Automotive Chatting

Time for a new car. Any chick magnet recommendations?

admin — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

triadie…@yahoo.com wrote in news:1133054394.497027.131430@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com: > I’ve been driving a little toyota corolla around for the last 10 years. > It’s been a great vehicle, but my job’s taken off and I’m ready to buy > something nicer. I’m a little shy with the ladies, something I’ve been > pushing myself beyond. I think a nice car would help me a bit, at > least get more attention and thus more opportunites. > I don’t really know that much about cars. I’d like something that will > turn some heads, but that’s also not going to cost me a fortune. > 20k-30k is the price range I’m looking at. Any recommendations on some > cool cars in that range? I saw a commercial for the new dodge cruizer > that’s caught my eye.

It’s cold, hard cash[or credit] that attracts the women. Just save the money and don’t buy the car. Rather, staple a $100 bill on your shirt anytime you are out in public. This will attract them like flies to honey. Of course, once you get the girl you will have to keep her by handing over that hard earned cash so she can walk the mall on her cell phone complaining to her girlfriends about what a loser you are. You are looking to enter a player’s market my friend. My advice: stick with the Toyota! Art-Mart

Response:

If it’s that important, make it a conversation-starter. A line like "I love the environment, so I did what I could and bought a Prius," might work, or "I like hunting moose, so I got a new F-550" would both work, just as long as you actually do believe on one line of thinking. Look, picking a car based on how much attraction it will get from girls is not a good idea. The car you would get because it attracts more girls takes away from other more important criteria, like reliability or lower total cost of ownership or comfort or gas mileage. As far as the girl-hunting goes, you’ll attract the girls that are attracted to men with nice cars (Gold-digger’s line of thinking: "nice car" -> "lots of money" -> "keeper"). These are the sort of unsavory characters that you want to avoid.

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ci+ on 28/11/2005 9:11 am wrote: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Sklenge in news:BFAFCE68.1EBA4%sklenge@yahoo.co.uk: >> Mad Mambo Master of Macedonia on 27/11/2005 5:46 pm wrote: >>> Sklenge wrote in >>> news:BFAF764E.1EB1B%sklenge@yahoo.co.uk: >>>> JimSummers on 27/11/2005 2:23 pm wrote: >>>>>> A noisy exhaust or sound system will make me >turn my head. >>>>> Why? Is that the human equivalent of a lion’s roar? >>>> I don’t know its equivalents… it’s the most I can muster without a >>>> handy Gatling gun to speed them on their way. [She jested] >>> That’s old school! You might want to upgrade to a 20mm Vulcan cannon, or >>> at least a minigun. >> I’ll keep that in mind at the next Armaments Fayre. > both sound like they’d be a bit noisy…

Hmm. Yes, perhaps I’ll get a silencer. — Sklenge

Response:

Hadoken in news:Xns971BDDCFCCD51None@129.250.170.81: > the snow, get an AWD.

reminding me… those subaru wagons are subniche favorable. for the 20’s-40’s women who (used to?) wear those fuzzy skiliners … — http://www.thingsinrubbers.com/2040.html missed out on another gem: http://www.creators.com/opinion_Shell.cfm?pg=biography.html&columnsna… http://www.newyorkpressclub.org/LenoreLes.jpg

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"Visi Caulk Mah Pnats" in news:dmcr7l$umd$0@pita.alt.net: > true! 99% of the time it is some old bald guy driving the hot car

oh, we know you women can’t keep your eyes offa a big bulge… on the hood of a car… — http://www.thingsinrubbers.com/2040.html missed out on another gem: http://www.creators.com/opinion_Shell.cfm?pg=biography.html&columnsna… http://www.newyorkpressclub.org/LenoreLes.jpg

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"lisa" in news:1133111585.083629.312720@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com: > If you want to turn heads, motorcycles are good. Lots of chrome.

you mean like a 60’s cycle? the new ones are all dayglo > I guess it also depends on what kind of chick you’re looking for. If > you want one who is environmentally conscious, buy a gas-electric > hybrid.

yes, that might work, if you meet one of those types of gals… and can somehow work the topic into conversation… "GODDAMN! I LOST MY COKE SPOON BETWEEN THE SEATS OF MY BRAND NEW PIMPIN PRIUS! THE NEXT DAY MY HOMIE BROKE MY BONG ON THE ELECTRIC MOTORS OF MY BRAND PIMPIN NEW PRIUS!! GODDAMN! " — http://www.thingsinrubbers.com/2040.html missed out on another gem: http://www.creators.com/opinion_Shell.cfm?pg=biography.html&columnsna… http://www.newyorkpressclub.org/LenoreLes.jpg

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a POS convertible or targa with good paint will catch the younger women’s attention. but do you really want to deal with a pos chrysler? (yugos are probably too rare these days!) boxsters are cheaper porsches but they’re german (unreliable and parts cost, eek) so stay away. otherwise, a used z should come for under 30k. whatever toy call the mr2. or the honda 2000 (might be pricey used). neither are very common. very blah looking, but definitely convertibles (or however … the tops fold or whatever). maybe someone else can think of another convertible … one that’s not as old as the last celica convertibles? maybe one of those ugly as fart suvs would attract women… Sklenge in news:BFAF4569.1EAD3%sklenge@yahoo.co.uk: > triadie…@yahoo.com on 27/11/2005 9:08 am wrote: >> heh, yeah… I don’t expect my car to ask girls out for me. But women >> like nice cars, do they not? I’m not wanting a nice car expressly for >> impressing women or asking them out, but I am sick of being embarrased >> by the corolla. I guess you’re right – having a nice car isn’t going >> to present any more direct opportunities, but I’ve always envied the >> guys (ugly or not) that turns heads simply because of their ride. I >> guess I’m after a little attention, and I’d like to feel better about >> my ride. And now that I can afford it, I think I’ll endulge my ego a >> little. The Toyota is almost an embarrasment. Damn good car mind you >> (250,000 miles and still running!), but not very impressive. > A noisy exhaust or sound system will make me turn my head.

:> and cover your ears? — http://www.thingsinrubbers.com/2040.html missed out on another gem: http://www.creators.com/opinion_Shell.cfm?pg=biography.html&columnsna… http://www.newyorkpressclub.org/LenoreLes.jpg

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triadie…@yahoo.com wrote in news:1133078920.566751.18580 @g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com: > heh, yeah… I don’t expect my car to ask girls out for me. But women > like nice cars, do they not? I’m not wanting a nice car expressly for > impressing women or asking them out, but I am sick of being embarrased

You don’t need a fancy car..just something that doesn’t scream you are a cheapskate so even an Accord or Camry is fine. Personally, I think you should buy what fits your needs..if you like 2 doors get a coupe…live in the snow, get an AWD. Personally I think a great car is the Lexus IS300.

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> How does it cause more opportunities? I’ve been driving a $30,000 > dollar Lexus for 1 1/2 years now and honestly no females have ever > noticed! How could they? I’m not exactly the fantastic extrovert which > they are looking for…..

Old man’s car… MC

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"Visi Caulk Mah Pnats" wrote in news:dmdp1v$bcj$0@pita.alt.net: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Art-Mart wrote: >> triadie…@yahoo.com wrote in >> news:1133054394.497027.131430@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com: >> > I’ve been driving a little toyota corolla around for the last 10 >> > years. It’s been a great vehicle, but my job’s taken off and I’m >> > ready to buy something nicer. I’m a little shy with the ladies, >> > something I’ve been pushing myself beyond. I think a nice car >> > would help me a bit, at least get more attention and thus more >> > opportunites. >> > I don’t really know that much about cars. I’d like something that >> > will turn some heads, but that’s also not going to cost me a >> > fortune. 20k-30k is the price range I’m looking at. Any >> > recommendations on some cool cars in that range? I saw a >> > commercial for the new dodge cruizer that’s caught my eye. >> It’s cold, hard cash[or credit] that attracts the women. Just save >> the money and don’t buy the car. Rather, staple a $100 bill on your >> shirt anytime you are out in public. This will attract them like >> flies to honey. Of course, once you get the girl you will have to >> keep her by handing over that hard earned cash so she can walk the >> mall on her cell phone complaining to her girlfriends about what a >> loser you are. You are looking to enter a player’s market my friend. >> My advice: stick with the Toyota! >> Art-Mart > yep get a car > cause you like it not to impress others/golddiggers

It’s kind of funny how we think that changing some external thing[buying a fancy car] will solve,or even help,these internal problems[being shy]. I’ve done it, I’ve known others who have done it. It never works. Really, work on the internal problem and then buy the new car for YOUR pure joy and enjoy it yourself. You’ll never enjoy it if it’s bought for some other motive. Art-Mart

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triadie…@yahoo.com wrote: > heh, yeah… I don’t expect my car to ask girls out for me. But women > like nice cars, do they not? I’m not wanting a nice car expressly for > impressing women or asking them out, but I am sick of being embarrased > by the corolla. I guess you’re right – having a nice car isn’t going > to present any more direct opportunities, but I’ve always envied the > guys (ugly or not) that turns heads simply because of their ride. I > guess I’m after a little attention, and I’d like to feel better about > my ride. And now that I can afford it, I think I’ll endulge my ego a > little. The Toyota is almost an embarrasment. Damn good car mind you > (250,000 miles and still running!), but not very impressive.

I think the idea of hot car = hot man has done a back flip. It’s almost as if when I see a hot car I *know* the guy driving will be a non-hot guy. When women turn their heads for hot cars, it is to see THE CAR, not the man. My eyes purposely avoid looking at the driver, as I don’t want him spoiling the view. If you want to turn heads, motorcycles are good. Lots of chrome. I guess it also depends on what kind of chick you’re looking for. If you want one who is environmentally conscious, buy a gas-electric hybrid.

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Mad Mambo Master of Macedonia on 27/11/2005 5:46 pm wrote: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Sklenge wrote in > news:BFAF764E.1EB1B%sklenge@yahoo.co.uk: >> JimSummers on 27/11/2005 2:23 pm wrote: >>>> A noisy exhaust or sound system will make me >turn my head. >>> Why? Is that the human equivalent of a lion’s roar? >> I don’t know its equivalents… it’s the most I can muster without a >> handy Gatling gun to speed them on their way. [She jested] > That’s old school! You might want to upgrade to a 20mm Vulcan cannon, or > at least a minigun.

I’ll keep that in mind at the next Armaments Fayre. — Sklenge

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Visi Caulk Mah Pnats on 27/11/2005 6:43 pm wrote: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> lisa wrote: >> triadie…@yahoo.com wrote: >>> heh, yeah… I don’t expect my car to ask girls out for me. But >>> women like nice cars, do they not? I’m not wanting a nice car >>> expressly for impressing women or asking them out, but I am sick of >>> being embarrased by the corolla. I guess you’re right – having a >>> nice car isn’t going to present any more direct opportunities, but >>> I’ve always envied the guys (ugly or not) that turns heads simply >>> because of their ride. I guess I’m after a little attention, and >>> I’d like to feel better about my ride. And now that I can afford >>> it, I think I’ll endulge my ego a little. The Toyota is almost an >>> embarrasment. Damn good car mind you (250,000 miles and still >>> running!), but not very impressive. >> I think the idea of hot car = hot man has done a back flip. It’s >> almost as if when I see a hot car I know the guy driving will be a >> non-hot guy. When women turn their heads for hot cars, it is to see >> THE CAR, not the man. My eyes purposely avoid looking at the driver, >> as I don’t want him spoiling the view. > true! 99% of the time it is some old bald guy driving the hot car

My hubby is just such an animal… are you saying I should be glad he’s not turning the heads of young bimbos as he drives past in his brown car? — Sklenge

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triadie…@yahoo.com wrote in news:1133054394.497027.131430 @g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com: > I’ve been driving a little toyota corolla around for the last 10 years. > It’s been a great vehicle, but my job’s taken off and I’m ready to buy > something nicer. I’m a little shy with the ladies, something I’ve been > pushing myself beyond. I think a nice car would help me a bit, at > least get more attention and thus more opportunites. > I don’t really know that much about cars. I’d like something that will > turn some heads, but that’s also not going to cost me a fortune. > 20k-30k is the price range I’m looking at. Any recommendations on some > cool cars in that range? I saw a commercial for the new dodge cruizer > that’s caught my eye.

Corolla, as you know, is an old man’s car. I love mine. I’m going to sell it (2001) and try to go no-car for a while. I’d say only from the point of view of being good for the ladies, get a used sportscar of some kind. Not too used of course. Not too gay either, I think stuff like Celica or Miata or especially Sunfire is out.

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>I’ve been driving a little toyota corolla around for the last 10 years.

It’s been a great vehicle, but my job’s taken off and I’m ready to buy something nicer. I’m a little shy with the ladies, something I’ve been pushing myself beyond. I think a nice car would help me a bit, at least get more attention and thus more >opportunites. How does it cause more opportunities? I’ve been driving a $30,000 dollar Lexus for 1 1/2 years now and honestly no females have ever noticed! How could they? I’m not exactly the fantastic extrovert which they are looking for…..

Response:

heh, yeah… I don’t expect my car to ask girls out for me. But women like nice cars, do they not? I’m not wanting a nice car expressly for impressing women or asking them out, but I am sick of being embarrased by the corolla. I guess you’re right – having a nice car isn’t going to present any more direct opportunities, but I’ve always envied the guys (ugly or not) that turns heads simply because of their ride. I guess I’m after a little attention, and I’d like to feel better about my ride. And now that I can afford it, I think I’ll endulge my ego a little. The Toyota is almost an embarrasment. Damn good car mind you (250,000 miles and still running!), but not very impressive.

Response:

triadie…@yahoo.com on 27/11/2005 9:08 am wrote: > heh, yeah… I don’t expect my car to ask girls out for me. But women > like nice cars, do they not? I’m not wanting a nice car expressly for > impressing women or asking them out, but I am sick of being embarrased > by the corolla. I guess you’re right – having a nice car isn’t going > to present any more direct opportunities, but I’ve always envied the > guys (ugly or not) that turns heads simply because of their ride. I > guess I’m after a little attention, and I’d like to feel better about > my ride. And now that I can afford it, I think I’ll endulge my ego a > little. The Toyota is almost an embarrasment. Damn good car mind you > (250,000 miles and still running!), but not very impressive.

A noisy exhaust or sound system will make me turn my head. — Sklenge

Response:

I drove a new grand am and it didn’t make a difference. I’m an introvert, I don’t want to attract wealth seeking extroverts.

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Sklenge wrote in news:BFAF764E.1EB1B%sklenge@yahoo.co.uk: > JimSummers on 27/11/2005 2:23 pm wrote: >>> A noisy exhaust or sound system will make me >turn my head. >> Why? Is that the human equivalent of a lion’s roar? > I don’t know its equivalents… it’s the most I can muster without a > handy Gatling gun to speed them on their way. [She jested]

That’s old school! You might want to upgrade to a 20mm Vulcan cannon, or at least a minigun. — As for the pastor, after four days of listening to science experts dismantling the case for intelligent design, he was unimpressed. "They’re babblers," said the pastor, the Rev. Jim Grove, who leads a 40- member independent Baptist church outside of Dover. "The more Ph.D.’s you get, it seems like the further away from God you get." (NY Times, 10-2- 05)

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>A noisy exhaust or sound system will make me >turn my head.

Why? Is that the human equivalent of a lion’s roar?

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JimSummers on 27/11/2005 2:23 pm wrote: >> A noisy exhaust or sound system will make me >turn my head. > Why? Is that the human equivalent of a lion’s roar?

I don’t know its equivalents… it’s the most I can muster without a handy Gatling gun to speed them on their way. [She jested] — Sklenge

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"Virgo Cluster" wrote in news:1133060637.127372.4930 @g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com: > Hey, does anyone know what’s happened to The Babaloughesian?

No. What about those mini BMWs. Those look nice and probably get good gas mileage. I think BMWs still have a rep. for reliablity, unlike Volvo. — As for the pastor, after four days of listening to science experts dismantling the case for intelligent design, he was unimpressed. "They’re babblers," said the pastor, the Rev. Jim Grove, who leads a 40-member independent Baptist church outside of Dover. "The more Ph.D.’s you get, it seems like the further away from God you get." (NY Times, 10-2-05)

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Make that the Dodge Charger, not cruizer.

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triadie…@yahoo.com wrote: > I’ve been driving a little toyota corolla around for the last > 10 years. It’s been a great vehicle, but my job’s taken off > and I’m ready to buy something nicer. I’m a little shy with > the ladies, something I’ve been pushing myself beyond. I think > a nice car would help me a bit, at least get more attention > and thus more opportunites. > I don’t really know that much about cars. I’d like something > that will turn some heads, but that’s also not going to cost > me a fortune. 20k-30k is the price range I’m looking at. Any > recommendations on some cool cars in that range? I saw a > commercial for the new dodge cruizer that’s caught my eye.

Another post that got me thinking. Until 2-3 months ago, I’ve only driven 100,000+ mile cars. Each of the two cars I’ve purchased, one in 1982 and one in 1992, had almost exactly 100,000 miles on them when I got them. However, now I’m driving a 2005 Toyota Camry (google me with "Camry") and, although I’m married and not looking, I don’t see how this car would make any difference if I were. I mean, it’s not as if I’d be (or was, before I got married) asking girls out at stoplight intersections where they’d see my car. For me, at least, I don’t see how it’d change anything about my being able to get a date, since hardly any of the girls I asked out throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s knew what kind of car I drove. In fact, I didn’t have a car at all (or drive at all, for that matter) the 4 years I was an undergraduate, and to be honest, I’m not sure many others did either. I would guess a fair number of the undergraduates had cars, maybe at home at their parent’s house since parking was so difficult and everyone walked everywhere anyway, but I don’t recall this coming up in conversation very much and I can’t believe that it was something that a guy would try to work into the conversation before asking a girl out. And, as for when you get into your mid 20’s and beyond, I just don’t see how what you drive could be an issue when you’re asking a girl out, unless you expect to be asking a lot of girls out while you’re in your car or standing around your car and somehow let her know the car you happen to be standing close to is your car. By the way, I’m talking about a first date situation, not how likely it is you’ll get a second date if you take her out in a 20 year old car! (The kind that I’ve been driving until a few months ago.) Also, if it’s a girl you already know, so she would know what kind of car you drive, I still don’t see how it would matter. She would already know enough about you that I wouldn’t expect her to change her perception over what kind of car you’re driving, unless it’s way out of line with how much she thought you earned (and in this case it might just as likely backfire, since she might think you’re careless with money and self-indulgent to boot). (I’m talking about a guy who makes 20K-25K a year suddenly driving a 30K car in this last part, by the way, which is not the situation you’d be in from what I understand.) So, should you get the car? Yes, but not because it’s going to help you pick up girls. Get it because you’re going to spend 30+ minutes in it each day, not because every couple of months there will be a 2 minute window of opportunity where you can ask a girl out in the presence of your car, and you expect the car to work miracles for you in those 2 minutes! Get it because you’ll know the heater will be working when it gets below zero, get it so that you won’t have to worry about what’s going to go wrong with it this month, get it so that you can slam on the gas when merging into highway traffic and not worry about it stalling out on you, get it because you’ll feel good about your car every time you get in and out of it (I’d guess that several hundred to maybe over a thousand people are going to see you do this for every girl you ask out sees you do this), and get it so that you’ll feel confident about picking a girl up for a date in your car. Actually, this last part will probably go a long ways towards helping you "get girls", so in an indirect way I suppose having a good car will help you get that first date with someone after all. Hey, does anyone know what’s happened to The Babaloughesian? I don’t recall seeing a post by him lately. I just checked and according to google, he hasn’t posted since October 30. While I’m at it, where’s Mark Green been the past few months? He was one of my favorite posters because his way of rationalizing things was so close to how I used to view things (and probably still do, although I try to keep those thoughts reigned in some). Virgo Cluster . Stupid Hypocrisy, Prejudice, and Lame Excuses (and Political .. Correctness, Too) in the U.S.A. .. .. Hypocrisy, prejudice, lame excuses, and political .. correctness are not uniquely American by an means. .. But, with typical American zest and zeal, Americans .. seem to have a special knack for doing them exceptionally .. well . . . . .. .. Do as I Say, Not as I Do: Great Moments in American .. Hypocrisy .. .. It seems it is easy to take the moral high ground. .. However, adhering to one’s own ethics appears to be .. not quite as easy, to judge by the following (somewhat .. stupid) examples. .. .. Teamsters Local 988, Houston, Texas .. .. What they’re supposed to say: Let’s always go union. .. .. What they actually did: Built a new union meeting hall .. using nonunion labor…since, as Local 988 officials .. said, "Union contractors cost too much." << Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras, "Unusually Stupid .. Americans: A Compendium of All-American Stupidity", .. Villard Books, 2003, pp. 89 & 90 >>

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I’ve been driving a little toyota corolla around for the last 10 years. It’s been a great vehicle, but my job’s taken off and I’m ready to buy something nicer. I’m a little shy with the ladies, something I’ve been pushing myself beyond. I think a nice car would help me a bit, at least get more attention and thus more opportunites. I don’t really know that much about cars. I’d like something that will turn some heads, but that’s also not going to cost me a fortune. 20k-30k is the price range I’m looking at. Any recommendations on some cool cars in that range? I saw a commercial for the new dodge cruizer that’s caught my eye.

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(OT) #7!!!!!!! Texans & USAn rejoice!!!!!!

admin — Sun, 24 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Just remembered something LOL – near the end of "Fatbottomed Girls" doesn’t Freddie M. yell out, "Get on yer bikes and riiiiiiiiide, boys!"? Thanks to Great Britain for giving us Freddie Mercury & Queen…..like many greats of the Fine Arts world, not fully appreciated till after Freddie left us for the RB long ago.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I feel ashamed of myself for causing your courteous, detailed explanations. You are you and I am me and despite Queen’s opinion (it ain’t "fat-bottomed girls") that’s what makes world go ’round – diverse opinions of us hoomins on planet. ‘Nuff said. I shouldn’t have posted that……retired now, w/30 years worth of memories of work in Class 1 trauma center ER’s triggering my sometimes spastic typing fingers here. As for Lance & his stuffed lion: I have a fairly large tv simply because I’m a rabid Broncos fan: I blame my failure to recognize what he was tube lately, right?) and two: the particular telecast I watched, which consisted of tight closeups of Lance saying what he said and then really *fast* camera reverse-zoom (where I noticed the thing in his right hand) to overall view of winner’s stand. I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. To each his/her own, I try to keep in mind. On 2005-07-25, Hopitus penned: Thank you for explaining what the tv dudes left out that left me scratching my head! ROFL – I never woulda figured out that was a stuffed lion being waved by our hero….I thought maybe he’d run over a bear somewhere on the route and that was his trophy. I think you need a bigger TV =P Even our 27" shows the lion pretty well. You’re in good shape, Monique. Couldn’t you just leave that murderous hog in your garage (sorry, former ER worker) and train to ride bike in USA women’s group of contestants? I’d root for ya…. Okay, lots of thoughts, in no particular order: It’s not a hog, it’s a beemer (BMW)! A hawg is a harley. I ride my mountain bike on trails far more often than I ride my beemer. The beemer is a pleasure vehicle, like a fancy convertible or something. I wish I could say I rode it more, but it really only gets exercise every week or two on average. In contrast, I typically ride my mountain bike several times a week. (Course, with the wrist right now, I’m not riding either). Cycling just isn’t as safe as you probably think it is. At least on a motorcycle, I’m wearing full protective gear. On a bike, I’m wearing a helmet (that only covers the top of my head, as opposed to my fullface motorcycle helmet) and gloves … that’s about it. The spandex on the rest of my body isn’t doing diddly in a crash. I’ve gone past 30 MPH going downhill at a 2% grade on a mountain bike and somewhat rugged terrain … racing on a road bike is much faster than that! Bob Roll has a quote somewhere to the effect that after years of racing, he finally figured out what the awful smell is at a crash — it’s the smell of burning flesh. On a motorcycle, you can at least accelerate and get away from nasty sitautions. On a road bike, you simply can’t accelerate like a car can. And you don’t just have to worry about idiots not paying attention; there are idiots who think that bikes don’t belong on the road and actually try to ram them! There are cycling fatalities *in Boulder* every year. And while a motorcycle stands a decent chance of staying upright if you run it off the road and into grass, a road bike, with tires less than an inch wide, is an instant disaster. Last year, a friend of a friend was taken to the hospital after a car ran him off the road on purpose. I know that all sorts of bad things can happen even if you take proper precautions, but knowing that, when I want to do something risky, I do my research and mitigate what I can. Not acknowledging the risks is far more dangerous, in my opinion. I took the MSF course before I ever took a motorcycle on the road — something that they claim reduces your chance of getting in an accident the first (most dangerous) year by something like 95%. I wear full gear every time I ride. I never ride tired or sick, and I won’t ride with even a single drink in my system (same for driving a car, actually). At some point, I will finally psych myself up enough to ride one of my bicycles to work — I already have a cute little bike just for the purpose, a rigid mountain bike with narrow, slick tires — but it honestly scares me. Much worse than riding trails; much worse than riding a motorcycle. Bicycle/vehicle interactions are just scary. Riding near cars is just scary. Finally, if I were to compete, it would almost certainly be in mountain biking. I did compete in a race last year, actually. Very interesting experience. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

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I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have …

We bought a perfectly lovely 36" Sony TV two years ago. You got it. DH spends half his time in the electronics stores sighing over the bigger HD models that are far out of our price range. Besides which we don’t really have anywhere else to put the current monster. To big to put in a bedroom. Jo

Response:

On 2005-07-26, Hopitus penned: I feel ashamed of myself for causing your courteous, detailed explanations. You are you and I am me and despite Queen’s opinion (it ain’t "fat-bottomed girls") that’s what makes world go ’round – diverse opinions of us hoomins on planet. ‘Nuff said. I shouldn’t have posted that……retired now, w/30 years worth of memories of work in Class 1 trauma center ER’s triggering my sometimes spastic typing fingers here.

I just felt the need to defend myself a bit =) Well, not defend, maybe explain. I know that riding a motorcycle is dangerous. I could die or be crippled. But I also think that there are a lot of activities that could kill or cripple a person … nuff said. As for Lance & his stuffed lion: I have a fairly large tv simply because I’m a rabid Broncos fan: I blame my failure to recognize what he was waving on 2 right?) and two: the particular telecast I watched, which consisted of tight closeups of Lance saying what he said and then really *fast* camera reverse-zoom (where I noticed the thing in his right hand) to overall view of winner’s stand.

Yeah, I think this is the third Tour I’ve watched. I don’t remember if the lion was obvious to me at first. I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL.

*sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

You are into a different sport(s), kid. A Jake the Snake adorned w/whatever facial hair decoration he fancies, Shannie making awful faces and cursing silently, and the rest of our OrangeandBlue losing chance after chance is absolutely vital to life here! Even the Deadly Duo no longer look up @ the screaming & pounding going on via the sofa…..but we never, ever lose hope, LOL. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – On 2005-07-26, Hopitus penned: I feel ashamed of myself for causing your courteous, detailed explanations. You are you and I am me and despite Queen’s opinion (it ain’t "fat-bottomed girls") that’s what makes world go ’round – diverse opinions of us hoomins on planet. ‘Nuff said. I shouldn’t have posted that……retired now, w/30 years worth of memories of work in Class 1 trauma center ER’s triggering my sometimes spastic typing fingers here. I just felt the need to defend myself a bit =) Well, not defend, maybe explain. I know that riding a motorcycle is dangerous. I could die or be crippled. But I also think that there are a lot of activities that could kill or cripple a person … nuff said. As for Lance & his stuffed lion: I have a fairly large tv simply because I’m a rabid Broncos fan: I blame my failure to recognize what he was waving on 2 right?) and two: the particular telecast I watched, which consisted of tight closeups of Lance saying what he said and then really *fast* camera reverse-zoom (where I noticed the thing in his right hand) to overall view of winner’s stand. Yeah, I think this is the third Tour I’ve watched. I don’t remember if the lion was obvious to me at first. I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … We bought a perfectly lovely 36" Sony TV two years ago. You got it. DH spends half his time in the electronics stores sighing over the bigger HD models that are far out of our price range. Besides which we don’t really have anywhere else to put the current monster. To big to put in a bedroom. Jo I also have a 36" Sony, much too small I’d like a nice 72" HD DLP.

They *MAKE* 72 inchers now!???! Oh gawd, DH is probably going to start complaining about how small our 65 incher is now! ; Hugs, CatNipped – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat.

Response:

On 2005-07-26, Hopitus penned: Just remembered something LOL – near the end of "Fatbottomed Girls" doesn’t Freddie M. yell out, "Get on yer bikes and riiiiiiiiide, boys!"? Thanks to Great Britain for giving us Freddie Mercury & Queen…..like many greats of the Fine Arts world, not fully appreciated till after Freddie left us for the RB long ago.

I think that’s a reference to the song "I want to ride my bicycle" — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … We bought a perfectly lovely 36" Sony TV two years ago. You got it. DH spends half his time in the electronics stores sighing over the bigger HD models that are far out of our price range. Besides which we don’t really have anywhere else to put the current monster. To big to put in a bedroom. Jo I also have a 36" Sony, much too small I’d like a nice 72" HD DLP. They *MAKE* 72 inchers now!???! Oh gawd, DH is probably going to start complaining about how small our 65 incher is now! ; Hugs, CatNipped

So don’t tell him. — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat.

Response:

So would Charlie. Jo

Response:

I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. *sigh* now wouldn’t that be nice to have … We bought a perfectly lovely 36" Sony TV two years ago. You got it. DH spends half his time in the electronics stores sighing over the bigger HD models that are far out of our price range. Besides which we don’t really have anywhere else to put the current monster. To big to put in a bedroom. Jo

I also have a 36" Sony, much too small I’d like a nice 72" HD DLP. — Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat.

Response:

On 2005-07-25, Hopitus penned: Well, good for Lance and God Bless Texas, but *what* was he begging the "non-believers" or "skeptics" to believe? That he won? No contest, LOL. And who were those chicks on either side of him?

I asked that, too. helen s suggested it was because a lot of people in the US don’t consider cycling to be a "real sport" because it’s "just pushing pedals" (kind of like running a marathon is "just putting one foot in front of the other," I suppose, except that afaik marathons don’t have nearly the kind of tactics that the Tour does, nor the multiple ways to be noticed (points, climbs, first across the line each day and of course the yellow jersey … not to mention the variety of riding that goes into it with time trials, flats, mountains … Ahem. And I’m not even a roadie! I’ve never ridden a road bike in my life. Where was Sheryl? And what was that brown fuzzy thing in his waving right hand that looked for all the world like a dead bear’s head??! I can see there’s a LOAD of stuff about riding a bike that I don’t know, LOL. Here you have a cycling-uninformed person who still thinks – with the nonsense going on these days in pro baseball – they ought to let Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame even tho he bet on the game ‘way back when……

Sheryl was there. They always have two women present the winners of the day with a stuffed-animal lion , which I believe is a take on the mascot of the Tour sponsor Credit Lyonnais. You don’t get to bring your s.o. on the podium, no matter how famous she might be in her own right =) I was hoping for a nod to the Australian women’s team in the Tour coverage or by some of the riders, but if there was any such thing, I didn’t catch it. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

Thank you for explaining what the tv dudes left out that left me scratching my head! ROFL – I never woulda figured out that was a stuffed lion being waved by our hero….I thought maybe he’d run over a bear somewhere on the route and that was his trophy. You’re in good shape, Monique. Couldn’t you just leave that murderous hog in your garage (sorry, former ER worker) and train to ride bike in USA women’s group of contestants? I’d root for ya…. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – On 2005-07-25, Hopitus penned: Well, good for Lance and God Bless Texas, but *what* was he begging the "non-believers" or "skeptics" to believe? That he won? No contest, LOL. And who were those chicks on either side of him? I asked that, too. helen s suggested it was because a lot of people in the US don’t consider cycling to be a "real sport" because it’s "just pushing pedals" (kind of like running a marathon is "just putting one foot in front of the other," I suppose, except that afaik marathons don’t have nearly the kind of tactics that the Tour does, nor the multiple ways to be noticed (points, climbs, first across the line each day and of course the yellow jersey … not to mention the variety of riding that goes into it with time trials, flats, mountains … Ahem. And I’m not even a roadie! I’ve never ridden a road bike in my life. Where was Sheryl? And what was that brown fuzzy thing in his waving right hand that looked for all the world like a dead bear’s head??! I can see there’s a LOAD of stuff about riding a bike that I don’t know, LOL. Here you have a cycling-uninformed person who still thinks – with the nonsense going on these days in pro baseball – they ought to let Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame even tho he bet on the game ‘way back when…… Sheryl was there. They always have two women present the winners of the day with a stuffed-animal lion , which I believe is a take on the mascot of the Tour sponsor Credit Lyonnais. You don’t get to bring your s.o. on the podium, no matter how famous she might be in her own right =) I was hoping for a nod to the Australian women’s team in the Tour coverage or by some of the riders, but if there was any such thing, I didn’t catch it. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

On 2005-07-25, Hopitus penned: Thank you for explaining what the tv dudes left out that left me scratching my head! ROFL – I never woulda figured out that was a stuffed lion being waved by our hero….I thought maybe he’d run over a bear somewhere on the route and that was his trophy.

I think you need a bigger TV =P Even our 27" shows the lion pretty well. You’re in good shape, Monique. Couldn’t you just leave that murderous hog in your garage (sorry, former ER worker) and train to ride bike in USA women’s group of contestants? I’d root for ya….

Okay, lots of thoughts, in no particular order: It’s not a hog, it’s a beemer (BMW)! A hawg is a harley. I ride my mountain bike on trails far more often than I ride my beemer. The beemer is a pleasure vehicle, like a fancy convertible or something. I wish I could say I rode it more, but it really only gets exercise every week or two on average. In contrast, I typically ride my mountain bike several times a week. (Course, with the wrist right now, I’m not riding either). Cycling just isn’t as safe as you probably think it is. At least on a motorcycle, I’m wearing full protective gear. On a bike, I’m wearing a helmet (that only covers the top of my head, as opposed to my fullface motorcycle helmet) and gloves … that’s about it. The spandex on the rest of my body isn’t doing diddly in a crash. I’ve gone past 30 MPH going downhill at a 2% grade on a mountain bike and somewhat rugged terrain … racing on a road bike is much faster than that! Bob Roll has a quote somewhere to the effect that after years of racing, he finally figured out what the awful smell is at a crash — it’s the smell of burning flesh. On a motorcycle, you can at least accelerate and get away from nasty sitautions. On a road bike, you simply can’t accelerate like a car can. And you don’t just have to worry about idiots not paying attention; there are idiots who think that bikes don’t belong on the road and actually try to ram them! There are cycling fatalities *in Boulder* every year. And while a motorcycle stands a decent chance of staying upright if you run it off the road and into grass, a road bike, with tires less than an inch wide, is an instant disaster. Last year, a friend of a friend was taken to the hospital after a car ran him off the road on purpose. I know that all sorts of bad things can happen even if you take proper precautions, but knowing that, when I want to do something risky, I do my research and mitigate what I can. Not acknowledging the risks is far more dangerous, in my opinion. I took the MSF course before I ever took a motorcycle on the road — something that they claim reduces your chance of getting in an accident the first (most dangerous) year by something like 95%. I wear full gear every time I ride. I never ride tired or sick, and I won’t ride with even a single drink in my system (same for driving a car, actually). At some point, I will finally psych myself up enough to ride one of my bicycles to work — I already have a cute little bike just for the purpose, a rigid mountain bike with narrow, slick tires — but it honestly scares me. Much worse than riding trails; much worse than riding a motorcycle. Bicycle/vehicle interactions are just scary. Riding near cars is just scary. Finally, if I were to compete, it would almost certainly be in mountain biking. I did compete in a race last year, actually. Very interesting experience. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

I feel ashamed of myself for causing your courteous, detailed explanations. You are you and I am me and despite Queen’s opinion (it ain’t "fat-bottomed girls") that’s what makes world go ’round – diverse opinions of us hoomins on planet. ‘Nuff said. I shouldn’t have posted that……retired now, w/30 years worth of memories of work in Class 1 trauma center ER’s triggering my sometimes spastic typing fingers here. As for Lance & his stuffed lion: I have a fairly large tv simply because I’m a rabid Broncos fan: I blame my failure to recognize what he was waving on 2 right?) and two: the particular telecast I watched, which consisted of tight closeups of Lance saying what he said and then really *fast* camera reverse-zoom (where I noticed the thing in his right hand) to overall view of winner’s stand. I would be a total basket case trying to watch football on any screen smaller than my 36", LOL. To each his/her own, I try to keep in mind. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – On 2005-07-25, Hopitus penned: Thank you for explaining what the tv dudes left out that left me scratching my head! ROFL – I never woulda figured out that was a stuffed lion being waved by our hero….I thought maybe he’d run over a bear somewhere on the route and that was his trophy. I think you need a bigger TV =P Even our 27" shows the lion pretty well. You’re in good shape, Monique. Couldn’t you just leave that murderous hog in your garage (sorry, former ER worker) and train to ride bike in USA women’s group of contestants? I’d root for ya…. Okay, lots of thoughts, in no particular order: It’s not a hog, it’s a beemer (BMW)! A hawg is a harley. I ride my mountain bike on trails far more often than I ride my beemer. The beemer is a pleasure vehicle, like a fancy convertible or something. I wish I could say I rode it more, but it really only gets exercise every week or two on average. In contrast, I typically ride my mountain bike several times a week. (Course, with the wrist right now, I’m not riding either). Cycling just isn’t as safe as you probably think it is. At least on a motorcycle, I’m wearing full protective gear. On a bike, I’m wearing a helmet (that only covers the top of my head, as opposed to my fullface motorcycle helmet) and gloves … that’s about it. The spandex on the rest of my body isn’t doing diddly in a crash. I’ve gone past 30 MPH going downhill at a 2% grade on a mountain bike and somewhat rugged terrain … racing on a road bike is much faster than that! Bob Roll has a quote somewhere to the effect that after years of racing, he finally figured out what the awful smell is at a crash — it’s the smell of burning flesh. On a motorcycle, you can at least accelerate and get away from nasty sitautions. On a road bike, you simply can’t accelerate like a car can. And you don’t just have to worry about idiots not paying attention; there are idiots who think that bikes don’t belong on the road and actually try to ram them! There are cycling fatalities *in Boulder* every year. And while a motorcycle stands a decent chance of staying upright if you run it off the road and into grass, a road bike, with tires less than an inch wide, is an instant disaster. Last year, a friend of a friend was taken to the hospital after a car ran him off the road on purpose. I know that all sorts of bad things can happen even if you take proper precautions, but knowing that, when I want to do something risky, I do my research and mitigate what I can. Not acknowledging the risks is far more dangerous, in my opinion. I took the MSF course before I ever took a motorcycle on the road — something that they claim reduces your chance of getting in an accident the first (most dangerous) year by something like 95%. I wear full gear every time I ride. I never ride tired or sick, and I won’t ride with even a single drink in my system (same for driving a car, actually). At some point, I will finally psych myself up enough to ride one of my bicycles to work — I already have a cute little bike just for the purpose, a rigid mountain bike with narrow, slick tires — but it honestly scares me. Much worse than riding trails; much worse than riding a motorcycle. Bicycle/vehicle interactions are just scary. Riding near cars is just scary. Finally, if I were to compete, it would almost certainly be in mountain biking. I did compete in a race last year, actually. Very interesting experience. — monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

Response:

CYCLIST LANCE ARMSTRONG HAS WON HIS SEVENTH TOUR DE FRANCE. Quoted from FoxNews alert! — The ONE and ONLY lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy former-blonde in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)

OT:Question of the day…. 6/23/05

admin — Sat, 25 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

6/23/05: Today`s question is being brought to you by our very own Tono? :) Are you able to change/repair a flat tire? Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles)

I always fix/change mine myself. For me, it’s easier to do it myself then go through the hassle of calling someone else do it. Long ago I had a streak of flat tires, probably about 12 in one year!!! At home (and sometimes in the car or truck), I always have a kit to repair them. At home I have a air compressor to fill it again, and on the road I sometimes have a little one that takes 20 minutes to fill the tire. Lots of times I’ve repaired and filled the tire without ever taking it off the vehicle. I don’t recall the last "flat" I had, but I have had a couple slow leaks in the past year, including two on the lawn mower. I also repaired one for a friend a month or so ago. I’ve even stopped to change the tire for a stranger. Of course she was quite a looker!! ;-) Tono — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

I surely can, and have done. Cars, not bikes. The key is having (1) a good jack and (2) patience. Deirdre Today`s question is being brought to you by our very own Tono? :) Are you able to change/repair a flat tire? Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles)

– The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

6/23/05: Today`s question is being brought to you by our very own Tono? :) Are you able to change/repair a flat tire? Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles) Jackie ~*~I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster lately. The other

No way can I change a flat tire, bicycle or otherwise. That’s why I carry my AAA card. Sally — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

I surely can, and have done. Cars, not bikes. The key is having (1) a good jack and (2) patience. Deirdre

Yes, a good jack. Remember bumper jacks? Wow, those things were really dangerous! I think Chrysler/Plymouth had the worst ones. I had a car fall off one of those more than once! Tono Today`s question is being brought to you by our very own Tono? :) Are you able to change/repair a flat tire? Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles)

– The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

::Are you able to change/repair a flat tire? Would you do it, or would ::you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles) LOL! I don`t know how…..so I would have to ask someone else to do it Jackie ~*~I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster lately. The other

Response:

6/23/05: Today`s question is being brought to you by our very own Tono? :) Are you able to change/repair a flat tire? Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles)

Yes, re changing car tyres but it has become increasingly difficult since the advent of electric machines to screw on wheel nuts. I chipped a diamond ring changing a tyre in 1979. Meryl — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

Yes, a good jack. Remember bumper jacks? Wow, those things were really dangerous! I think Chrysler/Plymouth had the worst ones. I had a car fall off one of those more than once!

my uncle many many years ago had a car fall of the jack and onto him. it crushed his collar bone and my grandmother (his mother) couldn’t get the car off him. She yelled for help and a neighbour came over and in one of those rare moments of superhuman strength was somehow able to lift the front of the car with his hands just far enough for my uncle to get out. lucky fella hey. I rarely stick my head under a car these days, must be getting older or lazier, but sometimes it freaks me out when I think of the possibilities. greg — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

It would depend on how well I felt. If I wasn’t feeling very well I would call out NRMA (our local atomobile emergency people). But if I were feeling OK I would change it myself. When I was younger and raced ouround the streets on a bicycle, I would do all of the repairs myself. Change/grease bearings, replace/repair tyres, straighten bent rims (mostly unsuccessful though). I had lots of fun working on my bike. greg… 6/23/05: Today`s question is being brought to you by our very own Tono? :) Are you able to change/repair a flat tire? Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles) Jackie ~*~I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster lately. The other

– The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes, a good jack. Remember bumper jacks? Wow, those things were really dangerous! I think Chrysler/Plymouth had the worst ones. I had a car fall off one of those more than once! my uncle many many years ago had a car fall of the jack and onto him. it crushed his collar bone and my grandmother (his mother) couldn’t get the car off him. She yelled for help and a neighbour came over and in one of those rare moments of superhuman strength was somehow able to lift the front of the car with his hands just far enough for my uncle to get out. lucky fella hey. I rarely stick my head under a car these days, must be getting older or lazier, but sometimes it freaks me out when I think of the possibilities.

I wouldn’t limit it to older or lazier, how about smarter? Personally, I use jack stands if I’m going under the car. And I lower the car onto the stands. When simply changing a tire, my old neighbor used to come over and point to the jack stands just a few feet away and ask why I wasn’t using them. He was a great guy. I just never use them for changing a tire, and I keep my body positioned where if the car fell, it wouldn’t hit me. Tono — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

Are you able to change/repair a flat tire? Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles)

My only form of wheels is a bicycle. I fix most things on it, especially the tyres. The way I ride it, it tends to need a lot of fixing, too. When I used to hang around with a friend who was something of a motorhead, I used to help him change his tyres. Never had to repair a flat though. REALESTATE: biggest buy/rent/share listings http://ninemsn.realestate.com.au — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

Yes. I would try to get someone else to do it first, though . Dawn — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

If it can go flat, I have had it happen, and yes, can do. — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – 6/23/05: Today`s question is being brought to you by our very own Tono? :) Are you able to change/repair a flat tire? Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles) Jackie ~*~I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster lately. The other

LOL!!!! Tono — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

Jacqueline wrote : Are you able to change/repair a flat tire?

Yes. Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles)

I have done it on cars quite a number of times. It’s more of a pain on bicycles; I’ve done it , but that I might have someone else do. Dennis — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

Of course I know how to change/repair a tire, call the service station and ante up the cash. Jess — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

Are you able to change/repair a flat tire?

***No… Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles) ***Hubby is responsible for all car maintenance excluding putting gas in the car. smiles, ELise Jackie ~*~I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster lately. The other

– The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

I think I changed a tire once in my whole life. LOL It was on a VW, for practice. Love, Di

6/23/05: Today`s question is being brought to you by our very own Tono? :) Are you able to change/repair a flat tire? Would you do it, or would you have someone else do it? (Includes bicycles) Jackie

– The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm

Response:

Update on my weight regain

admin — Sun, 08 May 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Well, I was hoping, rightly or wrongly, that by eating low carb and with some exercise, I would naturally regulate how much I eat, without thinking too much or going hungry.

There is no such thing as natural weight regulation, at least for a good portion of people. Guess which group you are in? Your drive to eat is omnipresent, encoded in multiple overlapping systems. It doesn’t matter what you eat. Food is survival. Your body wants you to eat. That’s how you survive on the savannha. So, I am concerned that as my body adjusted to LC, this diet will stop working as well. Time will tell if that’s so. I am very busy with some projects right now, and I would very much like to be on some sort of diet that lets me concentrate on something else besides eating. LC was "it", but now I am beginning to have concerns.

It’s a daily struggle. There’s no "it." The good news you have been doing well and can continue to do well. It’s just not automatic.

Response:

I would not think that a single event, like a birthday indulgence would be the trigger. The clues to the change would be in the regular everyday menu. IMHO Adding a few pounds a year is the typical symptom of the modern diet. I was expecting that eating Paleo would avoid the list of possible causes for that gain. Thanks for keeping us updated. I’m 5′ 8" and this weight (we are almost exactly the same weight now) is obviously too high for me. I’m carrying fat in a paunch and on my upper arms near my shoulders. I’m thinking I should set a new goal around 150. I plan to wait until I reach the original goal of 165 before changing my goal officially. Are you taller, or heavy boned, or very muscular?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – In the months just before the regain were you still eating Paleo, or had you added grain and starch based foods back in? I was still eating paleo, however I deviated from it by drinking some wine on my birthday party etc, plus I ate cheese. I may have eaten something starchy inadvertently, it is possible, but I have no specific recollections. It is also possible that my body is adjusting to low carb in some way and, possibly, I can now gain weight even on this diet. Time will tell. i As I mentioned earlier, about a month ago (could be aa little more) I regained 3-4 lbs, quite suddenly, for no known reason. I was hoping that I could re-lose that weight by eating low carb, without expressly trying to "eat less". In the few previous regains of 1-2 lbs, that worked just fine. JC Der Koenig expressed doubt that it would work. I must say that JC was correct. I was eating super cleanly, and was neither gaining nor losing weight, not coming back to 173. After becoming certain of that, last week I decided to try "eating less". I skipped breakfast and lunch and ate a good sized meal in the evening. That did it and as of today, I was at my desired weight of 173.6 lbs. (the middle number in my weight signature is the average of last 7 weights and is slow to reflect changes). I will try to lose 1-2 more lbs next week and staying at or below 173 lbs. — 223/175.6/180

Response:

In the months just before the regain were you still eating Paleo, or had you added grain and starch based foods back in?

The amount of weight you are losing or gaining is very small. It’s just a few extra calories a day. Maybe look at slightly larger portion sizes or a decrease in your exercise.

Response:

In the months just before the regain were you still eating Paleo, or had you added grain and starch based foods back in?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As I mentioned earlier, about a month ago (could be aa little more) I regained 3-4 lbs, quite suddenly, for no known reason. I was hoping that I could re-lose that weight by eating low carb, without expressly trying to "eat less". In the few previous regains of 1-2 lbs, that worked just fine. JC Der Koenig expressed doubt that it would work. I must say that JC was correct. I was eating super cleanly, and was neither gaining nor losing weight, not coming back to 173. After becoming certain of that, last week I decided to try "eating less". I skipped breakfast and lunch and ate a good sized meal in the evening. That did it and as of today, I was at my desired weight of 173.6 lbs. (the middle number in my weight signature is the average of last 7 weights and is slow to reflect changes). I will try to lose 1-2 more lbs next week and staying at or below 173 lbs. — 223/175.6/180

Response:

After becoming certain of that, last week I decided to try "eating less". I skipped breakfast and lunch and ate a good sized meal in the evening.

Skipping meals(in effect not eating all day)and then having one big meal is going to mess with your metabolism. You will find it harder and harder to lose any stored bodyfat and your body will probably store as much as possible from that one big meal. Starving makes you fatter not leaner. The scale lies. http://skwigg.tripod.com/id12.html This also reminded me of an article I read about Olympic athletes and food timing – you would think they would all know better, but the ones who skipped meals were the fattest of the lot. Those who ate smaller portioned meals 5-6 times a day were the leanest. So you could be ‘eating less’ but portioned out thruout the day for best results. joni

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I could do what you suggested, also (eating less but in several meals). I figure, a week of eating once a day should not do any damage and it was relatively easy to do for a week. After all, all I had to lose was 2-3 lbs.

Yes, anything will do for losing a few pounds, that’s what crash diets were created for: people who need to shake off a few pounds quickly. The problem starts when obese people want to drop 50 or 100lbs on one of these plans, you can live on cabbage soup for a week but not for 6 months. I have become relatively skeptical about all these claims about metabolism, lately.

True. After all, it’s a question of physics: if it takes a certain amount of energy for something (chemical reaction, motion, temperature change, etc.) to happen, how can it happen on a lot less energy? I’ve seen claims that your metabolism ‘will drop down to 50%’, this doesn’t make any sense, after all if your body could be run on half the energy, why not do it all the time? If you could tweak your car to run on 50% of the fuel, would you tweak it back to use the full amount? There are energy-saving tips’n'tricks for drivers that will reduce fuel consumption by modest amounts, this must be the kind of thing that your body does when it goes into ’starvation’ mode, i.e. trying to save bits of energy here & there, which is why people feel cold & tired when they don’t eat. Our bodies must have been designed for irregular eating, otherwise why the limitless ability to store fat? If we were designed to eat 3 or 4 regular meals day in day out, we’d only be able to store a few pounds of fat for, say, a period of sickness during which we couldn’t eat. If there’s any BMR change, it’s likely to be +/- 10% or thereabouts and only temporarily, it’s not like if you starve yourself for a week you’ll have a lower BMR forever.

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Yes, anything will do for losing a few pounds, that’s what crash diets were created for: people who need to shake off a few pounds quickly. The problem starts when obese people want to drop 50 or 100lbs on one of these plans, you can live on cabbage soup for a week but not for 6 months. Although I agree with you, what I did last week (and plan on repeating this week) was not a crash diet. I ate, probably, around 1,500 cals per day.

I just mentioned it ‘coz people say it would ’screw your metabolism’. Any diet or meal plan followed for only a short time is not likely to have long-term ill effects unless you have a medical condition. I’ve seen claims that your metabolism ‘will drop down to 50%’, this doesn’t make any sense, after all if your body could be run on half the energy, why not do it all the time? If you could tweak your car to run on 50% of the fuel, would you tweak it back to use the full amount? Not so sure about cars. Um, compare two cars, a Toyota Corolla with a small engine, and a Corvette with a big V8. Both, really, do the same thing, which getting the driver from point A to point B. But the Corvette will burn a lot more fuel. Why do people choose Corvettes? I would not choose one, but they have their reasons.

You’re comparing two different cars, which is like two different bodies. I wouldn’t have lost 3lbs in a week eating 1,500 cals/day ‘coz I have a smaller body. But I was referring to the car you already have and being able to run it on a lot less fuel whilst getting the same performance from it, as it’s supposed to happen with your body when your metabolism gets ’screwed up by dieting’. Our bodies must have been designed for irregular eating, otherwise why the limitless ability to store fat? If we were designed to eat 3 or 4 regular meals day in day out, we’d only be able to store a few pounds of fat for, say, a period of sickness during which we couldn’t eat. If there’s any BMR change, it’s likely to be +/- 10% or thereabouts and only temporarily, it’s not like if you starve yourself for a week you’ll have a lower BMR forever. All true. I am not in the least concerned that one or two weeks of eating once a day (with regular eating on weekend) are going to ruin my metabolism.

I don’t think you can really ‘ruin your metabolism’ as such. It does slow down a little on low cal intake but you still lose weight, and so do anorexics who eat almost nothing. And it picks up as soon as you eat more cals, it doesn’t stay ‘lowered’ forever. There are some people with metabolic issues but they quite rare and have other causes.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After becoming certain of that, last week I decided to try "eating less". I skipped breakfast and lunch and ate a good sized meal in the evening. How do you know the weight you gained was fat you needed to lose and not muscle you want to keep? Well, I did not change my exercise routine in any way…

And I guess you didn’t start taking steroids either… it’s not possible to gain several pounds of muscle in a week or two, I think the average gain is more like10lbs/yr or thereabouts.

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After becoming certain of that, last week I decided to try "eating less". I skipped breakfast and lunch and ate a good sized meal in the evening.

How do you know the weight you gained was fat you needed to lose and not muscle you want to keep? — No Husband Has Ever Been Shot While Doing The Dishes

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I have become relatively skeptical about all these claims about metabolism, lately. True. After all, it’s a question of physics:

But it’s not. I find it hard to believe people don’t think the body can adapt to survival by making choices of where to spend resources. Plus it has been shown to happen, so there’s not much to argue about. if it takes a certain amount of energy for something (chemical reaction, motion, temperature change, etc.) to happen, how can it happen on a lot less energy? I’ve seen claims that your metabolism ‘will drop down to 50%’, this doesn’t make any sense, after all if your body could be run on half the energy, why not do it all the time?

When my car is low on gass i drive slower. Why don’t i drive slower all the time? Our bodies must have been designed for irregular eating, otherwise why the limitless ability to store fat? If we were designed to eat 3 or 4 regular meals day in day out, we’d only be able to store a few pounds of fat for, say, a period of sickness during which we couldn’t eat.

But interestingly we don’t store other things like essential fatty acids and proteins. But we store fat.

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: : In the months just before the regain were you still eating Paleo, : or had you added grain and starch based foods back in? : : The amount of weight you are losing or gaining is very small. It’s : just : a few extra calories a day. Maybe look at slightly larger portion : sizes : or a decrease in your exercise. : : Well, I was hoping, rightly or wrongly, that by eating low carb and : with some exercise, I would naturally regulate how much I eat, : without thinking too much or going hungry. : As a former fat person, I just don’t think it will ever be that way for you. Sorry. : I started eating low carb at normal weight, way after I lost 50 : lbs. The main rationale for going LC was to be able to maintain : weight : without being hungry all the time, like I was when I was maintaining : weight on a general "eat less" diet. That was the hope. Well, you weren’t hungry all the time…were you? It seems you were successful. : : It worked quite beautifully in the first 8 months. I was eating all I : wanted, and was not gaining. Sometimes I would gain a couple of lbs : temporarily and they would go away in a couple of weeks. It was a : fairly carefree existence. Then I gained 3-5 lbs in March, and it : would not go away until I decided to tough it out and "eat less" for : one week. Seems like I recall they came very quickly and, according to this, you lost them in a week. Not bad if you ask me. : : So, I am concerned that as my body adjusted to LC, this diet will : stop : working as well. Time will tell if that’s so. I am very busy with : some projects right now, and I would very much like to be on some : sort of : diet that lets me concentrate on something else besides eating. LC : was "it", but now I am beginning to have concerns. IMO, you’re worrying about nothing. Keep doing what you’re doing, and if you pick up a few pounds, restricting eating for a week to settle down. It’s just your way…live it with.

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Not so sure about cars. Um, compare two cars, a Toyota Corolla with a small engine, and a Corvette with a big V8. Both, really, do the same thing, which getting the driver from point A to point B. But the Corvette will burn a lot more fuel. Why do people choose Corvettes? I would not choose one, but they have their reasons.

Stick to discussing LC, you don’t know much about cars. A Corolla and a Corvette "do the same thing" only for a very broad definition of "the same thing", and the reason one burns more fuel than another under different conditions has little to do with metabolism. KeS

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: : : : In the months just before the regain were you still eating : : Paleo, : : or had you added grain and starch based foods back in? : : : : The amount of weight you are losing or gaining is very small. : : It’s : : just : : a few extra calories a day. Maybe look at slightly larger : : portion : : sizes : : or a decrease in your exercise. : : : : Well, I was hoping, rightly or wrongly, that by eating low carb : : and : : with some exercise, I would naturally regulate how much I eat, : : without thinking too much or going hungry. : : : : As a former fat person, I just don’t think it will ever be that : way for you. Sorry. : : I appreciate the comment, but is the above not what low carb diets : are claiming to accomplish? "Eat LC, do not be hungry and reach your : ideal weight". Low carb diets don’t claim anything…the people pushing them make the claims…and they can oversell a thing, as I’m sure you know. But, specically, I was referring to your comment about "naturally regulate how much I eat, without thinking too much or going hungry". Why is it that going hungry sometimes is such a bad thing? And the fact is, some people just enjoy eating…and that means you’re going to have to pay attention if you don’t want to be fat. The process doesn’t have to be all that painful. : : For me personally, LC worked just like that until approximately : March. I hope that it will continue to work, although I am now : doubting it. I think you’re expecting too much, honestly. Surely you don’t think you can eat all the meat and fat you want (assuming you want a lot) and never gain weight, do you? : : : : I started eating low carb at normal weight, way after I lost 50 : : lbs. The main rationale for going LC was to be able to maintain : : weight : : without being hungry all the time, like I was when I was : : maintaining weight on a general "eat less" diet. That was the : : hope. : : Well, you weren’t hungry all the time…were you? It seems you : were successful. : : Well, yes, but I gained 3-4 or so lbs at some point. That’s my : current concern. You mentioned weight gain before, followed by a loss. How is this really different? : : : : : It worked quite beautifully in the first 8 months. I was eating : : all I wanted, and was not gaining. Sometimes I would gain a : : couple of lbs temporarily and they would go away in a couple of : : weeks. It was a : : fairly carefree existence. Then I gained 3-5 lbs in March, and it : : would not go away until I decided to tough it out and "eat less" : : for : : one week. : : Seems like I recall they came very quickly and, according to this, : you lost them in a week. Not bad if you ask me. : : Agreed. : : : : : So, I am concerned that as my body adjusted to LC, this diet will : : stop : : working as well. Time will tell if that’s so. I am very busy with : : some projects right now, and I would very much like to be on some : : sort of : : diet that lets me concentrate on something else besides eating. : : LC : : was "it", but now I am beginning to have concerns. : : IMO, you’re worrying about nothing. Keep doing what you’re doing, : and if you pick up a few pounds, restricting eating for a week to : settle down. It’s just your way…live it with. : : That makes full sense to me. : — : 223/175.6/180

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I’m 5′ 8" also, and am at 171 now. When I started LC 5 years ago (at 248 pounds), I was sure that 175 would be a good weight for me, boy was I wrong I’ve set a new goal of 165, and am getting more convinced that I’ll need to be around 155. Heck, maybe I should just aim for 148 to make it an even 100 pounds of loss. I got down to around 190 pounds in around a year, then hovered around there and slowly gain 15 or so pounds through poor eating habits before getting more strict with my eating habits last July. Even though the pounds are coming off much more slowly now (I’m presently losing at around 3 pounds a month) each pound makes a heck of a larger difference in appearance than it did 50 pounds ago. — — Chris Smolinski Black Cat Systems http://www.blackcatsystems.com

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Quoting Ignoramus8220: : Well, I was hoping, rightly or wrongly, that by eating low carb and : with some exercise, I would naturally regulate how much I eat, : without thinking too much or going hungry. As a former fat person, I just don’t think it will ever be that way for you. Sorry. I appreciate the comment, but is the above not what low carb diets are claiming to accomplish? "Eat LC, do not be hungry and reach your ideal weight".

Oh, I think that’s an overly optimistic interpretation of what various plans are claiming. For me personally, LC worked just like that until approximately March. I hope that it will continue to work, although I am now doubting it.

Like Roger suggested, you’ll likely always have to consciously exercise some sort of control over your intake. : I started eating low carb at normal weight, way after I lost 50 : lbs. The main rationale for going LC was to be able to maintain : weight without being hungry all the time, like I was when I was : maintaining weight on a general "eat less" diet. That was the hope.

Personally, I’ve adjusted to lowered carb in terms of it controlling my appetite and this happens to a lot of people (I think I’ve mentioned this to you before). However, I plan on continuing to watch carbs and gluten indefinitely for health reasons. Well, you weren’t hungry all the time…were you? It seems you were successful. Well, yes, but I gained 3-4 or so lbs at some point. That’s my current concern.

I’ve had to remain vigilant the last few years. In many ways, maintaining is almost as tough as losing. I’d recommend that you don’t let yourself fluctuate any more than what you’re confident you can easily lose in a week or two. For me, that’s no more than 3 lb. Which is what it sounds like you’re doing. Either that, or relax a bit on weekends and plan it out during the week. Stepping up the weight training so that you add more muscle mass might help as well.

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Yes. Yes. I quite agree.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would not think that a single event, like a birthday indulgence would be the trigger. The clues to the change would be in the regular everyday menu. IMHO Adding a few pounds a year is the typical symptom of the modern diet. I was expecting that eating Paleo would avoid the list of possible causes for that gain. Thanks for keeping us updated. I’m 5′ 8" and this weight (we are almost exactly the same weight now) is obviously too high for me. I’m carrying fat in a paunch and on my upper arms near my shoulders. I’m thinking I should set a new goal around 150. I plan to wait until I reach the original goal of 165 before changing my goal officially. Are you taller, or heavy boned, or very muscular? I’m 5′ 8" also, and am at 171 now. When I started LC 5 years ago (at 248 pounds), I was sure that 175 would be a good weight for me, boy was I wrong I’ve set a new goal of 165, and am getting more convinced that I’ll need to be around 155. Heck, maybe I should just aim for 148 to make it an even 100 pounds of loss. I got down to around 190 pounds in around a year, then hovered around there and slowly gain 15 or so pounds through poor eating habits before getting more strict with my eating habits last July. Even though the pounds are coming off much more slowly now (I’m presently losing at around 3 pounds a month) each pound makes a heck of a larger difference in appearance than it did 50 pounds ago. — — Chris Smolinski Black Cat Systems http://www.blackcatsystems.com

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hey i , I am wondring what your numbers mean? Last one is 180 so I thought that you WANTED to be at this? Just nosey me:) You are doing really well !! PLEASE rub shoulders with me :) glo

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There was a thing in the paper this week about how most people seriously underestimate how many calories they are taking in daily – so given that, its not surprising that many people THINK they are not eating too much when they actually are taking in more than they need to stay stable or lose. You see it in this forum all the time – especially from newbies who complain that they aren’t eating much but are gaining or at least, not losing – essentially wanting someone to tell them some magic secret OTHER than…uh, eat less than you are and see what happens. I’m mom of three, and wow, the amount I can nibble during food prep, or post meal clean up is really amazing and I’m not really aware of what I’m doing (like, there are only a few spoons of mashed potatoes left in the pot, not enough for left overs….instead of letting them go to waste…I’ll just eat them! ARGH!). Keeping a strict food diary does help, as does relentlessly weighing/measuring portions. I really don’t think its metabolism in terms of some kind of post diet slow down , I think its just that our body wants to regain, makes us hungry, and we are kinda oblivious sometimes to just how much we are actually taking in. Oh, I dream of my younger days when my weight stayed stable for years without me paying ANY attention to it. Those days are gone, gone, gone. Mary G. 5′ 6" tall, started at 195 last Sept, goal was 135 reached in Feb, now just south of 130.

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You haven’t aligned your setpoint properly yet. — Most people are dumb as bricks; some people are dumber than that. – MFW

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Mary, I agree with you. There is no doubt that I gained weight due to eating too much. What concerns me is why did I start eating too much, whereas for 8 months before, I did not eat too much without trying to limit eating. i

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JC Der Koenig schreef: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You haven’t aligned your setpoint properly yet. And what are the implications of this statement? You have a bodyweight setpoint and a bodyfat setpoint. Dieting down to 175, and then trying to stay at 175, means that you’re trying to constantly fight against your setpoints which will be somewhat higher than where you are at. For me, my bodyweight setpoint is between 10 and 15 pounds above where I dieted down to. The bodyfat setpoint is the difference of a few percent. How does that affect you? I believe that if you dieted down to about 160, and then let yourself creep up to the weight you are at now, you would be able to maintain that weight much more easily. It depends on where your individual setpoint is though. It might take a few cycles to get the adjustment right.

Hmm, maybe that would work, if you lift weights so the weight you gain back is mostly muscle and not just fat. Of 2 people who weigh the same, the one with the most lean body mass can eat more without gaining weight. Berna (101.5/69.3/~68) — ( )_( ) Berna M. Bleeker-Slikker / http://www.volksliedjes.nl

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Mary, I agree with you. There is no doubt that I gained weight due to eating too much. What concerns me is why did I start eating too much, whereas for 8 months before, I did not eat too much without trying to limit eating.

It occured to me there’s an aging aspect as well. We are said to gain a pound at year after 40 because our BMR slows down.

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You haven’t aligned your setpoint properly yet. And what are the implications of this statement?

You have a bodyweight setpoint and a bodyfat setpoint. Dieting down to 175, and then trying to stay at 175, means that you’re trying to constantly fight against your setpoints which will be somewhat higher than where you are at. For me, my bodyweight setpoint is between 10 and 15 pounds above where I dieted down to. The bodyfat setpoint is the difference of a few percent. How does that affect you? I believe that if you dieted down to about 160, and then let yourself creep up to the weight you are at now, you would be able to maintain that weight much more easily. It depends on where your individual setpoint is though. It might take a few cycles to get the adjustment right.

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I would be relatively content if I was only gaining 1 lb per year after the age of 40.

I don’t see that it would be particularly comfortable or conducive to staying active to be 40 lbs overweight at the age of 80. janice

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Quoting Ignoramus20928: Quoting Ignoramus8220: Like Roger suggested, you’ll likely always have to consciously exercise some sort of control over your intake. Would you say, then, that LC may make it easier?

Yes. What is, in your opinion, the benefit of LC if we accept that we have to control how much we eat, anyway. [...] Personally, I’ve adjusted to lowered carb in terms of it controlling my appetite and this happens to a lot of people (I think I’ve mentioned this to you before).

Perhaps I should have been more specific above: lowered carb doesn’t control my appetite as well as it once did. However, my appetite is definitely lower than it would otherwise be if I ate carbs ad libitum (as opposed to the 80-120g/day or so I currently consume). So, that’s one benefit. Another is delaying or preventing the onset of diabetes (very strong family history of T2). In addition, eating grains also tends to give me indigestion and cause me to feel poorly (fibro-ish/achy/low energy level). Have you adjusted, in the sense of LC not working as well anymore? Am I misinterpreting what you said?

I was mainly referring to it no longer working as well in terms of appetite suppression, not anything else. I don’t buy into that ‘LC gives a thermodynamic advantage’ nonsense. It works just fine as long as I eat the appropriate amount of calories. It’s ok to be a little hungry every once in a while. Hopefully you’ll be successful in coming to terms with that.

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: Quoting Ignoramus8220:

: : : Well, I was hoping, rightly or wrongly, that by eating low : : carb and : : with some exercise, I would naturally regulate how much I eat, : : without thinking too much or going hungry. : : As a former fat person, I just don’t think it will ever be that : way for you. Sorry. : : I appreciate the comment, but is the above not what low carb diets : are : claiming to accomplish? "Eat LC, do not be hungry and reach your : ideal : weight". : : Oh, I think that’s an overly optimistic interpretation of what : various : plans are claiming. : : That would be unfortunate, if true. : : For me personally, LC worked just like that until approximately : March. I hope that it will continue to work, although I am now : doubting it. : : Like Roger suggested, you’ll likely always have to consciously : exercise some sort of control over your intake. : : Would you say, then, that LC may make it easier? Yes…and that is the main benefit. :What is, in your : opinion, the benefit of LC if we accept that we have to control how : much we eat, anyway. Well, go back to how you were eating before going LC…You’ll be hungry all of the time instead of just eating naturally, but with no real hunger, and dieting every now and then. You’re not a robot, Ig, so expecting perfection is really asking too much.

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Dr Tarvez Tucker at UK Medical Center in Lexington KY

admin — Sat, 23 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Boy!! Where do we get these "healers". My son is an auto technician with Chevrolet. He’s got his degree in automotive tech and continues with his education as cars get more complex. HIS doctor told him… "You’re pretty smart for a mechanic." Needless to say he’s still doc shopping. Do you think ASHM could make the Best Seller List if we compiled anecdotal accounts of our worst office visits? Chrissy, you can be the first to submit your loser! Liz

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I live in Elizabethtown KY. About 20 miles from Ft Knox. It’s about 1hr or just a little more to Bowling Green. It would be a dream come true.(iv infusion) I have been without any meds other than triptans for like 50 days now. My longtime neuro closed his office practice in DEC but continued to fill scripts till Jan. (this is such a long story, stop if you need too) My Dad is an investigator for the state medical licensenure (sp) board in Western KY. So, i asked him to check out the three docs in our town. Two have current litigation pending (no details) and the third (who I went to see) had a case for patient abuse (physical) dismissed against him. Great choices I know. Well, Dr Oropilla did nothing but YELL about my previous doc. They had been neighbors and didn’t get along. No, he never worked with him, and did not know how his treatment plans worked. He also told me that he would never prescribe butabital and he had no clue why anyone would. He did not understand why I rotated my triptans between migraines. He told me that the ocipital nerve blocks that I have had in the past (and worked great) were inefectual for my "type" of migraine and he would not give me an order for any. Then he ended the hour long torture by telling me that If i were to seek treatment at the hospital for my migraines, then I would be labeled a drug user. What an asshole. The only question he did answer, was to tell me that he did not suffer from migraines. I pretty much need you to walk in my shoes to understand me…know what I mean? And while I am on a roll, he told me I was fat…not overweight…fat. OMG…It must have just snuck up on me while I was waiting in your make shift office. I thought that was the final cherry on my little rude sundae. Chris

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I live in Elizabethtown KY. About 20 miles from Ft Knox. It’s about 1hr or just a little more to Bowling Green. It would be a dream come true.(iv infusion) I have been without any meds other than triptans for like 50 days now. My longtime neuro closed his office practice in DEC but continued to fill scripts till Jan. (this is such a long story, stop if you need too) My Dad is an investigator for the state medical licensenure (sp) board in Western KY. So, i asked him to check out the three docs in our town. Two have current litigation pending (no details) and the third (who I went to see) had a case for patient abuse (physical) dismissed against him. Great choices I know. Well, Dr Oropilla did nothing but YELL about my previous doc. They had been neighbors and didn’t get along. No, he never worked with him, and did not know how his treatment plans worked. He also told me that he would never prescribe butabital and he had no clue why anyone would. He did not understand why I rotated my triptans between migraines. He told me that the ocipital nerve blocks that I have had in the past (and worked great) were inefectual for my "type" of migraine and he would not give me an order for any. Then he ended the hour long torture by telling me that If i were to seek treatment at the hospital for my migraines, then I would be labeled a drug user. What an asshole. The only question he did answer, was to tell me that he did not suffer from migraines. I pretty much need you to walk in my shoes to understand me…know what I mean? And while I am on a roll, he told me I was fat…not overweight…fat. OMG…It must have just snuck up on me while I was waiting in your make shift office. I thought that was the final cherry on my little rude sundae. Chris

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I’d go if it weren’t a bizillion miles from my house. I’m north of Toronto. She sounds like a dream come true. IV infusion suite so you don’t have to go to the ER? FINALLY someone who understands…sorry you’re so far away too. I will keep you informed. There is so little in the way of good treatment centers in KY (that I am aware of).

Good luck Chris. Where are you? I have great-nieces and nephews in the Bowling Green area. (Smith’s Grove.) Dana

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I will let you all know. My appt is 02MAY05. I am seeing her because my "new" neuro refused to treat me. He told me has has no success with patients like "me". Whatever that meant. He told me to try Lexington. It just sucks because its 80 miles from my house. I will keep you informed. There is so little in the way of good treatment centers in KY (that I am aware of). Thanks, Chris

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Has anyone see this doctor or have any information about her? Thanks, Chris

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Has anyone see this doctor or have any information about her? Thanks, Chris

Found this: http://www.uky.edu/PR/News/050421_headache_center.htm Sounds promising for those who live in that area, especially the fact that they’ll even give you a treatment that would normally involve the ER. ~Sage —-== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com – Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==—- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups —-= East and West-Coast Server Farms – Total Privacy via Encryption =—-

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has anyone see this doctor or have any information about her? Thanks, Chris Found this: http://www.uky.edu/PR/News/050421_headache_center.htm Sounds promising for those who live in that area, especially the fact that they’ll even give you a treatment that would normally involve the ER. ~Sage

I just went to the site, read the stuff and saw the picture. I swear she was at UCSF under Vicious Lord Raskin while i was seeing him. He used to allow certain students in on his appts, and i swear she was one of them. I remember the faces of the students cuz i was always so relieved to see that they were there. He was always gracious and courteous while they were observing. He also allowed them to ask me questions (i’d told him that was hunky-dory) and he also allowed them to scope my eyes (apparently there is scar tissue behind my left from the surgery.) Anywho, i would favor her for having studied neuro at UCSF….she will know more than the average bear about migraine and the meds to try. Good luck, Chris! And PLEASE, let us know how your appt. went!!!! Deep peace, Lavon

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OH NO Chrissy, How awful! I can relate to that. My old neuro. after many unsucessful attempts at treating me told me that he was afraid he was going to have to send me on my way. He was a little bit of a jerk about it. He then felt bad for me, and so then he did my paperwork for me to get disability {the drs. portion of} , we had to get the rest of it done,of course. I’m what they call "a difficult patient to treat" So you are probably one as well. He problably didnt mean it to come out the wrong way, then again I could be wrong. As there are many drs./specialists out there that dont know their’ @ss from a hole in the ground. I sure hope you get treated the best as possible in the future. BTW FWIW My neuro I currently see is 3 hours away from me. sigh. MM {Migraine Momma}

Response:

GREAT! Thank you for the update, Chris!!! I think hope of that kind is worth much more than monetary value…. deep peace, Lavon

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just wanted to update on my visit to Dr. Tucker and the UK Headache Clinic in Lexington. I had no idea what "clinic" meant in this particular setting. Apparently it meant that everyone showed up at one time and you were seen in the order in which you signed in. We got there about 10:30 (appt was at 11am, person who made the appt told me to be there by 10:30 to fill out paperwork) and saw the Dr at 1pm. I saw the nurse first, Nadine. She was great. Asked detailed questions about my migraines, any meds that I had taken, which ones worked and the ones that didn’t. Dr. Tucker was fab. Very interested in my migraines and how they started, what the trigers were, what was I doing to control them. She gave me Celebrex, Amitriptyline, Clonzapam, and Maxalt. I had good success with Vioxx in the past so the thought the Celebrex would be a good alternative. She asked me about the Topamax. I explained that I was up to 400 mg a day and that it just stopped working, and that I couldn’t deal with the tingling and my hair falling out. She asked me if i wanted to try Botox. She said to call her back in ten days to see if the ins co would pay for it. It’s 800 bucks. She did write me an order for the occipital nerve blocks. That worked wonders for me in the past. She asked me to wait though until she found out about the Botox. All in all a good visit. I don’t think I would ever use the infusion treatment they offer. It was 170 miles round trip for me to go up there. I could never drive that far with a raging migraine. She understood that. FWIW, I would drive up there again to see her. Chris

Response:

Just wanted to update on my visit to Dr. Tucker and the UK Headache Clinic in Lexington. I had no idea what "clinic" meant in this particular setting. Apparently it meant that everyone showed up at one time and you were seen in the order in which you signed in. We got there about 10:30 (appt was at 11am, person who made the appt told me to be there by 10:30 to fill out paperwork) and saw the Dr at 1pm. I saw the nurse first, Nadine. She was great. Asked detailed questions about my migraines, any meds that I had taken, which ones worked and the ones that didn’t. Dr. Tucker was fab. Very interested in my migraines and how they started, what the trigers were, what was I doing to control them. She gave me Celebrex, Amitriptyline, Clonzapam, and Maxalt. I had good success with Vioxx in the past so the thought the Celebrex would be a good alternative. She asked me about the Topamax. I explained that I was up to 400 mg a day and that it just stopped working, and that I couldn’t deal with the tingling and my hair falling out. She asked me if i wanted to try Botox. She said to call her back in ten days to see if the ins co would pay for it. It’s 800 bucks. She did write me an order for the occipital nerve blocks. That worked wonders for me in the past. She asked me to wait though until she found out about the Botox. All in all a good visit. I don’t think I would ever use the infusion treatment they offer. It was 170 miles round trip for me to go up there. I could never drive that far with a raging migraine. She understood that. FWIW, I would drive up there again to see her. Chris

Response:

Wow Chris. Sounds like a great place. I found a press release about her and the clinic on the web. Wish I lived closer. Keep us abreast of your progress. Joy ) http://www.uky.edu/PR/News/050421_headache_center.htm – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – GREAT! Thank you for the update, Chris!!! I think hope of that kind is worth much more than monetary value…. deep peace, Lavon Just wanted to update on my visit to Dr. Tucker and the UK Headache Clinic in Lexington. I had no idea what "clinic" meant in this particular setting. Apparently it meant that everyone showed up at one time and you were seen in the order in which you signed in. We got there about 10:30 (appt was at 11am, person who made the appt told me to be there by 10:30 to fill out paperwork) and saw the Dr at 1pm. I saw the nurse first, Nadine. She was great. Asked detailed questions about my migraines, any meds that I had taken, which ones worked and the ones that didn’t. Dr. Tucker was fab. Very interested in my migraines and how they started, what the trigers were, what was I doing to control them. She gave me Celebrex, Amitriptyline, Clonzapam, and Maxalt. I had good success with Vioxx in the past so the thought the Celebrex would be a good alternative. She asked me about the Topamax. I explained that I was up to 400 mg a day and that it just stopped working, and that I couldn’t deal with the tingling and my hair falling out. She asked me if i wanted to try Botox. She said to call her back in ten days to see if the ins co would pay for it. It’s 800 bucks. She did write me an order for the occipital nerve blocks. That worked wonders for me in the past. She asked me to wait though until she found out about the Botox. All in all a good visit. I don’t think I would ever use the infusion treatment they offer. It was 170 miles round trip for me to go up there. I could never drive that far with a raging migraine. She understood that. FWIW, I would drive up there again to see her. Chris

Response:

19997 Accord EX timing belt woes

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, Against my better judgment, I had the timing belt/water pump replaced by a ‘friend of a friend’. Now, the engine seems to be a bit down on power and it’s got a pretty noticeable vibration at speed. I know…I already feel stupid… :) I took it back to the ‘friend of a friend’ and he rechecked to see if everything was lined up. And..lo and behold…he says all is normal. UGH! While I’d like to administer a baseball bat to his cranium, I know that it’s ultimately not worth it. So…. Any tips for a fellow Honda man?

Yes. Use an aluminum bat. For added effect, drill a hole in the handle end and fill the bat with lead.

Response:

nah. sand, or water. i hate working on other peoples cars, for just that reason. if i fsck something up on my car, ive got 2 other vehicles. even a simple brake job can turn into an ordeal if i dont have the service manual for their vehicle. ive got a helm for mine, but most people done even have a haynes, and wont buy one, so they trust me to wing it.

Response:

Hi, Against my better judgment, I had the timing belt/water pump replaced by a ‘friend of a friend’. Now, the engine seems to be a bit down on power and it’s got a pretty noticeable vibration at speed. I know…I already feel stupid… :) I took it back to the ‘friend of a friend’ and he rechecked to see if everything was lined up. And..lo and behold…he says all is normal. UGH! While I’d like to administer a baseball bat to his cranium, I know that it’s ultimately not worth it. So…. Any tips for a fellow Honda man? — Jim

Response:

It’s gonna have to be ‘opened up’ again to reset the position of the Timing belt, and the balance shaft belt is probably causing the vibration (also out of time). Don’t mess with the distributor timing to correct it. It won’t work. ‘Curly’

Response:

91 Civic muffler

admin — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I have a 91 Civic Std. HB. I have already gone through a few mufflers, they don’t seem to last too long. I decided to spend a little more and get something better this time. I have couple of questions though. I would like a muffler with dual pipes. Would an SI muffler fit my car? I wouldn’t mind some extra power (but not too loud), what aftermarket performance muffler would you recommend? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Response:

yes, it will fit, but 1. the twin tail is for show, not power. it’s twin pipes /ahead/ of the muffler that help, not after. 2. the std has an under-ratioed 4-speed box, a restricted tandem valve & a low lift cam. again, anything other than a standard muffler is pointless. if you want a cheap increase in power, dremel off the tandem valve pivot shoulder so it opens fully, go to a junk yard & get the si cam, and most trying to go faster in an std is like beating a bees nest with a stick. noisy & painful.

Response:

Thanks for the great information, it is very useful. I will watch out for those bees:)

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a 91 Civic Std. HB. I have already gone through a few mufflers, they don’t seem to last too long. I decided to spend a little more and get something better this time. I have couple of questions though. I would like a muffler with dual pipes. Would an SI muffler fit my car? I wouldn’t mind some extra power (but not too loud), what aftermarket performance muffler would you recommend? Any help is greatly appreciated. yes, it will fit, but 1. the twin tail is for show, not power. it’s twin pipes /ahead/ of the muffler that help, not after. 2. the std has an under-ratioed 4-speed box, a restricted tandem valve & a low lift cam. again, anything other than a standard muffler is pointless. if you want a cheap increase in power, dremel off the tandem valve pivot shoulder so it opens fully, go to a junk yard & get the si cam, and most to go faster in an std is like beating a bees nest with a stick. noisy & painful.

Response:

Do you make a lot of short trips? If you don’t drive far enough to heat up the exhaust system, you can get condensation in there, and it will rust through from the inside. If this is your problem, perhaps a stainless steel muffler would be the way to go? Just a thought — A very modest collection of Honda tech info can be found at: http://www.geocities.com/ng_randolph

Response:

On my ‘90 LX the original muffler lasted 7 years. Muffler shop replacements lasted 3 years. So, the last time I needed one, I bit the bullet and got an original Honda muffler. The problem with these cars is that the muffler being way in the rear doesn’t heat up enough to evaporate the water out of it. So you need a good muffler. Can’t help with aftermarket, but one of the Honda dual outlet mufflers should fit (like from the SI) but as others have pointed out, that’s just for show, not performance. WW

Response:

One Fine Day OT

admin — Sat, 02 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

It has been a horrendous ten days or more of death watches. I feel I want to eliminate CNN from my roster if TV cannels. With Terry Schiavo, The Pope, Prince Ranier not to forget Rosie’s loss of her Mom, it gets one to thinking about quality of life. l Last night I heard eminent environmentalist David Suzuki address an enormous audience at a health show in Toronto. He pointed out that what we are doing to our earth and ourselves (which are pretty inseparable) is heading us on a doomsday course and I certainly believe him. David has set up a worldwide Nature Challenge and gotten support from every strata of society including Canadian Mayors and Provincial Premiers. Suzuki listed ten things we can do to help ourselves and our world and asked each of us to commit to just three and said in could make a diddrence. (I selected five) What we are trying to do here on ASD about obesity certainly qualifies as an important measure to benefit our society too. http://www.davidsuzuki.org/ Reduce home energy use by 10% X Choose an energy-efficient home & appliances Don’t use

04 honda pilot engine oil

admin — Sun, 20 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

And is probably not a good choice for a street engine, anyway, very different criteria. Are F1 engines torn down after every race?

Nope.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – the penalty for missing the target is $5 per vehicle per 0.1 mpg. So if you are below the mandated 27.5 mpg, a change across the car line that gave you an extra 0.1 mpg would be worth $5 per car. Yeah, I know times 6 million vehicles that’s $30 million but this is big business and you are still only talking about $5 on a $20,000 car. And if your CAFE is already 27.5 its worth nothing. $30 million is $30 million. Doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re in, $30 million OFF YOUR BOTTOM LINE is VERY significant.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they don’t just throw $30 million away. But, when your profit is about $5B, it is less than 1% – not VERY significant in my judgement. Considering that in most businesses about 90% of your gross (or more) ends up being bills to be paid, you protect the remaining 10% as best you can, hence the existence of 5W-20 part-synthetic. Who knows how close Honda is to that 27.5 limit?If they slip below, it’s an instant $30 million tax. Smart businessmen are careful not to let that sort of thing happen. It may well be that CAFE is one reason Honda is not currently heavily involved in light trucks, and not in V8s. North America, primarily the US, is the world’s foremost market for large engines with low fuel mileage. And the US is the *only* country with any sort of CAFE nonsense.

The system could be easily fixed but it would require the political will to do so. The big car companies didn’t want it to change so it hasn’t. But the big car companies (you know the two I mean) are getting smaller and they may be overruled some day. Or maybe gas will go to $6 a gallon and make CAFE irrelevant. CAFE costs Ford tens of millions every year, again, right off the bottom line. Honda does not want to be Ford; Ford loses money. Honda does not.

IMO, the reason Honda makes money is that Honda looks forward beyond the next quarter. Saving $5 a car today is not worth pissing off even 1% of your customers. That’s why I wouldn’t be worried about running 5W-20 in a Honda that specified it. Higher price and limited availability would piss me off a little though. Ford loses money because they are greedy bastards. They will burn you to death for $5 a car. Great in the short run but it tends to discourage repeat purchases. It may also be that Honda is planning for further expansion into larger vehicles (think Ridgeline), and is banking CAFE credits in preparation for that. Honda manufactures most of its large vehicles, like the Odyssey and the Ridgeline, in North America, so it has a separate CAFE quota to meet for those cars.

Don’t be naive, its much more complex than that. Ody, Pilot, Ridgeline are all trucks built in NA. As such they are separate from cars. And they may even be separate from each other if some are domestic and others are import. But, you say, they are all made in North America. They could still be either domestic or import depending on whether domestic content exceeds 75%. By manipulating the sourcing of a few parts you can flip NA factory output from domestic to import and back again to manipulate your numbers. Of course the ultimate dodge would be a Honda Suburban which is not even covered by CAFE. But, 0.1 mpg is still only worth $5 per car. Since there is literally no way to predict or plan for the consequences of any sort of governmental action, it makes sense for Honda to grab every straw that waves its way, since you never know when it might be needed. Hence the 5W-20 part-synthetic.

Not sure I understand this. What is the part-syhnthetic? Does Honda require that in 5W-20? Is that why someone was saying it was "only" an extra $1 per quart? It sounds like Honda is just inefficiently transferring costs to its customers. Wouldn’t you prefer that Honda just charge you $5 (or $15) dollars more for the car than get hit for a $1 on every quart of oil? (You might recover a third of that $1 on fuel savings but you won’t notice that.) There’s also the "green" factor. Honda already is run by safety nuts, and they’ve been proponents of the "green" thing since CVCC days. I wouldn’t be surprised if Honda is trying for that last 0.1mpg on philosophical grounds.

Heh heh, I wonder if it was the safety nuts or the greens that set the Accord Hybrid to be the fastest model in the Accord lineup. I don’t doubt that Honda has more of a soul than most car companies but I don’t think they are quite as zen as to want their tree to crash in the forest if no one hears it. Honda has made great advances in safety and environment but they usually don’t hide their efforts.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – That being said, Honda never redesigned their engines for 5W-20. The "mandating" of 5W-20 was likely more a business decision than an engineering choice. The same (or similar) Honda engines sold elsewhere in the world are doing fine on 5W-30 or 10W-30. In a temperate climate where I live, it might be fine. If it gets really hot, I’d worry that the oil might be excessively thin. I’d think anyone who’s really freaked out, but still wants to follow the 5W-20 recommendation might consider installing an aftermarket (fin type) oil cooler. you don’t need to reengineer the engine – you reengineer the oil. as long as it maintains its film & lubricity in the face of the kinds of conditions the 4-ball test doesn’t consider, who cares? as far as i’m concerned, any oil, dino or syn, that uses the same technology as that which can keep a 18,000 rpm, 1,000+ hp, at i-don’t-know-how-many-degrees F1 engine on the track for two hours is quite good enough for me thanks very much. "thinness" is irrelevant. An F1 engine isn’t going to be using Pennzoil 5W-20. Last season, the Ferrari team was using Shell Helix F1SL785, which isn’t exactly available to the general public. maybe, but some definitely use mobil 1. istr valvoline being a prominent sponsor as well. my point was that the /technology/ used in F1 is still used in ordinary oils. What I was getting at wasn’t the technology, but that the final product isn’t going to be the same. The Ferrari team wasn’t using an off the shelf motor oil in their F1 engines, and its viscosity was probably too thick for your average street car driven in sub- desert temps. I wouldn’t be surprised if the oil was somehow preheated. I doubt there’s any technology going into these 5W-20 oils that one can’t find in current off the shelf 5W-30. I was under the impression that among similar oil "chemistries", a higher viscosity (operating temp) oil also has higher film strength. i’m not a tribologist, but i don’t believe that’s true. you can use air as a bearing/lubricant in some applications, so viscosity isn’t the final factor. as i understand it, the ability of the oil to stick to the surface of the material is the key. the additive packages in some modern oils are pretty darned impressive. I was only thinking it’s one of several factors. My understanding is that all things being equal, a thicker (operating temp) oil will have a higher thin film strength. Of course not all things are equal. The API standard for 5W-20 allows for more zinc (compared to 5W-30/10W-30), and several of the oils in this weight are reputed to contain rather high levels of molybdenum anti-wear additives. Add extreme conditions (cooling system failure) and the film strength of a thinner oil may not be enough. Although 5W-20 may be good for most applications, it’s still a "once size fits all" solution that seems to be geared towards fuel economy. I still wouldn’t use it if I owned a Pilot and was towing a small boat. Maybe 10W-30. with respect, this is just supposition. i want facts. last time i was in a tire shop, i was listening to a guy make his choice based on which "looked more aggressive". was he a hydrodynamasist? how about polymer scientist? chemist? no. in other words, his was an utterly uninformed decision. when i hear stuff about "thicker is better", i think "tire dude". I wasn’t thinking "thicker is better" under all circumstances. A good many automakers do have additional recommendations for extreme conditions such as towing or desert heat. My latest owner’s manual says to use straight weight (30 or 40), 20W-40, or 20W-50 in such cases, when 5W-30 is the recommended year-round oil for normal driving conditions. If I lived in Arizona, I’d probably just junk all that and use Mobil 1 10W-30 year round, and throw in a yearly oil analysis to make sure it was working OK. I just sent a sample to Blackstone Labs this week.

oil analysis is a /very/ smart thing to do every now & then!

Response:

What I was getting at wasn’t the technology, but that the final product isn’t going to be the same. The Ferrari team wasn’t using an off the shelf motor oil in their F1 engines, and its viscosity was probably too thick for your average street car driven in sub- desert temps. I wouldn’t be surprised if the oil was somehow preheated. I doubt there’s any technology going into these 5W-20 oils that one can’t find in current off the shelf 5W-30. I was under the impression that among similar oil "chemistries", a higher viscosity (operating temp) oil also has higher film strength. i’m not a tribologist, but i don’t believe that’s true. you can use air as a bearing/lubricant in some applications, so viscosity isn’t the final factor. as i understand it, the ability of the oil to stick to the surface of the material is the key. the additive packages in some modern oils are pretty darned impressive.

I was only thinking it’s one of several factors. My understanding is that all things being equal, a thicker (operating temp) oil will have a higher thin film strength. Of course not all things are equal. The API standard for 5W-20 allows for more zinc (compared to 5W-30/10W-30), and several of the oils in this weight are reputed to contain rather high levels of molybdenum anti-wear additives. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Add extreme conditions (cooling system failure) and the film strength of a thinner oil may not be enough. Although 5W-20 may be good for most applications, it’s still a "once size fits all" solution that seems to be geared towards fuel economy. I still wouldn’t use it if I owned a Pilot and was towing a small boat. Maybe 10W-30. with respect, this is just supposition. i want facts. last time i was in a tire shop, i was listening to a guy make his choice based on which "looked more aggressive". was he a hydrodynamasist? how about polymer scientist? chemist? no. in other words, his was an utterly uninformed decision. when i hear stuff about "thicker is better", i think "tire

dude". I wasn’t thinking "thicker is better" under all circumstances. A good many automakers do have additional recommendations for extreme conditions such as towing or desert heat. My latest owner’s manual says to use straight weight (30 or 40), 20W-40, or 20W-50 in such cases, when 5W-30 is the recommended year-round oil for normal driving conditions. If I lived in Arizona, I’d probably just junk all that and use Mobil 1 10W-30 year round, and throw in a yearly oil analysis to make sure it was working OK. I just sent a sample to Blackstone Labs this week.

Response:

And is probably not a good choice for a street engine, anyway, very different criteria. Are F1 engines torn down after every race?

Response:

Precisely right. And a 0.1 mpg gain only matters if you are below the mandated number (I think its 27 for cars and 21 for trucks) or are banking credits in anticipation of dropping below in coming years.

According to the CAFE site http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/auto/cafe.html the penalty for missing the target is $5 per vehicle per 0.1 mpg. So if you are below the mandated 27.5 mpg, a change across the car line that gave you an extra 0.1 mpg would be worth $5 per car. Yeah, I know times 6 million vehicles that’s $30 million but this is big business and you are still only talking about $5 on a $20,000 car. And if your CAFE is already 27.5 its worth nothing. Are these numbers publicly available? They should be. It would be interesting to see how much difference a little oil viscosity makes.

Lots of interesting stats at this site but nothing by manufacturer. (Did you know that 54.4% of all asian imports in 1982 had front wheel drive?)

Response:

with respect, this is just supposition. i want facts. last time i was in a tire shop, i was listening to a guy make his choice based on which "looked more aggressive". was he a hydrodynamasist? how about polymer scientist? chemist? no. in other words, his was an utterly uninformed decision. when i hear stuff about "thicker is better", i think "tire dude".

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14148345&BRD=2311&PAG=461&d… An interesting read on racing oil weights. 0W-5!

Response:

the penalty for missing the target is $5 per vehicle per 0.1 mpg. So if you are below the mandated 27.5 mpg, a change across the car line that gave you an extra 0.1 mpg would be worth $5 per car. Yeah, I know times 6 million vehicles that’s $30 million but this is big business and you are still only talking about $5 on a $20,000 car. And if your CAFE is already 27.5 its worth nothing.

$30 million is $30 million. Doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re in, $30 million OFF YOUR BOTTOM LINE is VERY significant. Considering that in most businesses about 90% of your gross (or more) ends up being bills to be paid, you protect the remaining 10% as best you can, hence the existence of 5W-20 part-synthetic. Who knows how close Honda is to that 27.5 limit?If they slip below, it’s an instant $30 million tax. Smart businessmen are careful not to let that sort of thing happen. It may well be that CAFE is one reason Honda is not currently heavily involved in light trucks, and not in V8s. North America, primarily the US, is the world’s foremost market for large engines with low fuel mileage. And the US is the *only* country with any sort of CAFE nonsense. CAFE costs Ford tens of millions every year, again, right off the bottom line. Honda does not want to be Ford; Ford loses money. Honda does not. It may also be that Honda is planning for further expansion into larger vehicles (think Ridgeline), and is banking CAFE credits in preparation for that. Honda manufactures most of its large vehicles, like the Odyssey and the Ridgeline, in North America, so it has a separate CAFE quota to meet for those cars. Since there is literally no way to predict or plan for the consequences of any sort of governmental action, it makes sense for Honda to grab every straw that waves its way, since you never know when it might be needed. Hence the 5W-20 part-synthetic. There’s also the "green" factor. Honda already is run by safety nuts, and they’ve been proponents of the "green" thing since CVCC days. I wouldn’t be surprised if Honda is trying for that last 0.1mpg on philosophical grounds. — TeGGeR

Dirt/Debris in Heat Blower

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I had send my car ( Accord 2001 V6 EX ) for 75000 mile servicing. The Technician informed me that there was some debris/congestion in the heat blower of the car, and it is possibly due to a rodent like a rat or something who has been stuffing things out there . To clean this up however the estimate is for $550. Has anyone encountered such a problem and is this estimate ok for a such a problem .

Use google to search cabin filter accord, and get the replacement instructions, then open it up yourself, and also drop the heater motor out (unplug connector, three Phillips screws) and use a piece of coat hanger and an air hose to clean it out. Have a new cabin filter (or are there two?) from NAPA ready. An hour of fun and learning, save $500. ‘Curly’

Response:

I have a nissan that sat arouns a while until I finished the engine work. When I started to drive it one rainy day the heater motor sounded like the bearings were going out. Turns out the local mice had been using it for a bedroom and the fan was FULL of "debris" Pulling the fan on a honda is usually just annoying and not next to impossible like most US cars. I cant see $500 being a realistic estimate. -SP – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I had send my car ( Accord 2001 V6 EX ) for 75000 mile servicing. The Technician informed me that there was some debris/congestion in the heat blower of the car, and it is possibly due to a rodent like a rat or something who has been stuffing things out there . To clean this up however the estimate is for $550. Has anyone encountered such a problem and is this estimate ok for a such a problem .