trinacriabob

I'm in Florida as we speak. Are you stopping at any ports? Grand Bahama, Freeport, etc. I've never been on a cruise but I've been on several transatlantic crossings with my parents as a child and then a crossing on the QE2 some 2 years after college. The Carnivals and Princesses are definitely cruises...and a good time I'm sure. The black hulled liners crossing the Atlantic under the British flag are more somber...and a chance to relive a slice of history. Sailing on the QE2 was one of the most exciting events of my life. Have fun. I'm envious.

Looking at my post about 5 up and I just crossed 225,000 miles and it turned 14 a couple of weeks ago. No powertrain issues at all. Altogether, the repairs have amounted to less than $ 1400 or so....now mind you, I am not counting routine maintenance or normal wear items. That's been about $ 100 a year in repairs! Find me a foreign car (including a Toyota) that will beat that!!! Good luck.

Well aren't we privileged? One of the hardest things about rummaging around Italy despite being fluent in Italian is that they can pick up the subleties of which accent group you belong to. In my case, they can definitely pick up the sublety that it was taught to me by Sicilians (even though I am speaking the standard version)....and sometimes, you are treated accordingly. This goes to show the narrow mindedness and provincialism that prevails in most parts of Italy...including the North, where some of them absolutely hate southern Italians.That's why I like to be in a Spanish speaking country. My indoctrination into Spanish was by an Argentinian professor at college....in my mind, the best brand of Spanish out there. (I know AAS doesn't appreciate that comment). And, the comment I get is that my Spanish is very good and very "clean." God bless Argentina!

As in: It's yours? Great.

Oh, yeah, Venice Beach is weird and sensory overload. SaMo is nothing special, as I said. Malibu is not meant to be exciting, just beautiful...and it is. Too bad you didn't take in Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo....I like those. The OC beach towns are definitely nice...hence the white flight to those areas.The rest of the inland stuff is ok...most of the beautiful homes are either by the beach or in the canyons. It is a unique place, that's for sure....as I sit here near the beach in the Florida panhandle.

star

You one funny mo.fo......walk on, child !!!

dude

Is it teaching Italian? If so, YOU SHOULDN'T WORRY. Your enthusiasm is great. In my field, once you get licensed, it's less competitive. I have had to interview with SOOOO many ass holes, I just assume I will talk to an ass hole and take it from there. I don't think YOU can afford to have that attitude because of the nature of your field. With me, if it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. And, if you don't like them in the interview, you won't like it when you wind up working with them. Buona fortuna e in bocca al lupo!

pulsation

There's even June Gloom

It's missing the dash vent all the way to the right...telling me there's no A/C. But then it looks like you're way up north so you may have a short A/C season.

Yeah, but you're missing out on all the NY transplants, Cubans and Argentinians

subtle

There's always a way to mitigate this. That's my belief. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Not so much with the car. I HATE when someone moves and leaves the license plate frame from a dealer in another area. When I lived on Seattle's Eastside, I saw a Ford Explorer with Washington plates and a license plate frame that said: Santa Clarita Valley - Magic Ford. What a dork!

Pasadena

Yep, it's been mid 80s with a fair bit of humidity in South Florida.

I had the chance to go about 6 years in Northern California. I declined. Girls that had NEVER done it before went. I'm sorry, that's too stupid of a thrill to risk bodily harm. Heck, you could even get messed up when you land.

Don't like it. It's stodgy. It's NOT what Buick needs. Invicta was a little racier, at least. But then, GM is known to make dumb decisions.

cosmopolitan

Isn't it amazing how that happens?I've found that even the CAP*s can get into put into this category. (* = Catholic American Princess). And as far as being "good girls", those can go 2 ways: (1) frigid, or (2) vamp.

Kramer

That won't be happening. Like I said, it's my badly awaited vacation.

George