@badmutha: Same deal. All the lingering tensions of high school seem to have evaporated as soon as I was out of their hair for a few months. I didn't make it home until Christmas break, so I had grades in hand as evidence that I can actually live unsupervised. So they started treating me like an adult. Yay parents!

My mom was always the household's DIYer, my dad doesn't know an allen wrench from a pipe wrench. She's often complained about being condescended to by hardware store folks, but at least the whole family knows where to go when they need some home improvement advice.

So is there a thesis to this story, or is just more of an invitation to share your own personal story with regards to weight and family?

I like the idea in theory, but is this thing actually any better to drive than most pickup trucks? I'll admit I haven't driven a Ram. I've driven old Mazdas and Toyotas, an Isuzu box truck here and there, and the only recent "truck" I've driven is an E350 with the standard gas V8. These vehicles were universally awful…

I would start checking my e-mail on weekends and holidays if I got about, say, a 20% raise. Till then, work stays at the office.

So this is now a gratuitous Quattro pictures thread, yeah?

@jmellars: Uh... you know Britain came up with the Imperial system? They only switched to metric (officially) in 1995, but the old units are still in common use.

@TyLiPink: I'm 22 and have never dated. What really concerns me is that I'm sure that if I ever do meet someone, the situation will inevitably end with me acting like a 16 year old, since I don't have that experience from when I actually was 16.

@eraserface: ack! too/to mistake. whoops.

What do ya'll think of the Fit? My mom was in the market for a small hatch, she test drove one and said it was to slow and vague for her. She ended up getting a Saturn Astra.

Interesting read- the core of the letter makes some very good points about it making market sense to go heavier.

Does anyone else have to restrain themselves from sending out a snarky e-mail whenever they see "2WD-Rear" on a dealer craigslist a for a Golf? Or "Engine-V6" for a 3-series. For some reason I see these mistakes constantly, and they bug me every time.

I'll freely admit that in my teenage years I was known to buy a dub in the local target parking lot. Nothing to be ashamed of!

I love this comment thread. Someone has come out of the woodwork to defend nearly everything, or at least had some info that makes even the most tragic examples of badge engineerings slightly interesting.

Does it weird anybody out that they turbocharged that 2.5?

@weaselina: If I was a von Weezel I would name my son Snidely.

Maybe the problem is that everyone in that market can pick up a used Toyota Pickup for 5 grand or less and know that it will last just as long as a brand new F150.

@BeetsGoOn: I agree, this weirds me out. Reminds me of that game show scene from Requiem for a Dream. I mean if I was there I would probably get swept up in it so can't blame anyone in attendance, but it's still odd to see consumerism celebrated like that. How about they throw in 5 grand in a CD account and skip the…

I think relating this stuff to overall happiness is kind of a problem with these studies. Yeah, buying a pricey stereo for my car probably won't have any effect on my overall satisfaction with life, but it will make my commute a lot more fun when I listen to the new Girl Talk album on full blast. My overall happiness…

@BloggerBobTSA: Yes, but any cell phone can snap a quick pic of the screen showing the man with the funny-shaped penis or the impressively attractive woman and upload it to facebook for all to see.