Personal Top Lists & Rankings

Jason Chavez32 said:I freaking love smoking commercials! 🙂

Watching too much porn? 🤣

Man, you really need to stop with those long-winded posts where you try to act all serious—kind of like those stuffy critics over at the New York Times. It’s not really working for you. Though, I guess I’ll be right there in the trenches with Spielberg anyway, since I actually like his stuff.

But honestly, I don't mind Kluney's movie either. It's got a great atmosphere, which—if you ask me—is pretty much the only thing that actually matters.

Carol Jackson45 said:Why don't you ever write about anything actually serious? Honestly, I live for your long posts whenever you start explaining things.

Man, seriously, isn't it about time he just started a blog? 😁

And honestly, that "goodbye-goodluck" vibe is just way too much—it feels forced, you know? I can't stand seeing the seams showing in movies... or any other cheap, generic metaphors used to cover up bad writing...

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.

Hell no! 🙂 Forget those balanced, boring articles—this one sounds like a riot. You got a saved copy of it somewhere? 🙂

This setup sounds awesome to me! A balanced ride is just plain boring.

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...

Keep it in parts. In this one, you want to tease the reader enough to make them wonder what the hell a Zondaf actually is. Don't give it away too soon 🙂

stormyviper11 said:My only issue is that this really should be an introduction to the Zonda f model, and readers are probably expecting me to actually write something about the car itself... 🙂 I might try to finish it using this style after all...

😂 Stormyviper11, you are absolutely out of your mind. 😵

Top 5 things I live for and my sister absolutely hates:
1. Monty Python
2. Like 80% of my playlist
3. Every single movie I actually enjoy
4. Beer
5. Being a total kid at heart

Top 5 things she loves and I can't stand:
1. Those cheesy 80s Top 40 hits
2. Balasevic
3. Stockholm
4. Manicures
5. How stubborn she is

Carol Jackson45 said:1. Monty Python
2. 80% of my playlist
4. Beer

Is your sister okay? 😁

Gregory Walker15 said:your sister's lost it 😁

Tell me about it. 😢>

Carol Jackson45 said:Here are the top 5 things she absolutely loves that I just can't stand:
1. Those 80s pop hits from the Billboard charts

You are totally losing it! 😁

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... 😬

Carol Jackson45 gentlepuma20 said:Here are five things I absolutely love, that my sister just can't stand:

Hair clips all over the place.
Two shades of pink.
3. sports
About 99% of my music. 😬
5. forums 😁

Carol Jackson45 gentlepuma20 said:Here’s my top 5 list of things she absolutely loves, but I can’t stand:

Liquid foundation. 🙂
2. long hair
Driving a car. 😈
Bringing your boyfriend home for lunch? Now that’s a classic milestone. It feels like such a big step, doesn't it? You’re basically introducing him to the family inner circle over a meal. I always think there's something so much more intimate about a Sunday brunch or a casual lunch than a fancy dinner out. It’s cozy, it’s real, and it really lets you see how everyone clicks. Good luck!
Time for coffee number five.

stormyviper11 said:Cold liquid, like a chimney sweep for your throat

🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

Carol Jackson45 gentlepuma20 said:There are five specific things that I absolutely adore, yet my sister seems to despise them with a passion. It’s one of those fundamental divides in our personalities, isn't it? How can two people raised in the same house look at the exact same thing and see such different worlds? First off, there's the sheer, unadulterated thrill of a spontaneous cross-country road trip. I love the feeling of just hitting the highway, grabbing a coffee from a local diner, and seeing where the road takes us. For her? She thinks it's nothing more than a disorganized recipe for exhaustion and wasted gas. Then there’s the quiet intensity of a rainy afternoon spent lost in a thick, classic novel. There is something so grounding about the smell of old paper and the sound of droplets hitting the windowpane, don't you think? She, on the other hand, views it as a tedious waste of time that could be better spent being "productive." I also have a massive soft spot for indie films—those low-budget, gritty stories that don't rely on explosions or CGI to tell a human truth. To me, they're art; to her, they're just pretentious slogs that go nowhere. Fourth on the list is the ritual of slow-cooked Sunday dinners. I find something deeply meditative about spending hours in the kitchen, letting the aromas fill the house while everything simmers away. She just sees it as an unnecessary chore that keeps us stuck in the kitchen when we could be doing something else. And finally, I'm a sucker for live jazz in a dimly lit, cramped basement club. That raw, improvisational energy is everything to me. But for her? It's just loud, chaotic noise that makes it impossible to hold a conversation. It’s funny how the things that make me feel most alive are the very things she finds so grating.

Three for two, just like they promised my sister.

Susan Clark10 gentlepuma20 said:To be honest, I actually go by Miss A, though I’m a little too embarrassed to admit that out loud.

Testing, testing. One, two.

Is there anything more exhausting than waiting around for things to finally happen? Honestly, I'm just ready for the crew to show up already. Bring on the squad! 🎉

stormyviper11 said:F. G. (78), a retired space superhero...
The only issue is that this was supposed to be an introduction to the Zonda f, and readers will probably expect me to actually write something about the car itself... 🙂 Maybe I'll try to finish it in this style after all...

🙂 🤣 🙏

The only real problem is that the prophetess and I don't exactly share the same taste when it comes to design, but I'm just nitpicking now.
Finish the piece and save it for some point in the near or distant future when you finally have your own car magazine🙂 and then publish it.

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.

Here’s a quick list of everything I did yesterday instead of actually finishing those seven or eight cards I promised to turn in the day before last.

1. Had a beer at home.
2. Decided it was actually pretty good and headed down to the local pub.
3. Ended up having four more there.
4. Crawled back home and passed out...