Biggest employer by state

 

New China-Laos railway!

December 2021 Marin C&C photos

I had not been to a car show in forever and the boy wanted to go to one. So I found a sort-of-local show (45 minutes away), woke up early, and went. It was worth it. We both had fun.

The first thing we checked out was this dune buggy getting reverse winched out of a travel trailer. The badge said Cox, which appears to be a toy company. Later we saw this buggy wearing huge sunglasses. You read that right.

E28 M5.

FC RX-7.

SWB Land Rover truck. This was my son's favorite car at the show.

Unrestored(?) Corvette.

Celica GT.

Saleen Mustang.

V8-powered Volvo.

1968 Mark II Cortina.

Why does this Aston Martin look so unusual? Is it a hardtop? I don't think I've ever seen one like this. This was my favorite car at the show.

Another rad Mustang.

Dirty 968.

I told my son I learned to drive in one of these. He was distracted by the van.

Another old Merc.

Monza coupe.

This classic was just non-chalantly parked.

Die Another Day movie review

Could this be the worst Bond film ever?

Dave's review: Die Another Day takes things to a whole new level of awfulness. It features a cartoon plot, laughable dialogue, and mostly phoned in performances with the exception to Rosamund Pike. What's worse is that it tries to be serious by portraying Bond as a broken man due to being tortured in North Korean captivity. Nobody buys it for a minute. Like Tomorrow Never Dies, some of the action sequences are so long they become boring. The ice palace was a pretty cool sight to behold though, and the sword fight was somewhat entertaining. 

Dave's grade: D+

TT's review: This movie aged badly. Everything about this was terrible, except Rosamund Pike's presence. Pierce Brosnan's acting was piss poor. Halle Berry looked like she was acting in front of a green screen with not a single breathing human within 200 feet of her. Michael Madsen as the impatient Bush-era intelligence chief seemed out of place. And don't get me started on that weirdo Zao and his diamond encrusted face. Everything about the movie stunk. Thank gods Daniel Craig is about to swoop in and save the day/franchise.

I used to think Moonraker was the worst Bond film. Not anymore.

TT's grade: D-

Dave's reaction: It's kind of funny to think that this was Rosamund Pike's film debut. So if not for this, we may never have had Gone Girl! 

TT's reaction: I'll have to go over the past reviews, but this may be the worst Bond film.

Rate Die Another Day.

— Tamerlane's Thoughts (@TamerlaneBlog) November 21, 2021

All the references to past Bond movies in No Time to Die

Amazing compilation.

The World Is Not Enough movie review

My favorite movie set in Azerbaijan!

Dave's review: The World is Not Enough is Pierce Brosnan's best outing as 007. It is actually a very underrated entry that gets better with repeat viewings. Much of this credit can be given to Sophie Marceau who plays the villainess Electra. You may remember Marceau as the Queen in Braveheart. She is a fine actress and her chemistry with Brosnan's Bond drives this film. What also works in this film is that there are numerous scenes in which you believe Bond is in actual danger, or a tough spot at least. This element was missing from the first two Brosnan movies. The pre credits sequence is astounding, particularly the boat chase outside M16 headquarters. And yes of course there are the inevitable Denise Richards jokes and her name Christmas Jones certainly goes down as one of the worst in the franchise. But Richards wasn't horrible. You just obviously don't buy her as a nuclear scientist.

Dave's grade: B+

TT's review: I'm the kind of person who forgets the plot of a movie or book as soon as I finish it. But this is especially true of this, the most forgettable of Bond films. When I try to remember it, I just remember Baku, oil, and the BMW Z8 on the pier. But after seeing it recently, I realized it should be one of the most memorable because of my love for all things Central Asia and Silk Road. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey all play central roles in this geopolitics thriller. I think Denise Richards really spoiled the movie for everyone. Sophie Marceau was a near dud. But I am really glad they brought Zukovsky back. I like him a lot. And it was sad to see Desmond Llewelyn go.

TT's grade: B

Dave's reaction: It is just amazing seeing Desmond Llewelyn still playing Q ever since From Russia With Love. The truest of legends.

TT's reaction: What were they thinking with Christmas Jones!

Rate The World Is Not Enough.

— Tamerlane's Thoughts (@TamerlaneBlog) October 21, 2021

Overnight trip to Tiburon

A couple of weeks ago, I was informed that November 28 was the 20th anniversary of my first date with my wife, and she made a reservation at a hotel in Tiburon to celebrate, without the kids!

I've lived in the Bay Area for 26 years but I had never been to Tiburon. I've always known it as a residential community for the super rich. I had no idea there were restaurants and a couple of hotels there. And it's right next to Angel Island. The island is a park now but in the past, immigrants who arrived by boat to California had to be processed (and sometimes detained) there.

One of the many things I love about living in the Bay Area is the infinite number of perspectives. I never imagined that from Tiburon, Angel Island was so close.

We got a small suite with a killer view. We even had a little private sitting area. You can see Angel Island, Alcatraz (tiny island on the right), and San Francisco.

This was sunrise. It was a very comfortable 51 degrees at around 7 a.m.

We took a morning stroll and saw a listing for this $60,000,000 house in next door Belvedere.

Finally, on our way out, I had to take photos of this 1991 Crown Victoria police cruiser. As a new driver, I knew exactly the shape of its headlights in my rear view mirror at night. I talked to an officer and he said the car originally belonged to a nearby fire chief. The Tiburon Police Department repainted it and added the livery. In fact, in the 1990s, Tiburon never used Crown Victorias. The car is only used for ceremonies and car shows.

What is the story behind this T3 Synchro single cab truck?

We spotted this yesterday on the freeway in Richmond. It's so unusual! A twitter friend believes it's a 1 of 33 rarity.

What do you think? And is that a legit Swedish Lapland business?

Remember me?

Lots of activity over on Twitter. Every day, I ask what now-you would buy in a past decade. The responses have been fun, fascinating, and plentiful. I'm going to keep posting back to the 1910s, maybe beyond.

QOTD: If current-you lived in the 1990s, what would you be driving?

Me: Maybe 1997 BMW 540i. https://t.co/wQ1Hcgl8rX pic.twitter.com/9C5Stg8bKN

— Tamerlane's Thoughts (@TamerlaneBlog) November 26, 2021

 

QOTD: If current-you lived in the 1980s, what would you be driving?

Me: Merkur Scorpio for sure. pic.twitter.com/FYfEHc0neT

— Tamerlane's Thoughts (@TamerlaneBlog) November 27, 2021

 

QOTD: If current-you lived in the 1970s, what would you be driving?

Me: Peugeot 604. pic.twitter.com/LWw3rNmWvF

— Tamerlane's Thoughts (@TamerlaneBlog) November 28, 2021

 

QOTD: If current-you lived in the 1960s, what would you be driving?

Me: AMC AMX. pic.twitter.com/kfLqhS6oeG

— Tamerlane's Thoughts (@TamerlaneBlog) November 29, 2021

Beautiful Air France promo video