I am still not home, but this comes to mind.

I was driving in the Ozarks this week. The blue highways can be "quite" winding. This guy in a Mercedes, two seater, came up behind me and flashed his lights. I was in my Focus ZX3. I love small cars. I downshifted two gears and took off. In ten miles I was a mile and a half ahead of him. When we hit the flat lands he passed me. He took both hand off of the wheel and gave me two "thumbs up".

Don't see that attitude much on the west coast. What do you think? This has nothing to do with driving ability. It has to do with attitude. Go from there.

Best wishes,,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), June 21, 2001

Answers

Maybe his grandpappy used to run 'shine. Speed sorta runs in the blood. Remember Croce's song about Rapid Roy the Stock Yard Boy? Described a lot of folks I knew. Watch out for the Bald Knobbers. They'll put you away. (-:

-- (Weeble@wee.ble), June 21, 2001.

The driver of a mercedes giving the "thums-up" to the driver of a ford focus in south orange county, CA, yuppieville, USA? Not likely. Sorry Z

FWIW I would rather live elsewhere. I think

-- (cin@cin.cin), June 21, 2001.

Z--

Afraid I don't understand your anecdote. Was the "thumbs up" gesture a tribute, a taunt or an insult? You did say "thumbs", not "fingers". What is your interpretation of the event?

Why didn't you just let him pass when he flashed his lights? Are you in mid-life crisis?

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), June 21, 2001.

So you see, kids, that when "Z" is in the Ozarks, the world is different, than when "Z" is in California. Not the "World of Z"; but the world withIN the "World of Z".

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), June 21, 2001.

Folks:

The above is true, but it is for fun. I spend a lot of time with a group that tries to improve a local State Park. In the last few years we have had a large increase in membership. It turns out that the new folks are all people who have moved here for jobs. All from California. In our last meeting, half were Kali's. They are also suprised by courtesy.

Dandelion, I should be home by Sat.

Best Wishes,,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), June 21, 2001.

"I was in my Focus ZX3. I love small cars."

Gaaawd Z, you're such a phony old windbag. Just in case you're going senile, let's review what you said a few months ago...

"I was driving into work this week on a paved rural road. It is my normal road. It was covered with ice which is no trouble with my awd Suv [at least I can handle it]. I came up to a sharp turn and there it was. It looked like it had been a Metro at one time. I stopped and helped the woman. She had skidded off of the road and hit a small bank. The car had collapsed like an empty beer can. Fortunately, she only had a cut on her head but the car was a goner. We called a tow truck and had the green party bedecked loss hauled away.

I can understand wanting good gas usage, but these things are not safe. I will stick with my SUV for a while.

Cheers,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), February 02, 2001"

What is it with people and these fuel efficient cars?

Now, please enlighten us Mr. Flaky, how is a Ford piece-of-crap Focus so superior to a Metro?

-- (Fords suck @ and. so do you), June 22, 2001.

I am a bit confused. What "attitude" involves the breaking of traffic laws, amateur road racing on public roadways and risking not only your life, but the lives of other citizens? Is this the "attitude" that justifies casual lawbreaking as "fun" or the one where two lawbreakers can engage in mutual admiration?

-- Jose Ortega y Gasset (j_ortega_y_gasset@hotmail.com), June 22, 2001.

A Mercedes two-seater should have been able to take a Ford Focus on the first downshift.

-- Buddy (buddydc@go.com), June 22, 2001.

Z's stories rarely match up. He has to be a lonely guy who has nothing better to do than make up stories about his life to get some attention.

Sad. Very sad.

-- (x@y.z), June 22, 2001.

"What "attitude" involves the breaking of traffic laws ...?"

Which traffic laws were broken? How did Z's driving on a public road, with another vehcle following him, constitute "racing"? What did Z do that endangered people?

-- Miserable SOB (misery@misery.com), June 22, 2001.

Z,

Some times it's hopeless to try, isn't it.....

-- Cherri (jessam6@home.com), June 22, 2001.

The "flashing headlights" signal indicates the trailing driver desires to pass. Unless "Z" was driving below the legal limit, he exceeded the speed limit by accelerating away from Mercedes. Unless the Mercedes was driving below the legal limit (or stopping to gaze upon the local sights), it would have been impossible for Z to develop a 1.5 mile lead without speeding.

So, for Z to have avoided breaking traffic laws, we must believe that he was traveling below the legal speed limit, accelerated to the limit to "escape" the Mercedes, then reduced speed again to allow the Mercedes to catch up. Of course, this means the Mercedes would have been traveling at or near the limit to catch Z in the first place, blinked his headlights to pass and then slowed below the limit to allow Z to gain his 1.5 mile lead.

Of course, the "thumbs up" may have been the Mercedes indicating his pride in Z for not breaking the speed limit.

But I doubt it.

-- Jose Ortega y Gasset (j_ortega_y_gasset@hotmail.com), June 22, 2001.

Anyway, in this area (DC & Mid-Atlantic) you wouldn't have gotten a thumbs up. More likely, you wouldn't have been able to accelerate away from the jerk in the Mercedes. He would have accelerated with you, passing you anyway while flipping you the bird and colliding head on with an 18-wheeler while still passing you.

:)

-- Buddy (buddydc@go.com), June 22, 2001.

jeez decker...like you have never enjoyed a bit of speeding. {major eye roll}

-- (cin@cin.cin), June 22, 2001.

Why would a big shooter and world traveler like ‘Z’ be driving a Focus in the first place? I thought Britannica took better care of their field peddlers.

-- Buy (2@1.free), June 22, 2001.

Buy:

My Focus handles better than the M3 that my wife drives. I wouldn't want it to drive in city traffic like you, but that is you. Must be those 16 in wheels, 50 series tires and the German [guess the firm] designed 5-speed. Not as good as the Lotus Elan that I had in the 60's [Cosworth], but quite good. Of course you have to know how to drive a 4 cyl with a manual transmission.

Just got home and the rain has stopped. I have been mowing. The fruit crop is very large. Particularly the asian pears. I will need to thin them. Still I would guess 1 to 2000 pounds. No way that I can use that much. I give them to friends and I have no shortage of takers. I will have some happy friends. They are good fresh; but really good canned with brandy and fresh ginger. In front of the fireplace during a December snow storm; just great. Just great. We will be picking early apples next week; apricots came in last week. My wife picked mulberries when I was gone. A friend makes a nice wine from them and gives us half. The chestnuts and hazelnut trees are full.

A fox in the side field had three kits. They are beautiful. They consume lots of stuff including the neighbors chickens. You get used to this in a rural area. Someone dumped a pup here a few weeks ago. He is an Australian Shepard. Very nice dog. Unfortunately, he collects all of the foxes leftovers and stores them under the front porch. Evidently, it smelled like hell. When we pulled them out, there were pieces of chicken, dead fuzzy tailed rats, mice parts and other unidentified things.

Yeah, Cherri; you have that one right.

Best wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), June 22, 2001.

By-the-by:

Did anyone here, besides Cherri, pick-up the original point of the post.

Best wishes,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), June 22, 2001.

hmmm...i thought i had, but perhaps not

-- (cin@cin.cin), June 22, 2001.

Oh, there was a point? Put a hat on it.

-- I (missed@it.2), June 22, 2001.

aint no point. he just trying to save face.

hes been here lying about his life for so long he ferget how to keep his lies strait.

-- (seems@to.me), June 22, 2001.

"So, for Z to have avoided breaking traffic laws, we must believe..."

No matter how you slice it, Jose, it still comes down to you tossing around your guesses like they're stone cold facts. If Z tells me you guessed right, then I'll know you guessed right. But guessing right is still guessing.

-- Miserable SOB (misery@misery.com), June 22, 2001.

Z, are you on drugs?

-- (you @ are. hallucinating), June 22, 2001.

Hi.

My name is Deedah, and I have broken traffic laws. No, I'm not proud of it, that's why I came here for support, to unburden my soul.

But yet, for that fleeting moment, for that fleeting instant in time while I raced that 'Cuda down the Garden State Expressway at 145 miles per hour I felt very alive!

Pontiacs ruled the roads once, those days are gone now...

Can you help me?

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), June 22, 2001.

Unk, face it. You are beyond this 12-step program. The only cure is an afternoon watching men in tight pants chase a little white ball whilst you consume massive amounts of beer and hot dogs. Even then, the cure will need to be repeated on a regular basis.

-- (no@one.home), June 22, 2001.

Had a Wildcat once. Goddamn, what a car. Got 4 mi to the gallon.

-- KoFE (your@town.USSA), June 22, 2001.

Ah my dear Unk, you have brought back fond memories of my days on the streets of Detroit, where I had built a rep as ‘The Kuda Killer’? This I accomplished with my very bad assed ‘65’ GTO, 389 tri-power with some enhancements from the local wizards at Royal Pontiac.

I can assure you that anything in my way that might have resembled a Ford Focus would have morphed into metallic road kill.

Did that help?

-- So (cr@t.es), June 22, 2001.

Soc:

There are a lot of roads in the Ozarks with 55 or 60 mph limits. Your tricked-out Pontiac would lose it at about 40 on those roads. Have been there and done that and know where you are coming from. Now the wife's M3 [which we just got rid of] would eat my Focus on a road where you could do over 100 mph, it just couldn't handle these little winding roads all that well. It is something about a time gone by. Wife plays golf and the Explorer is better.

Get on these little and somewhat ridiculous roads with a small, 4 cylinder with a 5 speed and it is just great. Brings back my youth. I tried Honda, Subaru and Toyota when I bought it. They were great but drove like bricks. This car reminds me of the cars that were built before the intrusion of the government into the system. It is a hell of a blast to drive. And a hell of a blast within the speed limit.

Like I said it reminds me of my Elan. Of course that was a race car with a shell on it. No inside door handles or even covers on the doors [opened the door with a draw string]. Heater never worked. Besides the drive train, most things broke all of the time. It had vacuum controlled retract. headlights, which were hooked-up backward. If you accelerated at night they closed. Had to redo those. Still, a hell of a lot of fun to drive.

Anyway, not the purpose of the original post.

Best Wishes,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), June 22, 2001.

Unc..it's the Garden State PARKWAY..not expressway! What the hell is wrong with you boy?

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), June 22, 2001.

The Fast and the Furious

-- (Paracelsus@Pb.Au), June 23, 2001.

What's wrong with me.....what's wrong with me....hmmmmm.

I guess I have been in FL too long!

*wink*

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), June 23, 2001.

Unk, that brought back some memories. I raced a Formula S 'cuda with a local SCCA club around '71 or '72. Nothing serious, just picnic rallies and parking-lot gymkannas. Did pretty good for my class, but I always lusted after a Datsun 2000 (haven't seen one of them in years and years).

But the big dogs were two guys in the club; one of which drove a real AC Cobra, and the other a Sunbeam Tiger. Now those were scary cars for the streets, even back then. I still remember the front, hinged, license plate on the Cobra. It said "210 MPH".

-------------------------------------------------------------

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), June 23, 2001.

boys and their toys... Now git home, the garage needs cleaning.

-- The old (ball@and.chain), June 23, 2001.