The Lounge

My advice, stop licking pigs !!! Seriously, H1N1 is no joke, I hope you feel better soon.

After some delay, I've finished the R8 pics for a semi-rough selection. EDIT Here they are. Detail shots: Interior shots:

In your opinion, what features/characteristics (measurable) should all vehicles from each brand have or at least always have as an option? Feel free to distinguish between trucks/cars, but otherwise it should be the same across the whole brand. A few of my opinions as Examples: Cadillac: HID projector headlights, LED signal lights all around, offer nav (maybe should be standard) Buick: LED tail lights, fog lights, offer nav Also feel free to do this in reverse, like: Nav: Cadillac (standard), Buick (always available option), GMC (always available option) So, what do you think? Let's stick to the remaining brands for simplicity.

ok, I made the last payment on the Aztek! Mine free and clear! Woo. Hoo. I had hoped by now to have sold or traded it, but such is not yet possible. It may be a few more months. And with the car markets the way it has been, the GM and Chrysler bailouts, the economic crash, prices skyrocketing on new and used, it kind of has blunted my enthusiasm on cars all around. But, with a little luck down the road maybe by the time the 2010's wind down and the 2011's trickle in, I may have the opportunity to get something. New for me means a new car or slightly used or even a used one that is just a great deal and has plenty of life left in it. The Taurus X is the othe…

06 Passat 06 Passat black int 03 530i 04 RSX-S 03 A6 So my favorite is the BMW, but it is also the most expensive. The A6 is the cheapest, but also has the highest mileage. The Passat is one of the cheaper ones, and the newest, but the biggest drawback for me is FWD. Same for the RSX-S, but both will be better on gas. I'm really leaning towards the BMW or Passat, but am having a hard time deciding if I want to pay $2k more for a 3 year older car, as it would be stretching my budget right now.

So we went to do a little Christmas shopping, and needed a couple of Wii's (is that the correct pluralization?) and it turns out they're still a bitch to hunt down. Best Buy had none, Target had none, the smaller, independant places just laughed at me. Special mention goes to Sears/K-Mart because they have layaway, so according to the sales guy they haven't had any on shelves in weeks. After giving in and going to Gamestop, the search was over, walked in, got two, walked out. But I thought the whole Wii shortage thing was over.

It's been a crummy week, that's for sure. Today I was planning to go to the parts stores and get some prices on a tie rod puller and a torque wrench, and see if buying them plus the bushings would be cheaper than having the shop doing the inner tie rod bushing for the Intrepid. At about 12:30 I head out. Since the Prizm was across the street out front (and I had yanked the starter relay out of the Intrepid and forgot it) I figured I'd take that. I walk over to it and unlock the door and notice something sitting on the center console. Open it up and come to find that someone had broken the rear quarter window, broken the center stack bezel, and ripped out the cheap Son…

One day YOU might be the mouse! <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Story I think they got the story wrong, but you be the judge... If you ask me, the pelican distracted him from his phone. It was the phone that made the dim-bulb veer off the road. What a dork.

I found this on a news homepage. Check out this link and hit the "slide show" Link to MSN article on American towns It lists and talks about America's "prettiest" towns (subjective). In a way, they probably tried to appease everybody and scatter them all over the U.S. The ones that don't interest me: (a) tourist towns on the California coast that you can't afford anyway (Monterey, Cambria), (b) ski resorts (Aspen), ( c ) towns which...ahem...attract people I can't relate to (Sedona, Santa Fe) The ones that interest me: (a) I stumbled into Burlington VT once (needed to get over to the US "side" from Montreal to make cell phone calls and go to Kinko's), beauti…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trOij8SPIAo

Enzora and REDO1GPGT: Happy birthday, gents! Special mention to Enzora, who started the immensely popular "Pictures!" thread, which is second only to Word Association in posts/views. Again, happy birthday!

A crane toppled over at one of our job sites today, crushing a Silverado, part of a Sierra, sheared off a corner of the contractor office, and flattened half of a guard shed. Amazingly, nobody was injured even though workers were in both buildings. The boom crane that fell was being used to erect two larger tower cranes (taken a couple hours before it tipped over).

I'd let them cut my hair. Maybe not a shave, though.

So I started the day off by tweaking the default C&G banner to better integrate with the spiffy new layout. Next up I brought the Intrepid around front to detail it in prep for what I was hoping to be a photo shoot for the calendar. Spent an hour or so detailing it and the wheels. Then I dragged out my "new" shop vac and gave it the most thorough vacuum its probably had since I bought it. So much better to do when you're not putting coins in the slot! No sooner had I just finished all of this and got the tools put away did my dad show up. We're finally getting rid of the `86 Caravan LE and the Town and Country. So I had to help load up various bits of junk that were…

<a href="http://failblog.org/2009/11/10/tire-change-fail/"><img class="mine_2690983936" title="epic-fail-tire-change-fail" src="http://failblog.wordpress.com/files/2009/10/epic-fail-tire-change-fail.jpg" alt="epic fail pictures" /></a><br />see more <a href="http://failblog.org">Epic Fails</a>

to thank a veteran today. For the Vets on this board i give you my deepest gratitude for your service and sacrifice.

AMHERST, Mass. -- The University of Massachusetts-Amherst is planning to let a convicted terrorist give a speech at the school. A convicted domestic terrorist whose scheduled speech at the University of Massachusetts was canceled has been reinvited to campus by a faculty group against the objections of school administration. Raymond Levasseur of Waldo, Maine, a former leader of the United Freedom Front, is scheduled to speak at the university on Thursday night. The group was a violent anti-government group linked to more than 20 bombings along the east coast, including the Suffolk County courthouse back in 1976. He and two co-defendants were also acquitted of attemp…

I don't see the problem... -- -- -- -- -- >>A jury has convicted an 80-year-old Wilmington, Del. woman of abusing her 82-year-old husband by forcing him to live at the family junkyard with a pot for bathing and couch to sleep on. Shirley M. Wilson told jurors she pulled her husband, who was a stroke victim, out of nursing home and set him up in a backroom of their office at the junkyard so he could "come home and get to work," according to The News Journal. Wilson represented herself. Last week's trial lasted three days and then jurors convicted Wilson of elderly abuse. Don Wilson was found lying on the couch in a soiled diaper and pajama top in late March…

Hmm....this is interesting. My wife wants to keep her Cavalier. (people want to keep cavaliers? ) The current plan was to upgrade her car, aka the "family" car, to a nice used Liberty or Nox, and delegate her 03 to my beater 4dr, thus allowing me to have fun with the next new car. (cruze, focui, Aveo, Mazda 3, etc...) Two reasons for her logic: 1. A real vacation. Italy, Europe, someplace far and cool.... 2. To see if we decide to expand the family. There's a good chance of that, so she might want to wait until we need it to save a few bucks..... I have a slight issue with this, but not much. I guess the fact that the car is almost 7 years old might be why. T…

Had a great day, today, meeting up with Camino, Z-06 and his fiance (hopefully she'll join up soon with a screen name of her own!). The weather could not have been more perfect. It was good to meet new friends and to catch up with Mr. El Camino. Thanks again, as well, for the hospitality shown to us by Camino's mother from her peaceful little corner of the world.

I hate Eskimos, they're always using their 217 different words for snow, and talking about igloo building and fishing. Its just so annoying, why do that do that non-stop? And whats with taking their elderly and putting them on an ice flow, dont they realize thats not how civilized society operates? So what about you guys, do you hate Eskimos too?

So this winter's project is to redo my interior to become a different 2-tone...since I've never been fond of the gray. My choices are either Dark Slate/Taupe or Dark Slate/Tan. I've done two chops: one of another member's taupe interior and one of my interior. Which do you prefer? #1 #2

Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the impact the man had on music and what he was attempting to do, but Bob Dylan could not: a.) sing, b.) play guitar, c.) play harmonica, or d.) write consistently good lyrics (which are as deep as a supermodel is shallow). If the local classic rock station plays "Like A Rolling Stone" one more time, I'm going to shove Bob's harmonica down his neck.

^ My self-dubbed handle when I was in the same office for 11 years. -- -- -- -- -- Is it possible to simultaneously be stressed/ harried, yet also be increasingly bored ?? I should go work on an old car or something....

Guys, I am wracking my brain, trying to remember a web site I used to frequent. It was a humour site, full of other unusual websites and funny stuff - i think glass was in the title. no prizes for the right answer, just my eternal gratitude!!!! thanks, stacey

...yet another car. Saw this and thought of you. http://www.productioncars.com/vintage-ads....smobile/Cutlass THAT is what you need, my friend. Chris

I was in Berlin when the wall fell, I was 20 years old at the time, it is something I will never forget as long as I live. A lot of Americans take freedom for granted, they don't even bother to vote. As a man who has a foot in both North America and Europe, and seeing what I saw there, I have a greater appreciation for what can be lost if it's not held dear. The fall of this wall lead to German reunification of East and West Germany. The beginning of the Wall. The Wall falls in 1989.

As the new CEO was taking over, he asked the former chief if he could give him any advice. The outgoing CEO said he would leave something useful in the top drawer of the desk. On his first Monday at the helm, the new CEO opened the top drawer. There was a note and 3 envelopes, numbered 1 through 3. The instructions were to open the envelopes in order as a crisis in business would arise. The new CEO shoved the note and envelopes to the back of the drawer. Things ran smoothly for 6 to 8 months but then, sure enough, something went haywire and the CEO didn't know what to do. The board of directors wanted answers. He thought, "What the heck." and opened the first envelope…

Commuting to work this morning, I thought this was a joke. But it's true. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the "workhorse" of the bridges in the Bay Area, is closed. This one connects to the city to the East Bay where millions of people live in Oakland, Berkeley, and many other towns. (The postcard bridge, the Golden Gate, connects the city to more remote, way more expensive and less populous areas). Unlike almost exactly 20 years ago (Oct 17, 1989) when the Loma Prieta Quake popped a section out of the roadway, this time, there was no natural disaster. A connecting rod on the "East Span," which they are actually replacing with an entirely new bridge as we spe…

http://www.sccaforums.com/forums/thread/387381.aspx MY kind of Firebird!

press release

... life was easier back then. By CaminoLS6

Read article here.

Taking some quality time with the Mrs., it's been a long couple of weeks ... But my teenager is away in college, so just like old times here @ Villa Börger ... Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Later y'all !!!

I don't have hardly any faith in humanity, as it seems like it has gotten impossible for people to drive a car worth a damn... but I've noticed a new trend in drivers' habit, at least in the Phila-NJ-NYC area, that I have so far called the Half-Ass Double Stop. So, how its done... you come to a complete stop at a stop sign, with the intention to make a left turn. You wait... but traffic is heavy in either direction. So you wait until there is nobody coming from your left for a bit and you pull halfway into the intersection. Now you sit... blocking traffic, as you wait until the traffic from the right gives you an opportunity to finish the turn. This is especially ha…

went to a site that i used to frequent due to the wealth of information on 69 chevys. they had this little feature posted It’s 1970 and you’re enjoying a day at the strip. The typical cars file up to the line and charge from the gate. Then you see a 4,500-lb ’69 Chevy Kingswood 9 passenger wagon lumber up to the line, its massive body dwarfing everything else around. They can’t be serious! What’s that doing here? Before you can contemplate further, it launches down the ¼ mile and thunders across the line a mere 12.41 seconds later, at 111.88 mph. Stunned, you can’t help but think “What the hell just happened??” Well, the explanation is simple. This particular Kings…

Happy birthday, Network Engineer. Everything been cool? Enjoy your day!

Yanktheez!

Flying out of Fargo on Friday and going to hopefully make it for the tail end of SEMA. I have a buddy who works for a company up here in North Dakota that mainly sells Semi Trailer and Farm equipment covers. They also sell ATV and Pickup snow plows as well as pickup truck bed covers. As long as I don't get delayed I should be able to make it for the last couple of hours. We are staying for the weekend to drink a few as well Anyone else going to make it down? Bryce

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/10/10..._50_years/1.htm Some good choices, some very stupid choices.

Well yesterday at work we ran out of jobs to process so they had to send me and a bunch of other people home, and I had today off. My boss told me to call him this afternoon to see if there was work for Wednesday. I called and left a message. He just called me back and told me that unfortunately, our customers have no more jobs to send us.Normally there's work up until the 2nd or 3rd week of December but for whatever reason we've already gone though all of the work for the season. So I got laid off. He said I'm eligible for unemployment, and that he would send information about it with my check. He also said that I did good work and offered to put me on the call back l…

remember a while back when someone posted about the place out in branson where the guy had gathered all the different cars from 57? well mecum auctioned off the whole shibang this past week. check out the numbers for cherry 57 iron. http://www.mecum.com/auctions/consignment_...;consignday=ALL

Finally got all of the parts I got from All You Can Carry Day (this past Halloween) out and lined up. Here they be: I'm two door panels and a speaker grill short of a complete taupe interior. Nice thing is that the center console has the second AUX power port which I plan to hook up. So much better than the hard to get to one next to the ash tray. I' got a newer style auto dimming mirror, the AutoStick shifter mechanism, a clock, and an OTIC or whatever we seem to call them. I'm calling them that because that's what the manual calls them but I digress. I'm kinda disappointed with the interior color. I thought taupe would be closer to tan than gray. It isn't. Yes…

not a damn job left in michigan.... I'm so tired of it....I want to give up....really. I wish leaving was an option, but at the moment, I have ties (both family and financal) that will keep me here for a while. I've cut back...but I think you just get to a point where you don't plan to dig deeper.... At least I've had a few interviews, but.....*sigh* Sorry guys, I just had to rant. I'm a pretty easy going guy (and kinda a nut as Z found out ), but I'll just tired of the BS.... I'm thankful for the good things (a fun toddler, goofy wife, and our crazy families), but in these tough times (even more so in MI) it's enough to make you crazy.....

Four Catholic men and a Catholic woman were having coffee. The first Catholic man tells his friends, "My son is a priest, when he walks into a room, everyone calls him 'Father'." The second Catholic man chirps, "My son is a Bishop. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Grace'." The third Catholic gent says, "My son is a Cardinal. When he enters a room everyone says 'Your Eminence'." The fourth Catholic man then says, "My son is the Pope. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Holiness'." Since the lone Catholic woman was sipping her coffee in silence, the four men give her a subtle, "Well....?" She proudly replies, "I have a daughter, slim, …

I come to find out today that my mom plans on clearing out the driveway. So that means both van are being junked (a pity, the very first car I ever drove was the `86 Caravan), but she also seems to plan to junk the Grand Marquis. She pulled it off the road to save money a couple months ago. Has a flat, and although I (and only I) made the effort to start it up, battery probably is too weak to start it. Does still have power through. To get it back on the road it needs a battery if this one is no good, and a tire. Have a spare tire, no biggie. Waterpump is starting to go, but that should be an easy fix. Looks much easier to do than the Shadow was. Then there's the tra…

Check this out... http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/1320/ If you follow the links on the truck he's written about what he's done to modify it...cool! Chris

Someone offered me a '78 Camaro rolling chassis for trade on what's left of the Firebird today. I'm seriously thinking about having a project to put away and begin working on when I finish up with the Regal's interior and paint. While I would really like to have a tired old Cutlass to work on and eventually slip the Regal's Rocket 350 into, I'm mulling over pulling the trigger on this particular trade. Winter's getting close and the Firebird has to go as soon as possible. Factor in that I could be moving soon into a house with a nice garage to work in and well ... The Camaro has one big downside: the sheetmetal is full of rust. I'll just let you guys check it out for …

Okay......thought I'd get the C&G's team's feedback on this interesting topic (well interesting to me at least.) I get &#036;h&#33; all the time from my friends because I'm 38 and I always end up dating guys in their mid-20's. I'm always asked....."Why don't you date guys your age or older?" So I've been thinking about it alot.....and I don't have an answer. It just seems that the guys I'm attracted to and end up falling emotionally for tend to be somewhere around 10-12 years younger than me. Before the "Daddy Complex" jokes start......LOL.....it's not that at all. I've always looked to my boyfriends, or guys I'm dating, as equals in our relationship.…

Worst Car Showcase Presents: The Chevrolet Vega The Vega could quite possibly be one of GM's worst efforts in the sub-compact car market in the history of the company. When GM and Chevrolet introduced the Vega models, which were a coupe (Hatchback), a sedan (Notchback), a two-door station wagon (Kammback), and a sedan delivery (Panel Express), all the way back in 1971, it was their poorly concerted answer to Volkswagen ass-engined Beetle, Ford's cheeky pint-sized rolling fireball, known as the Pinto, as well as the torrent of bland and dreary econo-boxes being shipped over from Japan by the bushel full. Yes, when it came to the era of disco and bell-bottom jeans, the…

http://www.geenstijl.nl/mt/archieven/2008/..._autos_wat.html example 1

My point and shoot Canon SD850IS camera does not start. It initially had problems focusing (as BV and DF noted when I took some pictures of my cars). Now it does not even turn on charge even with the battery fully charged. I tried various things like plugging to the computer and trying to start, using spare battery, etc. with no avail. Do you know any place which will fix it and how much do you think it is to fix? I like the camera for the simple facts that it was handy, had a view finder along with the screen and had great image quality - something which was must for me while taking pictures in the field. I do not want to spend close to $300 for a new one of similar capa…

Hey...there is this guy I work with that I HATE. He needs to retire. He spends waaaaaaaaayyyy too much time looking at what I do...and I don't mean work-wise. I mentioned that I had to do something (personal) in a couple of weeks. He then says that he noticed it on my Outlook. I don't look at anybody's Outlook (especially into the future), unless I'm trying to get a few people into a meeting, or set aside a conference room. Why the hell is he looking at my Outlook in the future? I don't give a rat's ass what anybody around me does? Do some people not have a life? What is their problem? Do you have petty/intrusive co-workers? I do have some cool co-workers …

Sadly, I attended my last car show for the 2009 calendar year. The All Pontiac Show and Go, sponsored by High Performance Pontiac Magazine and held at Old Bridge Raceway Park in Englishtown (Manalapan), NJ, was originally scheduled for the day before father's day (Saturday) back in June but was rained out, so the car show was heldyesterday (10/25). Attached are some of the Pontiac photos I took...

Over here in California, doing laundry and preparing for work slightly after midnight, the forum index indicates it's ZL-1's birthday. Aqui em California, fazendo lavandaria e preparando pelo trabalho depois de meianoite, o index do forum indica que e o aniversario do ZL-1. For those of you who get irked by the foreign language stuff, I'm entitled a "waiver" to (attempt) to wish one of our long-time members a happy birthday in Portugal in Portuguese. Have a great birthday, Pedro!

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/1288922120.html Check it out, and sorry if this has been posted here earlier. Chris

that there are huge expanses of water and lande between me and this guy here because i would go all infidel on him if i saw him in person...

My dad's getting rid of his 2008 Infiniti M35x in favor of a 2010 Chevy Malibu 2LT. The reason for the change is really it had gotten difficult for him to drive a car all the time and he's taking over his wife's SUV (2008 Mercury Mariner)...and his wife found the Infiniti to be "too fancy" and wouldn't drive it. So *really* this will be his wife's car (and she used to have an Aveo), but I'm still happy I was able to talk him into a Malibu as I really hated the Subaru Legacy GT which was their other choice. One of my friends is buying the Inifiniti for his wife. And yes, I did use guilt and "as a taxpayer, you own part of GM" to squash the Subaru deal...finding a buye…

Dallas police ticketed 39 drivers in 3 years for not speaking English By SCOTT GOLDSTEIN / The Dallas Morning News [email protected] Dallas police wrongly ticketed at least 39 drivers for not speaking English over the last three years, Police Chief David Kunkle announced Friday while promising to investigate all officers involved in the cases for dereliction of duty. Pending cases will be dismissed, and those who paid the $204 fine for the charge, which does not exist in the city, will be reimbursed, Kunkle said. "I was surprised and stunned that that would happen, particularly in the city of Dallas," Kunkle said. "In my world, you would never tell s…

It is so frustrating to try to navigate a GM website. *knock knock* hellOOO, ppl use Al Gore's invention all the time these days, look into it!

Has anyone ever had a drink thrown in their face, or seen it done to someone else? It's an old, old dramatic device in movies, but does anyone actually throw a drink anymore? Seems ridiculous.

butt. I'm in serious need of a new chair for my time at the computer, my current chair is 12 years old and is very "tired". The problem is I haven't the faintest idea of what to get or what manufacturer makes the best chairs. So I need some imput and suggestions preferably with pictures. The criteria: must be black Material isn't a major issue Must have very thick padding/cushioning Lumbar support Headrest Recline ( by handle or lever) I don't like seatbacks that move with you Good leg support and perhaps even an extended seat cushion for extra thigh support Be able to support 300 lbs+ ( I weigh about 260, 270 but I like to know my chair is strong)…

Time flies, doesn't it? Hard to believe, but my NEPHEW'S FIRST BIRTHDAY is less than a month away, mid NOVEMBER! Watching him grow is awesome; I try to spend as much time with him as possible. It's also hard to believe I haven't been online for nearly 2 months, since before I left for my Route 66 road trip. A few days after I got home, I developed a virus infection (stomach flu) which requires fluids and rest, so unlike me, I've been in bed early every night since arriving home. A lot is going on right now, too, and wanting to be "on the road" and the fall/winter seasons don't help much. Among other things, driving my older 4 Monte Carlos (1972, 1976, 1979, 1981)…

I've got two local SCCA guys who have the money and skill to pull this off...and Z06 seems to have the money and determination to pull this off. That makes four of us. Will keep you posted, but it looks like we will be running at Gingerman, which is a tight, technical track, should be actually good for newbie drivers. Chris

Alright, simply put, there are some words in Italian that have the same meaning in English when translated, but have a secondary subtle underlying meaning. There are a couple of instances I've been unable to find rules for. An example of what I mean: questione domanda Both mean: question. Questione is a question or a topic brought up for discussion/debate/argument. Domanda is simply a question in general. spedire mandare Both mean: to send. What's the difference? differente diverse Both mean: different. What's the difference? Weird thing is, I can use them properly and somehow know which one goes where. But I do not know the rules. Little h…

so about 3 1/2 years ago i moved into my grandpa's house. everything is cool cept there was a 20" tv where i was used to a 50" at the parents'. saved up some money and went to sears ( to score a siblings discount ) and brought home a toshiba 52" DLP. well for every year i have owned it now i have replaced a bulb... which is costly... Toshiba asks $250 for theirs while i found a different manufacturer for $130. well the first was replaced for free under a recall notice, the next one i bought out of pocket for the $130. the toshiba replacement lasted nearly a year and a half, the $130 for maybe 8 months... you get what you pay for i guess. i kept the bulb off the bright set…

This was hands down the most amazing show I have ever been to. I've seen MetallicA 3 times now and this was by far their best appearance. I have NEVER before witnessed a band so tight as this one. Death Magnetic has really breathed new life into this establishment. Everything was amazing... From the intense laser show that kicks things off to the pyrotechnics, to the falling and rising GIANT coffins, to the beach balls at the end. James voice sounded phenomenal and he has once again mastered singing in a higher octave (like the old stuff) This show was double the pleasure for me because Lamb Of God (One of the openers) is my second favorite band behind MetallicA. Eve…

So, what's goin' on in Shirleysburg? Have a good one out there.