trinacriabob

By living in my own bubble of now departed GM W-bodies, colonnade coupes, and cast iron block/cast iron head engines, I just stay out of this $h!+.

One more month to go ...

The particular ViewSonic model gets high customer rankings. I've seen some of theirs that didn't on the same site. I know I mentioned this here before. I bought an HP monitor. It went out in a year or two. Thankfully, I kept the old monitor, also HP and ancient but super reliable, and that's what I have hooked up now. I tried hooking up the failed newer one again but I can't even get the blue light to show up. Does this mean it's toast or are there other tests? Too bad, because I like both the brand and the design of the monitor. There was a power outage, and I have a new(er) surge protector, but the monitor seems to have failed while everything else thankfully "lived."

Spotted on December 15 walking out of a restaurant in a strip mall I loved these back in the day. I'll never forget when I was visiting a grade school friend in Spokane WA and had to make myself scarce until they got home from work, so I went to a Barnes and Noble with a Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealer next to it. There was one identical to this, though possibly in the metallic bronze color, that was very deeply discounted at the end of the model year. The price was on the window. I didn't even talk to a salesperson - no one bothered me. I was tempted to ask for the form to sign on the line and buy it. I didn't. It all worked out. All is well that ends well.

Today was sort of a Buick spotting day First, I saw the last gen LaCrosse in silver getting off of an on-ramp. I thought about how it wasn't so bad looking. And how it's the last of the big GM sedans (other than Cadillac) we'll know for a while. Also, the boomerang, C-shape of the tail lamps works within its rear fascia while, in Honda products, there isn't enough space for similar tail lamp shapes and it's a big "fail." - - - - - Then, I saw about an early '90s white Buick Skylark sedan on the freeway. What a hoot. It was in great shape, with no body damage for a 30 year old vehicle, and moving along nicely. Too bad the douche bag driving it was texting. I know these had 3 speed transaxles but believe they had different 4s and 6s. The good thing was that it probably could have been had with the 3300 V6 (born of the 3800) at some point. It looked pretty much like this one, but had some type of alloy wheels:

I defer to safe and boring. I tend to like that parchment beige color on walls, white on ceilings, and tan carpet in bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms. Also, medium to medium-dark stained wood on millwork. Not the super dark wood that's now "in," nor millwork painted in white (reminds me of what people did, and do, in Atlanta) or other enamel colors. You are now going into new or remodeled houses and there's a big push on gray walls as well as the weathered driftwood wood flooring (or vinyl, if economizing) that leans more gray than tan. I question if this is a good idea in Seattle and Syracuse NY, where gray skies prevail. In Phoenix, Denver, and Miami, there's enough sunshine to offset the effect (on your psyche) of gray walls and gray flooring. - - - - - Ok, for my tech question: Is ViewSonic for a basic, no frills desktop monitor a decent enough brand?

I'd love to drive around the streets near the wharves in South Philadelphia and see this. They need to amp up their restoration efforts of the S.S. United States, which holds the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing, at just under 4 days and averaging a little over 41 knots / hr.

Yikes about the Charger. I guess a person can look at wherever they live and see the list of which cars in their area are likely to be stolen. How sad that this could guide someone's purchasing decision to some extent. I'm guessing mid-80s Cutlass Supreme coupes are no longer on that list. LOL. They certainly were at one time. Twelve year old kid? How time flies. Unbelievable.

After reading this earlier today, I saw a dude on the freeway in a black Chrysler 300. It definitely owns its niche. I can see your position. However, it would have to be just the way I'd want it ordered. I reviewed one here once - I had one for $49 for that day. For $15 more, I finally got to drive a 300! Surprisingly, the driving experience, smoothness, and noise suppression were no different (to me) than in Chargers I had driven up to then. In defense of the more recent 300, cloth seats are now standard again and they've gotten rid of the dashboard applique, favoring a simpler black trim (which you notice around the "chronometer") and now have a simple leather wrapped steering wheel (like the one in the Charger) as opposed to the annoying segmented hard metal/plastic one they had in my rental car. I'm sure the 300 features better visibility because it's more upright. The one thing that bothers me is how the grille looks so exposed, while the current Charger grille has a very defined bumper section that is body colored. As for colors, I only like both of these cars in white and in the enamel dark gray color they're currently offering.

What is the frickin' deal? Sure, I've read about the funding issues and bottlenecks at the USPS. However, I've been waiting for very ordinary pieces of mail with bar codes to get to certain places and they haven't. Any of you noticing slower mail transit time with the USPS?

I was looking around the web at cars, car ratings, and car reviews. Then, if one needs help to break a tie between a Dodge Charger and a Chrysler 300, they should look at this (courtesy of Motor Trend): In basic and base MSRP, the Charger and the 300 are a mere $ 45 apart. Same platform, chassis, and powertrain. Completely different roofline, greenhouse, beltline, and front end affect. You decide. This made it easy (at least for me). Oh yeah, as for the Avalon (#1), LOL.

One of Sicily's most mercurial citizens, going by the name of Mt. Etna, has erupted today. They say that the suburban towns of the island's second largest city situated further down on its slopes are not in any danger. Still, I would not live on the slopes of Mt. Etna. You can live in towns further away and have postcard views of it instead.

Spotted on December 13 "The Germans are coming, the Germans are coming ..." Never mind, they've already left. These "imported for Buick" Regal wagons seem lengthier than how they looked when in the showroom.

They live in Blythe, CA and don't have a carport? - - - - - Spotted on December 9 - my second favorite color for this car, minus spoiler, after basic white:

Patagonia stuff (vests, sweaters, outerwear) from REI, per ad banners I get, is a little pricey. Ah, yes, what labels will do to prices.

November 29 sighting, on the north side of Atlanta, GA I'm walking out of a Publix supermarket and, near my rental car, was this nice little Verano with the twin towers of Concourse, which are the two tallest buildings out at Atlanta's Perimeter business district, sitting across the street directly behind it. "Georgia on my Mind."

November 28 sighting, in a suburb of Atlanta, GA I was in one of those 'burbs with an antique row and indie eateries. I'm not into antiques, but I am into food. I was about to turn night. To my left was a very unique sight ... so I turned left. As it were, the owners of these 2 vehicles knew each other. I slowed down, pulled over, let them know I knew these cars well and liked them, talked with them for a while, and they let me take these photos. Two versions of the 2-seater Buick Reatta - a convertible and a hardtop coupe. Their owners were very fond of these cars.

@Robert Hall That IS a valid question. Possibly a little bit of both. An independent mechanic I'm using more lately has some of the better GM vehicles parked in front where the owner would park his park. I guess he likes the better GM models with the better engines. I was slightly more partial to the smaller and boxier P.A. and LeSabre. Some of the ones after that got too bulbous. I once had the opportunity to drive one of the last square P.A.s, in uplevel trim, from Dallas to Houston and it was one serene riding sled.

November 25 sighting, again on the Gulf ... as in way, way south on the Gulf ... A Park Avenue for sale, complete with a burgundy leather interior - not in bad shape for the scorching sun found here ... Literally on the other side of the street, a 2005 (no trunk lock) Pontiac Grand Prix in Fusion Orange Metallic. It had MN plates. There's a slight difference in the front fender, now that I look at this. This might have been the only W body GM car to feature this paint color. I could probably drive a metallic rust colored GP. They have certainly held up for the 13 to 16 years that this body style has been around.

As for the Rolls, precursors to "Poverty Sucks," perhaps? As for the Benz, "Irma Bunt, where are you?"

Bartlesville, OK ... this immediately comes to mind. The first time I saw this, I thought it was a cartoon. I learned it was real. It's the 19 story Price Tower by the mercurial Frank Lloyd Wright and is his only skyscraper that came to fruition.

November 21 sighting, down by the Gulf ... special mention! Something of the classic and unknown (to me) variety in pristine condition: In front of a historic registered building, no less ...

November 21 sightings, down by the Gulf ... Of the Ford variety: Of the Chevrolet variety: Sidebar: really like seeing the new mid-engine Corvette when I do see one! What can I say except "See the U.S.A., in a Chevrolet."

Gators are goofy. They seem somewhat oblivious to humans, but I wouldn't take it for granted. Look how often animal control is called to remove them from backyard pools. - - - - - I am agonizing over what kind of dog to get sooner than later - mini Australian Shepherd, smaller Border Collie, Shetland Sheepdog, or a larger Bernese Mountain Dog? All great breeds. And, yes, I like some cats, too. There is an all black one in my complex that invites itself over upon seeing me. It already has a home. However, it has marked me.

Cool building, for its day, with its curve in brick ... this could either be a sunny day in Wisconsin ... or a blistering humid day in Alabama. I've never thought about it this way. I first saw the word in Reader's Digest, of all places, thought it was an interesting multisyllabic word, but didn't really understand what it meant. I think I was about 11.