GammaGlobulin

I recall that grinding sound, and the clunk when the first gear was finally engaged. I also recall that whining sound when downshifting into 1st, too early. I love manual transmissions. Those were the days when we knew our automobiles were a She.

First gear was never synchronized, in most cars. Nobody downshifts into first gear. Why would you?

Austin-Healey was too expensive. I would have preferred an XKE, at the time. USD6000, in 1967. The neighbor had one. She drove it like a grandmother. Criminal, we thought.

Dogs don't have a face. Neither do they frown. Keep them fed and watered, and they're good to go. Who is caring for your dog while you are in Chiang Mai? One of the three faces?

When you speak of a statistical sample, and, especially, when you italicise the word "statistical", one wonders what you mean. Statistically speaking,.. Would you please report to us your statisticical analysis? Such a thing is easier said than done. How much do you know about proving validity, statistically speaking? Please just strut your statistical stuff, and show us that you know how to use statistics to arrive at a valid conclusion, based on your data. Please don't play fast and loose if you, actually, know nothing about statistics, such as confidence.

Yes, you might think so. However, This car is very light. It's more or less just a skateboard. This car can do 130 MPH. Some say 120. But, I had it past 125. Also, you can stop on a dime with this car. But, if you don't stop fast enough, then you wrack it up. And then, your head goes through the windscreen.

Right you are! I am the Artful Dodger who feints and weaves, and faints, again.

For that matter, what do you know about running dogs for the CCP, such as Rudd? Kevin drank the CCP Kool-aid, years ago. His Chinese language skills are excellent, for a farang. But, he paid the price by too much cosying up to the commies. He has become sort of like a new Philby. He has been corrupted by the Chinese Communist Party. Or, maybe, he was just basically Red, from the very beginning. If you are a red sympathizer such as he, there are plenty of golf courses in China for you, my friend.

Speaking of dogs, what do you know about the dingo?

I am unable to identify with the new name for ThaiVisa. You can call this great forum what you will, but I will always call it TV. TV, to me, means like watching the boob tube. Nobody admits they love to spend time watching the boob tube, and yet, they do. One thing I have learned is that TV is not a forum, exclusively, for boobs. Here on TV, you will find posters of every ilk. Personally, I do not mind, too much, that the name has changed. It's like calling a kettle black, rather than referencing the tea kettle. I would not mind if we reverted to the former name for this forum. But, I don't think changing the name, again, would amount to a hill of beans. Do you?

Plenty of people are qualified to pilot the RQ-4 Global Hawk. Please contact the manufacturer. Northrop Grumman, for referrals.

Not!!! Sorry, but sitting low, going fast, is not an oxymoron. Although, maybe, only a moron might choose to do so.

As you say, rants about almost anything and everything are never welcome. What is a rant, anyway? A rant, in my opinion, is characterized by BOMBASTIC extravagant speech. Ranting is not science. Does anybody know what science might be? Science is all about testing of hypotheses, and being able to design experiments which can test hypotheses. Normalcy, on the other hand, means never having to say you're sorry for not practicing the Scientific Method. Those were the good old days. Let's all have more Tears and Fears, and superstition in our world. Back to normal, now. During the pandemic, most people acted more logically. Those days, sadly, are gone.

Since I have promised to not, again, speak with you in a joking or jocular way, I won't But, if I wished to mention to you a joke, then I would mention Kevin Rudd. I only mention Kevin Rudd, since you, yourself, mentioned another PM of an island of no more than 22 million insignificant people. Of course, I am not joking, because I promised you that I would never joke, again.

Not all beer is equal. The smaller the bubbles, the better, even if the keg might be larger.

What is "bulk wine"? Bulk wine is table wine which helps you to bulk up. Gallon bottles of bulk wine, like Gallo gallon jugs, are not so easy to handle. I used to sell Gallo to winoes. I know the singular noun for wino. But, I am not sure if the plural of the noun for wino might be winoes. Anyone know? This is not a term which is often discussed by grammarians. Give a wino an expensive gift box from Martell, and he would not know that to do with it. Cheap wine not worth drinking. Expensive Cognac is a pleasure, if sipped tastefully, in a snifter. Otherwise, then why not LEO Beer?

Maybe, you should no longer deny that things were not just as good as you remember it? I bet they were.

Made and Bottled BY: Ernest & Julio Gallo.... Dew of the gods.....

By the GALLON:

Tiny Tim... And... The American Flag... Both together. Those were the good old days. Such nostalgia....

Sorry... But, I just mean... Sometimes, post-pandemic, I feel such nostalgia. Not about recent years, particularly, but about nostalgia for many years, past...

Dear Friends, Most of you know something about Culture Shock, and even, so-called Reverse Culture Shock. For sure, most guys on this forum know what it means to return to Normalcy when one returns to one's Home Country. Surely, you do. This means, in some cases, months and years of adjusting to a new culture, when one's Home Country has evolved beyond anything one might have imagined. And, as we all know, returning to one's Home Country, after many years, is anything but returning to "normalcy". Perhaps, then, one might expect that our getting back to normalcy, after the pandemic, might be less than easy. I find it not so easy, in some respects. Maybe you, as I, find the crowds at the malls intimidating. Maybe you, as I, find the noise of planes flying overhead taxing. There are just so many new adjustments that we must make if we wish to return to our former world, pre-pandemic. Earlier today, or was it yesterday, I visited a huge mall. And, while there, I suddenly became consumed by the idea that I was just an ant, among ants, searching for products most ants do not need. For example, I saw about 100 different types of toothpaste, and, at least, 500 different types of shampoo. In fact, there were so many different types of almost everything that I began to hyperventilate. I almost feinted before one of the staff came to my aid, with a glass of lemonade. You know what, my friends....? I am not sure if I can do this. But, if I can do this, then I just want to begin living a much simpler life.....somewhere up in the mountains. I do not need 100 different types of toothpaste. And, I do not like to waste minutes of my life deciding which toothbrush will be best for me. And, even when I know which toothbrush is best for me, still, I can never find the same toothbrush, twice, since the packaging is always changing. OF COURSE: My Friends, I am not remarking about anything new. We, meaning you and I, have become accustomed to marketing, gradually, over many years. We know that the marketers of products treat us like lab rats. However, during the pandemic, and during this past two-year period of the pandemic, while self-quarantining, I have noticed that many of us have seemed happier. And, yesterday, while trying to find a parking place at the mall, I felt so stressed. I just was so sorry to see so many cars backed up, looking for a place to park. I was so sad, really. Sometimes, perhaps oftentimes, I miss the lockdown, for sure. Life was simpler during the lockdown. And so, are you, like me, already beginning to feel a bit of nostalgia for the pandemic lockdown? What can be done about this? Are you, as I, thinking about heading for the mountains in Thailand? Regards, GammaG Note: Best to you, my friends. I am the same as you.