100 Tacos

After eating 16 Jack In The Box tacos during our first 21 days in Arizona I figured 100, 200, hell 1,000 tacos would not be far behind. By the way, 16 tacos every 21 days would equate to 278 a year. Oh, over a half billion Jack In The Box tacos are eaten every year in the US and the chain has locations in only 21 states.

I did not eat my 100th taco until yesterday. As a frame of reference, my wonderful wife and I have been living in Arizona for almost 15 months. (Where did that time go?!) Of course, I have been keeping track of the tacos. Can you say OCD math nerd?!

I guess the novelty wore off. I still really like those tacos. I don’t eat with anyone’s mouth, olfactory apparatus and brain except mine. Spare me the “Eww, how can you eat those? They aren’t real tacos.”

Whether I continue to keep a running taco count is anyone’s guess. By the way, one Jack In The Box taco has 190 calories, 11 grams of fat, 17 grams of carbohydrates including 3 grams of sugar and 6 grams of protein. Not a terribly nutritious food, but not the worst thing one could eat, either.

I never remember to take a picture of those tacos, so here’s one from the Internet.

See the source image

As a concession to age and my sensitive GI tract, I order the tacos without the sauce that is now too spicy for me to consume.

I have been a taco eater for a long time. From the time I was about 14 until I graduated from college at 21, I would often make tacos at home using an Old El Paso “kit.” In college, a local restaurant (El Sombrero, long gone) had an all you could eat taco night every Tuesday for $4.99. I regularly ate 10 or 12. Ah yes, the wonders of youth. (The unofficial record there was 26 by a University of Delaware football player. What a surprise…)

However, my taco fandom began with Jack In The Box, probably at about the age of 10. Telling this story again, a Jack In The Box location was right next to the library I frequented quite often. It was quite rare that I would go to the library to borrow/return books and not stop there.

The best tacos I have ever eaten were short rib tacos made by yours truly. I just don’t have the patience to cook anymore. With my wonderful wife now retired, maybe we will both start cooking more at home.

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While, technically, the big Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale begins tomorrow, vehicle sales will not start until Monday. Given the overwhelming success of the recently concluded Mecum auction in Kissimmee, Florida, I imagine expectations are quite high for the Barrett-Jackson event.

As I have written before, no Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawks or Cadillac Allantes are being offered. As for other Ultimate Garage members, two 1965 Buick Rivieras are on the docket. One seems stock while the other is customized. Here is a picture of the stock automobile:

1965 BUICK RIVIERA - Front 3/4 - 252751

We have no room at the inn and we’re about to spend a decent chunk of change on the second half of the outlay for our whole-home backup generator that will be installed the second week in February. Still, one can dream…

#100Tacos

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Goodbye Gale Sayers/Automotive Assortment

It is not my intent to disrespect the memory of Gale Sayers with today’s post title…I offer my sympathies to the family of Gale Sayers and to the Chicago Bears. The electrifying Hall of Fame running back–The Kansas Comet–died yesterday at the age of 77.

Sayers’ NFL career was cut very short by injury; he played in only 68 games. The impression he made on those who saw him play will last forever. At age 34, he was the youngest person ever elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Gale Sayers was one of three first-round picks of the Bears in the 1965 NFL Draft, which was actually held in November, 1964. One of the others also achieved quite a bit on the football field; his name is Dick Butkus.

In my book about the greatest NFL teams of all time, I illustrated the extent to which football is a team game by pointing out the Bears’ relative lack of success even with two of the greatest players of all time on the team. From the beginning of the 1965 season through Game 9 of the 1968 season when Sayers suffered a devastating knee injury, the Bears’ record was just 26-22-3 and only 17-17-3 excluding 1965.

At a muddy Wrigley Field in Chicago in December of 1965, Sayers had one of the most remarkable games in NFL history. He scored a record-tying 6 touchdowns despite only touching the ball 16 times. Before you think this was a game where he just ran a few TDs in from the 1-yard line, three of the six TDs were on plays of 50 yards or more. Sayers scored on an 80-yard pass reception, a 50-yard run and an 85-yard punt return. He ran for 113 yards on just 9 carries. In all, Sayers gained 336 yards on those 16 touches. Remember that 1965 was his rookie season. I am loathe to offer a link to a minion of the Evil Empire, but here is a short video about Sayers’ 6 TD game.

I was going to recite a bunch of statistics in order to illustrate Sayers’ ability. I decided against going too far in that direction so as not to “break a butterfly upon a wheel” to quote Pope. Sayers’ friendship with his ill-fated teammate Brian Piccolo is well-known and speaks to the kind of person Sayers was.

From a site called Sports Retriever, a picture of Gale Sayers:

See the source image

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From Auto Express of the UK a picture of the recently announced Nissan Z Proto, which is assumed to be very close to what the next Z car will look like.

See the source image

In terms of appearance, the car is part homage to the original 240Z and part “modern” Z as expressed by the 350 and 370. Here is another photo, from Nissan by way of CarFax:

Nissan Z Proto / Photo Credit: Nissan

Even though the car is likely to be called the 400Z, its engine is not likely to be 4 liters in displacement. The 240Z had a 2.4 liter engine, the 260Z had a 2.6 liter engine, the 280Z had a 2.8 liter engine, etc.

The powerplant for the 400Z is probably going to be a 3-liter, twin-turbo V-6 that will produce about 400 HP. Manual transmission devotees will be happy to learn the new Z car will offer both an automatic and a manual gearbox. In fact, it is possible the car will be introduced as a manual only with the automatic to follow a few months after introduction. The car is supposed to arrive sometime in 2022.

Nissan can point out that, unlike the new Toyota Supra, the new Z car will be all Japanese. I like the looks of this car better than the 350 and 370, but wish the new Z car looked more like the 240, which I consider to be one of the great automotive designs of all time.

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As sort of a Throwback Thursday I will note that the 1965 model year, corresponding to Gale Sayers’ rookie season, had some of my favorite cars. Corvette enthusiasts like the ’65 as the first year for the availability of a big block engine, the snarling solid-lifter 396, as well as the first year for disc brakes.

As regular Disaffected Musings readers know, the 1965 Buick Riviera is one of my four or five favorite cars ever. Hey, let’s show one.

See the source image

From Russo and Steele a picture of a ’65 Riv. The house in which we hope to live in the desert in the very near future does not have a large enough lot to park a car on the other side of an RV gate, which it also does not have. It is highly unlikely that the Grocery Car/Taxi/Corvette Companion will be a car of this vintage. Oh well…

#GoodbyeGaleSayers

#AutomotiveAssortment

#Nissan400Z

#1965BuickRiviera

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Monday Musings 53

““There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’”

– Isaac Asimov, 1980

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For the second consecutive weekend we had no showings of our house, which has now been on the market for a month. The lack of showings is in stark contrast to the many showings we had in the first two weeks.

Our realtor sent us data indicating that interest, as measured by the number of showings, seems to have fallen quite dramatically in our segment of the local real estate market. I guess he sent the data so we would know it’s not just our house that has seemingly dropped off the radar of potential home buyers.

The best realtor in the world will have a difficult time selling a house in a “bad” market and an inept realtor can easily sell a house in a “good” one. When I began to explore the idea of selling my first house, which I had not lived in for nine years, I called the wonderful person who had managed the property as a rental during that time and she told me that the market was exploding. (I had no idea what was going on in that market as I was living 1,400 miles away.) Even though her company would lose the rental commission, she showed me the comps in my area. The house had appreciated in value by 35%-40% in the last year.

I decided to sell; the house sold in three days and for more than the asking price. I have never had such good luck in selling any other house.

Not to be too morbid, but this house may very well be the last one I sell. I have never dealt well with being in limbo. When I (and in this case, we) decide to do something, I want to do it, not wait to do it. However, our experience is yet another example of the truth that we don’t have total control over what happens in our lives.

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This Hemmings article addresses adding EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) to classic cars, something about which I have written many times in this blog. The piece begins:

“Gearheads, like much of society, can be slow to embrace change. In the automotive world, advances in technology often mean considerable improvements in performance, and nearly every gearhead can agree that’s an admirable pursuit. But still we resist.“

Here is another interesting passage:

“…But even with design improvements that allowed the carburetor to function in a wide range of conditions, it still remained (as many would refer to it) a calibrated fuel leak.“

“That may be a slap in the face to those who still maintain carburetors as a viable fuel delivery device. But anybody who has experienced the nuances of flooding, an irregular idle, vapor lock, mediocre fuel mileage, or any of the myriad maladies inherent to the carburetor, has to question that thinking.“

If I am ever in a position to buy a car like the one pictured below, I will certainly have EFI installed. It would be my car and my money. Why some people think they have the right to tell other people how to spend their money is beyond me.

From a Hemmings ad a picture of a 1965 Buick Riviera. What a magnificent car; the addition of EFI will not diminish its magnificence.

#MondayMusings

#IsaacAsimov

#1965BuickRiviera

#somanycarsjustonelife

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Riviera or Eldorado?

First…gelako pertsonarik inteligenteena izateaz nekatuta nago eta horrek ez du axola.

Second…I am not a fan of the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but I am also not a fan of de facto socialists who use the politics of envy to garner support. The de facto socialists ignore the facts that between nine and ten million American households have a net worth of $1 million or more and that 80% of American millionaires are first-generation millionaires. Wealth is not something that just exists and is passed down from generation to generation. Resentment and envy of people who are wealthier than you are not a sound basis for public policy, especially since most of those people earned their wealth.

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Continuing yesterday’s theme, I would very much like to read your choice between these two cars, both of which were featured in my Ultimate Garage 2.0:

See the source image

The top photo of a 1965 Buick Riviera is from classiccars.com while the bottom photo of a 1967 Cadillac Eldorado is from Hemmings.

Once again, these are two cars that are under consideration to be the companion to my 2016 Corvette Z06. To be clear, I don’t have to have a ’65 Riviera; I would be happy with a ’63 or ’64. Also, I would consider buying a ’68 Eldorado. However, these cars would be my druthers. Also remember that this purchase, which does not have a 100% probability of occurring, is likely at least two years in the future.

Do you really want specs for these two cars? OK…

	HP	Torque	Length	Weight
1965 Riviera	325	445	209	4036

1967 Eldorado	340	480	221	4500

The engine output listed for the Riviera is for the base engine. The Riv would fit better in a garage and would probably get better gas mileage than the Eldorado although the Z06 companion will not be driven more than 1,000 miles a year.

One problem with a ’65 Riviera is the price. On Hemmings the least expensive ’65 had an asking price of $22,000 with list prices all the way up to $84,900! On the other hand, many of the ’63 and ’64 Rivieras listed for sale have an asking price under $20,000.

Only three 1967 Eldorados were listed on Hemmings; two of them had an asking price well under $20,000. This is not an Ultimate Garage exercise where the price doesn’t matter. This will be a real-world decision, if the purchase is made at all, so price matters.

OK, which of these cars do you prefer? Right now, only three votes have been cast in the Studebaker debate with the Avanti ahead of the Gran Turismo Hawk 2-1. Please don’t hesitate to vote on both choices.

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#SayNoToSocialism

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Goodbye, 2018…

I used to say that if Islamic State had a football team and that team played the Pittsburgh Steelers (or the Dallas Cowboys) then I wouldn’t know who to root for. I am not that passionate about the NFL, anymore, but yesterday was a very good day to be a Baltimore Ravens fan. After a 4-5 start the Ravens won six of their last seven games to win the AFC North and the Steelers are out of the playoffs. By the way, I have used other evil actors instead of Islamic State, but somehow all of them wind up dead: Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong-Il, ~~Osama Bin Laden~~.

I don’t think the Ravens can win in the long-run with their NFL version of the spread/read-option offense, but we all know what John Maynard Keynes said about the long-run. I don’t think the Ravens will win the Super Bowl, but they have a chance that 20 other NFL teams don’t have. Professional sports championships are permanent, which is one reason they are so highly prized.

By the way, I don’t know if I have mentioned this before, but I was at the Baltimore Colts complex that surreal night in March of 1984 when the team sneaked out of town. As a native Baltimorean I have always felt that under the so-called leadership of Paul “Baltimore Hates You” Tagliabue, the NFL royally screwed the city many times and that he was in collusion with the despicable Redskins’ owner, Jack Kent Cooke, to keep a team out of Baltimore so the Redskins could “have” the market. One could subpoena Tagliabue about that, but no guarantee exists that he would tell the truth, even under oath.

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I will show some blog stats tomorrow, but this is the 355th day that Disaffected Musings has existed and this is the 325th post. By the time I finish the post, I will have written about 125,000 words in total. For the last 125 posts (including this one) the average post is 555 words in length.

I am very grateful for the loyal readers and commenters. This blog is much better because of their contributions. (I will once again state that readers should read the comments and not just the posts.) However, I lament the relative lack of viewers. Some blogs are read thousands of times every day. If this blog has 100 viewers in a day, then that’s a very good day. Is it bad protocol to mention the number of views or dissatisfaction with same? What do you think of ignorance and apathy? I don’t know and I don’t care.

I am very proud of this blog. I try to read a lot of blogs, but most of them are unreadable to me. If you like this blog and read it on a regular or semi-regular basis, then PLEASE tell as many people as you can and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

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So, what car should be featured as the last one of 2018? I promise it won’t be another photo of a C2 Corvette or De Tomaso Longchamp. If I had to rank the rest of the car universe, then this one might be next in line:

From Barrett-Jackson’s website a beautiful picture of an amazing 1965 Buick Riviera GS that will be offered for sale in Scottsdale next month. I LOVE this car!

Happy New Year!

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

Monday Musings

I will watch the Super Bowl without passion or prejudice. Neither of my two favorite teams is playing and the same is true of my two least favorite teams. In addition, as I grow older, and despite having worked in professional sports for more than two decades, my interest in sports wanes a little every year.

According to This Day In Automotive History by Brian Corey, Karl Benz received a patent for his Motorwagon on this day in 1886. Benz’s vehicle is widely regarded as the first automobile since it was the first vehicle to be propelled by an internal combustion engine.

See the source image

Photo from wall.alphacoders.com…a 1965 Buick Riviera. I love this car, which was designed by the legendary Bill Mitchell. He designed the much celebrated C2 Corvette (1963-1967) among others, but claimed that this generation Riviera was his favorite design.