I highly recommend the BMW via European Delivery, I would just wait until spring. M235i on some twisty alpine roads sounds like a lot of fun

If not an option, I would drive all the cars in that class/your price range to see which fit you best. They are all going to be good cars. Let me know if you need help, it's only a couple hours down there.  

Heading home soon to go pack up and head out on vacation to New Zealand for the next two weeks.

Happy holidays, everyone! See you in 2016!

8 hours ago, shellylh said:

i really need a new car but dealing with dealers is not something I like to do (also I need to get my fender bender fixed before I can trade in my old car).  I think I better do the pricing ahead of time.  Any suggestions/hints are welcome.  

TrueCAR.COM

easy peasy lemon squeezy

But yeah, figure out what you want first, that's a given.

7 hours ago, naamanf said:

I highly recommend the BMW via European Delivery, I would just wait until spring. M235i on some twisty alpine roads sounds like a lot of fun

If not an option, I would drive all the cars in that class/your price range to see which fit you best. They are all going to be good cars. Let me know if you need help, it's only a couple hours down there.  

I don't see myself doing the European Delivery unless I have another reason to go to Germany.  Jet lag + driving long distances sound like sleepy time for me (not a great thing to do in a car).

 

I'll try out the M235i though, it seems like a fun car and not super expensive.   

Visited Solvang.

Because what's more American than a fake Danish Village, staffed by Mexicans and overrun with Japanese tourists?

No time (or room) for Anderson's Pea Soup G Man?

 

3 hours ago, TMoney said:

Heading home soon to go pack up and head out on vacation to New Zealand for the next two weeks.

Happy holidays, everyone! See you in 2016!

Not one to screw around in this hemisphere!

I'm totally jealous.

I had my physical therapy re-eval today, and I'm definitely progressing.  

I can walk 10% farther in 2 minutes with just one crutch/cane than I did 4 weeks ago, and I can do 5 "sit-to-stands" in the same 10-11 seconds as before but this time I didn't need to use my arms to push myself up each time.  

I'm starting to have less pain since I had outpatient surgery Friday to remove the screw in my femur that was poking out.  Eight hours after my last 5mg Oxycodone and Tylenol arthritis strength I was still able to walk about 10 feet in my kitchen without a crutch or cane before I tired out (but 9 hours after my meds dose forget it).

Since I was 50% healed on X-rays 6 weeks post-op from the new femur rod, I'm praying for 100% healing when I have my next visit and X-rays at the surgeon in 6 weeks.

Good news worth celebrating Larry!  A worthy Christmas present to your self.  May you and your daughter heal well and quickly.

2 hours ago, Aimless1 said:

Good news worth celebrating Larry!  A worthy Christmas present to your self.  May you and your daughter heal well and quickly.

x2.  Every little bit of good news.....keep it up!

Good news is good!

Good news and hope it continues to heal as scheduled, Larry!

Well I am back hopefully for a while. Too much shit has transpired since the end of June to realistically relate on line with my typing skills.  Need to get together for some in person time.

Anyway, back on topic. Now sitting in our hotel room in Rosemont with the meat sweats after overindulging at Fogo de Chao. Tomorrow we go to the Chicago Fire indoor holiday soccer camp in the morning and then assault downtown Chicago in the afternoon.

So glad you're back Jim -- I've recently been lamenting your absence, especially when Dusty made himself a Vesper of all things!  I hope the shit since June hasn't been all bad but I would love an opportunity to get together live to chat one of these days.  As a teaser, JP and I have been cooking up an idea for a New England Brew Tour like the one we did in Michigan... 

I know, right?  You mention him, and he appears.  Or perhaps, 'summons' is the correct word?

'Invokes'?

This

Looks like you got photo bombed.

View from the deck of the hotel in Queenstown.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

View of my drive across Oklahoma. My vacations suck.

That's kind of low to the ground for you, innit?

Me, worked from home, drove up to Genghis Grill for some grub -- poured rain hard on the way back, combined with The Great Exodus, took me over an hour to get back.  Remind me not to do that again.  I worked from home so I wouldn't have to drive in to work, completely cancelled out any benefit I may have acquired.  @ self

Did the Christmas grocery shop today (23rd).  And that was a walking nightmare.  Traffic queues, had three attempts to park at the supermarket (Waitrose), and then it was absolutely heaving.  Each aisle had a queue waiting for a checkout.  By the time I'd done that, and visited the farm shop, and drove home 3 hours had passed.  Total miles driven - 6.

If it hasn't been bought now, it won't be!

Wasn't today, but this weekend I was at a Game Stop store.  Andrew has had $75 of gift card/reward $ accumulated, but he's not interested in any games right now.  I traded some of it for iTunes $, which he DID want, and went to the nearest store.  They used to sell iPods, and I'm getting a nice radio/dock off Craigslist tomorrow, so thought I'd maybe use the $ towards a higher capacity player.

Got there, they don't sell them anymore.  So thinking to look for a nice headset for chats.  As I walked through, I basically said "screw this" and looked around the store.  Cued up in line was a kid, maybe 10 years old, with some cash in hand.  I asked him what he was getting and he told me the game.  I gave him $50 worth of credit and wished him Merry Xmas.  I then gave the last $25 to an older woman who just got in line to get a game for he grandson.

Seeing both their smiles felt a hell of a lot better than a headset.

Looks like you got photo bombed.

We should start a new meme by adding that picture of Ken into the background of all our photos.

just turned on the air conditioner.  on Christmas eve.

stupid leather chairs.

Poured 35 bottles of ghost pepper sauce. At Christmas at the brother's house.

Pretty good return for 4 plants....

Got almost 15 gallons of fermenting Jalapenos to do next.

Think those are gonna wait a couple of months though

(thanks to auto color in photshop for the blotchiness)

Hawt.