I'll be back!

Today, I decided to take a road trip to Billings to finish off my Christmas shopping and to purchase myself a new suit. My old suit... I got it in 1997, the semester that I was doing my senior design project. I used to be deathly afraid of talking in front of large groups of people, and I figured at the time if I had a new suit to wear the day of the design presentation, it would make me feel better and not be as nervous. It worked! December 9, 1997 myself and the 3 other members of my design team made our presentation to some architects, engineers, and the owner of the project. Design Symposiums were also being held that same day for Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, Architectural and of course Civil Engineering (hey that's me!), so there were of course many other engineering students there. My best friend was also in the audience that day. He's a good man.

It was all down hill from that day forward with the ending of my college career. Finals were NOTHING compared to having that presentation out of the way, even though my team didn't win the presentation. (another team was selected, who knew nothing about designing curtain walls, but put together a better presentation, their design sucked and their lead guy couldn't answer any questions about it, further more, that idiot was dumbfounded as to why it was important, that poser may have his Master's now, but I know that I am a better engineer than he will ever be). However, I did get an A on my Senior Design Project. What was it you may ask? It was a warehouse expansion for Sierra Trading Post. To this day, I have a hard time spending my money with them, since this project kept me awake at night.

I digress, back to shopping and my trip. It's funny, when I lived in the Bay Area, people driving BMW's were usually the asshole drivers. In fact, one day, my good friend, the one who was there the day of my senior design presentation, and I were test driving a used 99 323i at Stevens Creek BMW, the salesman who went with us, well, he was quite proud of the Asshole Driver BMW stereotype. However, in this part of the world, the preferred automobile of the Asshole Idiot Driver is the Pontiac Grand Prix. If someone does something stupid, or passes when they shouldn't or puts the traveling public's life in danger, chances are they are driving a Pontiac Grand Prix, with the fog lights on of course, because that's cool don't ya know. I had one such encounter this morning (and of course the car had Wyoming County 9 license plates). Don't get me wrong now, not everyone who drives a Grand Prix is an idiot, because here, as in California, or Colorado, or Indiana, or Idaho, or anywhere else I have been, there is plenty if stupidness to go around! OK, and I am not perfect either. >:-)

I got fitted up for a nice new suit at Dillard's, which is dark, dark, dark blue. I also purchased a purple shirt and a red tie to go with it. Woo Hoo! Then I of course had to go to Cost Plus to pick up a few bottles of vino. Red Truck, Ravenswood Zin, and a surprisingly, they had Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Dry Riesling. Bonny Doon is a vineyard in Santa Cruz, just over the hill from where I used to live. Oh yeah! Right next to the Rimrock mall, there is a Cadillac dealer, they had a red CTS-V on the lot. I stopped to check it out. You know, as much as I love BMW and most European cars (except Audi and Saab, they both suck IMHO), I really like the new Cadillac's, they have come back from the dead in the last few years and brought out some really sweet new cars. The CTS has really grown on me, and the new STS is REEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLY sweet. It's good to see them getting the picture and going back to rear wheel drive. Anyway, the CTS-V is a CTS with a 400 horse power LS2 6.0 litre V8, similar to what is in a Corvette, only available with a 6 speed manual transmission, the way it should be for such a performance car. Who would have thought? Using the word Cadillac and the word "performance" in the same sentence. GM, in spite of failing miserably with cars among their other marques (except the Corvette of course), is getting it right with Cadillac. They are the only one of the US auto makers that can even hope to contend with BMW, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Infiniti and Jaguar. Lincoln is an effing joke. There was hope in 1999 when they intorduced the LS, but they didn't improve upon it. There was hope when it was available with a 5 speed, but of course, they only put the Getrag 5 speed behind the V6 that was available in the car, as one magazine put it, the V6 that was put in the LS was like asking a boy to do a man's work. Lincoln, in typical Ford (and US automaker fashion for that matter) fashion put all of their R&D into SUV's, and let the LS get stale. I have read that it will be put out of it's misery very soon, since they have introduced, GASP, an all new car called the Zephyr, with the Detroit mandated boring doesn't handle for shit front wheel drive. It's 1988 all over again! I know, I know, they brainwashed everyone into believing that front wheel drive was better for winter conditions, but a modern rear wheel drive car that has stability control and a good set of tires on it will feed a front driver it's lunch. You know there was a time when I was a die hard Ford man. It's true, I was. I also really hated GM for a long time. I mean I reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaally hated GM. But now, I see the US automakers on a more level field, and I put Diamler-Chrysler and GM way above Ford. Chrysler is out there kicking ass with it's new LX cars, the 300C, the Magnum, and the Charger. But what has Ford got? A new Mustang that they decided to leave the independent rear suspension out of? Something is wrong when Ford puts independent rear suspension under the rear end of the POS Explorer, but won't do it to the Mustang. Sure, it sells like hotcakes, but they're not going to get guys like me out of their BMW's and G35's and CTS's and CLK's with a car that has a solid rear axle in 2005. Hell, the Thunderbird and Cougar got independent rear suspension back in 1989, why can't a 21st Century Mustang have it?? Bill, I hope you read this, so that you know that one more of your former faithful is not happy with the Blue Oval, and will not be back.

Food! I went to lunch at this place in downtown Billings called Sweet Ginger. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... Sushi! It's quite a bit more expensive than it was out in CA, but that's to be expected since they have to fly the sushi grade fish in. I had Sake, Maguro, and a smoked salmon roll, washed down by a Saporo. Damn that was good. $30 for lunch... You can't go wrong. I'll be back!