So. Everybody in my office checked out to see “The Force Unleashed” at lunch today, so I did the same thing and saw it in the theater next to the one they all picked. No offense to my fellow Aspies, but it wasn’t something I felt like sharing with them. Wasn’t really something I felt like sharing with anyone. Ideally, I’d have gone to see it with Big Nick. We went to see all three re-releases together in the Nineties, and we went to see two of the three “new trilogy” movies together. The schedules didn’t work out for this one, however.
On the way over to the theater, I saw the first (and probably last) Cadillac ELR I’ve ever encountered in the wild. I don’t think it qualifies for motorcycle parking, but nobody asked me. Anyway. One sentence non-spoiler review of this movie: easily the fourth best Star Wars film of all time.
Okay, let’s get caught up with the week.
Brother Bark had two pieces for TTAC this week: a drama-stirring look at the auto reviewers who don’t even own a car themselves and the farewell to his Boss 302.
There’s a certain contingent of TTAC readers/commenters out there whose primary defining characteristic is a put-on world-weary attitude that “it’s all been done” and “whatever you’re talking about doesn’t really matter to the Illuminati of the mind such as myself”. They’ve seen everything there is to see in the world, with the possible exception of a human vagina attached to a woman who scales below 250 pounds. I call them the “professional apathetics” or the “fucking idiots” depending on my state of mind on any given day, but with regards to Mark’s autojourno post it was hilarious watching them stumble all over themselves talking about why it doesn’t really matter that some reviewers literally depend on the manufacturers to get their kids to school.
I should mention that Bark and I were in tooth-and-nail contention to write the most popular opinion piece on TTAC this past week but he took the lead early and never let it go, relegating me to a not-close second.
At R&T, I offered the readers an alternative idea of the ‘car of the year’.
At TTAC, I called Rodney in as a supporting character for my rant on Chinese-built Buicks in American showrooms, provided an update on the “Affluenza” killer, and revealed the newest project by “Speedycop”. Regarding that last post: right on cue, within the first four posts I had a “professional apathetic” say “HURR DURR HE’S JUST RACING A TOYOTA VAN WITH PANELS FROM A HELICOPTER.” Why yes, Sir, you’re correct. Would you like to try doing that yourself before you offer an opinion on the triviality of it?
Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to see the back of this week. On the positive side of things: I managed to ride my CB1100 to work every day but today (it finally dipped into the twenties). On the negative side of things: everything else. Take it away, Donald!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, Jack!
I didn’t post a single comment, bitch, whine or moan on any of yours or Mark’s articles, save for your ChinBuick article, in which case I lent your opinion my sympathetic support.
And since YOU brought it up (above, here), all modern Cadillacs are overpriced pieces of trash, and the ELR is no exception to the rule! (thanks for the opening!)
You’re welcome.
Merry Christmas to you and CTLee!
“Overpriced pieces of trash?” If you have a line on any, our brand director is rounding out her staff.
- Cadillac HR
If you want to see ELRs (I’m not sure why anyone would), GM’s Warren Tech Center is the place. I think it’s part of some sort of engineering executive hair shirt lease program going on at the General. I’d bet that well over half the ELR volume went to GM employees.
I flew nearly over the GM Warren Tech Center by helicopter a few months ago (coincidentally, on a non-automotive work assignment), and they are literally building new buildings and completely renovating others on the entire 330+ acre complex.
The pilot told us they are spending in excess of 1.5 billion dollars renovating that complex, which is their global & R&D headquarters for Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick & GMC engineering, technology & design, as well as housing their global hybrid vehicle and electric vehicle development programs.
He said they have 24,000 employees there, many whom are senior engineers, in 40+ buildings (some nearly underground, with massive wind tunnels & extreme environment climate simulators) - including a DoD subsidized advanced vehicle battery program that even most GM employees working there can’t access.
It’s only possible to appreciate the sheer scale of that complex, and the massive work and construction now taking place there, by the air.
FYI, a couple of your links are wrong. The Boss one and the Buick one
Fixed, thank you!
A neighbor of mine leased a Chevy Volt and he and his wife liked it so much they got a second one. They had previously driven Benzes. When the lease was up on the first Volt, they replaced it with an ELR.
“I should mention that Bark and I were in tooth-and-nail contention to write the most popular opinion piece on TTAC this past week but he took the lead early and never let it go, relegating me to a not-close second.”
When I saw you use the caveat, “opinion”, I knew it was there for a reason. I checked the stats and found out that my piece on the Texas plumber whose truck ended up with jihadis in Syria was the most popular post in general this week by a long shot. I understand why, but it still annoys me that tabloidy fluff like that gets the views but some serious history piece gets a fraction of that kind of traffic. I bet it took me less time to write about the jihadi F-150 than it did for me to drive up to Ann Arbor to photograph the Mormon Meteor’s designer’s original drawings of the car for the 4,000 word two part thing I did on Ab Jenkins and that car.
If you think that you’re annoyed… I saw that relatively early on a non-auto site but didn’t follow up by writing about it!
We may have seen it at same place.
Bark’s Boss requiem was excellent. Might be my favorite of his.
My wallet needs JB to lay off all the moto writing though - I’m already bracing for the inevitable financial hit of a bike, and your adventures aren’t helping me delay things.
I am thinking the new movie might even make top 3, with ep. VI in position 4. I mean, ewoks?
” Aspies ” ~ I assume this means those with Asperger’s Syndrome ? . it made me laugh as I used to work with one ~ he was a nice guy if a poor Welder and everyone else in the Shop teased and hassled the poor guy to death .
” They’ve seen everything there is to see in the world, with the possible exception of a human vagina attached to a woman who scales below 250 pounds.”
Your wonderful way with words keeps me coming back no matter what you’re writing about Jack .
HAPPY HOLIDAYZE ! .
-Nate
Was Jimmy Dinsmore the carless auto writer in question? I don’t know the guy, but he’s a friend of a high school friend of mine back in Cincinnati. I agree that being a car reviewer without a personal car:
1. Shows an utter lack of enthusiasm for the subject
2. Represents a major conflict of interest for a journalist/critic. Would a restaurant critic rely on free meals for all of his/her nourishment?
“They’ve seen everything there is to see in the world, with the possible exception of a human vagina attached to a woman who scales below 250 pounds”
I have a friend who did those by choice. He could pick whatever tail he wanted. I’ve seen him in action and just looking at them they were hooked.
So I’m afraid you’re asking the wrong question here. I would rather ask what have they achieved in life. Have they raced a car? How many car reviews they have written? How many different cars they have driven? The answers are probably summarized into “not much”
Don’t waste your time/energies in people like that.
Regarding the motorcycles, I am more partial of the Harley you showed the other day or this http://motorcycles.honda.com.au/Cruiser/Valkyrie_40th_Anniversary , forget the anniversary fluff.
Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year Jack.
Now I’m waiting for Mel Brooks to make Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money. The time is right.