Re: Fresh to Def.
 

The Brazenette asked for a dictionary this year for Hannukah. She's getting one. Don't tell her.

Re: I need a car
 

Thank you, IT and Sebby -- I have bookmarked this post for future reference!

The one car on everyone's list is the Acura (we were considering the Pilot, too). I'm scheduling test-drives for this weekend, and I guess I'll swap out the Audi for the Acura.

I have heard nothing good about any of the Mercedes SUVs. My ex-FIL keeps getting them, I don't know why. They're not that spacious and seem to have a lot of problems. The really boxy Mercedes SUV has a base price of $100K, I think. That's just ridiculous.

But thanks, guys (and gals), for your advice.

Re: Fresh to Def.
 

Shall we keep the surprise by telling her she's getting a Zhu Zhu Pet*?


*Still legal in 16 states!

Re: I need a car
 

I neglected to list the Pilot. The Pilot's a fantastic truck. My wife takes that to pick up furniture that won't fit in my allegedly full-sized truck. I also think it's a nice looking car.

But keep in mind, this time of year you're overpaying for a truck. If you can get to spring with what you have, suck it up and do so. They drop in price in the sunnier months.

(Sit in that boxy Benz. You'll understand why it's pricey. I don't care for Benzes at all, but that's a different level of truck. And I'd never suggest buying it, or anything else, new. Buy whatever you buy used. No matter what anyone tells you about the warranties and such, you generally do better. I have a person who gets me cars at auction. The discount is huge and I couldn't be happier. Paying new price is just pissing money away because even the best of them are such awful investments.)

Re: At the very least...
 

That was the worst end-of-game clock management and play calling I have ever seen. Texas should have had to forfeit the game out of principle. I think all sides should be making a vow never to mention that game again.

Re: You'll walk the floor, the way I do.
 

last night at dinner there were two old couples at the next table. one was telling the other about their great trip to the exotic Amsterdam- Hubbie: "We walked though the red light district, the prostitutes sit in windows and try to wave men in."

wifey: "but they were all really ugly and lots were fat. I can't imagine what man would want them."

hubbie: "yeah, maybe guys who've been in prison for 20 years."

I remember the red light district, and the ladies were pretty much dogs, at least in the street level windows. still, they must keep busy. that's at least some evidence a chunk of the cheating* is about quick availability, and not about some strong magical attraction. I think any generalization is simply nearly useless on this topic.

*I realize prostitution is not the same as cheating in the way we've been discussing, but one could extrapolate that some of it is simply about getting laid, regardless of how the partner may look.

Re: Welcome back E/O, leagl and Fringey: no one say the name "Penske" 3 times in a ro
 

okay, so we're thinking of doing an "Iron Chef" party. 3 cooks. We'll need to do it across three houses nearby. Also, the plan is to announce the ingrediant at noon so that the cooks can plan a bit and buy supplies. Then cooking starts at 5 and must be done, say at 8. Ideas to supplement or change this basic format?

Re: Welcome back E/O, leagl and Fringey: no one say the name "Penske" 3 times in a ro
 

Why not buy the supplies in a group buy beforehand? You could blind it by having the non-cooks do the buying. That way no one spends time driving around like a maniac.

Re: I need a car
 

Not for last year's model.

Re: You'll walk the floor, the way I do.
 

Last time I was there, there were some more attractive women working at night, which surprised me because my recollection was similar to yours.

No, I did not employ any of their services.

Tiger
 

Did anyone else see on the "news" this morning that a blond woman was taken from Tiger's house to the hospital this morning and later released? What needs to happen for them to stop hounding that family? Tiger may deserve it. But, Jesus. At this point, you're just trying to drive every other innocent member of his family completely insane.

TM

Re: Fresh to Def.
 

I actually wound up with more zhu zhus than I need. I will be making some toys for tots kids really happy this year.

Re: Welcome back E/O, leagl and Fringey: no one say the name "Penske" 3 times in a ro
 

Or do a mystery box kind of thing.

Re: Fresh to Def.
 

[seasonal cynic]Naw, you'll just be making some Toys for Tot volunteer a little richer.** You may as well sell them on ebay or Craigslist and either use the money to buy more toys or give the cash to the charity of your choice.





**You just know someone would pull them out and sell them on ebay.[/seasonal cynic]

Re: Welcome back E/O, leagl and Fringey: no one say the name "Penske" 3 times in a ro
 

So long as the first step is not cutting a hole in the box.

Re: Tiger
 

Yes, although weren't these just reporters who are already camped out there just trying to justify the fact that they're still camped out there?

Re: Welcome back E/O, leagl and Fringey: no one say the name "Penske" 3 times in a ro
 

I think on the actual Iron Chef they give the chefs a list of 3 or 4 possible ingredients so they can plan a little bit ahead. That is also one of the suggestions for an Iron Chef party here http://www.ehow.com/how_2099430_host...hef-party.html**

**I still haven't figured out how to stick the link under other text -- could someone please PM me and tell me how to do it?

Re: I need a car
 

Disagree. Unless you paying for airbags, an unbent fame and known mileage "pissing money away."

If you do buy used you have to get the car inspected from a mechanic you trust. Don't just get a carfax because I would say 99% of all rollbacks don't get detected by carfax. Many accidents don't get reported to carfax. Watch for a car that was originally registered in state A, then got moved to state B. Watch for buybacks. Watch for cars that have unrealistic mileage reports. In any case, if a car really is a lease return by a little old lady who drove it to church on Sunday, the discount won't be that dramatic.

My family's worth pissing away a few bucks a month for.

Re: Welcome back E/O, leagl and Fringey: no one say the name "Penske" 3 times in a ro
 

explain?

Re: I need a car
 

so's atticus's sister, FWIW.

Re: Welcome back E/O, leagl and Fringey: no one say the name "Penske" 3 times in a ro
 

I think "mystery box" is just another euphemism for getting some "strange." I think she is suggesting you scrap the cooking idea and have a key party.

Re: Welcome back E/O, leagl and Fringey: no one say the name "Penske" 3 times in a ro
 

A very Tiger Christmas?

TM

Re: Tiger
 

I was speaking more broadly. The reporting of every fucking salacious detail. "He fucked me against the wall in every room in his house (except the master bedroom)." That type of shit. It's beyond the pale and it's ridiculous that everyone in the world has to know that stuff. It seems to me the goal is to keep them from staying together in hopes of having the "Elin has had enough!" scoop.

Yes, Tiger is a public figure (and with that comes a certain amount of intrusion on his privacy). And yes, he's wrong for cheating with so many skanks who he should have known would profit off his name and his dick. But at some point, where are your fucking ethics as a journalist (even a fake one)? No one should have to put up with this shit, especially not his family.

TM

Re: You'll walk the floor, the way I do.
 

Why not?

ETA: Isn't that part of the appeal of the city in the first place? It's like going to Switzerland and failing to buy a watch or Montreal and skipping the poutine . . .

Re: Tiger
 

I agree, but it's not exactly new with Tiger. We had Spitzer's hooker talking about how he liked his sex, too. I guess it drives webhits. Imagine that.

Re: Tiger
 

And I thought I was naive. Journalist ethics? Do you believe in the Tooth Fairy too?

Of course you are right, this has gone beyond tawdry but sleaze sells (or brings in the viewers/readers).

Re: I need a car
 

The 4runner is the most "truck-like" in this conversation. The majority of the other vehicles under consideration are minivans or sedans that have been stretched into suv's. NTTAWWT. If you liked your camry but want something bigger, the highlander is the non-minivan answer to that problem. If you liked your Odyssey but want something non-minivan, the Pilot fits the bill.

I reluctantly got a 4runner a few years ago. I hated our 4runner at first and was glad that it was on lease and even happier that I didn't drive it daily. The ride is choppy and it just seems more like a truck than most full size trucks.

Now that the lease is up I am actually considering buying it as a third vehicle. I like having a truck that can tow well and has real 4 wheel drive. I admit that there have only been a few times where I needed more than an AWD system, but each of those times I was really happy that I had a locking differential.

All that being said, it is not a vehicle that I would suggest for most people. It grew on me because it saved my ass a few times. If you don't need that sort of grunt it will wear you out over time. The fact that I won't be buying another one says more than the fact that I may keep this one.

Re: Tiger
 

I wasn't singling out Tiger. But it seems like each time, it gets a little worse. And I was focused on it this morning because I thought Elin might have tried to commit suicide. If she did, is that the point where the media backs off a little bit? Probably not. Probably just makes the story bigger and the scrutiny more intense.

TM

Re: You'll walk the floor, the way I do.
 

Do you ever just window-shop?

Re: You'll walk the floor, the way I do.
 

Indeed, Tuesday is Blancpain and anal day.

Re: Tiger
 

Thankfully it was not Elin or a suicide attempt. (Personally I hope all the girlfriends coming out of the woodwork are making her angry rather than despondent. If she can find it in her heart to forgive him, she's a much better woman than I think I might be in her situation.)

It appears to have been her mother according to that bastian of journalistic ethics, TMZ.

Re: Tiger
 

Bonnie Fuller was all over it at the gym this morning.

As long as people like her are alive, Tiger's family is not going to stop being hounded.

Re: Fresh to Def.
 

It's actually perfect--something I like that I wouldn't buy for myself. We pretty much buy what we want, when we want it, so gift giving is a pita for our families (and for us, as we either get stuff we specifically note or that we don't really want).

Re: Welcome back E/O, leagl and Fringey: no one say the name "Penske" 3 times in a ro
 

Simple. One person (who is not competing) shops for and fills identical boxes (one for each competitor) containing random and diverse foodstuffs, and generally at least one protein.

The competitors must create a meal using the goods in the box (and generally an additional "pantry", which includes items previously agreed to, such as salt and pepper, flour, milk, cream, eggs, etc.). Some contests say that you have to use all the items in the box. Some say you have to use a minimum number of them.

Re: Tiger
 

Do you think Elin practiced saying "Daddy killed grandma"?

Re: I need a car
 

I have a guy who goes to Manhein auctions for me. The people at the local BMW dealer wanted $36k for a car I grabbed at auction for $24k. My guy knows the auction well enough to know what to buy. And there's a variant of my guy in every city and town in the US. Ask around and somebody will know a person with an auction card who can get them crazy deals. I learned about it years ago when my dad was in the leasing business. There's a whole subculture of people who buy cars sans used car dealer markup. YMMV, but I highly recommend joining it. Of the seven or eight cars I've bought this way, I've had nothing but excellent experiences.

If you're going to buy direct from an owner you don't know, I agree with doing your homework. It isn't difficult, however, to discover whether a car has a "C" title (serious accident in history). And if you're buying off lease and the car has 36k miles on it, you can be pretty sure those are honest. Also, if you're buying the right brand (varieties of Toyotas, BMWs, Nissans, Hondas with engines and electrical systems that have been manufactured for a long time) it doesn't matter how badly the previous owner beat the shit out of the car.

And I say this as someone whose wife and son drove 50 miles each way for nearly a year in two used cars I purchased and still own.

I wouldn't buy new if I had cash coming out of my ears. It's silliness IMO.

Re: I need a car
 

You'll do even better in April. We're only talking a couple grand, but hey, that's really money.

Re: Tiger
 

They couldn't care less. If she killed herself, all the better for ratings.

Re: Welcome back E/O, leagl and Fringey: no one say the name "Penske" 3 times in a ro
 

My group of friends does an iron chef event around New Years. The judges could let them know generally what sort of ingredient it is, like "poultry" or "seafood" or "green vegetable" so they can go shopping ahead of time. Generally we avoid silly ingredients that throw off the chefs because we're more interested in good food than making people fail. The specific ingredient is announced right before cooking. We do it in a commercial kitchen and each competitor gets to have a sous chef. I think we have room for three teams, and they all cook at the same time.

This is the e-mail that went out last year about it:

Re: You'll walk the floor, the way I do.
 

Because I would not be comfortable with that.

Also, I have never bought a watch in Switzerland.