No Rear View (was Re: Take Two or Nothing)

From: Roger Merchberger <zmerch_at_30below.com>
Date: Tue Mar 25 00:35:00 2003

At 01:05 03/25/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>Quothe Roger Merchberger, from writings of Mon, Mar 24, 2003 at 11:50:24PM
>-0500:
> > Altho the station wagons of days gone by could handle pretty decent loads,
> > they always had the rear-view mirrors of a car... so I'll keep my
> full-size
> > 4x4, thanks! (horrible gas mileage & all...)
>
>Do you get less than 12 MPG on the highway and about 7 MPG or less in
>the suburbs or cities? If not, then you might want to trade up to
>something with lower gas mileage that can shock more people. :-)

I've been wanting a new Avalanche... ;-) (well, everything *except* the
pricetag/payments...)

> Funny
>thing... the fuel economy sticker in the station wagon's window, when
>it was new and on the dealer's lot, read something like 18 MPG, but I
>don't think this was ever achieved (is it possible for a 351C engine
>to ever achieve mileage like that when the car weighs over 5000 lbs?)

Dunno -- the last new vehicle I bought was a '89 S-15 mini-pickup, with a
grand total of 3 options: rally wheels (the not *quite* ugly ones),
split-rear window, and high-output alternator. No, it didn't even have a
radio or lighter. Sticker said 26 Highway, I usually got 29-33.

My 6000lb. truck I got used, fairly low mileage -- 350ci, Z71 offroad
package... if I kept my foot out of the fuel-injection (<65mph) I could get
17-18 highway, but as the speedo climbed over 70, the mileage dipped...
(and yes, I can tell you that at 115mph for 20 miles, I don't think I got
10mph... long, offtopic story... but it *was* an emergency. BTW, the truck
had over 100K at that time, so it's a credit to Chevy's engineering... 140K
now, gets 15hwy, and still starts NP w/o block heater at -30F. Yes, there's
a reason for my email domain!)

> > the 10-codes... my dad's a trucker, so I learned young. My handle was the
> > "Whiz-Kid"]] My dad still has a CB (for channel 9...) but never uses it
> > anymore -- because of the low S:N ratio.
>
>Thats why I keep one as well, in case the cell phone isn't working.
>However, I wonder if it would even work with all of the high-power
>transmitters blocking other people out.

My Ham radio rig kept my bacon outta the fire more than a few times... ;-)

> > To try to bring this ontopic - every time my friend moves his (rather
> > heavy) Viewsonic 19" monitor, he complains about it's weight. (He does
> > on-site digital photography; I help him out some weekends.) I remind him
> > that I have a 17" that's just as heavy. He doesn't believe me. (The one
> for
> > my VaxStation 3100). Some nite I'll have him over for a beer, and teach
> 'im
> > a lesson... ;-) Then I'll let him pick up my DEC 19"... ;-) Who says
>
>Oooooh,.. cruel! ...to the monitor, that is. After all, what if he
>drops it?

He used to lay block & work construction... I wouldn't want him on the
wrong side of a barfight... ;-) [ granted, that still doesn't stop him
from bitching about the weight of his monitors... ] Considering by 35 I've
had 2 heart attacks [10 years ago] and haven't been as serious as I should
be about reclaiming my musculature since; the monitor's in a lot more
danger when I pick it up than if he does...

Gaak... 16 hours behind these damn things... I'm headed for the rack!

Laterz,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger
Received on Tue Mar 25 2003 - 00:35:00 GMT