The 2024 Chatty thread

Like a joke from vintage stand-up comedy, tonight I described a place to my sister as "between Barlow's and Mestad's" then realized that both of those stores have been gone for quite a while. She knew, though, since she's my age.

All I needed was a line about a burned down barn.

In related news: we watched a stand-up show just this evening (on tv) and I would put the comedy level as 3-4 out of 10, and he was using the "road directions from the old-timers using long-gone landmarks" joke from ages ago, and I felt let down.

helenabear - sorry to hear about husband lay off and congrats on new job! Also super congrats on the PVB buy. Those will be fun points with the new tower!


Is it ironic given the vehicle talk in the chatty thread that my 2013 accord died on me this past weekend? Not quite 200,000 miles but darn close. Some vehicles are magnets for trouble. The first month I had this one way back as a brand new car off the Honda lot in GA, someone rear ended me. In the 10+ years I've driven it, it's been rear ended 3x - - - all at red lights where I was stopped, just waiting for the light to turn green. It was a hit and run in a parking lot in AL when an unlicensed, drunk driver raced into the parking spot beside me without seeing the door was open. Good thing I'd stopped to grab my phone or they would have ran into me instead of the door. And the battery has died in it multiple times along with other stuff. Nothing major, just a whole lotta little stuff for one vehicle. So now it's parked. I plan to remove tags and insurance, leaving it parked until after we open the campground and DH has time to give it a proper eval. I can drive the van for a few months easily enough.

I wanted to upgrade next year to a small hybrid SUV. Not sure what yet, lots of time to think about it. I tend to buy a vehicle and drive it for 10+ years / 200,000 miles. I had one used Corolla in school, one new Corolla as a young professional and the Accord as my middle management car. The new Corolla was by far my favorite. That car just never gave up. When I got the accord, I gave the Corolla to my dad. He drove it for another 5 years before giving it to a friend's kid for their first car. As far as I know, it's 20+ years and still going strong.

OTOH, I had a Kia Soul for a rental a few years back and loved it. Don't know why, just enjoyed driving it. No EV option, but it's on the list as a possibility for 2025 (assuming accord has really died).

Ooh hope the Accord can live on!

We have an older Civic with about 180k miles that the kid drives. He is learning to drive stick just in case anything happens to his car (spouse would take my car to work on the days he goes in and I'd hope I could stay put lol). Until we'd find a suitable replacement at least. We could be a 2 car household again but it wouldn't always be fun.

My little Mini is just not suitable for a horn player

I am very happy about the PVB points. It makes PVB our majority home. No plans yet but we're just waiting on point charts and such to book next year.

With the job swap, it may mean just one family trip again. So kid and I might travel alone.

My story on cars and musical instruments - We were a Toyota Prius family (had 4 at one time!). My husband plays the trombone. However, when we were in the market for another hybrid car, Toyota redesigned the Prius and we determined that the trombone (with case) wouldn't fit in the hatch back! So we had to upgrade to the Toyota Corolla hybrid. That works! My main complaint is the dealer only had black car with a black interior available to purchase. Hot for when we're traveling down south!

I always joke and say my car is a glorified 2 seater. The back is down often lol

Now if my kid played flute, clarinet, or on his trumpet regularly still, it wouldn't be an issue. I'm sure his Civic will make it the next 2 years.

We are very lucky for the quick job find. He has this week off still but has been treating it like vacation. It's going to suck come next Monday when none of us are used to being up before 8. My bedtime has shifted to the wee hours of the morning.

Ooh what are they!!

My "new" 98 Honda could use a light rubbing compound that's for sure, followed by something shiny. But these day's I'm not interested in all that work so I have some old "something something 2000" or "2001" which comes in a green bottle, it must be some kind of silicone. I used it on my old 79 Volvo and it made it so shiny and wet looking it was crazy. I remember sitting a jug of milk on the hood and it slid away from me, onto the ground. Anyone who is familiar with old Volvos will know that they are basically square (they didn't get the nickname Swedish Bricks for nothing) so this was quite an accomplishment.

But yes, the 98 Honda, you rub your hand over the paint and it feels vaguely of chalkboard, and it has that white-ish glow to it. So something shiny will be awesome.