What's the latest in people's lives?

Post by **IanKennedy** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:24 am

Congrats to mwhittington and Glad to here you're OK Blackstar

As for me It's my birthday on the 13th Feb and I'm off on a two week cruise in the Caribbean on the 9th. Looking forward to that.

Apart from that I've just got hold of a copy of season 1 of TOS in HD DVD. It's the remastered version. I'm currently battling with getting snapshots from them. The system is fighting back but I will get there sooner or later. Once I've cracked that issue we should see some really nice pics go up on the site.

Blackstar the Chakat · Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:33 am

MetalHead wrote:
ChakatBlackstar wrote:Awesomeness. Okay, I know what I'm looking for in my next car.
Just make sure it is a CAR and not an SUV. SUV's are rubbish. Rawr!

Glad to hear you're alright though, must have been scary. GM does make a good car, and although Toyota is putting on the pressure, I believe they're still the world's largest auto industry?

SUVs are basically truck-sized cars. Because they aren't trucks they don't have to follow many of the safty laws that apply to trucks. There have been more and more laws and regulations to try to cover those loopholes, but they're still unsafe. They only haul as many people as a car, most of the extra cargo space isn't even used, and I don't know anyone who's taken it offroad. Not to mention they have horrible gas mileage, and with rising prices that's the last thing I need, and it's bad for the enviroment.

And GM beat Toyota by selling 3000 more cars last year. I suppose they haven't been the leader for 77 years for no reason. And to be honest, I wasn't really that scared during the crash. Even after I realized what was going on. It felt like some sort on dream or nightmare. In fact I actually had a little fun. I was like, 'okay, I'm out of control anyway. If I'm going to die, I might as well enjoy it.' It wasn't until I got out of the car and had no idea what to do that I was actually scared.

Post by **Mikey** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:20 am

The true fear in a situation like that often sets in only after your brain has had a little time to realize how scared it should have been.

Many popular SUV's are in fact built on unibody, or body-on-frame, construction - like a car. Some - GMC Envoys and Yukons, Chevy TrailBlazers and Tahoes, Cadillac Escalades, and the Saab and Isuzu clones - are built on true tuck-type ladder-frame architecture. Ford Explorers and Expeditions may be, as well. I own an Envoy XUV, which has a separated weatherproof cargo area with a retractable roof, and I make a lot of use of the cargo area, as well as its payload and towing capabilities - none of which could be had from any kind of sedan.

And there are unibody small SUV's availabel which get gas mileage comparable to many mid-size cars. Coming from the supply end of the industry, I guarantee that they wouldn't be built anymore if people din't keep wanting them.

Ian - happy early birthday, and have a great time. I envy you.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 1:46 pm

Enjoy the holiday, Ian, sounds like it should be a good time.

Post by **IanKennedy** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 1:54 pm

Thanks, it should be great. We've got a lot of stuff planned for the days we're in port. Including:

Swimming with stingrays
Helmet diving
Land sailing
Scuba diving
Whale watching
ATV / Quad bikes
Dune buggys

plus lots of other things... Plus all the food is free on the ship and very good.

Post by **Teaos** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 1:56 pm

Swimming with stingrays

Can anyone read that and not think of Steve Irwin?

Post by **IanKennedy** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:04 pm

Teaos wrote:
Swimming with stingrays
Can anyone read that and not think of Steve Irwin?

Well:

1) We will not be 'sticking our thumbs up their ass'.
2) Steve Irwin has just this moment appeared on TV. (spooky)
3) This happened just before we went last time and I couldn't get the wife to do this last time. I managed it this time though.

Post by **Teaos** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:17 pm

1) We will not be 'sticking our thumbs up their ass'.

Oh go on live a little.

Post by **IanKennedy** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:19 pm

Teaos wrote:
1) We will not be 'sticking our thumbs up their ass'.
Oh go on live a little.

Living I intend to do, it's the little I have a problem with.

ps. Why do you still have your xmas hat on?

Post by **Teaos** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:22 pm

Forgot about it

Post by **IanKennedy** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:29 pm

Teaos wrote:Forgot about it

You and Deepcrush both...

Blackstar the Chakat · Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:36 pm

Teaos wrote:
Swimming with stingrays
Can anyone read that and not think of Steve Irwin?

Yes. It reminded me of when I went to the local Zoo last summer and I actually got to pet a few. Their barbs were removed so no worries. It was so cool. There were several that kept coming up to the edge were we could reach. We could also pet this shark things(not great whites or anything. Smaller, couldn't eat my hand size sharks) but I have this thing about touching fish.

Enjoy your cruise Ian.

RK_Striker_JK_5 · Post by **RK_Striker_JK_5** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 1:44 am

Happy early b-day, Ian! And enjoy the cruise. Reads like you'll have little time to actually relax.

Post by **IanKennedy** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:51 am

Thanks, there's at least a couple of days we can't go out as we're at sea. Each evening you're on the ship so you can relax then. Anyway I like to do things when I'm on holiday.

Last year for example we went to California for two weeks. That consisted of driving from LA to Vegas, Death Valley, Mono Lake, Lake Tahoe, Lessen Volcanic National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Crater Lake, OR, Crescent City, Medocino, San Fransisco and back to LA. That's in excess of 2,100 miles round trip, and I did all the driving. This is a rough map of our route:

California Trip

I also like to take photos when I'm away. That trip clocked up more than 2,500 photos.

Reliant121 · Post by **Reliant121** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 4:03 pm

Here goes...I will never go away agian if this is the amount of topics i havn't read....

Jesus christ Blackstar. When you said Cavalier i instantly thought of Vauxhall cavalier. Which isn't a SUV. But thats not the point. Glad your still here Blackstar.
Happy early birthday, Ian! Good luck with the Stingray!