now ex-wife. Well, after he had had enough, he "walked." He was so glad they had no children. Now, she regrets it but he says he's glad to be on his own. We've had these kinds of posts/threads before. And, Reg, you know where I stand. Repeat after me: 1 in 7 - yep, I saw it on Oprah or some talk show, where a panel of experts was up there, while I was on summer break from architecture school: 1,2,3,4,5,6...7 1,2,3,4,5,6...7 1,2,3,4,5,6...7 That's how many girls have been subjected to sexual trauma. I am NOT interested in paying for it. Put out....or GET OUT. We've had these discussions/threads about attractive never-married professional women. My theory: 1,2,3,4,5,6...7 I mean, we can make light of the situation, but it's actually quite sad and the implications are far reaching. Delta, do what you want. But, eventually, you will have to figure out a solution.

I'm sorry, but the mother-in-law in a thong visual is...well...NOT inviting. Water sack tits in holsters and a dental floss bikini on a woman approaching retirement... Masturbating since 9? Really? Don't most of us wait until puberty for that urge to kick in? I thought they coincided. As for as the abstention from sex, I am wondering why. I hope it's not a religious thing. I knew this chick when living in ATL who was a C.A.P. (Catholic American Princess) who had no trouble putting out; however, her performance left much to be desired (read: laid there like a board). So, something is keeping you around...I know, it's the cooking!

biomedical engineering

The resident W-body aficionado will now weigh in: all models are DOWN except for the Impala which is UP. I wonder if the minor touch-up will help the LaCrosse pick up some steam in the next M.Y. I had lunch with a friend from work today (it's actually the "alumni club"... LOL...who have departed the firm I used to work at who get together once a month) and I was talking about VVT. He quickly told me that his full-size Toyota pickup truck has it and it's no big deal. The 3.5 VVT is not only in the Impala and the MC but powers a good chunk of the Auras ought there, which also appear to be selling quite well. Go General!

nanosecond

Personally, I would always use a clutch (never personally driven a motorcycle, though). It's there for a reason. The only time I don't use it is if I park a manual transmission car in a perfectly level spot (garage), at which point I put it in neutral and set the parking brake. Never had a problem. On a grade, I will usually put it in first and apply the parking brake. So glad to have an automatic trans. Whew.