Six highlights from my weekend in Budapest, excluding the beer:
1. Watching a total weirdo grab his first official win in a US curling match. 😍 2. Standing there in a park full of massive, megalomaniac old monuments, tramping through some nasty Midwestern mud, when we find out Slobodan Milošević died. Honestly, couldn't have picked a more fitting setting if I tried. 3. Dinner at a local BBQ joint, focusing on the chili and—later on—some roasted potatoes that were honestly pretty disgusting. 4. Every single time one of those female curlers threw a stone... uh, while her back was turned to us in the stands. 8. That time Pavin let one rip on the subway and everyone pointed the finger at me. 6. When Pavin started smearing mud all over the curling ice, and they blamed me and chased me right out of there.
And that’s even with this paragraph tucked in later on:
Three-headed beast
No, that headline isn't a typo—sorry, I mean a typo. We weren't trying to write "star," we aren't the type to mix up our letters, though I won't deny that "pir" is always floating around in the back of my head...
So, I finished writing the whole thing just like that. If it flies, it flies... if not, I'll just whip up something new. I did manage to throw in some details about the car toward the end, though.
There are really only two things on both those lists that I absolutely can't stand: the nails and that stubbornness. Honestly, you're going up against your own sister no matter what you do... 😬
I did a recovery and here’s how the beginning of the article looks:
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F. G. (78), a retired space superhero, drifted out of sleep just before dawn at his villa in Redondo Beach, California. His first thought was that some wannabe Canonballac racers were probably revving their tuned-up Firebirds, Daytons, or midnight ambulance vans right outside his window. But no, there was silence—that heavy kind of silence you only get right before sunrise when the rest of the decent world is asleep (except, of course, for those dedicated auto magazine journalists grinding away at late-night test reviews)... and that realization quickly settled him. F. G. got up, wandered into the kitchen, grabbed a lime juice mixed with Gerovital from the fridge, and stood by the balcony doors (which, sitting right behind the garage doors, were the biggest and best features of the house) to take a sip. The cold liquid, stinging his throat, instantly triggered the magic word that woke him up. “Zondaf” echoed in his mind.
For our hero, Zondaf wasn't a new term. He had heard it way back in the day on the planet Mongo, whispered by a wizened old prophetess hiding in a hollow tree to stay out of sight from the imperial guards. Back when he was deep in thought about the fate of earth and space, F. G. started questioning the concept of universal beauty—or perfection, really. He wondered if the closest thing to it was what he experienced one Thursday in the high school football locker room with the head cheerleader, or if something greater actually existed. The old woman just gave him a long look, much like Douglas Taylor4 might occasionally do, and uttered two words that would be etched in his memory forever: “It exists. Zondaf.” That was the day the quest began, a quest that, like most life's troubles and headaches, slowly faded over time. But this early morning, F. G. felt more than just younger (the juice was kicking in); he felt ready for new ventures that might even eclipse his old ones. He could feel his biological clock ticking away, sensing it might be his last chance to start looking. Somewhere, in some corner of the world, he felt it deeply: Zondaf exists, and he has to find it.
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The only catch is that this is supposed to be an introduction to the Zonda f model, and readers are probably expecting me to write a good chunk about the car itself... 🙂 Maybe I'll try to finish it in this style after all...
This is kind of a tangent from the main topic, but whatever: I just caught myself mid-sentence describing this scene where some oracle on the planet Mongo is telling Flash Gordon that his whole life is basically just going to be one long, desperate hunt for beauty—a quest that finally ends when he lays eyes on a Pagani Zonda roadster F. istina. Look, my takes on cars are usually pretty out there, I get it, but even I think I went way too far with that last post... so I just nuked it... 🙂
Anyway, I’m starting fresh. Going for something more classic and actually balanced this time, hopefully.
I haven't stepped foot in a movie theater in what feels like two, maybe three years (unless you count my trips to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival). I think I’ve only actually sat through three or four movies at home during that whole stretch. It’s honestly wild how much I've just... unlearned how to be a movie person...
@Yo Momma: sadly, I don't have any photos of that colorful little get-together...
Jerry Mitchell62 said:Reno 4... 2. Reno 4 3. Reno 4 Reno 4... honestly, what even is that thing? Just thinking about it makes me wonder... 5. Reno 4 Amateurs... 🥳
😬
Alright, I gotta admit, he managed to squeeze two Citroens in right before that fifth one... 😳
The best part had to be that scene where we all headed out to... wait, where exactly did we go again? Was it near the Odor River, or maybe by the Mississippi, or some random canal? I can't quite place it... It was somewhere around 1990, just a bunch of family sedans parked right up by the riverbank...
Susan Clark10 said:The number one thing I am never, ever going to learn? Driving a car... 🙂
That’s exactly what I used to think back when I was your age, but look at me now... I’m out here writing reviews for Autoweek and switching through different cars like they're nothing. Honestly, I've even started reaching for my passenger's leg instead of the gear shifter... 😳 Honestly, I feel kind of awkward about this now... because I know for a fact nobody is going to believe me when I say it wasn't intentional... 😢
I don't even know where to start with this one... just total nonsense. Honestly, some people really need to get a grip on reality before they open their mouths online. It’s getting ridiculous at this point... The user says: You guys are out of your minds. A car is meant for driving, not for staring at like some museum piece. I’m just imagining owning a tiny little classic American car and actually having to drive it... and I’m not even that tall. Then you have to try and cram luggage for a two-week family trip to the coast into it, and don't even get me started on trying to install a modern stereo system... absolute nightmare...
You’re one hundred percent right... and one hundred percent wrong. There is zero chance I'm getting this other perspective across to you, so I'm not even gonna bother trying...
Carol Jackson45: Look, I get it—this hobby isn't exactly cheap, which is why I pretty much live on eBay. You can usually score some decent deals if you look hard enough...
Here are the top 3 diecast cars I snagged on eBay yesterday:
Carol Jackson45 said:Speaking of cars, we actually hit up that Ford's innovation showcase... they were selling scale models of all those rides. stormyviper11 would've been all over 😁
😠 :envy: 😁
Maybe I can just find some solace in the Miura, the Iron, and that Fiat I'm currently bidding on over on eBay... 😉
But honestly, the best one I've ever seen still has to be this lineup: Opening act: The Beatles Backing band: Pearl Jam Headliner: Neil Young New York City, '95... 😍 🙏
Sean Lee7 Asks: Whatever, man. You guys can call them whatever you want, but it’s actually called a hot dog... honestly, get it together... ☕
Not quite, my friend... The shape and flavor of a meatloaf are just on a whole different level... Gnocchi are alright, I guess, but honestly? Hot dogs just rule when you’re craving that smoky flavor...
I grew up on Maui, so I’m sticking to my guns—it's "njoke," not "njoki." Anyone out there using the masculine plural version is definitely part of some secret society or something... 😬
Michael Newman50 said:I’m basically waiting for someone to start a thread about Jason Chavez32's mom tomorrow morning, just can't bring myself to pull the trigger right now😁
Just an imaginary playlist featuring ten bands that are way too indie and cool to actually exist outside of my own head:
1. I'd Like To Have A Haircut But I've Chosen Baldness 48 2. My Evening Bikini 33 3. ¿¿¿ 28 4. Dick Scarce 26 5. Ugly Men Break Cradles 24 6. Golden Nazis 19 7. Life Bus For Gabor 17 8. Gavrilo Princip 14 9. Anctarctic Gibonnis 12 10. Blizak 11
Man, I don't know... I think those guys are pretty likable, even if it takes them forever to whip up a batch of chili. But honestly? Let's just say my take on their music isn't quite as high as my opinion of them as people.
