I Can’t Remember What I Forgot

First and before I forget any more of these details…I had another unpleasant dream last evening/this morning. I dreamt I was by myself in a coffee shop and had, uncharacteristically for me, brought along more than my share of personal items, so I sat at a large table and against the wall. My current medical situation figured into this as I fretted that I could not find any non-dairy creamer in the little serving bowl. However, I did buy some type of pastry to go with my coffee.

I walked up to the cashier kiosk and started rummaging around in the small serving bowl there. With no luck I walked back to my table only to find that my coffee and personal items had been moved to another seat at that table and that my pastry was nowhere to be found. Someone else was sitting against the wall.

I confronted this person and he admitted to moving my things, but not to eating my pastry. I simply called him an asshole. He replied, “What language.” To which I remarked, “You deserve worse, schmuck” and then grabbed my items and left the coffee shop.

I wonder if this dream is my brain’s way of processing something that recently happened to my wonderful wife and me. We went to one of our favorite places for breakfast and were seated next to a man, woman and small child. The man was engaged in a loud conversation over a mobile device, which had loud music playing on it as well. The woman and child had their noses buried in mobile devices of their own.

I quickly went to the hostess station and asked if we could be moved to another table. We were seated far away from the inconsiderate man and his family. Manners and even rudimentary concern for others have gone out the window. Other people don’t want to hear your conversations while eating, shopping, or anything else.

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How appropriate is it given the post title that I have forgotten what I wanted to write about after this. Anyway…I had total recall until I was in my mid-40s. (Maybe it was my late 40s. I can’t remember. 😉)

That ability has gone out the window along with societal manners. I often can’t even remember the context of something that I wanted to remember. I will be reading or watching TV and think of something to look up later, for example. Even just minutes later, it doesn’t have to be days, I can’t even remember the subject matter or context of what I wanted to research, just that I wanted to remember something for later.

Contrast that to this story from my first year in college. Someone who lived in the same dorm was an education major. He wanted to do research on how recall waned over a short period of time. He asked if I would participate in a study.

People, I don’t know how many, were asked to read a short article. A 20-question quiz would be given right after reading. A week later, and without any chance to review the material, another 20-question quiz would be given on the same material.

Everyone in the sample had a much lower score on the quiz a week later than right after reading the material. Well, everyone except me. I answered all of the questions correctly a week after reading the article.

My friend/dorm mate was actually quite mad at me. “You’ve ruined my study!” I replied that I was just one out of however many people had participated and that next time he should try to get a bigger sample.

My significant decline in memory (yes, this is well-worn territory in this blog) is actually terrifying to me. I have no frame of reference to know if this is a normal decline due to aging or to some more serious physical process.

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Hallelujah, I remembered what else I wanted to write about. I got 26 hours into my fast yesterday before I had to “cheat.” I had subsisted solely on water and G-Zero and had not even taken my prescription meds.

After taking 12 1/2 mg of melatonin (more than twice the recommended dosage; melatonin is a substance produced by the human body, anyway) and falling asleep on the chair in front of the TV in the bonus room, I woke up and walked to the bedroom to go back to sleep. However, my head was pounding and after 15 or 20 minutes I had to get up.

Reluctantly, I decided to take two ibuprofen (I usually take three at a time) and eat two saltine-type crackers. Eventually, I did go back to sleep and slept fairly well.

My GI physician, not one of the NPs in the practice, sent me a prompt and thorough reply to a message I sent yesterday. He told me that, given all of the imaging I have had done in the last year–including last month, it is highly unlikely that I have pancreatic cancer. He also wrote that while my lipase levels are elevated, they are only mildly so and that might not even be indicative of pancreatitis. He added that the upcoming imaging was to rule out chronic pancreatitis, which is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.

My fast was an attempt to give my pancreas a day off. I guess, technically, I did but I had intended to get two nights of sleep in between the last pre-fast and first post-fast meals. The best laid plans of mice and men…

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On this day in 1949, the Buick Roadmaster Riviera made its debut. Its significance is that the Riviera spec of the Roadmaster was part of General Motors’ introduction of the pillarless, hardtop body style. No visible B-pillar existed so that with the windows rolled down the car had an open look and open airflow throughout the passenger cabin. From The American Auto by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide® are two pictures showing the difference between a pillarless body and what had been the traditional use of a B-pillar.

By the way, if you are an automobile aficionado I highly recommend The American Auto. It has even been updated fairly recently (2015). Anyway…while the 1949-51 Fords are not ugly by any means, the GM hardtops are just beautiful.

OK, the word counter at the lower left is displaying that it’s time for me to stop. Have a great weekend.

#ICan’tRememberWhatIForgot

#1949BuickRoadmasterRiviera

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Wise Words From Dirty Dingus McGee

I suspect only a small percentage of readers reads the comments. That’s their loss. Dirty Dingus McGee submitted a comment that I think is worthy of being shared with all readers.

“In the headlong rush to make EVERYTHING electric, there quite a few things that are flat out ignored.

First: there is NOTHING “green” about an electric vehicle. They use more resources to manufacture than an ICE vehicle. They require a supply of power, a battery stores electricity it does not generate any, and roughly 2/3 of that power comes from coal power. When that battery reaches the end of its life, they are currently not recyclable. Probably 90% of my ICE vehicles are recyclable. In my current fleet there are molecules of steel that were once my grandmother’s refrigerator, my neighbors wore out backhoe and even my great grandfathers hand saw.

Second: there is an element of control involved I think. It’s easier to control a population that is less mobile. If I can only get 2-300 miles on a charge, then have to wait to recharge for a couple hours due to a line in front of me, then spend 1 hour charging, how far from home can I afford to go? And there is also the reality of blackouts. Remember all the way back to last summer in California? “We have to have rolling blackouts due to excessive load on the grid. Oh yeah, we’re also gonna make you buy only electric vehicles.” But you’ll be able to take a bus to get where you want to go. Ever take a bus? I would almost rather hitch hike.

Third: Most all of the promises for the future are just that, promises. Based mostly on hopeium and unobtanium, with dashes of pixie dust and unicorn farts. And these promises are made by politicians, the most honest and trustworthy folks around. Who are also, strangely, exempt from the policies they force us to live by. So please forgive me for not believing it’s raining, when I can see you pissing on my back.”

Bravo, DDM, Bravo!

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Here’s a video from a tweet that read, “Why Bob Barker quit The Price Is Right.” Sorry, but all I can think when I see this is we have WAY too many stupid people in this country.

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My wonderful wife took this pic and sent it to me. It almost doesn’t look real, but it is.

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If it hadn’t been for DDM’s comment, I wasn’t going to post today. With the disappointing lipase result, the process of filing a grievance against the GI practice that refused to do anything to help me because I was late for an appointment–only time I have ever been late for a medical appointment, the uncertainty surrounding the potential sale of our current home and potential purchase of the “Goose Bumps” house, I am just frazzled beyond hope.

I am going to try to fast today to give my pancreas a day off. When I was in the ER in early December, even though my lipase level was only slightly above the normal range, the ER physician suggested I spend 1-3 days in the hospital on IV fluids and probably partially sedated. I chose not to stay, but have come to regret that decision in the past two days. I wonder if 10mg of melatonin will make me sleepy enough so I can spend part of the day napping.

#WiseWordsFromDirtyDingusMcGee

#DeathBeforeEV

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Hell In A Handbasket Wednesday

After many calls and online messages sent via the “patient portal” I was able to get follow-up bloodwork. I almost wish I hadn’t. While all other relevant values remained normal, my lipase level was even worse (higher) than before. I am hoping that this is simply a stress reaction and when the house situation is resolved, one way or another, my lipase level will return to normal. Of course, who knows how long it will actually take and how many hoops I will have to jump through to get another round of bloodwork.

Here are some links to posts in Why Evolution Is True. I will try to present them with as little comment as possible, other than to say that some of them show the world is becoming unhinged.

From this post, commentary by Jerry Coyne–the blog author–and Fareed Zakaria:

“It’s the Democrats, particularly the “progressive” wing, who see no distinction between legal immigration, based on persecution, and illegal immigration based on a search for more well being. And every prospective immigrant knows that if they’re in the latter class, it’s best to lie and say you fear persecution. The Left has ignored that palpable truth, and that’s why we’re in a crisis.” – Coyne

“The Democratic Party remains committed to immigration and immigrants, but it does not make enough of a distinction between immigrants who come into the country following laws and those who come in by crossing the border illegally. Everyone should be treated humanely, but those who follow the law and those who break it cannot be treated alike.” – Zakaria

Remember that Coyne and Zakaria self-identify as liberals.

Evidence for evolution: Hairless animals have dead genes for a full coat of hair.

Ideology stomps all over chemistry in a new paper.

College students afraid of speaking out about controversial issues: the U.S. versus New Zealand.

I almost wish I would live long enough to see the dissolution of the US.

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OK, maybe you think I should write about the official debut of the Corvette E-Ray, the first hybrid Corvette and the first available with all-wheel drive. Obviously, it was not a coincidence that the car premiered yesterday on the 70th anniversary of the first unveiling of the Corvette.

As I have written previously, the E-Ray was pegged more to the modern Acura NSX hybrid than to hypercars like the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari. Apparently, that role will be played by the upcoming Zora variant of the Corvette, which will probably be available beginning with the 2026 model year.

I am more convinced than ever that, barring everyone coming to their senses, the C8 will be the last Corvette generation available with any type of internal combustion engine AND that the C8 Corvette will be GM’s last such vehicle, period. By the way, here is Chevrolet’s webpage devoted to the E-Ray Corvette. From Forbes a picture:

The rear is still ungainly to me. Combined with the electric motors that power the front wheels, the E-Ray is supposed to have 655 HP and be able to accelerate from 0-60 MPH in 2.5-2.6 seconds. The MSRP for the base coupe is $102,900; I’m sure no one will actually be able to buy that car from a dealer at that price.

Sorry, but I’m not going down this road. I will drive my ICE-powered cars until I’m not driving any more.

#HellInAHandbasketWednesday

#TheDissolutionOfTheUS

#CorvetteE-Ray

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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On This Day

First…

GO AWAY, BOM TRADY!

I can hear his blind devotees now: “He threw for 350 yards and 2 TDs in the playoff game. It’s not his fault his team’s defense is not good.”

In order to throw for 351 yards in last night’s playoff loss to the Cowyucks, Brady attempted 66 passes, which works out to just 5.32 yards per attempt. Despite the hold of fantasy football, which is well-named because it bears little or no resemblance to the real thing, in real NFL football the two individual passing stats that correlate the most with winning are yards per pass attempt and interceptions. 5.32 yards per attempt doesn’t win many games, just like it didn’t win last night’s. As a point of reference, historically the league average is about 7.00 yards per attempt. In the recently completed regular season, quarterbacks who threw enough passes to qualify for the passing title averaged 7.13 yards per attempt. By the way, Brady’s team, the Buccaneers, has two very good wide receivers in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. During the regular season Brady finished 31st of 34 qualifying QBs in yards per pass attempt.

Bom Trady has been quoted as saying, “I would rather play and lose than not play.” As an outsider who doesn’t know him it seems to me that his competitiveness is pathological. NO behavioral paradigm is always appropriate.

He is supposed to be a free agent after this season, a season in which his team had a losing record and only made the playoffs because all the other teams in the division were worse. Any team that signs him to play is clueless. He will turn 46 before the next season starts.

GO AWAY, BOM TRADY!

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From a post on this day three years ago:

On this day in 1971 the Baltimore Colts defeated Satan’s Minions…uh, the Dallas Cowboys…in Super Bowl V, which is “Five” for those of you unfamiliar with Roman Numerals. I nervously watched the game by myself in the small living room of our Baltimore row house.

The Colts trailed for much of the game, in which both teams combined for 11 turnovers including 7 by the Colts. About midway through the fourth quarter, with the Colts trailing 13-6, Baltimore safety Rick Volk intercepted a Craig Morton pass and returned it 30 yards to the Dallas 3-yard line. Two plays later, Tom Nowatzke scored the touchdown and, unlike the Colts’ first TD, rookie kicker Jim O’Brien converted the extra point to tie the game.

With about a minute left a holding penalty against Dallas left them with a long second down. Morton was rushed by Colts’ defensive end Roy Hilton and threw high to intended receiver Dan Reeves (yes, the same Dan Reeves who was an NFL head coach for 23 seasons). Mike Curtis intercepted at the Dallas 41 and returned it 13 yards. The Colts ran the clock down to 9 seconds and O’Brien kicked a 32-yard field goal to give Baltimore a 16-13 lead.

In the recaps of the game it is never mentioned that the field goal was not the last play of the game and that after the kickoff Dallas had time for one more play. I had remembered that was the case, but began to be unsure given it was never mentioned. Upon discovering the play-by-play I found that what I remembered was correct, that Dallas received the kickoff and that Morton was intercepted, once again, this time by Jerry Logan to end the game.

When O’Brien lined up for what turned out to be the game-winning field goal, at first I turned away from the TV too nervous to watch. Then, just in time, I faced the TV and saw the kick. After the game ended, I screamed louder than I had ever screamed before and ran outside screaming, without wearing any shoes, into the cold Baltimore day. Our awful next-door neighbor stuck her head out of the front door and threatened to call the police if I didn’t quiet down.

The next day as was our custom, Dr. Zal and I met in front of the department store with whom I shared a last name (it was not our store) to walk to school. We did not speak during the walk, but sang the Baltimore Colts’ fight song the entire way.

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On this day in 1953 the Chevrolet Corvette was introduced to the public at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City as part of its Motorama exhibition. Incredibly, the car was in production, albeit only 300 units were produced that year, by June of 1953.

The History of the Corvette

All 300 Corvettes were Polo White with a Red interior and were powered by a 235 cubic-inch “Blue Flame” inline 6-cylinder engine rated at 150 HP/223 LB-FT of torque. All 1953 Corvettes had the two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission.

In its first three model years Corvette production only reached four figures once–in 1954–and only 4,640 were manufactured in total. General Motors almost pulled the plug on the car, but pleading by Zora Arkus-Duntov and the success of the Ford 2-seat Thunderbird spurred GM and Chevrolet to keep building the Corvette.

In 1956 a new body style was introduced and the car finally was equipped with real roll-up windows instead of side curtains. Production increased to 3,467 from 1955’s moribund total of 700. To me, this dispels the belief that it was the introduction of the small-block Chevy V-8 in 1955, or the introduction of the fuel-injected engine and four-speed transmission in 1957, that saved the Corvette. By the mid-1950s almost no one wanted a car with no roll-up windows.

Of course, we are now in the eighth generation of the Corvette and are approaching two million in total sales/production. Sadly to me, this will almost certainly be the last generation with any type of internal combustion engine. No electric Corvettes for me.

#OnThisDay

#GoAwayBomTrady!

#SuperBowlV

#IntroductionOfTheCorvette

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Quarterback Sneak

Greetings from cold and rainy Arizona. This radar is from yesterday, but very well could be from today.

Yes, the blue areas indicate snow. Most people who don’t live here don’t understand the wide variance in elevation and its effect on the weather. Another thing I like about the “Goose Bumps” house is that, despite being only 9 miles driving distance from our current house, it is 800 feet higher in elevation. That means it will be, on average, about 4° F cooler.

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The Baltimore Ravens played much better in last night’s playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals than I thought they would. A game seldom turns on a quarterback sneak, but that game did. With the score tied at 17 early in the fourth quarter and after a long Ravens drive brought them to the shadow of the Bengals goal line, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley (playing because starting QB Lamar Jackson missed the last 6 games with a knee injury) attempted a quarterback sneak, but instead of getting low and allowing himself to be pushed from behind like the play was designed, he tried to leap over the pile and extend his arms to get the ball to the goal line. The Bengals knocked the ball out of his hands, the ball went straight to Cincinnati defensive end Sam Hubbard who ran 98 yards for a touchdown. That was the game’s last score and it was the longest fumble recovery for a TD in NFL playoff history.

Sorry, Ravens fans, but the ball never crossed the plane, meaning it never reached the front of the goal line. That was clear on the numerous replays. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh admitted after the game that Huntley did not execute the play properly as TV color commentator Cris Collinsworth noted at the time.

Post-game controversy occurred when Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins, who has played very well since returning from in-season arthroscopic knee surgery, strongly complained that he, and not Huntley, should have been the one carrying the ball in that crucial sequence. Dobbins said, “He should have never been in that situation. I don’t get a single carry. I didn’t get a single carry. He should never have been in that situation. I believe I would have put it in the end zone, again.”

Dobbins had scored on a 2-yard TD run in the second quarter, and had averaged an incredible 6.9 yards per carry since returning from the knee surgery, but did not carry the ball on any of the three plays that the Ravens ran from inside the Bengals 3-yard line. Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who has been under increasing pressure for the decline in the Ravens’ offensive productivity, may feel tighter under the collar today than at any other time during his tenure with the team.

Former Ravens defensive coordinator and NFL head coach Rex Ryan thinks Lamar Jackson’s tenure with the Ravens has come to an end. However, he thinks the Ravens will stick with their read-option “offense” and promote Huntley to the starting role. As I recently wrote, I think that would be a huge mistake.

I can honestly write that I watched the game without passion or prejudice. I wanted the Ravens to win, I guess, but 10 seconds after the game ended it was out of my mind.

As long as the Cowyucks or Bom Trady don’t win the Super Bowl, then I will be fine with the outcome of the playoffs. I will watch all playoff games not involving either of those two entities. Of course, one of them will be eliminated (in a game I will not watch) as they play each other tonight in the last game of the NFL Wild-Card Weekend.

NFL Logo Wallpaper (72+ images)

#QuarterbackSneak

#RavensMistakes

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Well, I Missed It

After four consecutive nights of very poor sleep, when the Los Angeles Chargers extended their lead to 24-0 over the Jacksonville Jaguars midway through the second quarter of yesterday’s playoff game, I decided to try to sleep even though it was only about 7:20 PM local time. (How’s that for a run-on sentence!)

Well, I succeeded–I slept for eight hours without interruption, which is like 12 hours for most people–but I missed the Jaguars comeback from trailing 27-0 at one point to winning the game 31-30. That was the third largest playoff comeback in NFL history.

Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, threw four interceptions in the first half (I saw the first three), but threw four touchdown passes in the game’s last 31 minutes. Despite being minus-five in turnovers for the game, the Jaguars won.

I watched the first playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers starting with 10 minutes playing time remaining in the first quarter until the 49ers took a 31-17 lead early in the fourth quarter. (San Francisco won the game 41-23.) I am not really a 49ers fan, but even with Brock Purdy as their quarterback–Purdy was the 262nd and last player selected in the 2022 NFL draft–I think they have the best team in the league. They have an excellent defense, a well-designed offense and the mid-season trade for outstanding running back Christian McCaffrey has given them more playmakers than most defenses can handle.

“My” Ravens have virtually no chance to win tonight’s playoff game against divisional rival Cincinnati. Although I am not a fan of the offense the Ravens use, without quarterback Lamar Jackson (who suffered a knee injury in early December, has not played since and has already been ruled out of tonight’s game) they are basically doomed. Speaking of Jackson, he will be a free agent after this season unless the Ravens use a franchise tag on him. My opinion is that they should use the non-exclusive tag, which gives him a chance to offer his services around the league.

The Ravens can say, “Lamar, now you have a chance to see if a team will offer you $250 million, all guaranteed.” I have heard from people who know that Jackson wants to sign a contract of greater value than the one the Cleveland Browns foolishly gave and fully guaranteed to “massage maniac” Deshaun Watson, which was $230 million.

If a team offers Jackson a contract that satisfies him, he can sign with them and the Ravens would receive two first-round draft picks. They could then jettison their offense with its high school passing concepts and, hopefully, find a quarterback whose arm is more dangerous to opponents than his legs. I am not a fan of Tom Brady the person, but he has seven rings and is not a read-option quarterback. The two quarterbacks in last year’s Super Bowl were Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford, neither of whom are running QBs, although Burrow has decent mobility.

That’s probably more football than many of you want to read about. This blog will have more sports content and less automotive content going forward. For the nth time, I couldn’t care less about electric vehicles, SUVs or pickup trucks.

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That being said…sadly, Jaguar has (have, the British conjugation) announced that the gorgeous F-Type will cease to be produced after the 2024 model year. Once again, the photo of the dirty F-Type that announces its beauty even more.

How much would it cost to buy a used F-Type convertible? Looking at Autotrader, the least expensive used F-Type ragtops with the six-cylinder engine, an automatic transmission, fewer than 45,000 miles, no reported accidents and no more than 500 miles from my home zip code (shipping a car long distances is very expensive these days) are listed at about $35,000.

Do I have enough cash to buy one? Yes I do, but is it prudent to spend that kind of money on a second car? That’s about $3,000-$8,000 more than a Cadillac XLR and almost twice the price of a Pontiac Solstice GXP or Saturn Sky Red Line. Of course, none of those cars was a member of my most recent Ultimate Garage.

First, I have to live in a dwelling with sufficient space to allow me to realistically have space for another car. Not there yet…

#WellIMissedIt

#EndOfTheF-Type

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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The Day After Friday The 13th

In a postscript yesterday I noted that the numbers of blog views and visitors on Thursday were the highest in the previous 30 days. Well, yesterday (Friday) saw 44 percent more views and 49 percent more visitors than the day before, an unusually large one-day change. All I can write is, Thanks! Oh, I can also ask you to please keep reading and to please tell your friends about this blog.

Yesterday brought some news that, at least temporarily, has partially mitigated the disappointment I mentioned in yesterday’s post, but the news happened long after I published. If there’s a one in a million chance that offering good wishes actually works, then please send those good wishes our way.

The good news was not that we were one of 14 tickets that matched the five non-Megaball numbers, which has a seven-figure prize, in last night’s Mega Millions drawing. One winning ticket was sold in Maine; the pre-tax cash value was over $700 million.

I believe last night’s jackpot was the second largest lottery prize in US history. The largest, a Powerball drawing with an annuity value of $1.5 billion and almost $1 billion in cash, was split three ways as three winning tickets were sold. For only one ticket to match in last night’s Mega Millions drawing means that person/family in Maine was really lucky. As the jackpot grows to extremely high levels, the number of tickets sold grows even more meaning the likelihood of multiple winners also increases substantially.

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Former University of Arkansas and NFL running back Peyton Hillis has been removed from a ventilator after nearly drowning while saving his children from drowning. Hillis, who was not a starting running back/halfback at Arkansas but the fullback who blocked for stars like Darren McFadden, is probably best known for appearing on the cover of the Madden computer football game in 2011 after his breakout 2010 season with the Cleveland Browns.

Hillis had only 203 rushing attempts in four seasons (although he did catch 118 passes) as a Razorback and only 81 carries in his first two NFL seasons with the Broncos before being traded to Cleveland. Multiple injuries to Browns’ running backs that season (2010) led to Hillis becoming the starter and rushing for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns in addition to catching 61 passes and two more touchdowns. It’s not mentioned anymore, but Hillis was the first white running back since Craig James in 1985 to rush for 1,000+ yards in an NFL season.

For a former seventh-round draft pick (in 2008), the NFL Draft has had only seven rounds since 1994, Hillis had a very good career, but one that was short-circuited by concussions and chronic hamstring issues. His last NFL season was 2014–he was 28–with the New York Giants.

Not that he or his family will read this, but I wish Peyton Hillis all the best and a speedy recovery.

Family: Former Hog Peyton Hillis still sedated, making progress

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On this day in 1954, what was the largest corporate merger in US history at the time was announced. That event was the merger of Nash-Kelvinator with Hudson to form the American Motors Corporation (AMC).

Of course, AMC lasted until it was purchased by Chrysler Corporation in 1987. Although some automotive historians dispute the following, the historical consensus is that Nash-Kelvinator, and later AMC, Chairman/CEO George Mason ultimately wanted the four largest US independent automakers–Packard and Studebaker in addition to Nash and Hudson–to merge into one company that could compete with the Big Three. Mason died unexpectedly in October, 1954 and his wishes were never executed.

My favorite AMC car wasn’t introduced until the 1968 model year, the Javelin.

AMC Javelin values are steady as a rock | Hagerty Media

I’ve always thought the Javelin looked at least as good as the Camaro/Firebird and better than the Mustang, the other automobiles in the Pony Car segment. The Javelin was far more successful than the car it replaced in the AMC lineup, the Marlin, but still fell far short of its Big Three rivals in sales.

AMC produced about 56,000 Javelins in its first model year. In the same year, General Motors produced 235,000 Camaros AND 107,000 Firebirds while Ford produced 317,000 Mustangs.

On a total tangent…perhaps as a side effect from the stress we are experiencing in trying to sell our house, which itself might be contributing to my health issues, I was just overcome by a desire to simply delete this post I have been writing for the past 30+ minutes. Deep breath…

Anyway…while Tesla reaching the million mark in sales in 2022 shows that an “upstart” company can make headway in the US automobile market, if predictions come to fruition like one recently issued by Goldman Sachs that Tesla’s share of new electric vehicles sold in the US will drop from 80 percent to 20 percent in the next 5 years, then maybe the Big Three are still too powerful to overtake. Of course, given the not that distant bankruptcy by two of those companies in 2009, maybe they are still vulnerable to competition, at least from outside the US.

#TheDayAfterFridayThe13th

#MegaMillions

#PeytonHillis

#NashHudsonMerger

#AMCJavelin

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Yes, It’s Friday The 13th

No scientific reason exists why Friday the 13th should be worse (or better, for that matter) than any other day. As far as I know, the combination of Friday and 13 was not considered to be unlucky before the 19th century.

I have written before about a particularly bad Friday the 13th I experienced (in 1991). Without getting into too many details, even though it’s before 6 AM, and even though this event technically occurred late yesterday, our day has already turned quite sour with notification of something very disappointing.

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I have to admit that the disappointment has taken the starch out of me. This Why Evolution Is True post is titled, “Stanford deep-sixes its list of “harmful” words and phrases.” From the post:

“The other day I was kvetching about ~~wokeness~~ [my mark] to two members of Team Duck, and moaning that the “movement” wouldn’t go away for years. Both of them assured me that I was wrong, but I didn’t think so. Now, with the publication of the article below from Inside Higher Ed (IHE), I think there may a smidgen of hope. That’s because widespread mockery has caused a university to eliminate a list of words considered harmful. Remember, mockery can be an effective weapon in the fight against the benighted.

First, a review. The Wall Street Journal first cited the Stanford “Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative,” which I mentioned in a Hili post. It was a guide to language that was supposed to be used at Stanford University’s IT group…about the words recommended by Stanford for erasure.

…Now, glory be, and after widespread mockery, Stanford has rescinded the entire list.”

~~Woke~~ is a cult, detached from reality. By the way, no one has a constitutional right never to be offended.

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I have written about this before, but please indulge me today. On this day in 1906 the American Motor Car Manufacturers Association held its first auto show. While this was not the first auto show held in the US, the AMCMA event was significant. It was the first opportunity for many Americans to see a large collection of vehicles built in America. I’m not sure if the following diagram was specifically for the 1906 show, but it’s interesting, nevertheless.

Of course, not all of these makes were manufactured in the US, but that made the AMCMA event even more significant.

After leading all US companies in automobile production from 1903 to 1905, inclusive, Oldsmobile dropped all the way to number six in 1906. Ford, two years before the introduction of the Model T, easily led all US makes producing about 8,700 units. Cadillac was a distant second with about 3,600. Well, that may be true. Other sources, including Ford itself, have also shown 1906 production at 2,800 units. Human record-keeping was, is, and always will be imperfect. Below is a picture of a 1906 Ford Model K, an upscale model that debuted that year and replaced the Model B.

1906 Ford Model K Touring Car

As I have written, I have no interest in brass era cars, but I appreciate their significance.

Have a great weekend; I doubt we will.

#YesIt’sFridayThe13th

#~~Woke~~IsACult

#FirstAutoShow

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

PS, just realized that yesterday’s totals for blog views and visitors were the highest in the last 30 days. Many thanks.

I’m Getting Old

Accompanied by my wonderful wife, I dutifully and promptly arrived at 2:45 PM for my 3 PM appointment with my gastroenterology practice. The problem is the appointment was actually scheduled for 2 PM.

This would NEVER have happened to me even five years ago, but aging has taken a toll on my mental acuity. My mistake means I did not get updated amylase and lipase levels. As for another appointment, since the next available one wasn’t until the last week in February, and I’m having imaging before then, I chose not to make another appointment.

As a salve to our battered egos and psyches we drove all over town looking to get donuts, but the Krispy Kreme and Dunkin shops were all closed by this time. We found a Fry’s supermarket (Fry’s is owned by Kroger) and bought three donuts from the bakery, two for me and one for my wonderful wife. (Our donuts were very good, by the way.) I mean, I expected to hear I now have a normal lipase level, which would mean a resumption of a normal diet. For me, that includes an occasional, and only occasional, donut. By the way, today is–supposedly–National Glazed Donut Day. One of the two donuts I ate yesterday was glazed while the other was a chocolate frosted.

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The death of legendary guitarist Jeff Beck also makes me feel old (and sad). Musical iconoclast that I am, my affinity for Beck does not stem from his work with the Yardbirds, but from the recordings shown below.

Of course the name of the recording on the right, Blow by Blow, is obscured by glare. In any event, it is the recording on the left, Wired, that I still listen to on a regular basis and that was my introduction to Beck’s work.

I seem to have read somewhere, although I have not been able to find corroboration recently, that Beck was actually not proud of either recording. Both were commercially successful and, in fact, Blow by Blow was the most successful recording of Beck’s career.

That career led to Beck’s being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992 and as a solo artist in 2009. By the way, Jeff Beck was a gearhead with a particular interest in Ford hot rods and did much of the work on his cars himself.

No, I won’t publish the line from John Donne about for whom the bell tolls. The Grim Reaper is still undefeated.

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That is a Lamborghini Huracan Evo. The company just announced an all-time record for annual sales for 2022. How many vehicles did they sell/deliver? Would you believe 9,233? Yep, fewer than 10,000 but still their all-time record.

As a point of reference and definitely using an apples to atom bombs comparison, 2022 calendar year sales of the Ford F Series pickup trucks were 28 percent lower than just four years earlier. How many of these vehicles were sold in 2022? 653,957

Of course, I sometimes regard Lamborghini as just an Audi in a fancier dress. Remember that Lamborghini is part of ~~Volkswagen AG~~ and that its cars–particularly the Huracan–share some of their architecture with Audi, also a part of the larger group.

Probably because of their association with ~~Volkswagen~~, but I don’t lust after modern Lambos. I much prefer Ferrari and Maserati automobiles. Even if my wonderful wife and I win the Mega Millions drawing tomorrow, which would net more than $400 million to a sole winning ticket sold to an Arizona resident, I would not buy a modern Lamborghini. My total lack of desire to drive a car with a standard manual transmission–another concession to age–also means I probably wouldn’t buy one of these:

Classics Don't Get Much Cooler Than A Fully Restored Lamborghini Miura ...

Of course, this is a Lamborghini Miura, their revolutionary mid-engine sports car built from 1966 to 1973. Even given that relatively long production period, only 764 Miuras were built. Maybe now the fact that 2022’s delivery of 9,233 vehicles was a company record makes more sense.

#I’mGettingOld

#JeffBeck

#Lamborghini2022Sales

#LamborghiniMiura

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Five Years. Five Years? Five Years!

Incredibly, it was on this day FIVE years ago that I published the first post for Disaffected Musings. This was that post, a most lame effort if I am to be honest. In my defense, I was literally in shock that the Evil Empire, AKA Guck Foogle, had deleted my first blog because I had the “nerve” to appeal their decision to remove ads from that blog. On the plus side, I did subsequently receive the whopping sum of $25 in two payments as part of the settlement in a class-action lawsuit against Guck Foogle and their practice of deleting blogs so they wouldn’t have to pay blog authors for their ad earnings. Folks, Guck Foogle and their partner in crime, Fack Fucebook, are most evil.

I thought about listing some of my favorite posts, but after more than 1,600 of them it is difficult to remember too many specific posts. Here is one, Wednesday Words, from about a year ago that is not about cars, but is about something from my life and some of my strong beliefs.

Many thanks to those of you who read the blog on a regular or semi-regular basis. Here are the most read blog posts for each year from 2018 to 2022, not counting Where Is Cristy Lee? or the About page.

2018: Sunday Studebaker

2019: Saturday Salary Arbitration

2020: Another Weird Dream…

2021: A Tough Day For Cars

2022: Barrett-Jackson or Mecum?, this post was actually published in 2018. To be honest, I don’t think it’s a good sign when the two most-read posts in a given year were not published in that year. Where Is Cristy Lee? was first published in January, 2020.

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I found this sentence from Standard Catalog of Oldsmobile 1897-1997 to be amusing: “An unforeseen event on October 29, 1929 impacted Viking sales and the Viking was discontinued in 1930.” Uh, is it illegal or blasphemous to actually mention Black Tuesday/The Stock Market Crash of ’29?!

In case you don’t know, or even if you do, the Viking was Oldsmobile’s companion make. Oakland had the Pontiac, Buick had the Marquette and Cadillac had the LaSalle. Viking was the only companion priced higher than its “parent.” As written before, General Motors’ head honcho Alfred Sloan thought that market segments existed for which GM did not have an appropriate make. The Stock Market Crash and subsequent Great Depression permanently changed the US automobile market.

Supposedly, the car shown below on the left is a 1930 Viking sedan. Total Viking production was about 7,000 units while Oldsmobile production for the same period was almost 150,000.

1930 Viking Sedan | R.E. Olds Transportation Museum 240 Muse… | Flickr

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Today I will finally visit my GI practice to discuss the revolt in my GI tract. This appointment was made long ago and may have even been made before my visit to the ER in early December. I am NOT going to leave until/unless I have a blood draw so my lipase level can be checked.

The pancreatitis diagnosis was made on the basis of two slightly elevated lipase results. My amylase levels have been normal as have my AST/ALT levels, indications of liver function. I still have to wait about four weeks for endoscopic imaging of my pancreas. I hope I last that long.

Thanks for reading.

#FiveYears!

#VikingAutomobile

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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