My used 01 VW Golf TDI started as an experiment with home-brew biodiesel. I went with the VW for its power, manual transmission, and low cost replacement parts (I considered a 98 MB E300TD but a motor replacement would be $12K compared to $3K for the VW). To date, the TDI has cost me a total of $44K which is not bad…

I found this for you:

There’s also asparagus, spinach, and a lot of drugs...my brother-in-law is a federal agent in that jurisdiction.

Never heard of that one. I recall the feces from wild boar causing issues with baby spinach. Funny thing is the I just drove through Salinas, California today and passed by all the major food companies that had similar issues over the last 10 years. They have open season on boar here for a reason.

My best turkey leg story was trying to mimic Disneyland’s offering (back when they were $5). My local international market sold raw turkey legs for $1.50 a leg. I bought two, brined them, and threw them into my grill after a short grilling session. The temperature was probably about 270. We ate all the other…

I think I’ll just keep what I’m doing. I can’t think of a time that I felt sick after having a wedge of fruit in my drink. As someone who read about germ theory, a mild exposure to germs could be essential for a strong immune system.

I’m all for redemption and restoration rather than punitive justice. The former requires remorse, self-examination, and consideration for the victims. The latter seems to be more focused on punishing the perp without focusing on healing the victim nor changing the behavior of the perp. I think folks like the…

One thing I notice while driving a car in the HOV lane in southern California is that after a motorcycle line-splits between the HOV and number 1 lane in traffic, prepare for brake lights ahead. I think drivers reaction is to move over to the left while other drives tap the brakes when something unexpected occurs…

Haven’t driven a Tesla, but our Fiat 500e is rather zippy thanks to the 9.6:1 reduction gear. Lots of wheel torque for low-end acceleration; not so much for freeway passing power. Sometimes it’s a little much and I can see the benefits of a chill mode. Your tires will thank you, and perhaps folks susceptible to…

I live more than 600 miles away from an active coal powered plant. My house has a 4.8kW solar array. We’ve got a Fiat 500e that sees 200 miles a day, a Lexus hybrid, an old TDI, and a Duramax. I guess the latter two can be labeled a coal plant.

Similar tactic as I do with mosquito bites, I tap/pat/slap the wound rather than scratch. It isn’t as satisfying, but it prevents the strange combination of addiction and agitation.

I’m neither black nor white and as I read your list, I could imagine people in my own life who fit each one. The common thread in all of them is that they are all talk...and talk is cheap. Talk is at least something. It’s not apathy like you would have 70 years ago. But the issue I see is a lack of genuine…

I was parking at in the Disneyland parking structure and follow a Kia that seemed very confused. We can to a complete stop at an intersection of parking cones and I started having a really bad feeling. I stopped about 7ft from him and had nowhere to go. The second I see his reverse lights come on, I start rapidly…

I could buy into an argument that the officer was concerned and suspicious about the state of mind and fitness of the motorist. In my opinion, this guy doesn’t seem like someone with whom I would want to share the road. If you lack the common sense of being courteous to another human being (must less a guy with a…

My preference is to use a ricer. I’ve never had instant potatoes so maybe I haven’t been jaded by them. One thing I like to do when with mashed potatoes is adding a little wasabi to the mash and then using a soy-ginger sauce on top instead of gravy. Goes really well with salad or fish. Using warm dairy is pretty…

I cringe my friend of mine have bought perfectly clean S2000s only to mod the hell out of them. Just buy a modded car and re-mod them to your liking. There’s a shortage of unmolested tuner cars out there.

Oh sure. $11K is a lot of money...I wish I had an extra $11K right now. However, $11K is about 68% less than the average priced wedding or average priced new car.

I was that hero last year by bringing a light and bright soy-peanut cabbage slaw. I chop up cabbage, roasted peanuts, cilantro, and green onion. Then I make a dressing out of seasoned soy sauce, seasoned sesame oil, a dash of brown sugar, pepper, a dash of sriracha, and lemon juice. You’re never too full to eat…

I must admit in my younger years that I the satisfaction of my food would play into my tip, but I later realized that the back of house and front of house have distinct roles and are compensated differently. Sadly, I tend to tip better at higher end restaurants because the servers simply do a better job of being…

I had a similar idea about 10 years ago. My techie uncle at the time saw no value in it at the time. Now he has two constantly hungry teenaged swimmers and they religiously use Google to see the analytics of when to would go to a restaurant while it’s off-peak.