You’ve also got to consider that she’s a novelist. We tend to over-express ourselves with written words.

By no means am I a Mustang fan, but ironically I had “A Faster Horse” playing on Netflix while reading this. If the guy who was responsible for this design pops up, I’ll send you his name... Then you can track him down and rage-vomit on his desk.

As a resident of Virginia, I agree that the annual inspections suck. They’re an inconvenience, and the dishonest shops are a headache! However, having been previously employed by a state inspection station, I know a few tips to avoid Big Jim’s rip-offs.

Yeah, that was a running joke between him and I for a couple years.
Dad: You know what really ____ (insert endings like “pisses me off”, “grinds my gears”, “burns my up”)?
Me: Smart cars?
Dad: ...
He always told me it’s better to be a smartass than a dumbass

My dad can relate to this. His dad was dying from Alzheimer’s, he was going through a tough divorce from his second wife (that stemmed from a big mistake he made), and he had just pissed off the leaders of the city he worked for in a high-profile way. Go figure when a Smart car cuts him off in traffic, he has a bit of…

That’s... freaking cool

There’s a book called Scarecrow, by Matthew Reilly, where the main guy is making an escape. He goes into the garage of a really rich guy, and sees all manner of supercars... and an Impreza rally car. Guess which one he steals?

When I was growing up, my grandma had an early ‘90's GMC Safari. I hated that thing back then because of the “It’s not cool to ride in a van” stigma; but as an adult, I miss that damn thing. It was the only car that ran reliably in my family from 1999-2002; and after high school it was what my grandma used it for…

For some reason, that reminded me of this:

MERCURY MYSTIQUE MISTAKE

Where I live, I get to see & hear F-22's fly over very often. When their flight plan has them pass over my place in a sweeping left turn, they emit this eerie, yet oddly satisfying “vvwwwWWWWOOOOoooooooo” sound in addition to the standard fighter jet noises one would typically hear. I still haven’t figured out what it…

For some reason, I read that in Cheryl Tunt’s voice...

Because they do?? Seriously, I love watching the Raptors’s fly over when they’re doing fight ops (dat engine whine!!), but they always look like they’re lazily cruising along. The Talons, on the other hand, look like they’re auditioning for the Top Gun sequel. Oddly enough, they also tend to fly lower over populated…

You think that’s back, try driving around Hampton Roads...

The worst part about the #1 pick’s sleeper status? The fact that only the sharpest trained eyes can tell the difference between the Model S variants. There’s a dentist up the road from me who has an S, and I asked him how he liked the Autopilot and the Ludicrous Mode; the light kinda died in his eyes, and his response…

I didn’t realize there were people who hadn’t heard of Alestorm... They’re my go-to band every time my friends and I hit the beach!

Unfortunately there isn’t much in the way of “official” documentation I’ve seen that implies anything about the reliability record of our carriers; mostly just word of mouth from people in the know. However, with some meticulous Google-fu, a savvy internet user should be able to find news articles that state problems…

Minor correction Tyler, the refueling part can only be performed in Newport News, at their shipyard. Norfolk just starts the process before the ship is towed to NNS, who then performs the nuclear work.

Also, you’re right about the “incredibly complex logistics”, or rather, the logistical nightmare... Thanks to the age…

Except for when it comes to the F-35...

My grandparents use their lawn tractor to tow everything with a trailer hitch around their property.