Posts by stormyviper11

Adam Moore said:Look, I’m all for subjectivity when we’re talking about cars or music, honestly. It doesn't even bother me if someone mixes their personal take with actual data in the same article (that's how I usually write), but when it comes to politics? Give me nothing but the facts. I like to think for myself... 😬

Listen, Bešker tried to lecture me about how you need to know music theory or have some basic conservatory training just to be a decent critic... whatever. But the biggest issue for me is the sexism. He’s terrible about it. And yeah, I’ll say it again, he actually wrote some solid pieces once in a while.

Noted. 👍 That whole thing about needing music theory is pure nonsense, and I won't even get started on the sexism.

I might actually agree with you regarding politics, if we weren't talking about Italian and Vatican politics—which are basically just soap operas anyway. Because of that, Bešker's style actually fits perfectly...

Susan Clark10 said:Hey stormyviper11, any idea where I could track down a little Vespa model? I know it’s not a car, but since you’re always lurking on those collector sites, maybe you stumbled across something? 🙂

Honestly, you can find them everywhere lately in local shops. Pretty much any place that stocks toys has a whole line of them, ranging from the vintage classics to the modern ones. Check out Nam, the Small box, Tintilinić, or even the Turbo grinder... or just hit up one of the big shopping malls. You'll definitely find some; I've spotted them in plenty of spots (though I haven't wandered through downtown stores in forever, so I can't tell you which specific shop in the city center has them right now). I actually picked up a cute little green one myself a few months back...
I think Euro handles the imports, and they supply a lot of those independent newsstands and private Tobacco shops, so that’s probably your best bet.

Adam Moore said:It really gets under my skin when journalists drop their own opinions outside of the comment section, you know?

Well, if that’s how you feel, maybe just skip my stuff if you ever stumble upon my articles in any car magazines. Look, my whole philosophy is journalism with an edge. I’m all about having a stance. This whole "neutral and objective" news thing? Honestly, it’s kind of pointless. I believe in pairing information with a real opinion—always, no matter what. Luckily, I don't deal with straight news these days, and my current niche basically demands a bit of subjectivity anyway, but even back when I was grinding away at a daily newspaper, that's how I always wrote.

As for him being full of himself... look, I don't know the guy personally, but you can definitely tell from his writing, and I totally get why he might be annoying. But we're talking about a guy whose description of a session of the US Senate back in the late eighties was something I actually had clipped and taped into my notebook (can't remember which specific issue, though)... and honestly, I still think it’s the best piece of foreign policy writing I’ve ever read. So, even without knowing him, I can forgive him for being a bit much...

Adam Moore said:I actually had him as a professor back in college, and honestly? The guy isn't some legend. If anything, he’s the exact opposite. Don't get me wrong, he didn't fail me—I pulled a decent B in his class, and we all know why because the guy's a total idiot...

I can't speak to that part, but as a journalist? He's the real deal. I haven't missed a single column on Italian politics in twenty years. Even if he hasn't quite hit the heights he did when transitioning from the late eighties into the nineties, he's still hands down the best foreign correspondent out there...

analogharbor442 said:Go ask stormyviper11 for advice on foreign car brands, since they're basically an expert on everything public-facing!

As if.

Here’s a top list of cars from famous manufacturers that were unfortunately never actually built, according to Vuk...

1. Dođ Avola
2. Opel Ješen
3. 3. Lanča Nisudar
4. Reno miran 5. Lada Rica
5. Lada Rica
6. Sab Otaža
7. Kija vic
8. Audi Ofil

So I was just giving Bešker some props today, and then I turn on Jutarnji list only to see them printing absolute garbage... 😢
They’re claiming the new Italian president rolled up to his inauguration in some official Lancija Flaminija that’s supposedly decades old. Like, the car was built in 1960—it’s barely 46 years old at this point. 😠
It’s honestly pathetic how much misinformation messes with the cultural literacy of Americans... 👎

Bešker is a straight-up legend. 🙏

analogharbor442 said:GOOD GRIEF!

http://www.worldjumpday.org

hey borg, you down for this? 😁

Nah. ☕
Physical activity.
Don't count me in.

I don't even know what's gotten into me, I've just been sitting here for like an hour and a half blasting Notwist and honestly? It's hitting the spot... 😕
Anyway, just wanted to follow up on my last post about my wishlist with a little update—just dropped about a hundred bucks and finally pulled the trigger on those two Ford items, number 1 and 2 from my list. Total madness...

The two latest drops I absolutely have to grab, even if it means blowing my whole paycheck:

1. this
2. and this

I'm also low-key obsessed with:
3. this
4. and this
5. and this
6. and this
7. and this
8. and this

I don't know what you're trying to say there... just a single word? If you've got something to get off your chest, just spit it out. I'm sitting here waiting for an actual thought instead of just random letters... kaže:
Wait, does that actually exist...? 🤔

Yeah, if a single little copper penny falls into a bucket of battleship gray paint... well, you know how that goes. Everything just gets messy... ☕ 😬

houpi said:It's not a chipmunk, it's a squirrel, and that thing was gray...

A gray squirrel on a dollar bill? 😬

Kevin Chavez3 said:I seriously can't stand those bland, tasteless ice creams. I was actually getting into it with my roommate at Walmart yesterday over this... he was trying to argue that hazelnut and stracciatella is the way to go, but I told him chocolate, coconut, and banana is the only real choice. He eventually backed down though... turns out I was right. 😢

I mean, you guys did alright. The hazelnut and the stracciatella were decent enough, I guess, but out of those three you offered, only the chocolate one was actually any good...

Man, some ice cream flavors are just straight-up garbage...
malaga
2. chicken...
3. banana
strawberry...
Lemon... though I have to give credit where it’s due—Jovica over in Key West really nails it. Honestly, you can find lemon gelato all along the Atlantic coast, but that one guy? He's got the best stuff. Assuming his machine actually decides to work that day... 😍 )

Best ice cream flavors, hands down...
chocolate...
2. punch
So, Jovica’s got some lemons...
Picked up four melons over at Jovica’s place... I actually can't stand fruit, honestly, the whole flavor profile just isn't my thing, but that guy is seriously the best...
And if you’re feeling fancy, you can always throw in some creamy stuff depending on what you're craving... maybe some marzipan, tiramisu, Bacio, truffle cream, stracciatella, panna cotta, or whatever else sounds good...

amberskipper452 said:🙂

+ ice cream with that same (I think it’s called Tutti Frutti) flavor 🙂

Honestly, Tutti Frutti without candied fruit isn't even that bad.
But man... 🙂
This one actually has raisins in it, which is way worse than candied fruit.
Absolute bottom of the barrel...

rutvica said:screw Simon & Garfunkel. they're just... meh. OK.

Excuse me??? 🙂

"Meh"??? 🙂

"OK"??? 🙂

Look, Paul Simon solo is a legend sometimes, sure... he's alright. But Simon & Garfunkel? From basically the first note they ever recorded, those guys were kings. I mean, okay, maybe they didn't need those slightly annoying orchestral arrangements on stuff like Bridge Over Troubled Water, but the songs themselves—pretty much everything from that era—are absolute masterpieces. Especially those early, purely acoustic versions. Honestly, if they had just recorded The Boxer and Cecilia, they’d already be staples in every hall of fame out there. The only way I can even begin to wrap my head around your blasphemy is if you're talking about how they overplay the same few hits constantly... which makes them a bit played out, sure, even if the tracks are killer.

electro cute said:I think they were the Wile E. Coyotes, and he was the Road Runner. Or maybe it was the other way around? Honestly, I can't be sure, it was ages ago and I was just a little kid back then.

Yeah, yeah... they could've been the Coyotes, true enough.

Carol Jackson45 said:Umm... I know this, just can't put my finger on it right now... 🤔

That comic actually ran in Tom and Jerry. If I remember right, Flik and Flok (my bad, typo above) lived in some hole in the ground, kind of a desert wasteland vibe... When I was a kid, I always thought they were squirrels, or maybe chipmunks? And Prepredenko was a wolf, but looking back at the setting, he totally could've been a coyote... You know, with that long snout, he looked a lot like Wolf...

Edit: redcrane28 is saying he was a coyote and those two were squirrels...

Thanks... 😳 To me, every single squirrel out there is just Chip or Dale, whether they're acting normal or being total weirdos... 😳 So, what exactly were Flip and Flop supposed to be? The ones that that crazy wolf Prepredenko was always chasing around... Or was Prepredenko actually a coyote? Honestly, I just liked the name Prepredenko so much when it popped into my head that I had to go ahead and add it to my signature...

Samuel Murphy6 said:So, I was thinking about this earlier today... if we were actually going to put together a definitive list of the most backstabbing, two-faced people living in Washington, D.C., who would even make the cut? It’s kind of wild how much snake behavior you see in that city... just layers upon layers of people pretending to be your best friend while they're busy stabbing you in the ribs for a promotion or a political win. It's exhausting just thinking about it... 😍):

I don't even know where to start with this one... just one little thing that keeps bugging me...


🙂 🙂 [finger emoji]

I haven't had any run-ins with Chip or Dale personally, but if they were lurking around every corner... well, that's a whole different story...

My #1 most misguided "helpful" suggestion of all time:

1. How to beat jet lag—I flew back from the US and landed around 3 PM. Everyone kept telling me I just had to power through until evening to reset my internal clock and fix the jet lag. Well, it’s been 15 hours since I landed, everyone else is passed out around the house, and I can only conclude that something went horribly wrong. I’ve currently been awake for 39 hours straight and I’m pretty much done... heading to bed now. The whole idea of curing jet lag with a beer might be a legendary concept, but it's definitely not working for me. Night.