Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

verdugo

Best of luck Mike!

abacomike

verdugo said:

Best of luck Mike!

Thanks, Verdugo.  I start in the morning.  Just hope side effects don't prevent me from driving my car.

roadburner

verdugo said:

Best of luck Mike!

Ditto!!!

abacomike

roadburner said:

Best of luck Mike!

Ditto!!!

Thanks RB

nyccarguy

Best of luck Mike! We are all rooting for you!

abacomike

nyccarguy said:

Best of luck Mike! We are all rooting for you!

Thanks, Bradd!

28firefighter

Good luck, Mike. Just keep your head up. 

abacomike

28firefighter said:

Good luck, Mike. Just keep your head up. 

Thanks.  Going to take my first dose in about 1-1/2 hours.  My support group told me the side effects of the Ribavirin are like a horse kicking you in the head.  Sweats, dizziness, insomnia, weakness, etc.  I took this drug 10 years ago and I remember how bad the side effects were.  I'll just have to see how long I can tolerate it.  Another bad side effect is possible anemia which they do frequent blood tests for.

I am very worried I won't be able to handle this alone.  I will know in a few days/weeks.

Thanks for the kind words of support.  I am just scared about this treatment.

oldfarmer50

Anyone looking for one of those Mercury Montereys with the tilted rear window...

Asking $4500

PF_Flyer

Best of luck Mike. And if that horse kicks you in the head, kick him back!

robr2

The Departed was on HBO last night. I watched it again for the umpteenth time. Then again with the combination of Scorcese, DiCaprio, Nicholson, Damon, Sheen, Wahlberg how could one not.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Anyone looking for one of those Mercury Montereys with the tilted rear window...

Asking $4500

That was me...but, not quite what I had in mind. Now, if you can find something more like this for $4500, I'd be interested.


1960 Lincoln

abacomike

PF_Flyer said:

Best of luck Mike. And if that horse kicks you in the head, kick him back!

Thanks.  Took my first dose 2 hours ago.  Decided to come up here to Boca Town Center Mall for my daily walk - I am sitting in the mall by the Apple Store right now because I got so fatigued.  That was one of the side effects I was worried about.  Dizziness can occur at any time.  I remember these side effects from 10 years ago when I took Ribavirin with the interferon.  As soon as I am up to it, I'm going straight home.

graphicguy

robr2 said:

The Departed was on HBO last night. I watched it again for the umpteenth time. Then again with the combination of Scorcese, DiCaprio, Nicholson, Damon, Sheen, Wahlberg how could one not.

Great flick. Then again, I love anything Scorcese makes.

stever

oldfarmer50 said:

Why not take your week off and surprise her by showing up unannounced? Bet that would mean more to her than if you stayed the whole month.

Great idea - or just go over for the first week and come home by yourself.

It's company season here and our first houseguest is here (of 7 scheduled through the first of December). Having friends traveling around and popping in makes me want to do the same thing.

Paid $1.89 for gas yesterday - it's $1.77 downtown but that was 8 miles away.

oldfarmer50

Happy Halloween!

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Anyone looking for one of those Mercury Montereys with the tilted rear window...

Asking $4500

That was me...but, not quite what I had in mind. Now, if you can find something more like this for $4500, I'd be interested.


1960 Lincoln

Wow, that Lincoln certainly has flair. I wonder if Lincolns aren't more collectable because of their rarity. You seldom see them at the antique auctions. Not like Chevys, Plymouths or Fords.

houdini1

They need to take the deck lid off and put in a hot tub...but don't put that window down !!

imidazol97

oldfarmer50 said:

1960 Lincoln

Wow, that Lincoln certainly has flair. I wonder if Lincolns aren't more collectable because of their rarity. You seldom see them at the antique auctions. Not like Chevys, Plymouths or Fords.


I can only recall having seen 1 of that style Lincoln in my years of car cruise-ins and shows. It was medium blue and it was in a small town near here. I wonder if a lot of those are in museums or just kept in storage by owners. There can't be many of those that were sold. Someone probably knows how to look up that data.

Mr_Shiftright

Unfortunately, rarity doesn't always translate into collectability or value. And since that Lincoln isn't worth very much, hardly anyone would take on a restoration.

They made 4,397 Lincoln 4D hardtops in 1960, and 4,200 Lincoln Premiere 4D hardtops and 6,604 Lincoln Continental 4D hardtops. So if we presume a 10% survival rate, that's 1500 left, and if we presume a 10% registered and running rate, that's only a couple hundred cars at best.

isellhondas

abacomike said:

verdugo said:

Best of luck Mike!

Thanks, Verdugo.  I start in the morning.  Just hope side effects don't prevent me from driving my car.

Hoping the side effects are minimal. I think they tend to overplay this to protect themselves and I hope this is the case for you. I take a blood pressure pill every day and the label warns about dizzyness but this hasn't happened. Hang in there!

oldfarmer50

Mr_Shiftright said:

Unfortunately, rarity doesn't always translate into collectability or value. And since that Lincoln isn't worth very much, hardly anyone would take on a restoration.

They made 4,397 Lincoln 4D hardtops in 1960, and 4,200 Lincoln Premiere 4D hardtops and 6,604 Lincoln Continental 4D hardtops. So if we presume a 10% survival rate, that's 1500 left, and if we presume a 10% registered and running rate, that's only a couple hundred cars at best.

I know noting of collectibility but I always thought Lincoln had some interesting styles.


First saw a 1940 Zephyr on a car show and thought it was cool.

stickguy

for some reason, the only WWII vintage car I ever wanted was a '41 Willys. I think because of all the cool gasser hot rods.

iluvmysephia1

I had and have insurance with GEICO. A couple of months ago, I received notice of my premium for two vehicles, BMW and Acura both new, of about $2,100 a year. I have been with this company for a decade. Up until this year, I had a daughter on my policy, now 23, but she left this year. So I was expecting a nice rate decrease, which did not happen.

I decided to take a look at rates from some other companies. I settled on a new policy with The Hartford for about $1,400 a year. A nice savings and the coverage was better, lower deductible.

I called GEICO to cancel the upcoming $2,100 policy. I was immediately turned over to a GEICO expert for my state. After a short period, the "expert" came back with a policy comparable to The Hartford at about $990 a year.

Gonna e-mail my local American Family Insurance agent later this weekend so he can get a new quote for me on my '11 Kia Soul clear white 5-speed base. I'd be surprised if he can't beat $172.27 a month the gecko co.feels is just fine!

abacomike

isellhondas said:

verdugo said:

Best of luck Mike!

Thanks, Verdugo.  I start in the morning.  Just hope side effects don't prevent me from driving my car.

Hoping the side effects are minimal. I think they tend to overplay this to protect themselves and I hope this is the case for you. I take a blood pressure pill every day and the label warns about dizzyness but this hasn't happened. Hang in there!

After getting home this morning at 10:00 AM after not much of a walk, I slept 3 hours on and off and feel weak and achy and have a headache.  Nope, they were right about the side effects - that's for sure.

Definitely feel 180 degrees different from yesterday.  Was able to complete my walk and felt fine.  I just hope I can get used to these miserable side effects on the short run.  I feel more like I have the flu - which is one of the side effects as well.


I will try to beat this - that's a promise.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Anyone looking for one of those Mercury Montereys with the tilted rear window...

Asking $4500

That was me...but, not quite what I had in mind. Now, if you can find something more like this for $4500, I'd be interested.


1960 Lincoln

Wow, that Lincoln certainly has flair. I wonder if Lincolns aren't more collectable because of their rarity. You seldom see them at the antique auctions. Not like Chevys, Plymouths or Fords.

Yeh, that Lincoln was built when cars were cars and men were men, and women...well, you know where I was going with this.......lost my train of thought.

Lincolns of that vintage probably didn't hold up that well for one thing. Those sales figures are interesting...with those numbers it hardly seemed worth making them. Profit was high and it did seem to raise the level of the rest of the Ford line.

abacomike

driver100 said:

Anyone looking for one of those Mercury Montereys with the tilted rear window... Asking $4500

That was me...but, not quite what I had in mind. Now, if you can find something more like this for $4500, I'd be interested. 1960 Lincoln

Wow, that Lincoln certainly has flair. I wonder if Lincolns aren't more collectable because of their rarity. You seldom see them at the antique auctions. Not like Chevys, Plymouths or Fords.

Yeh, that Lincoln was built when cars were cars and men were men, and women...well, you know where I was going with this.......lost my train of thought. Lincolns of that vintage probably didn't hold up that well for one thing. Those sales figures are interesting...with those numbers it hardly seemed worth making them. Profit was high and it did seem to raise the level of the rest of the Ford line.

My dad bought a 1966 Lincoln Continental 4-door with the suicide doors.  He often remarked that he made a big mistake going from Cadillac to Lincoln.  The Lincoln was just a floating "boat" - handling was loose-goosie and very underpowered.  Too much plastic on the dash and front panel.  He replaced that car with a 1967 Cadillac and never owned another Ford product again.

The Cadillac handled better, interior was richer and softer, and the ride was smooth but you could feel the road.  I drove the cars and I agreed.

I owned a 1988 Brown Lincoln Town Car with brown cloth roof and brown leather interior and it was like riding on a flying carpet.  The car was not a good city vehicle but on the road, it was smooth as silk.  That car was also underpowered.

isellhondas

Cadillac was WAY ahead of Lincoln when it came to workmanship.

I love the looks of a 1966 Lincoln sedan but they don't handle and have a lot of mechanical problems that Cadillac didn't heve.

tjc78

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

Anyone looking for one of those Mercury Montereys with the tilted rear window... Asking $4500

That was me...but, not quite what I had in mind. Now, if you can find something more like this for $4500, I'd be interested. 1960 Lincoln

Wow, that Lincoln certainly has flair. I wonder if Lincolns aren't more collectable because of their rarity. You seldom see them at the antique auctions. Not like Chevys, Plymouths or Fords.

Yeh, that Lincoln was built when cars were cars and men were men, and women...well, you know where I was going with this.......lost my train of thought. Lincolns of that vintage probably didn't hold up that well for one thing. Those sales figures are interesting...with those numbers it hardly seemed worth making them. Profit was high and it did seem to raise the level of the rest of the Ford line.

My dad bought a 1966 Lincoln Continental 4-door with the suicide doors.  He often remarked that he made a big mistake going from Cadillac to Lincoln.  The Lincoln was just a floating "boat" - handling was loose-goosie and very underpowered.  Too much plastic on the dash and front panel.  He replaced that car with a 1967 Cadillac and never owned another Ford product again.

The Cadillac handled better, interior was richer and softer, and the ride was smooth but you could feel the road.  I drove the cars and I agreed.

I owned a 1988 Brown Lincoln Town Car with brown cloth roof and brown leather interior and it was like riding on a flying carpet.  The car was not a good city vehicle but on the road, it was smooth as silk.  That car was also underpowered.

I loved my 89 Town Car. Nothing rides like a Panther!  Yes they were under powered. I never understood why they didnt put the 5.0 HO engine in at least as an option.  The Mark VII and Mustang had it. 

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Anyone looking for one of those Mercury Montereys with the tilted rear window...

Asking $4500

That was me...but, not quite what I had in mind. Now, if you can find something more like this for $4500, I'd be interested.


1960 Lincoln

Wow, that Lincoln certainly has flair. I wonder if Lincolns aren't more collectable because of their rarity. You seldom see them at the antique auctions. Not like Chevys, Plymouths or Fords.

Yeh, that Lincoln was built when cars were cars and men were men, and women...well, you know where I was going with this.......lost my train of thought.

Lincolns of that vintage probably didn't hold up that well for one thing. Those sales figures are interesting...with those numbers it hardly seemed worth making them. Profit was high and it did seem to raise the level of the rest of the Ford line.

My dad bought a 1966 Lincoln Continental 4-door with the suicide doors.  He often remarked that he made a big mistake going from Cadillac to Lincoln.  The Lincoln was just a floating "boat" - handling was loose-goosie and very underpowered. .

That was true of all Fords of that era - 60s. I drove taxi cabs and taught driving at that time and I preferred Chryslers for handling , GMs were a close second, and Fords lacked any feel for steering and handling. The |Chryslers seemed more nimble, but were the least reliable. Most of the late 60s Fords had to be started by holding the gear shift up in the air a bit with your left hand, while you turned the key with your right hand. I was told it was a Ford thing. The shifter was a bit loose and you had to do that to make contact.

I remember a review of the 1969 Large Ford and it said the Ford Galaxy felt clumsy and dumb. I thought that explained it really well.

Last year we had 8 kids come for Halloween.....this year 3! We have about 15 large chocolate bars leftover

ab348

Ford power steering was numb as I recall, though for years they used that goofy linkage-assisted steering which seemed really primitive. But Chrysler's was zero feel and very light back then. Fords in the '60s and '70s seemed rather poorly designed in lots of areas compared to GM and to a lesser extent, Chrysler.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

for some reason, the only WWII vintage car I ever wanted was a '41 Willys. I think because of all the cool gasser hot rods.

Yeah, but look what you could do with the Zephyr.

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Anyone looking for one of those Mercury Montereys with the tilted rear window...

Asking $4500

That was me...but, not quite what I had in mind. Now, if you can find something more like this for $4500, I'd be interested.


1960 Lincoln

Wow, that Lincoln certainly has flair. I wonder if Lincolns aren't more collectable because of their rarity. You seldom see them at the antique auctions. Not like Chevys, Plymouths or Fords.

Yeh, that Lincoln was built when cars were cars and men were men, and women...well, you know where I was going with this.......lost my train of thought.

Lincolns of that vintage probably didn't hold up that well for one thing. Those sales figures are interesting...with those numbers it hardly seemed worth making them. Profit was high and it did seem to raise the level of the rest of the Ford line.

My dad bought a 1966 Lincoln Continental 4-door with the suicide doors.  He often remarked that he made a big mistake going from Cadillac to Lincoln.  The Lincoln was just a floating "boat" - handling was loose-goosie and very underpowered.  Too much plastic on the dash and front panel.  He replaced that car with a 1967 Cadillac and never owned another Ford product again.

The Cadillac handled better, interior was richer and softer, and the ride was smooth but you could feel the road.  I drove the cars and I agreed.

I owned a 1988 Brown Lincoln Town Car with brown cloth roof and brown leather interior and it was like riding on a flying carpet.  The car was not a good city vehicle but on the road, it was smooth as silk.  That car was also underpowered.

I loved my 89 Town Car. Nothing rides like a Panther!  Yes they were under powered. I never understood why they didnt put the 5.0 HO engine in at least as an option.  The Mark VII and Mustang had it. 

My Mark VIII is certainly not underpowered even though the 3.09 rear isn't designed for drag racing. It isn't the smoothest riding either (even when it still had the air ride). It is a comfortable cruiser that really shines on freeway ramps. At speed when the revs are up it will snap your neck. Wish it had sports mode like the Ford.

roadburner

My dad had a Mark VII LSC; it was a very nice luxury sport coupe. It is the only Lincoln I ever seriously considered owning.

berri

I don't see a lot of Lincoln's at car shows, but when it comes to early to mid 60's I think I see even fewer Mercury's from that time period for whatever reason. I also seldom see late 50's Mercury's which is kind of a shame because they were on separate chassis from Ford's back then.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

My dad had a Mark VII LSC; it was a very nice luxury sport coupe. It is the only Lincoln I ever seriously considered owning.

I think the LSC had a 3.73 rear which made it much quicker off the line. I'd love to have one of those.

oldfarmer50

Watching Motor Week on PBS and they had a flashback on the 1980 Mustang GT. The 5.0 put out 157hp and 240torque. Wow! Camaro Z-28 only had 147hp and weighed almost 3400 pounds.

Bet you could outrun them on foot.

bwia

abacomike said:

I got a call from my doctor at 9:00 AM this morning with some bad news.  The blood test I took last week showed that the Hepatitis C is again spreading in my blood and liver.  I was shocked and became very depressed.  After 12 weeks on the drug it showed no viral count but one month later after I stopped taking the drug (Harvoni) it is back as strong as before.

There is another drug regimen that includes a drug I took in 2005 that gave me terrible side effects - Ribarivin I think it's called - which has to be taken with another drug.  I would feel faint when taking my shower and it was difficult to drive do my Dad drove me when needed.  I don't have Dad any longer so I am in a dilemma.

I think the cost of the drugs are very expensive and my insurance may not approve any more treatments.  So I may just have to live with this disease.  It eventually causes sorosis and in its final stages - liver cancer.

Needless to say I am not handling this very well.  I will have to see what the doctor and the insurance company have in store for me.

All I can ask from you guys is to pray for me.  

Mike, I've been off the board for a while but you are in our prayers. Don't give up, there's got to be a drug out there that shows promise or at least provide some relief. Peruse Google-Scholar to see what the literature says about new to approaches to treating Hep-C.

abacomike

bwia said:

I got a call from my doctor at 9:00 AM this morning with some bad news.  The blood test I took last week showed that the Hepatitis C is again spreading in my blood and liver.  I was shocked and became very depressed.  After 12 weeks on the drug it showed no viral count but one month later after I stopped taking the drug (Harvoni) it is back as strong as before.

There is another drug regimen that includes a drug I took in 2005 that gave me terrible side effects - Ribarivin I think it's called - which has to be taken with another drug.  I would feel faint when taking my shower and it was difficult to drive do my Dad drove me when needed.  I don't have Dad any longer so I am in a dilemma.

I think the cost of the drugs are very expensive and my insurance may not approve any more treatments.  So I may just have to live with this disease.  It eventually causes sorosis and in its final stages - liver cancer.

Needless to say I am not handling this very well.  I will have to see what the doctor and the insurance company have in store for me.

All I can ask from you guys is to pray for me.  

Mike, I've been off the board for a while but you are in our prayers. Don't give up, there's got to be a drug out there that shows promise or at least provide some relief. Peruse Google-Scholar to see what the literature says about new to approaches to treating Hep-C.

Thanks, BWIA, for the suggestion.  I am online all the time.  Right now, the only regimen prescribed for two-time "losers" (failed irradiation of HEP C twice) is Veikira Pak + Ribavirin, which is what I am on.  There are new drugs coming out in early 2016.  The major difference between this drug and others is that it targets viral replication of the virus.  In other words, instead of trying to kill the virus directly, it targets its ability to reproduce.  Eventually, through attrition, the virus eventually dies.

They couldn't give me anything similar to Harvoni (which I just finished after 12 weeks - virus came back) because the virus has built up a tolerance for those types of drugs.

Merck has a new pharmaceutical coming out in a few months so if this doesn't work, perhaps they will put me on that one.

It's just the side effects of these drugs that are affecting my life right now.  My viral loads are very low to moderate compared to 90% of the Hep C population.  Mine was 351,000 before Harvoni and 4 weeks after treatment, it's 152,000.  The average viral load for baby-boomers is 2-4 million.  Baby boomers are the ones mostly affected because the virus was unknown until 1988-90 which is when they started screening blood banks for the Hep C virus.

Thankfully, my liver enzymes are elevated, but the virus has not yet caused sorosis or tumors or cancer.  The end result of Hep C viral infection is liver cancer.

I follow a Hep C support group online where I share and learn how others who are in my exact predicament handle side effects and take the same medications after two other attempts to kill the virus.  The more attempts made to unsuccessfully destroy the virus, the less effective subsequent treatments are with other drugs.  That's also why I have to be on this regimen for 24 weeks.

After 2-3 weeks, I will have blood tests done to check liver function, viral loads, blood counts, heart, etc., because of the heavier side effects of this new regimen.

carnaught

Mike, Harvoni doesn't kill the virus, per se, rather it's two anti-virals target different pathways of viral replication.

Sorry you're experiencing such severe side-effects. Hopefully this regimen, however, will do it's job and prevent any sequellae. So, your's isn't the genotype 1 strain, I guess?

abacomike

carnaught said:

Mike, Harvoni doesn't kill the virus, rather it's two anti-virals target different pathways of viral replication. Sorry you're experiencing such severe side-effects. Hopefully this regimen, however, will do it's job and prevent any sequellae. So, you don't have genotype 1 hep. C, I guess?

I do - genotype 1a.  What I'm taking now works on type 1a and 1b.  Unfortunately, the Harvoni worked, but only while I was taking it.  They should have kept me on it for 24 weeks, but they did not know how resistant my virus was.  8 weeks on Hsrvoni is standard, but because I had a previous treatment 10 years ago, they extended it to 12 weeks.

I just hope this drug gets it.  It's not just physical side effects the worry about - it's hemoglobin count, liver damage, etc., that is the worst.  That's why my blood tests will be more frequent than every 4 weeks at first.

I am skeptical, but what other choices do I have?  None right now.

houdini1

To all you Mets fans. I know it is very easy to be a gracious winner, but I am telling you, those Mets have a great team. The 4-1 series win by the Royals was very misleading. Anyone who watched those games knows that every game could have broken either way and that the margins were razor thin. Congrats to The Mets for a great season. My favorite to win the World Series next year is The Mets.

ab348

houdini1 said:

To all you Mets fans. I know it is very easy to be a gracious winner, but I am telling you, those Mets have a great team. The 4-1 series win by the Royals was very misleading. Anyone who watched those games knows that every game could have broken either way and that the margins were razor thin. Congrats to The Mets for a great season. My favorite to win the World Series next year is The Mets.

The stagecoach turned into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight for the Cinderella Mets. I've been a Mets fan for 10 years and have suffered through some of the worst teams in memory, so this year was more than a surprise, it was totally shocking. They rode some outstanding starting pitching to get to the Series, but their hitting was very streaky all year and their team defense was never very good this year. Hopefully for next year they can find a second baseman who can field and hit a little bit, and improve their consistency at the plate.

iluvmysephia1

houdini1 - I'm over in Dodge City, KS. Are you on the KS side or MO side of Kansas City? I was out yesterday watching my Seahawk's struggle with the Cowboys on TV and heard basically nothing about the World Series at the place I went to.

We talked football and places we've been and all that - but, considering the Big PooBaa of baseball was on nothing was even mentioned in passing of it. Are you a Royals fan? They are a heckuva baseball team!

PF_Flyer

houdini1 said:

To all you Mets fans. I know it is very easy to be a gracious winner, but I am telling you, those Mets have a great team. The 4-1 series win by the Royals was very misleading. Anyone who watched those games knows that every game could have broken either way and that the margins were razor thin. Congrats to The Mets for a great season. My favorite to win the World Series next year is The Mets.

I'm disappointed as a Met fan, but as a fan of the game of baseball... those were some of the best games I've seen in a looong time.

abacomike

I drove up to the Boca Town Center Mall this morning and took my walk. I was able to complete the entire circumferences of the mall but before walking to my car, I had to sit for about 15 minutes to regain some strength. If I can do that every morning, I'd be very happy - exercise is extremely important.

What I immediately noticed at the mall is that they had obviously spent the night getting the mall decorated for Christmas! Talk about rushing the season/holidays. Most of the mall stores do not have holiday decorations up, but the Take A Picture With Santa kiosk (huge) was in place and so were the electric train rides around Santa's Village. Doesn't Thanksgiving come before Christmas? Not one decoration for Thanksgiving.

The one store that is always the last to decorate for Christmas is Nordstrom's. They even put up a sign in their windows stating that they do not decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. I always admired their policy to "not rush the season".

abacomike

My sincerest sympathy to you Met Fans - they had a great post season in spite of losing the World Series. I can empathize with you guys - I've been a Chicago Cub Fan (Diehard Cub Fan Club) since 1968 so I know the pain, to be sure. I wonder if I will live to see that day the Cubs get to play in the World Series? Nah, never happen. And I am not asking for much - just "play" in the World Series - they don't have to win it! The years are gaining on me so they better work fast if I will live to see "the day"!

robr2

abacomike said:

I drove up to the Boca Town Center Mall this morning and took my walk. I was able to complete the entire circumferences of the mall but before walking to my car, I had to sit for about 15 minutes to regain some strength. If I can do that every morning, I'd be very happy - exercise is extremely important.

What I immediately noticed at the mall is that they had obviously spent the night getting the mall decorated for Christmas! Talk about rushing the season/holidays. Most of the mall stores do not have holiday decorations up, but the Take A Picture With Santa kiosk (huge) was in place and so were the electric train rides around Santa's Village. Doesn't Thanksgiving come before Christmas? Not one decoration for Thanksgiving.

The one store that is always the last to decorate for Christmas is Nordstrom's. They even put up a sign in their windows stating that they do not decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. I always admired their policy to "not rush the season".

Malls aren't the types of places that benefit from Thanksgiving hence they don't decorate for that holiday. I don't like it either so I protest in my own little way by muttering in my old man voice "too early, get off my lawn, damn you cloud."

abacomike

I usually drive up to Boca Raton every morning on the Florida Turnpike - fastest way up there - 15 minute drive to the mall from my Condo.

Coming back this morning, I exited at my usual exit and instead of going through the "SunPass" lane, which is in the far left lane, I usually stay in the far right lane because I have to make a fairly quick right turn after the toll booth. This old guy in a very old Lexus ES300, is driving through and "throws" his money at the toll booth collector (the far northern Broward County Exits still have some toll booths for those who want to pay cash). The Toll Booth Collector comes out of her enclosure and stands right at this guys left front door and told him to get out of his car and pick up the pennies, nickels and dimes he threw at her. He opens his door and gets out of his car with his "cane" and begins to pick up the coins. He was short some money and had to go into his wallet to give her a $1.00 bill. He gets back into his car and waits for his change.

I am sitting right behind this guy and heard the scolding he took from the toll collector. The toll collector takes the change, walks up to the left front door of this guy's car and "throws" the change right at his lap and tells him to get the heck (I cleaned this up a bit) out of here.

Now, there are only two reasons this guy would throw money at the toll collector:

1. He can't see very well or had dementia and thought it was an "exact" change booth
2. He had some beef with the Turnpike authority or with toll collectors.

I don't know if I would have made him pick up his pennies and nickels and dimes after seeing he needed a cane, but I sure would have scolded him and probably had thrown the change right back at him!

Ah, Southeast Coast of Florida - God's Waiting Room.

suydam

I bet he thought it was an exact change bucket. I understand the collector's frustration, but it's always best to be kind.