Mom....make him quit saying mean things about me

People like to have their opinions validated.  If a car enthusiast buys a Porsche, or BMW, or Audi, he'll likely join their brand's car club, too.  He wants to hear others of like mind tell him how cool his car is and how smart he was to buy it.  If they see a magazine on the newsstand that implies their favorite car smoked the competition, he'll buy it.  If it says his car got creamed in a comparison test, he won't.

The same holds for politics.  A supporter of Elizabeth Warren or some other Progressive will probably choose to watch MSNBC and read the Huff Post.  Their go-to validator will be someone like Rachael Maddow.  Liberals can do no wrong; conservatives can do no right.  They're told what they want to hear, and they like it that way.

Ultra-conservatives work the same way.  They only want to hear and read things about Donald Trump that validate what they already believe.  They watch FOX News and listen to Rush Limbaugh.  They're told what they want to hear, they're patted on the back and made to feel all warm and fuzzy, and they like it that way.

So why were there raised eyebrows when it came out that Sean Hannity is also a client of President Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen?  Hannity is a shill for Donald Trump.  That's a fact.  Did anyone really expect him to seek out Whuppie Goldberg's lawyer?

So why was there a "courtroom gasp" when Hannity's name came out yesterday?  His faithful radical conservatives still love him, probably more than ever, and those liberals who believe him to be the devil incarnate will just dig in their heels deeper, too.  This is just the Fact-Free World we live in today.

Instead of all this political bickering, I propose that from now on we only talk about who has the best football team.  That should be something we can all agree on, right?  *wink*

S

Life is easy again

My friend Joe Hagy recently posted an entry on his blog (you can read it here), the gest being that things that might have interested you when you were younger no longer seemed important when you got older.  Your grand plans when you were 25 become just meh when you're 65.

Joe, being a few years older than me, and therefore probably a few years wiser, really nailed it.  It's probably just human nature to aspire to have "more better" stuff.  First you buy a "starter" home, then a "move-up" home, and eventually a "luxury" home.  You buy your first new car, lets say a Chevy or Ford, then you move up to something with a more impressive nameplate (Caddy, etc) and finally to a Lexus or Mercedes or such.  Your Seiko might work just fine, but you have your eye on a Rolex or an Omega.  Then, speaking for myself, and apparently Joe, too, you reach an age where you realize all that is pretty much meaningless.

I had my first home when I was 23.  It was larger than I needed and had a HUGE yard.  I was suddenly a member of the landed gentry!  Then later, with a family of five, we moved into a larger, nicer home, on par with what our friends also had.  (Ahhh...the joys of peer pressure.)  Eventually I had an even larger home, still on a BIG city lot, but now just for the new Mrs and I.  (Have I mentioned how much I hate yard work?)  Eventually I hit that inflection point in my life when that big home seemed more a liability than an asset.  By then I didn't care about impressing anyone, I just knew I was tired of messing with it, so I sold it.  Now we have a small but comfortable maintenance-free apartment.  Life is easy again.

I once wanted a fancy sports car so much I lost sleep thinking about it.  A Porsche 911 to be specific.  I almost bought a new one in 1972 ($9,500 back then), but chickened out when I learned how much it cost to maintain.  Later, with three kiddlettes, I moved on to fancy American land yachts.  Now that I might (?) be able to afford the kind of car I dreamed of as a young man, I don't want one.  I couldn't enjoy going out for dinner or popping into Target for a few things without worrying what a$$hole was parking his klunker next to me and was right then banging his car door into mine.  *the horror!* Now I just drive my modest little Mazda to the car shows and take pictures of all those exotic cars other people are having to pamper and worry over.  Life is easy again.

I once wanted an expensive watch.  I worked my way up through Bulova's and Seiko's and got as far as a TAG Heuer when I learned a dirty little secret about luxury watches:  They don't keep very good time.  They make a great "statement", but they don't keep very good time.  Mine were always needing adjustment every few weeks because they had lost a few minutes.  To a punctual-aholic like me, that was tantamount to a Cardinal Sin.  And, as with my cars, I was always paranoid about bumping into something and scratching my precious "statement".  "Screw it" I finally said.  I still have that TAG in a drawer somewhere, but now I wear a cheap, solar powered Casio that receives a magic signal every day from an atomic clock in Colorado and is guaranteed accurate to within .00001 seconds per century*.  I can live with that.  *wink*  Life is easy again.

At some point in your life, if you're like me at least, you might realize that living easy is more important than living large.  If people aren't impressed with me, living in an apartment, driving a Mazda, showing up on time thanks to my cheap Casio watch, dressed in my retirement wardrobe (jeans and a T-shirt), then I don't need 'em.  My dog seems to like our lifestyle just fine, and he's more important to me than those people are anyway.  :)

S

*slight exaggeration

Cars, cars, and more cars!

I was out of pocket most of yesterday as K took the day off and we joined up with my friend Neil and attended the Dallas Auto Show.  We always like to go on a weekday as weekends are a freakin' zoo.  We met up in suburbia and rode the light rail train to the Convention Center in downtown Dallas....the best $5 I ever spent!

Compared to some of the large auto shows around the world....LA, NY, Geneva, Frankfurt, South Fargo ND, Bugtussle AL, etc, it isn't much.  No wild concept cars, no unveils, none of that.  But still this year's show was surprisingly good.

The bright overhead lights that made the cars stand out when seen directly created some awful photo glare, but here goes anyway:

K really liked the new 2015 Mini Cooper S.

I concur.  It was a winner.  I understand they want to keep the retro theme, but the changes from last year's model are too minor to the untrained eye, even though underneath it's completely new.  Still a definite keeper, though.

I specifically went to see the new Mazda 3.  The auto press has given it great reviews, and while I haven't yet driven one, I must say I was disappointed.  The interior just didn't measure up, for example.  

The styling was nice, but overall I gave it just a "Meh".

Aston Martin's really tick all my boxes, they're so beautiful.  

Even the big 4-door Aston Rapide S was stunning.  The price, though, was just plain shocking!

We were told this is the only Pagani Who Are Ya * currently in the US.  No wonder, at a million bucks plus!

* If you can pronounce it, you're a better person than me!

It was actually pretty gaudy.

Yet another McLaren MP4-12-C.  I see these things all over town.  Or maybe there's just this one and they keep driving it in circles.

A Rolls Royce Wraith.  A two-door Rolls?  Umm....no!

I did like the crystal (?) Spirit of Ecstasy, though.  :)

The Range Rover Evoque was especially impressive.  The little splash of mud behind the rear wheel was a nice touch, letting us know it's a serious off-roader.  *snicker*

For a mere $47K it can be yours.

Although the design is getting rather long in the tooth, I still like an Audi TT.  Overpriced, though.  :(

Same with the Audi R8.  

Here's Lexus' attempt to prove it isn't just an old man's car:  the LFA.  It's a $350K super car that took 10 years to design/build.  It's quite good they say, but for a lot less than that you could have....

 ....this Ferrari 458 Italia.  Game, set, match!

I have friends who have Jaguars, and frankly, they spend waaaay too much time in the shop to impress me.  Still, this new F-Type is absolutely gorgeous!

I made it a point to go check out the BMW's.  I really wanted to like them, but after looking them over I was even less impressed than when I got there.  They didn't have the nice thunk you like to hear when you close the door, and the seats didn't swallow me like I want them to. 

The new "baby" Maserati, the Ghibli.  Nice, but no cigar.

The latest iteration of the car that changes super premium fuel into tire smoke and noise, the Dodge Viper.

The Fiat 500 Abarth, because I always include one in my car show pics.

I did find my next car at the show, the upcoming (this summer), all new (although outwardly it's only slightly evolutionary looking), Volkswagen GTI:

They say it, like the previous gen GTI, has magnificent power, handling, comfort, and practicality....a daily driver you can thoroughly enjoy.  The interior quality will blow you away....I can't tell you how impressed I was with the fit and finish.  Kudos, VeeDub!  Seriously, when I'm ready to put my now-7-year-old Audi out to pasture, this is what I will be buying.  :)

And now just some random shots of select vintage cars on display:

Porsche 356

Buick ____

Early Corvette

The inspiration for "Pimp My Ride"?

Yeah....a purple Lincoln.  :0

Nice Jag

Rumble seat on a T-Bird?

That was the Dallas Auto Show 2014.  Next week....Cars and coffee.  :)

S

Saturday was a rare "double your fun" kind of day

Yesterday was both the first Saturday Cars and Coffee AND the 10th Annual Italian Car Club of North Texas car show.  Cars in the morning, football in the evening.  Doesn't get any better!

It was another miserably hot summer Texas day, but at least there were some clouds around that gave us a little respite.  I met my friend Neil around 7:30 and we promptly began comparing notes on how we would spend our lottery winnings.

We both agreed dropping a few coins on this custom Porsche would be a fun investment.

This BMW Z3 M Coupe is just odd enough to be interesting.  And I like the color, too.

The Audi TT seems to have lost some of it uniqueness, but I'd still like to have one.  This TT RS was slick!

I've never been a big fan of the Chevrolet "fiberglass coffin", but if the Lottery Commission said it was mandatory that all winners must buy one, I'd go for an older model like this.

My very first car was a 1965 Mustang.  Unfortunately it didn't look anything even remotely this good.

Next we went to "Something-or-Other Farms", a pleasant park-like setting in Grapevine,  just north of DFW airport. 

First car inside the gate....BAM....I'm met by a gorgeous classic Ferrari Daytona.

One of my two favorite Cars of the Day (it was truly a toss-up) was this 1967 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2, owned by McKinney, TX car dealer Pat Lobb.

It was pristine inside and out.  And the aroma of that fine cream-colored leather is still with me today.  So nice!

One of the Italian Car Club gate monitors must have been geographically challenged....he let in two British Triumphs.  :)

Interesting story of the day:  The owner of this beautiful 1985 (?) Alfa Romeo GTV6 bought it new from the Alfa dealer in San Francisco, trading in an old Toyota Celica on it (he got $3K for it).  The window sticker on the Alfa said $17,503, a pretty hefty chunk of change back in '85.  I'd say he was smart to hold on to it all these years.

This Alfa Romeo Guilia GTV was Neil's favorite of the day.  I must admit it was pretty special. :)

One of the most unusual cars there, a model that I'd never seen "in the flesh" before, was this '60 vintage Lamborghini Espada.  It was "different".  OK, who are we kidding....the proportions were just odd.  (Sorry Mr. Espada owner.)

One of the local Maserati dealers was there showing off the new, redesigned Quattroporte.  List price was $167K, and it was noticeably bigger than the old Quattroporte.  Too big IMO.

Here is my other personal "Co-Car of the Day"....a 1930's vintage Alfa Romeo 1600.  It was owned by a retired Coast Guard Commander who spends his summers in Seattle and his winters here, coming back early for just this event.  Thanks, Commander!

*OK...deep breath*   Today I'm prepared to "come out of the closet" and admit it:  I'm not really a car "petrolhead".  Instead, I'm an automotive "esthete" (noun:  esthete 1. a person who has or affects to have a special appreciation of beauty).  

I realized this when I kept seeing guys gathered around the open hoods of cars talking about camshafts and compression ratios and dry sumps and such, while I kept thinking, "I wish they'd close the hoods and boot lids so I can get some pictures of the fine lines on these beautiful cars."  ;)

Finally, my favorite window sticker of the day:

Hope you're enjoying your weekend.  Stay cool.  :)

S