trinacriabob

Ok, so I'm in L.A. last week and, like I used to do when I was growing up there, I would go to LAX to see planes land and take-off. As some of you know, the runways are perpendicular to the ocean and the communities of Westchester and El Segundo are to the north and south of the airport property, respectively. The Westchester side has no viewpoints per se but, on the El Segundo side, there is a knoll with a viewing park and telescopes. So I take my rental car there. It never fails. I always get into a conversation with somebody up there about planes and an hour has gone by...easily. They, too, know all the models, how much thrust the engines have, which airline has which aircraft on order, and even the timetable when certain carriers arrive and depart from Europe, Australia and the Orient... and on and on and on. As I drove away on Friday pm after watching a couple of '47s climb to the sky, I realized "I'm somewhat of a nerd." So be it. I love my planes. So, what's your nerd factor? Why so?

Merci. That is too funny....the French lesson, I mean. Il y a un Grand Ville Brougham, aussi, avec les tessuts meilleurs en les "hardtops" avec deux et quattre portes.

spank

Ooh-la-la...that's right. Every once in a while, I come upon a GrandVille convertible from 1975 or 1976 in perfect condition (quad rectangular lamps and cubed-up grille) and it's a feast for the eyes. "On ne peut pas oublier la GrandVille ouvert au ciel, n'est-ce pas?"

masturbation (the only thing most right-handers do with their left )

Usonia, you don't post much, but sometimes, when you do, it tends toward being dour and that concerns me. I hope you are working at being "your own best friend." That's a good place to start. After that, you wouldn't believe how people gravitate toward you, more than you may want.I spent the first part of last week in LV and the second part in LA. A friend of mine from childhood now lives there and she has never married. She commented on how she likes being single (she's at least a 7 in looks, too) because she doesn't want to put up with all the crap/baggage that people bring...so the grass may look greener to you regarding those people you know who are paired up. I am a little too relaxed these days, having quit my job at the end of February and expecting to finish up a master's degree (another one ) in about 7 weeks, which is at night, but I overloaded to finish. So, I'm at Hoover Dam and start talking to this chick from South America at the viewpoint because I hear her speaking Spanish and she gives me 3 phone numbers to come visit her in Venezuela. Then, a couple days later, I'm at DHS (Desert Hot Springs, about 25 min. north of Palm Springs) en route to LA at the tacky mineral pools there, and another woman proceeds to give me her phone number, telling me that if I come to the desert, there's no need to spend money because she has a guest house. This kind of $h! NEVER happens to me...especially 3 days apart. My friend in LV tells me she's never seen me so relaxed. Maybe that has something to do with it. Do you come off as unhappy and uptight? Maybe you need to get to a more "WTF" kind of state. I haven't a clue as to where you live; therefore, I don't know what your area offers. I really enjoy spending time by myself. I travel by myself and, except for some awkward situations being in restaurants by myself, I'm totally cool with it. So, I travel, go to Barnes and Noble to read travel books (or car/aviation mags), take drives (such as to Lake Tahoe) to bask in its grandeur, hit the gym (not too regular), talk to friends in other states or take naps. I don't like having people in my life that are bad for me just because it "looks better" to be "paired up." You shouldn't either. Hope that helps!

1-2-3

gin

"pooper-scooper"

Just flew back up from LaLaLand about an hour ago.Yeah, those damn La Brea tar pits and what's underneath them is a main reason that the Wilshire Blvd. subway can't be extended westward without big problems!

Most of the Pontiac names are "Frenchy" but the only 2 Cali ones I can think of are Catalina and Ventura. Are there others I've missed?

Our very own Flybry said it best: "f@#k you, I'm the Grand Prix." A keeper!

Yes, indeed, a Happy B-day to you in the "Republic of Texas"

Kevin Spacey(also from the movie Se7en -- he makes a good sicko, doesn't he?)

I have had one all week. I'm feeling the same way. I, too, might pop for this one before the curtain falls if I don't really like the LaCrosse "adjustment" Can't get enough of the dashboard and rocketing across the desert from Las Vegas to Los Angeles really gives one the idea that this is a confident and competent road car.

You...you...you SNOB. There, I said it. Funny you mention this since I drove my rental from LV to LA 2 days ago and had to go through Victorville, Fontana, Pomona and others ... somehow, I don't think living there would be a lot of fun...

Agreed. I just don't like it. Some of the overpowering Buick grilles look more like the front of sperm whales. Sorry.

When I've "test sat" them at the dealer, the seats seem to lack good ergonomics and contours. So they are comfortable, eh?Also, all the mags stress that the handling is floaty and not communicative. Is it more vague than taut?

the "QE2"

Yes, in the immediate city area: Santa Monica, Westwood Village, Century City, the South Bay (Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach), and possibly Malibu Outside the city area: Santa Barbara, Solvang/Buellton and San Simeon (you will pass through ALL of these on 101 up to SF)

You know, Greece isn't that bad. Of the choices, though, I prefer Northern Italians, followed by Greeks and Southern Italians being about equal. I found Northern Italians to be more polite and restrained.I like Rome but you can only see the monuments so many times. I do not like Florence much at all. Landlocked, humid and with a dirty river running through it, it is way too full of itself and so are the Florentines (I have cousins who live there and the stories I hear about their pretentious friends and neighbors, I say "feed them to the lions"). It is expensive and, if art and fashion don't interest you (they don't), move on. Venice has that constant sea breeze and the atmosphere. The atmosphere alone is the reason to go. You are absolutely correct. The very top of Italy (that is, the lakes) such as Como are the pinnacle. So incredibly beautiful. I've been to Garda, too, though it's not as "genteel" as Como. One day, I took my rented "Smart" from Verona up to Bolzano (almost Austria), then across the winding road through the Dolomites and back down to Venice. I no longer go to Italy for the monuments. I go for the scenery and either the mountain or seaside relaxation areas....the Dolomites, the Lake District, Venice, Sardinia and Sicily. Everything else is WAY too much work.

soup (shark fin soup...sounds gross)

Yes. Agreed. I never liked it to begin with, but I respect its high level of fit and finish. Possibly, it might also be a very nice vehicle to drive. I have never liked the overpowering front grille. I have also never liked the "Lexus-y" styling cues. I was looking forward to something new and fresh but still identifiably as a Buick for the next decade. Case in point: the new Aura looks like nothing else. It is clearly a Saturn Aura. I wouldn't buy one after acquainting myself with it at the Saturn dealership but, my God, kudos for pulling off an "original car' job to Saturn designers.

cartilege

I land in Las Vegas and as I am walking out of the MAUVE colored concourse (the whole friggin airport is mauve inside), I see a poster for DAVID HASSELHOFF (your buddy) at the Paris-Las Vegas. And I think of Reg. Evidently, he is performing there, for a while. Looks like he's had some "nip and tuck" as he doesn't look a day over 35. But that's Vegas for you. What a nutty place. No wonder my friend from LA (she's 100% Italian) moved there, she's kind of...ehm...unique. Stayed the first night at her new cookie-cutter house in a new SW neighborhood, then onto the Excalibur the second night, and finally onto the Orleans for the next 2 nights (price drop). I need a "Vegas fix" once a year. It's such a weird place. I only spent ONE DOLLAR in a casino, the rest of the time was going to the pool, swimming, buffets, driving around the illuminated Strip and driving to both Lake Mead and Red Rock Canyon. You know you go there enough when you start to say "it's on Trop" -- meaning Tropicana Avenue. My God, one morning I took my friend out to breakfast and sitting right across from us was a TRANSSEXUAL .... unbelievable. In Kansas or Alabama, that person might not be around to the next day. He had masculine face and, though slender, veined and very muscular biceps and calves; HOWEVER, he had a sundress, nail polish, lipstick and breasts. He/She/It was sitting there with this beer bellied middle-aged guy. I went to one of the two 24-hour Starbucks in the city to do some reading. There is evidently a contingent of regulars. This one seems to be a hangout for a lot of Chinese chicks who must be students at UNLV. This one dude was there both nights, talking up a storm in a very Brooklyn "howyadoin' " kind of accent. (Shut up, please). For some reason, LV has a real magnetic attraction for foreigners (largely Filipinos, Latin Americans), LA "equity refugees" and NY Italians and Jews. Those groups seem to flock there in big numbers, giving it a real interesting atmosphere; however, because it's Vegas, they are not among the finer specimens of those ethnic groups. And you gotta love the Las Vegas motto: "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." Befittingly tacky.