9||0|1969|0|
0|0|0|||1||Car Adventures%3A Camaro|Gryphon||20:40:32|03/31/2019|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Mar-31-19 AT 08:41 PM (EDT)]The best thing that happened when I was in high school was that my dad had his midlife crisis.%0D%0A%0D%0AThat%27s oversimplified and probably unfair%2C but it%27s such a good lede%2C I couldn%27t not use it.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnyway%2C as previously described%2C I got my driver%27s license in February 1989%2C during the second half of my sophomore year in high school.  My mother had moved out a while previously%2C and today%2C if you ask either of my parents about it%2C each will say it was the other%27s idea.  I guess it doesn%27t really matter now.  Point is%2C she moved out %28although she didn%27t go far%29%2C and suddenly Dad was in his late 30s and single.%0D%0A%0D%0ANow%2C I know that%27s a bit early for a midlife crisis%2C but there%27s no other joke to make when you get to our next destination%2C which was the spring of 1989.  I%27d had my license for a couple-three months%2C the end of the school year was approaching%2C and Dad and I had a major road trip planned for the summer.  We were going to drive out to the Midwest%2C hit a number of museums we%27d heard of and always meant to visit%2C and generally just bomb around the countryside for a couple-three weeks.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe previous summer%2C we%27d undertaken a less ambitious but similar trip%2C driving out to Geneseo%2C New York %28in the Finger Lakes region%2C south of Rochester%29 to attend an air show being held there.  Now%2C from my previous post%2C you may have a sense of the stable of vehicles we had available to us in the summer of %2788.  Which car do you figure we took on that trip%3F  Long drive to points south %28of Maine%2C anyway%29 at the height of summer.  The Oldsmobile%2C right%3F%0D%0A%0D%0ANo%3B no%2C we took the Malibu for that trip.  The one with the tiny straight-six engine%2C vinyl seats%2C and nothing even approximating air conditioning.  The one with the wheelbase that was just the right length for the suspension to get into a kind of harmonic wave with the expansion joints in the concrete freeways they had in New York State in those days.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhy did we do that when we had a rolling palace with AC and a velour sofa for a front seat%3F  Neither of us now has %5Bi%5Dany idea%2C%5B%2Fi%5D but we did.  %28I suspect it was because Dad figured it would get better gas mileage%2C but he denies that he was ever that cheap.%29%0D%0A%0D%0AAnyway%2C it was a great air show%2C but the trip out and back was a kind of hell%2C and we were determined not to do that to ourselves for the %2789 trip.  The trouble was%2C Dad had given me the Toronado and put me on his insurance as its primary driver%2C and we figured the insurance company we used at the time %28I won%27t name names%2C but it rhymes with %22slate harm%22%29 would have a fit if they thought we were going on a thousand-mile road trip with me driving.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo Dad%2C in a fit of extravagance the like of which I had never seen%2C announced one Saturday morning that we were going to Bangor to buy a new car for the trip.%0D%0A%0D%0AEven then%2C I assume he meant a new-to-%5Bi%5Dus%5B%2Fi%5D car.  In my lifetime to that point%2C I had seen my father purchase at least a dozen motor vehicles%2C and %5Bi%5Done%5B%2Fi%5D of them was new%2C the first and only brand-new car he had ever bought in his life.  It was a 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo%2C an inspirationally ugly automobile that depreciated so fast it would have been more financially responsible to set fire to it in the dealer%27s lot rather than take delivery%2C and by early 1978 he had begun to swear vehemently that he would never%2C never again in his life be the sucker who takes the hit on the first year of a car%27s lifetime.  Even the Toronado had belonged to someone else %28two someones%2C if you count the leasing company%29 before it came to us.%0D%0A%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2FG-GFX%2Fcars%2F77montecarlo.jpg%0D%0A%5Bfont size%3D%221%22%5D%5Bb%5DFig. A%5B%2Fb%5D Adult film professionals of the late 1970s%2C your automobile has arrived. Yes%2C Dad%27s was even this color.%5B%2Ffont%5D%0D%0A%0D%0AHowever it went down%2C we climbed into the Olds and drove down to the big Chevrolet dealer that used to be in downtown Bangor %28it%27s gone now%2C like so much of the cool stuff that used to be in downtown Bangor%29.  When we arrived%2C I saw that they had a new Corvette in the showroom%2C so I went to check that out%2C assuming that Dad was heading for the used-cars portion of the lot to find the car in the worst color they had and make an offer on it%2C regardless of model.%0D%0A%0D%0AInstead%2C he bought a brand-new Camaro.%0D%0A%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2FG-GFX%2Fcars%2Fcamaro.jpg%0D%0A%5Bfont size%3D%221%22%5D%5Bb%5DFig. B%5B%2Fb%5D This very one%2C in fact.%5B%2Ffont%5D%0D%0A%0D%0AThat picture must have been taken almost immediately after we got it home.  It still has the front license plate frame on it%2C and Dad took that off almost %5Bi%5Dinstantly%5B%2Fi%5D.  He had a pathological hatred of front license plates anyway%2C and he considered that the afterthought bracket on the Camaro ruined the lines of the front end.%0D%0A%0D%0A%28Also%2C note the Malibu and the old Dodge pickup in the background.  I believe the Dodge%27s rear fender got like that because Dad lost an argument with a trailer%2C but don%27t quote me.%29%0D%0A%0D%0AI%27ve always thought this was the most funny thing about our Camaro.  It was an RS%2C which in 1989 was the base model.  It came standard with a 2.8-liter V6 engine developing all of 135 horsepower%2C or approximately 2%C2%BC Volkswagen Super Beetles.  Dad bought that one because%2C with a 15-year-old driver in the household%2C his insurance company told him they wouldn%27t cover it if he bought one with any of the available V8s in it%3B it had to be the model with the smallest available engine or nothing.%0D%0A%0D%0AHere%27s why that%27s funny.  The most powerful Camaro you could buy that year was the IROC-Z with the 350-cubic-inch V8%2C the hottest version of which had 240 horsepower.  The %5Bi%5Dleast%5B%2Fi%5D powerful Camaro you can buy today is the base-model 1LT coupe with the inline four-cylinder engine.%0D%0A%0D%0AIt has 275 horsepower%2C or 0.583 Super Beetles more than the most powerful one from 1989.%0D%0A%0D%0A%28The most powerful new Camaro has %5Bb%5Dsix hundred and fifty%5B%2Fb%5D.%29%0D%0A%0D%0AYeah.  Things have... %5Bi%5Dmoved on%5B%2Fi%5D a bit.  I wonder whether insurance companies apply the same rubric nowadays.  If so%2C that%27s hilarious.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnyway%2C weenie power level aside%2C Dad bought a brand new red T-top sports car for our summer road trip.  Like I said%3A best thing that happened in high school was his midlife crisis.%0D%0A%0D%0AOf course%2C the car had its foibles.  It was a GM product from 1989%2C so it wasn%27t particularly well-put-together.  It didn%27t get particularly good gas mileage%2C despite the small engine%2C although I admit that may have had as much to do with how we drove it as anything.  It was the base model and had exactly %5Bi%5Done%5B%2Fi%5D option %28the T-top%29%2C so there were a lot of blank switches and missing luxury features inside.%0D%0A%0D%0AMost entertainingly%2C it was equipped with a very early%2C very primitive anti-theft system.  The keys looked like normal pre-remote-control GM keys%2C except they had a little electronic chip built into them.%0D%0A%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2FG-GFX%2Fcars%2Fvats%2520key.jpg%0D%0A%5Bfont size%3D%221%22%5D%5Bb%5DFig. C%5B%2Fb%5D GM VATS key. Sadly%2C that stands for Vehicle Anti-Theft System%2C not Vault-Tec Automated Targeting System.%5B%2Ffont%5D%0D%0A%0D%0AThe idea with these things was that you could use them like ordinary car keys of the period and the car would figure it out%2C but anyone who had a key made from an ordinary blank like you got at the hardware store wouldn%27t be able to start the car.  The problem was that the reader gizmo in the lock cylinder would eventually fail%2C at which point the car would refuse to acknowledge its actual owner either.  This gave up the ghost on a day when I happened to have taken the Camaro to school%2C stranding me.  By random chance%2C my friend whose father ran the local Chevy dealership was getting a ride home with me that day %28he had an old Pontiac that was very cool%2C but broke down a lot%29%2C and when that happened he knew instantly what the problem was.  %28He had%2C by then%2C forgiven us for buying the car from a different dealer.%29%0D%0A%0D%0AThe service department%27s official response to the failure of this system was to bypass it and say no more about it%2C which should tell you something about how well VATS worked in general. %3A%29%0D%0A%0D%0ARemember when I said I never got pulled over in the Oldsmobile%3F  Well%2C over the next three years%2C I got pulled over a %5Bi%5Dlot%5B%2Fi%5D in the Camaro.  Not for speeding %28well%2C except that one time%29%2C and once again I never got a ticket%2C but I came in for a lot of harassment from the local carabinieri for driving that car.  They used to pull me over just to see what I was up to%2C check the paperwork%2C or generally be a pain in my ass.  Typical conversation%2C 10%3A30 PM on a Saturday night%3A%0D%0A%0D%0ACOP%0D%0AIs this your car%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AME%0D%0ANo%2C it%27s my father%27s.%0D%0A%0D%0ACOP%0D%0ADoes he know you have it%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A%28Pause%2C while I consider saying that he was asleep when I left the house%2C so probably not.%29%0D%0A%0D%0AME%0D%0AYeah.%0D%0A%0D%0ACOP%0D%0A%28misinterpreting hesitation%29%0D%0AYou don%27t sound too sure about that.  Maybe we should go check with him.%0D%0A%0D%0AThey never actually did that%2C but I was always vaguely entertained considering his reaction if they woke him up to quiz him about the whereabouts of his Camaro%2C once he%27d determined I hadn%27t actually been %5Bi%5Ddoing%5B%2Fi%5D anything but minding my own business driving around town.%0D%0A%0D%0AI should probably explain%2C for people who didn%27t grow up in the 1980s in nowheresville towns like this one%E2%80%94in those days%2C just driving aimlessly around town of an evening was a Standard Activity for people of a certain age.  One reason for this was that our cars were%2C by and large%2C where the best stereo equipment we had access to was located.  The car was also a good place to have long-ass rambling conversations about random bullshit without our parents overhearing and wondering what in the hell we were talking about.  Most of the mileage I drove when I was in high school was racked up in the course of making trips to Bangor%2C 75 miles distant%2C where everything to see%2Fbuy%2Fdo actually was%2C but I%27m sure just riding around town listening to Def Leppard with the guys was in second place%2C when we weren%27t doing that in Mike Shaw%27s father%27s Crown Vic.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnyway%2C the local police didn%27t much care for it%2C and the Camaro was such an obvious car that they would take pretty much any opportunity to brace me.  Once%2C on the state highway between this nowhere town and the next nowhere town over%2C an officer who pulled me over claimed he thought I might be fatigued because I was dimming my headlights too much.  I thought you were %5Bi%5Dsupposed%5B%2Fi%5D to do that when you met oncoming traffic %28%5Bb%5Dn.b.%5B%2Fb%5D you are%29%2C but to this guy it was evidently a Suspicious Pattern of Behavior.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnd yet%2C the one time I got caught speeding in that car%2C I was doing so unintentionally %28the Camaro didn%27t have cruise control%29 and the officer let me off with a warning%2C and the one time I %5Bi%5Ddid%5B%2Fi%5D speed intentionally%2C I absolutely%2C totally got away with it.%0D%0A%0D%0AI don%27t remember why I was in Bangor that afternoon.  It was a Friday during the spring of my senior year%2C but I had an excused absence that took me down there for some reason%2C on my own%2C with the Camaro.  Whatever I was doing%2C I was finished with it early in the afternoon.  As I was getting onto the Interstate for the 75-mile drive home%2C I noticed that the clock in the car radio said it was quarter-past two%2C which was quitting time at my high school at the time.  %0D%0A%0D%0AThere was a softball game starting at 3 o%27clock%2C and out of %5Bi%5Dnowhere%5B%2Fi%5D I thought%2C %5Bi%5DHmm%2C I wonder if I could get back to town in time for that game%3F%5B%2Fi%5D%0D%0A%0D%0AAnswer%3A Yes%2C even with the 135-hp V6.  %28Keep in mind that only 60ish miles of that was on the Interstate.  Then I had to get through two towns and cross about 10 miles of state highway through the woods%2C and I didn%27t drive like a maniac through the towns%2C for sure.  I didn%27t take note of my top speed%2C but I must have been caning it pretty good on I-95 to end up with a 100-mph average speed at the end of that.%29%0D%0A%0D%0AI had never driven like that before and I%27ve never driven like it again since.  Even while I was doing it I didn%27t know why I was doing it.  It certainly wasn%27t to impress the girl I liked on the softball team%2C because I never told her%2C or anyone else%2C that I did it.  It was just some kind of a private wish to unlock an achievement or something.  I mention it here because I%27m sure the statute of limitations on driving like an adolescent moron has elapsed by now.%0D%0A%0D%0AStill%2C despite its unimpressive power level%2C the car had zero problems making that run%2C and the road gods smiled upon me%2C because I encountered no police and didn%27t crash into a moose and die.%2A%0D%0A%0D%0AA couple years later%2C not long after I dropped out of WPI and returned home in disgrace%2C Dad got fed up and sold the Camaro to some kid%2C who promptly put some godawful aftermarket wheels and a fake IROC deco kit on it%2C boy-racered around town for a few months%2C ruined the valve train%2C and then tried to drive it up a telephone pole out on the Baxter State Park road.  And that was the end of that.  But it was good while it lasted%E2%80%94better than conventional wisdom would have advised anyone to expect out of a Camaro made in that dark valley of GM%27s corporate history.%0D%0A%0D%0AI%27ve kind of wanted another Camaro ever since%2C but they don%27t make a cheap one any more.  Nostalgia isn%27t what it used to be%2C and today%27s retro performance cars %28the new Camaro%2C the new Mustang%2C the new Challenger%29 are marketed at guys my dad%27s age who miss the cars of the %2760s%2C not people my age who miss the rather more modest offerings from the %2780s.  As for the %2789 RS%2C I would put that at number five on my cars-I%27d-like-to-get-back list.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A%5Bfont size%3D%221%22%5D%2A That happens around here sometimes%2C even in broad daylight.%5B%2Ffont%5D%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D
1|1|0|||||RE%3A Car Adventures%3A Camaro|jonathanlennox||16:28:00|04/01/2019|%3Eand didn%27t crash into a moose and die.%2A %0D%0A%3E %0D%0A%3E%5Bfont size%3D%221%22%5D%2A That happens around here sometimes%2C even in broad daylight.%5B%2Ffont%5D%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Blink%3Awww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DyTSPFWZxAao%7CRelevant musical number%5D.%0D%0A%0D%0A%28Or%2C what traveling bands get up to on long road trips.%29
2|1|0|||||RE%3A Car Adventures%3A Camaro|MuninsFire||19:07:32|04/01/2019|%3EStill%2C despite its unimpressive power level%2C the car had zero problems %0D%0A%3Emaking that run%2C and the road gods smiled upon me%2C because I %0D%0A%3Eencountered no police and didn%27t crash into a moose and die.%2A %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%0D%0AOne of the reasons I%27m very glad to no longer live in Maine.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo%2C out here in California we have something the locals call %27deer%27. They are%2C taxonomically%2C of the same genus as the eastern White-Tail deer%2C but most hunters from back east would turn up their noses at %27em - Mule deer are quite small. They can still mess you up summat awful if you should contrive to hit one%2C mind%2C as they do have enough mass to leave a dent.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnyway. So there I was%2C driving home from work of an evening. At the time%2C I was working at Edwards AFB%2C and had roughly a 90-minute drive to get home%2C across what is termed the %27Antelope Valley%27%0D%0A%0D%0APlease note that I have never seen antelope of any sort within this valley. I%27m told they exist%2C but much like Greenland%2C I think the name was more aspirational and intended to drive interest in settling in a rather windy and unpleasant desert landscape whose only real saving grace is that%2C being dry and windswept%2C there%27s not much chance of crop-ravaging insects surviving there. This%2C together with tapping an alarmingly dwindling aquifer and by the grace of Mr. Mulholland%27s aqueduct%2C provides for -- honestly%2C mostly alfalfa these days. Back in the 20th century there was a %27Desert Farming%27 movement that tried to settle the area%2C but for fairly obvious reasons%2C that didn%27t pan out too well.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhat -does- exist in this valley are a large quantity of cattle ranches%2C some solar and wind farms%2C some small settlements that might be described as %27hardscrabble%27%2C and - well%2C mule deer.%0D%0A%0D%0AThose of you familiar with the habits of deer in general will anticipate that this story took place at twilight.%0D%0A%0D%0AIt did not. It was full dark.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo there I was%2C bombing along at 57mph %28because the cops along this stretch are -bored- and love to hassle anyone who dares break 60%29 in the full dark%2C singing %22Hotel California%22 as one does to keep awake on a dark desert highway after a very long day. There%27s not much relief to the landscape along this particular stretch%2C except that there%27s a slight rise to the landscape so you can pass over the Aqueduct before going into a little dip between a couple bluffs and then a rise back to the usual terrain level.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnd just as I%27m dipping down between the bluffs%2C this deer erupts out of the ditch by the side of the road%2C heading -right for me-%2C head down%2C -charging- me. He proceeds to ram the driver%27s door -right by my foot- before%2C incredibly%2C bouncing off%2C turning%2C and running back into the ditch.%0D%0A%0D%0AThis was surreal enough that I half-thought that I%27d hallucinated the whole thing until I got home and - well%2C sure enough%2C a big ol%27 antler ding was right there on the driver%27s side door.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo let that be a lesson if you drive in the desert scrub backlands of California%3A the deer may be small here%2C but boy howdy are they -mean-
3|2|2|||1||RE%3A Car Adventures%3A Camaro|Gryphon||19:26:09|04/01/2019|%3EWhat -does- exist in this valley are a large quantity of cattle %0D%0A%3Eranches%2C some solar and wind farms%2C some small settlements that might %0D%0A%3Ebe described as %27hardscrabble%27%2C and - well%2C mule deer. %0D%0A%0D%0A%22Mojave%2C mo%27 problems%2C am I right%2C folks%3F%22%0D%0A - Mr. New Vegas%0D%0A%0D%0A%3ESo there I was%2C bombing along at 57mph %28because the cops along this %0D%0A%3Estretch are -bored- and love to hassle anyone who dares break 60%29 in %0D%0A%3Ethe full dark%2C singing %22Hotel California%22 as one does to keep awake on %0D%0A%3Ea dark desert highway after a very long day.%0D%0A%0D%0AWas the warm smell of colitas rising up through the air%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A%28And what the hell are colitas%2C anyway%3F%29%0D%0A%0D%0A%3EAnd just as I%27m dipping down between the bluffs%2C this deer erupts out %0D%0A%3Eof the ditch by the side of the road%2C heading -right for me-%2C head %0D%0A%3Edown%2C -charging- me. He proceeds to ram the driver%27s door -right by my %0D%0A%3Efoot- before%2C incredibly%2C bouncing off%2C turning%2C and running back into %0D%0A%3Ethe ditch. %0D%0A%0D%0ASomewhere%2C on a deer forum%2C that deer is telling a story that starts%2C %22So there I was in the dip by the aqueduct...%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%3ESo let that be a lesson if you drive in the desert scrub backlands of %0D%0A%3ECalifornia%3A the deer may be small here%2C but boy howdy are they -mean- %0D%0A%0D%0A%22We were somewhere around Barstow%2C on the edge of the desert%2C when the deer began to take hold.%22%0D%0A%0D%0AAlso%2C that must have been amusing to explain to your insurance adjuster.  %22Well%2C there was this %5Bi%5Ddeer%5B%2Fi%5D%2C see...%22%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D
4|3|3|||||RE%3A Car Adventures%3A Camaro|MuninsFire||20:04:32|04/01/2019|%3E%3EWhat -does- exist in this valley are a large quantity of cattle %0D%0A%3E%3Eranches%2C some solar and wind farms%2C some small settlements that might %0D%0A%3E%3Ebe described as %27hardscrabble%27%2C and - well%2C mule deer. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3E%22Mojave%2C mo%27 problems%2C am I right%2C folks%3F%22 %0D%0A%3E - Mr. New Vegas %0D%0A%0D%0ASo%2C fun fact%3A the town of Mojave%2C CA - just north of where this story takes place - has been burned to the ground three times and -literally blown away- once. %0D%0A%0D%0A%3E%3ESo there I was%2C bombing along at 57mph %28because the cops along this %0D%0A%3E%3Estretch are -bored- and love to hassle anyone who dares break 60%29 in %0D%0A%3E%3Ethe full dark%2C singing %22Hotel California%22 as one does to keep awake on %0D%0A%3E%3Ea dark desert highway after a very long day.%0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EWas the warm smell of colitas rising up through the air%3F %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3E%28And what the hell are colitas%2C anyway%3F%29 %0D%0A%0D%0ASooo....there%27s what one might call a %27controversy%27 about the Eagles%27 best-known hit. Depending on which specific interpretation of the overall theme of the song is in favor%2C you could get a number of answers to that question. %0D%0A%0D%0AIIRC the main camps form about whether it%27s about -prison-%2C the -mental hospital-%2C or -cocaine addiction-.%0D%0A%0D%0ATwo of those camps agree that colitas is a reference to marijuana - so%2C abiding by that majority vote%2C the answer is - no%2C I was doing the Fed Contractor schtick%2C so weed was right out.%0D%0A%0D%0A%3E%3EAnd just as I%27m dipping down between the bluffs%2C this deer erupts out %0D%0A%3E%3Eof the ditch by the side of the road%2C heading -right for me-%2C head %0D%0A%3E%3Edown%2C -charging- me. He proceeds to ram the driver%27s door -right by my %0D%0A%3E%3Efoot- before%2C incredibly%2C bouncing off%2C turning%2C and running back into %0D%0A%3E%3Ethe ditch. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3ESomewhere%2C on a deer forum%2C that deer is telling a story that starts%2C %0D%0A%3E%22So there I was in the dip by the aqueduct...%22 %0D%0A%0D%0AI hope so. It would be only right.%0D%0A%0D%0A%3E%3ESo let that be a lesson if you drive in the desert scrub backlands of %0D%0A%3E%3ECalifornia%3A the deer may be small here%2C but boy howdy are they -mean- %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3E%22We were somewhere around Barstow%2C on the edge of the desert%2C when the %0D%0A%3Edeer began to take hold.%22 %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EAlso%2C that must have been amusing to explain to your insurance %0D%0A%3Eadjuster.  %22Well%2C there was this %5Bi%5Ddeer%5B%2Fi%5D%2C see...%22 %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%0D%0AI mean%2C it was just a dent%2C and I had a couple in the car when I got it%2C so I figured why bother with that%3F There%27d be no way they%27d believe -that- kind of a story.
5|3|3|||1||RE%3A Car Adventures%3A Camaro|McFortner||20:08:51|04/01/2019|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Apr-01-19 AT 08:09 PM (EDT)]%3EWas the warm smell of colitas rising up through the air%3F %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3E%28And what the hell are colitas%2C anyway%3F%29 %0D%0A%0D%0AWell%2C according to the Urban Dictionary%2C a %5Blink%3Awww.urbandictionary.com%2Fdefine.php%3Fterm%3DCOLITA%7Ccolitas%5D are the tips of marijuana plants.  Which makes you Hunter S. Thompson reference later quite appropriate.  %0D%0A%0D%0ARock has been quite good at hiding stuff in plain sight by using slang.  I remember reading recently that Elvis%27 %22Hound Dog%22 was basically about a guy not scoring like he was bragging to everybody.  %22Rabbit%22 in that song was a reference to women %28think %22tail%22 and you can see where it came from%29.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bfont color%3D%22black%22%5DMichael C. Fortner%5B%2Ffont%5D%0D%0A%5Bfont color%3D%22green%22 size%3D-1%5D%22Maxim 37%3A There is no such thing as %22overkill%22.%0D%0AThere is only %22open fire%22 and %22I need to reload%22.%5B%2Ffont%5D
6|1|0|||1||RE%3A Car Adventures%3A Camaro|Gryphon||19:47:39|04/08/2019|Hey%2C I found a pic of the Camaro%27s interior.  Dig those red seats%21  You%27d pay a lot extra for seats in any color other than black or beige nowadays.%0D%0A%0D%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2FG-GFX%2Fcars%2Fcamaro%2520interior.jpg%0D%0A%0D%0AAlso%2C I think 1989 was the last year before airbags%2C and as I recall%2C the first-generation GM airbag steering wheels were butt-ugly.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe lab stamp says October%2C but I could have sworn Dad bought the car for our summer trip that year.  This pic certainly looks like we%27d just picked it up--notice the remains of the dealer%27s paper floor mat%2C which would%27ve been replaced with the proper carpeted mats soon after we got home from picking it up.  %28The rain on the hood matches the exterior photo%2C too%2C which I think was taken the day after we brought it home.%29  So either I%27m wrong about when these pictures were taken relative to the sale%2C or wrong about when he bought it.  Either way%2C 30 years later%2C what can one do%3F%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D
7|2|6|||||RE%3A Car Adventures%3A Camaro|jonathanlennox||22:37:36|04/08/2019|%0D%0A%3EThe lab stamp says October%2C but I could have sworn Dad bought the car %0D%0A%3Efor our summer trip that year.  This pic certainly looks like we%27d %0D%0A%3Ejust picked it up--notice the remains of the dealer%27s paper floor mat%2C %0D%0A%3Ewhich would%27ve been replaced with the proper carpeted mats soon after %0D%0A%3Ewe got home from picking it up.  %28The rain on the hood matches the %0D%0A%3Eexterior photo%2C too%2C which I think was taken the day after we brought %0D%0A%3Eit home.%29  So either I%27m wrong about when these pictures were taken %0D%0A%3Erelative to the sale%2C or wrong about when he bought it.  Either way%2C %0D%0A%3E30 years later%2C what can one do%3F %0D%0A%0D%0AIs it possible you just took several months to get around to getting the film developed%3F%0D%0A
8|3|7|||1||RE%3A Car Adventures%3A Camaro|Gryphon||22:39:32|04/08/2019|%3E%3EThe lab stamp says October%2C but I could have sworn Dad bought the car %0D%0A%3E%3Efor our summer trip that year. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EIs it possible you just took several months to get around to getting %0D%0A%3Ethe film developed%3F %0D%0A%0D%0AYeah%2C actually%2C that%27s entirely conceivable.  I don%27t know why I didn%27t think of that.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D
9|1|0|||||RE%3A Car Adventures%3A Camaro|Zemyla||15:27:36|04/17/2019|%3EThe car was also a good place to have long-ass rambling conversations %0D%0A%3Eabout random bullshit without our parents overhearing and wondering %0D%0A%3Ewhat in the hell we were talking about.%0D%0A%0D%0AThis is a thing that still happens%2C at least for my generation %28born in 1984%29. I%27ve got an online friend who lives within a couple hours of me%2C and we talk a lot online%2C but when I show up at his place%2C or he shows up at mine%2C and I climb into his car%2C we talk a whole shitton more%2C about more varied topics%2C and get more productive conversations done about our creative endeavors. It%27s amazing.