deej

>Never understood why the price per gallon was always so much >more in the Bay Area. Is there a hefty gas tax there? Or >does it somehow cost more to produce and distribute gas >there? There are many factors, none of which add up. A lot of oil is still drilled at offshore rigs in CA, refined in CA, and sold as gas in CA. Oil companies are still charging us for environmental protection measures that allow them to drill here, long after that cost has been recovered. People also say that real estate for gas stations themselves is more expensive in LA and SF, which is true enough. But JEEZ! I heard early in the Iraq conflict that the bulk of CA's gas supply comes from Iraqi oil. They've been a little distracted over there. But it still twists my shorts to drive to Vegas and see gas cheaper BY A LONG SHOT than in LA (or the bay area). I've seen differences of almost $1/gallon. We're being gouged. And they get away with it because they know Californians will pay it.

>Where in Alexandria can you get gas for 1.95/gallon?!!! If >that wasn't a typo, I so want to go to the gas station that >you go to. But you have to look like Talvin to get that price. :9

Chicago is actually more likely than Silverlake. ;-) I'm not driving 40 miles for a cuppa coffee.

>Deej you will have to get over to Cafe Intelligentsia. Being >from Chicago I am or at least hope you are familiar with them. >I give them a solid A for their espresso. I've yet to try >their drip coffee. Maybe this summer when I get back to >Chicago. Honey, I haven't been back to Chicago in several years but I'll sure look the place up if I ever get back there.

Ouchie, Jared! Can I kiss the booboo and make it better? }( You make an interesting observation that is actually far beyond your years. As recently as 2001 we were seeing gas prices at $.89/gallon in some areas. When I graduated high school in 1976 people were scandalized that gas might go over $1/gallon. My yearbook even had a picture of a gas pump to symbolize the shock. 25 years later, in 2001, we still had gas at $.89 in some areas. Now cook the numbers from 2001 to 2007 -- a scant 6 years. We're seeing prices easily over $3/gallon and I've seen reports saying the auto makers are planning for $4 and $5/gallon. (You thought the hybrids were built out of a sense of responsibility? They know what's coming!) There is little reality in gas prices.

>Move closer to work? Not always practical. I live 2 miles from my office and still drive to work often. (Many days I either bike or walk.) If I need to make a pickup or dropoff at one of the airports, a bike won't cut it. If I need to run to the doctor for the monthly bloodletting, it's 30 miles one-way and no way to get there but the freeway. If I need to visit a client site, it's probably in a different county. If I want to swing by Starbucks, it's 10 miles out of the way. (Yes, I know you hate Starbucks but it's the best we've got anywhere near.) Another reason moving closer to work isn't practical is some people have mortgages and the house won't sell quickly, or they are stuck in leases that may well outlast the job. It's just not as simple as moving closer, kiddo. We don't all live in the inner city. (I did live in the inner city for a long time, and didn't have a car for 15 years so I support your general idea but I temper it with reality.)

I paid $3.41 outside LA this afternoon.

>Her collection is located in her home, Bayou Bend Bayou Bend wouldn't make a bad drag name either. :7

One of my favorites is a guy who used to perform all over the midwest: Aura Lee

>I don't mean to be impolite Yes, you do. >but maybe Liza can't afford the >"extra" business deductions. Or maybe she doesn't need the circus elephants. Her best shows have always been just a lady and a microphone. I'll have to defer to your superior knowledge of her financial need. Meanwhile she's booked around the country, and back in Vegas for Thanksgiving, and apparently doing just fine. But we all know Rockhard is the ultimate barometer of success. Rock on with your own badass opinion.

Some of the allure, I suspect, is the triggered memories. Last time I saw Cher, for example, it wasn't classic Cher. It was the original Mackie costumes, and immaculate staging, and a fuckin' good show, but it was still a 60-year-old woman. The amazing thing about Liza's shows is it's one woman and a microphone. There are no dancers. There are no circus elephants. There are no Harlettes. Just a lady and a microphone, telling you stories. (Streisand's forte.) I was actually prepared to hate it. But Liza's enthusiasm (and raw talent) sucked me in and I enjoyed it. I thought for a bit that I was completely living a memory but there was this little lady sitting next to me who'd never seen Liza before. She knew the name and made her husband get tickets. Hubby was mostly interested in sucking down the highballs he'd brought in with him, so she chatted with me. After two numbers, this little lady (a Liza newbie) was absolutely beside herself about how great the show was. I joked at one point "not bad for a sixty year old woman, eh?". She looked utterly shocked. "Sixty?!?!?! You've got to be kidding!" It's not the Liza of the 70's. But she's a seasoned performer who can tell a story through song and captivate an audience, with only a microphone for a prop. She doesn't need to hang from a cross or dance with a cast of hundreds. Just a lady and a microphone. It's a form of entertainment we're dangerously close to losing because damn few can pull it off.

Alan, I'll repost what I wrote originally: [blockquote]Liza today isn't the same as the Liza of the 70's or 80's (and let's forget the 90's), but she still has what made her Liza in the first place. She can deliver a song. It was 90 minutes of just plain entertainment.[/blockquote] If you're expecting "Liza with a Z" from a 20-something Liza, yes you'll be disappointed. You'd probably hate one of Tony Bennett's performances today as well. He's getting older, too. But the TWO people (out of all the posters on this thread) who actually saw the show both said they enjoyed it. Others who did NOT see the show are big ole buckets of negative. I don't know what that says, but it says something. :-(

So in other words, you didn't see it and don't know what you're talking about but it was awful anyway? Yes, the "Liza's Back" show was a travesty created by her then-husband David whatshisname. I saw it too. It was bad. The show I saw in Vegas last night wasn't anything like that.

I drove over to Vegas to see Liza @ Luxor this weekend. Wow, what a show! Liza today isn't the same as the Liza of the 70's or 80's (and let's forget the 90's), but she still has what made her Liza in the first place. She can deliver a song. It was 90 minutes of just plain entertainment. And even with two false hips and a fake knee she did a dance number that young choreographers (and lighting technicians) should study. The audience was interesting. There were a plethora of old people (canes and walkers were everywhere), and a bunch of fags with boy toys/arm candy. (Yes, I was taking numbers.) This was closing night, but if she books a venue near you don't hesitate. She truly puts on a great show.

Or... WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!?!?!?! > ALL these web sites actually exist, selling something totally benign. > > 1. A site called 'Who represents' where you can find the name of the > agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name... > http://www.whorepresents.com/ > > 2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange > advice and views at: > http://www.expertsexchange.com/ > > 3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island. > http://www.penisland.net/ > > 4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at > http://www.therapistfinder.com/ . > > 5. Link removed, needed Password. > > 6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New > South Wales: > http://www.molestationnursery.com/ > > 7. If you're looking for computer software, there's always > http://www.ipanywhere.com/ > > 8. Then, of course, there's these brainless art designers, and their > wacky web site: > http://www.speedofart.com/ > > 9. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure web site at > http://www.gotahoe.com/

Nah. But as our resident living Calipygian example, some thoughts about Steven are just automatic.

Hi Steven, Beat you? Or spank you? ;-) Gas is even more expensive in the UK than on the continent, I'm told. However, I remember reading that in Europe a HUGE portion of gas prices are taxes where the US portion is comparatively small. I wouldn't mind paying European rates if the lion's share was paying for road improvements, or research into alternative fuels, or whatever municipal services the taxes are used for. That is sadly not the case. I paid $3.41/gallon outside LA this afternoon. :-(

>Interesting read on prices from post #1 just 5 months ago. Ummm... make that five YEARS ago. Even more of an interesting read with that in mind.

It's either a limit on that site that "goes away" once you've been to the site, or the pics load once you've visited there and have them in your local cache. Or it may be a bandwidth throttle. Some (but not all) of the pics show up for me now that I've been to the links that OneFinger posted. I suspect if I went further into the "other" pages, the rest would come along. Chalk it up to a learning experience.

>PS: Clearing the cache made all the red x's reappear. :-( Probably because you'd already been to the site directly.

In firefox, I don't even get the red x -- just an empty post. I'd avoid that host in the future. :o

When the topic is drag names, it STARTS in the silly zone. (And Ivana Tramp is taken. She works out of SF, I think.)

I've always been a little partial to a name a guy in the midwest (Wisconsin? Michigan?) uses: Aura Lee.

Weather reports in LA are actually pretty accurate, but how difficult is it to predict "haze in the morning burning off by noon"? ;-) Traffic reports are likewise predictable. In any rush hour, we'll have: 1) A problem SOMEWHERE on the 405, and if not well it's no picnic in normal conditions 2) Major bottleneck at the 101/405 intersection, more so since it's a construction zone until 2014 3) A problem SOMEWHERE on the 210 somewhere near Azusa 4) Santa Monica freeway will be gridlocked Add a problem on any other freeway to the mix, and you'll probably be pretty close to the truth. :+

Depending on your locale, porn star sightings are a lot more common than you think but most guys don't notice. It's a lot like bumping into your Doctor's receptionist at the grocery store. She's out of context. It takes a minute to place her because she isn't behind the desk and wearing a smock. It's the same with porn stars. They often just don't look the same when they're wearing clothes. :9