The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:02 am**

Hoblit wrote:Now, I have two more cars and boy is it expensive. One four cylinder '86 Toyota MR2 which is GREAT on gas. And an eight cylinder '89 Lincoln Town Car which is HORRIBLE on gas.

I've got a friend with an MR2...it needs a new engine I believe. If you ever decide to sell, let me know and I'll tell him about it. He's an '80s retro car fan and his no-longer-running MR2 was his pride and joy.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:10 am**

Billy's Little Trip wrote:We vacation on Catalina Island every so often, and they don't have cars on the island. You either walk, ride a bike or rent a golf cart. But everything is so close that walking is fine. But I love cursing the Island on mopeds and go to the uninhabited areas.
I couldn't imagine walking to the grocery store and carrying back bags of groceries. I don't even like carrying my groceries from the trunk of my car in the driveway, to my kitchen, lol.

In Amsterdam, they didn't buy all their groceries once a week or on any other schedule. Instead, they just go to the store to get what they need at the moment. A small basket (about the size of a milk crate; or saddle bags over the back tire) is plenty sufficient to carry some milk, dinner fixings, and some OJ. What we did, since we didn't have the nice little bike setup, was just carried our backpack. We only had to walk a couple of blocks and my backpack is pretty darned ergonomic (it's made to carry a 15.4" widescreen laptop for hours), so it was a cinch. We were simply drooling at the whole setup, but it just wouldn't work back home where the hills seem to be gently rolling when you are driving, but seem more like Mt Everest when biking, and of course, my head would be Mt St Helen's if I had to bike that!

EDIT: BTW, Yes, I will be saying "In Amsterdam,....." for the next few days/weeks. I tend to run my good times into the ground.... You ALL will be glad to not have been around me when I first saw Ace Ventura Pet Detective: I was uttering "Alllllrighty then" every other phrase. My girlfriend almost broke up with me over it at the time! <--- but now we are married. ha ha ha ha!

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:23 am**

sausage boy wrote:We don't have WalMarts

Be happy. Be very happy.

Top 5 reasons I hate Wal-Mart:
#5 You WILL run into someone you deathly do not want to talk to
#4 Many employees are capped at less-than-overtime hours, even if they are good employees
#3 They will stock Stagg chili, get you hooked, then discontinue it whereas the local grocer has 4 varieties of the stuff
#2 The killing of downtown America*
#1 Rednecks go there to hang out, ya know, like the mall, and then you realize just how small some gene pools really are

*While this statement is hotly debated, I have watched great businesses go under within a couple of years of Wal-Mart coming to town... especially those damned Supercenters. In the 12 years I've lived in West Plains, MO, I have seen 3 large grocery stores close their doors because of Wal-Mart. And the fact is, Wal-Mart doesn't really save you that much money (and their produce sucks). In fact, sometimes I have had a smaller bill by going to the local place (one of two that are hanging on by a thread).

As you may have guessed, now I only go to Wal-Mart when I can't get what I need elsewhere (or it is 2 AM). When I made that decision, I found that there is a wonderful meat market and a fish market in town which employ helpful and friendly people who care about their job. Not only that, but EVERY OTHER PLACE in town has a better beer selection than Wal-Fart. And THAT's the rest of the story.

***steps down from soapbox***

Ooooo that feels better.

EDIT: There is ONE good thing about Wal-Mart. Whenever I want Girl Scout cookies, I know where to get 'em: at the gates of capitalistic hell.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:33 am**

Lord of Oats wrote:Phil...speaking of broken links. Your picture isn't working.

Fixed!

EDIT: Argh! Sorry... damn four in a row again.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:21 am**

Lord of Oats wrote:
Hoblit wrote:Now, I have two more cars and boy is it expensive. One four cylinder '86 Toyota MR2 which is GREAT on gas. And an eight cylinder '89 Lincoln Town Car which is HORRIBLE on gas.
Why do you need so many cars? Would not the compromise of one compact car suit you better than a two-seater and a big ass luxury sedan? Oh, wait. You have an '89 Town Car!? I'm going to come up and visit, and after we rock out, we're going to go out and run shit over in your Lincoln.

Ha ha... yeah...the Lincoln is a freakin' boat. Lincoln SMASH.

I bought the Lincoln first and it was my only car for a while. Then it broke down on me all of a sudden. Actually, I was just dragging the muffler and couldn't drive it anywhere. Luckily my friend had left her MR2 with me to sell for her when she moved to the Phoenix area. So at that point I just decided to buy it from her instead. I KEEP both because they are both over 18 years old and therefore having higher 'break down' potential. One breaks down I can drive the other while I get it fixed. ALSO, I've been hauling gear around in the Lincoln which the MR2 is totally incapable of doing.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:26 am**

Billy's Little Trip wrote:We vacation on Catalina Island every so often, and they don't have cars on the island.

What are those things in people's driveways in Avalon, then, eh?

Note, I could be quite wrong. I think someone has a token car there. Moving truck? Damned cold medicine.

But Catalina also has hordes of feral pigs roaming about, so that's okay.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:36 am**

Wages wrote:
Hoblit wrote:Now, I have two more cars and boy is it expensive. One four cylinder '86 Toyota MR2 which is GREAT on gas. And an eight cylinder '89 Lincoln Town Car which is HORRIBLE on gas.
I've got a friend with an MR2...it needs a new engine I believe. If you ever decide to sell, let me know and I'll tell him about it. He's an '80s retro car fan and his no-longer-running MR2 was his pride and joy.

Thats a shame because right before I bought it, it WAS for sale. Now I'm getting it at a reduced price and have fallen completely in love with it.

Lord of Oats wrote:
anti-m wrote:
Lord of Oats wrote:I have a feeling I'm going to have some pretty severe culture shock when I move to that side.
What brings you to the left coast?
1. I'm not really enjoying this state too much. I'm sure it's got a little more to offer in its cities, which I will likely explore a bit, before I take off completely, but I won't feel bad about leaving it behind.

2. That said, I can't change too much at once. I'm looking for a temperate climate with moderate humidity. I'm not terribly confident in my body's ability to adjust to a totally dry climate.

1. If your closest 'nice restaurant' is The Olive Garden then I can assure you that the cities have way more to offer. Do not judge the state based on your awful suburban lifestyle!

At the very least, move one of Florida's COASTS.

2. I get a bloody nose every time I travel to the west. Seattle... bloody nose, Dallas... bloody nose, Austin (NO BLOODY NOSE... it was like vacationing in St. Petersburg it was so humid), Santa Cruz...bloody nose. Louisiana might be a good choice for you.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:29 am**

Apparently, Hoblit, you are not meant to be like anywhere above sea level. You would be safe up here with me, though.

Note: Not a pick-up line or manoeuvre.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:32 am**

Um, Seattle is also sea-level.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:34 am**

Hoblit wrote: 1. If your closest 'nice restaurant' is The Olive Garden then I can assure you that the cities have way more to offer. Do not judge the state based on your awful suburban lifestyle! At the very least, move one of Florida's COASTS.

Hey Hobs, I think it was EmbersofAutumn and not LOO who was touting Olive Garden as closest thing to a nice restaurant in his area.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:40 am**

Fluffy wrote:Um, Seattle is also sea-level.

Hmm. So it is. What's wrong with him then? I hope he's OK!

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 11:16 am**

fluffy wrote:Um, Seattle is also sea-level.

I'm pretty sure Santa Cruz is as well. Yep, pretty sure.

anti-m wrote:
Hoblit wrote: <strike> 1. If your closest 'nice restaurant' is The Olive Garden then I can assure you that the cities have way more to offer. Do not judge the state based on your awful suburban lifestyle! At the very least, move one of Florida's COASTS. </strike>
Hey Hobs, I think it was EmbersofAutumn and not LOO who was touting Olive Garden as closest thing to a nice restaurant in his area.

Yeah, my bad...I'm just not used to so many Floridians on the board. Now I gotta keep track of them too? You're right, I believe LOO is just about 60 miles south of me and I'm guessing, pretty close to the coast.

I still think Embers should move though. I'm still sticking to my guns on that one.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:36 pm**

Rabid Garfunkel wrote:
Billy's Little Trip wrote:We vacation on Catalina Island every so often, and they don't have cars on the island.
What are those things in people's driveways in Avalon, then, eh? Note, I could be quite wrong. I think someone has a token car there. Moving truck? Damned cold medicine.

But Catalina also has hordes of feral pigs roaming about, so that's okay.

It's been about a year since I've been there, so I did a quick Google to see if the Islands restrictions have changed. Read here, second paragraph, facts >> http://www.rentfourless.com/catalina-island.htm
The police and fire department do have cars and trucks if I remember correctly, but only used in an emergency. But I have seen them unloading boats with pallets going to the local grocery store and the vehicles are big electric flat bed golf cart looking things. But I'd imagine that they would have to have gas powered trucks at some point to build a house or something of that nature.

By the way, they also have wild buffalo roaming the island and serve buffalo in the restaurants.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:20 pm**

fluffy wrote:The full title was "de^x/dx: formulaic and derivative." It was a dumb joke because de^x/dx = e^x, i.e. it's a function whose derivative is exactly the same as itself. Originally my comics were supposed to be retarded derivative deconstructions of webcomic clichés. It didn't work out that way (and in the end they were just retarded).

But math jokes are never funny. Ever. Just ask Erik.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:25 pm**

Yes, and neither was my comic.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:47 pm**

Billy's Little Trip wrote: But I have seen them unloading boats with pallets going to the local grocery store and the vehicles are big electric flat bed golf cart looking things. But I'd imagine that they would have to have gas powered trucks at some point to build a house or something of that nature.

Like Zermott Switzerland. You take a cog railway and they meet you in any electric cart. At the big change-over times for the train after weekends there are all these carts downtown. But nowhere else and most times you never see them. It's great to walk around and never see a car.

Posted: **Wed Oct 17, 2007 11:36 am**

roymond wrote:
Billy's Little Trip wrote: But I have seen them unloading boats with pallets going to the local grocery store and the vehicles are big electric flat bed golf cart looking things. But I'd imagine that they would have to have gas powered trucks at some point to build a house or something of that nature.
Like Zermott Switzerland. You take a cog railway and they meet you in any electric cart. At the big change-over times for the train after weekends there are all these carts downtown. But nowhere else and most times you never see them. It's great to walk around and never see a car.

That's pretty cool. There is a small island here in Newport, CA where I do some work and there are no cars allowed in the gated community. My guys have to unload what they need into a maintenance golf cart provided by the association, and drive 7 mph to the job site.

Posted: **Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:27 pm**

fluffy wrote:If I had kids or a social life then I'd probably not be trying to sell my car (which, by the way, I already have an offer on, woo) but being a single person living in the middle of a dense urban area right next door to a grocery store, with pretty good mass transit nearby, and working about 5 blocks from home, makes the expense of owning a car not worth it.

I own a car and I have driven it once in the last month. I will also be driving tonight, to meet up with a friend for dinner. Given that the cost of ownership here is $450/month, that means that I'm basically paying $225/ride. It's not that it's too expensive for me or anything, but I also have a hard time justifying this pointless expense when there's a lot of other things that I <em>don't</em> do because $8/month seems "too expensive."

And, yes, when Ikea is nearby, Ikea runs do happen. If you have Ikea furniture then you also have a tendency to need to buy new Ikea furniture at any moment, due to breakage and/or whimsy.

Car ownership didn't use to be the default position to take, and I still don't think it should be. Obviously it depends on the sort of place you live in and the sort of lifestyle you have. Your environment and lifestyle require you to own a car. When I lived in New Mexico I needed to own a car. When I moved to NYC I sold my car. When I moved to Seattle I immediately bought a car since I thought I needed it again, but for the most part it's been a waste of money. Considering how much I'm getting for it vs. how much I paid on it for registration, taxes, insurance, interest, and dealing with crap like when it got broken into a year ago, I probably paid about $3/mile.

It has little to do with the environment (it's not like my car is actively damaging anything just sitting there), something to do with the opportunity cost (that $450/mo could be going to much more useful and fun things), and a lot to do with the hassle of owning something I never use but still have to pay attention to and give a crap about.

Funny, my morning news KTLA 5 just did a piece on this for LA county. Apparently real estate agents can sell a house better with a high walkabilty score. Condos with high walkability scores get more interested buyers and sell twice as fast.
I ran a test on my house and now I know why I think not owning a car is nuts. I scored a 37 out of 100
37 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
Here is the site >> http://www.walkscore.com/

Posted: **Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:41 pm**

That's pretty cool.

My current place gets a 95. My condo in Seattle gets an 88. My first apartment in Seattle gets a 91 (although that's where I lived when I bought the car, but that's because at the time I thought it was easier to drive to work). The shithole rat-infested converted factory I rented for a year in New York gets a 92.

For comparison's sake, the house I owned in Las Cruces, NM gets a 35, the house I rented before that gets a 65 (which is pretty surprising, but it looks like some new grocery stores have opened up in that area... I guess Las Cruces finally lifted the long-standing ban on making the university district actually livable!), and my parents' home deep in a suburban part of Albuquerque, NM gets a completely unsurprising (but still depressing) 5.

Posted: **Wed Oct 17, 2007 6:44 pm**

That IS cool! My office got at 77, but my home only got a 6 (yes, a 6). But, we'll have a Walgreens within walking distance in another month or two, then I will have NO stop lights to it...and it'll only be about 1 1/2 miles from home. I could make it there and back on foot in less than an hour.. probably.

The closest business to where I live? The County ambulance station is about 1/4 mile up the road... and some more useless knowledge... more than 50% of the land on my road is undeveloped.

Yeah, the rural life.

The Song Fight Bulletin Board

10 + 15 != 2007