Depressing music, dark literature and positive thoughts

Thanks for that little English lesson. .
And you really are being naughty today! .

Looks comfy in there, and obviously you both feel at home.

That rate of weight-loss is fine, Kamerad ... it means you're changing your life, not just on a diet. It will stay off.

Originally posted by harrytheman:

When is it that you are coming over?

I haven't been to England since '86 but sure wouldn't mind doing it again. Definitely, I would love to drop in on you.

Originally posted by harrytheman:

I'll pick you up at the airport in the Honda Civic!

Love it! Just don't make me drive while there. That happened once already. The common observation from this side of the water is: they drive on the wrong side of the road over there.

In my case it would have to be planned well in advance. And you may have to wait for me. I hear that getting through Heathrow's security in a kurta can test the patience of Buddha himself!

Originally posted by harrytheman:

Who can doubt the integrity of a white British male...a white?...Damn!

.

Originally posted by harrytheman:

Who can doubt the integrity of a white British male

I'll be a few spaces behind you in the security line yelling, "I'm an American and I got mah RIGHTS!"

With the three of us there, it should be quite fun.

Originally posted by harrytheman:

Strangely enough, I've even read a seriously worded comment in a magazine that it is totally illogical for anyone to drive on the other side of the road from us.

Is it the article that talks about driving on the wrong side of the road, depending on the hemisphere, stirs up wind currents that can eventually turn into tornados, then into hemisphere encompassing hurricanes?

Originally posted by harrytheman:

I also distinctly remember that it was also argued that a car engine works better when the steering wheel is on the right side so that you can drive on the left as we do in Britain. I personally cannot see how that can be true...

I think that only applies to the Aston Martin. .
But I don't understand how Americans manage to hold the steering wheel straight with their left hands while changing gears with the right. (presuming, of course, that left-handed people only account for 20% to 25% of the population in the USA as it does here.)

Us 'Mericans gots wide lanes.

and I'm a lefty.

Actually, very few of us are gear-jammers any more; most of our cars and trucks are equipped with automatic transmissions. And power-assisted steering makes holding the wheel steady a one-finger job.
Of course, this has its disadvantages, too: if the engine quits for any reason, or a belt breaks, you've got damned few brakes, and steering is mechanical, both at relatively low mechanical advantage.

Americans (USA people - For politically correct purposes) have to very early on get very adept at holding the steering wheel straight and turn any which way with their left hand. We need the right hand to be able to grab the Hamburgers & Fries and eat them while making the least mess possible. And of course we need the right hand to Text and perform various other things we're not supposed to do while driving. http://files.myopera.com/Tamil/Smilies/LOL.gif - Okay, so I don't do the Texting thing. And the Hamburger & Fries while driving ... not that much. http://files.myopera.com/Tamil/Smilies/Whistle.gif -

But, apparently women even drive while using no hands as they apply Makeup while driving.

Seriously, Aadil, I wouldn't have it any other way. I think it'd be awkward having to change gears with my left hand.

And as to keeping the steering wheel straight with my left hand? Actually, I do most of my straight ahead driving with my left hand. It's that on my Isuzu Rodeo there is this padded arm rest in the middle console. I just got in the habit of usually having my right arm just chilling out on that arm rest, doing nothing except maybe supervising the left hand. http://files.myopera.com/Tamil/Smilies/LOL2.gif - And I AM right-handed. Okay, so I guess the right hand does get off of that arm rest to assist in making turns.

LOL ... my old '64 Dodge Dart had left-handed gear shifting ... automatic transmission with a push-button control on the left side of the steering wheel. It took a bit of getting used to.

This is a junker that these lads rescued, I have no idea why they paid $2400 for it, but I've gotta say that slant-six 170 was an unstoppable engine.

I think I vaguely remember some 60s model Oldsmobile also having that Push Button Gear Shifting setup on the dash to the left of the steering wheel.

I don't think it was Oldsmobile ... that was GM. The Dodge was a Chrysler product. I think you're remembering the TV ads for the DeSoto ... the pushbuttons were on a lever sticking out of the steering column ... the ads showed the car going forward, and the driver pushing buttons and steering like crazy until the car was going backwards IN THE SAME DIRECTION, with no change in speed. Then he'd do it again, and the car would wind up going forward again. Must have been rough on the tranny, though.

Originally posted by Suntana:

We need the right hand to be able to grab the Hamburgers & Fries and eat them while making the least mess possible.

Fries eaten while driving just taste better, so get an extra bag to eat on the way home.

Originally posted by derWandersmann:

I've gotta say that slant-six 170 was an unstoppable engine.

I think the Plymouth Valiants also had that engine. They were truly durable. I had a friend in college who bought an old one while he was a freshman in 1978 for $50, and sold it his senior year for $75. He was driving it to the beach and ran out of gas. The first person who stopped to help, he sold it to that person for the $75 plus a ride to the next town. It made for a good story upon his return.

More driving fun: the first time you have to operate a column-shift manual transmission.

Look what Harry's Honda has done to us! It's his fault. It's a world-famous car now, and he a world-famous blogger.

Originally posted by harrytheman:

tomorrow those who've never heard of Linux.

I'm distro shopping, a little, and saw this possibility for the netbook:

http://peppermintos.com/

Looks cute. Don't know if I'm going to mess with it though.

I tried joli OS. Supposed to be the only distro that doesn't need a tutorial.
Fortunately, I know how to hack the gnome2 desktop or I'd really be stuck! .

oh Its been a while since I last visited ur page Harry. Thats a shame actually cause some people, and one person in particular would deserve to hear the 'naff' from me.
My luck i dont weight myself.
Been in Chichester today. My mum and little bro are here for the summer.
Am glad ur still alive man

U know Im strong by now so Im good. Its not alright but its alright.
Thats all I can say.
Maybe also that men are assholes.
Excluding few worldwide. Literally.

Marzena: please let me know your PM; it doesn't seem to be listed on your site. I have a question about something that happened a couple of years ago, I believe in Bognar Regis.

bring it on here. Ive got nothing to hide.

Well, OK ... I was trying to avoid any difficult emotions, at least in public, but I reckon you might not have much reason to trust a stranger,
I got only slightly involved with a post by a young Polish woman in Bognar Regis who was in considerable distress because her husband had gone into town (Bognar Regis, if memory serves) to look for work, and had not been back for some days ... about four, if I remember rightly. She was especially perturbed because Poles were sometimes the object of anti-immigrant feelings in the area. I may or may not have replied, but I do remember doing a bit of searching through whatever public records in that part of the UK to see if the young man had met with some sort of misadventure. I found nothing, but I had committed the absolutely dunderheaded mistake of not writing down the blog, and I spent several days, as I remember it, looking for her, but eventually had to give up, because I could not find her at all, nor remember her name. It did seem to me that she mentioned having a daughter, but that was pretty unhelpful.
So ... now you know. You sparked off a number of memories, and I wanted to find out whether you were, in fact, the same young woman.

Not at all.
It wasnt me but such things happen.
Not only to Polish people.
To all the people.

...although few years ago here was one Polish man missing. He was found dead few days later.
Hes been killed, found on the bench over the sea.
Terrible story.
Not even sure if they cought the murderers yet.