Greg's Horrible Waste of Internet Bandwidth

Just taking up some Internet drive space to freethink our 2023 year in review. I keep threatening to do this each year; not that it really matters to you, but I want to do it for myself, mostly because I tend to forget what happened and I can remind myself... ;) The highlights, and just the highlights, thanks. January January kicked off, as it usually does, with a return trip from visiting family Louisiana. I don't recall the details on that 2022 Christmas trip but we took the Jetta down to Louisiana this time with Schatzi in the back. We hit hotels on the way down and back and stayed in a local hotel in Opelousas. I can't think of anything significant on the trip but we assuredly hit our favorite local breweries, Bayou Teche Brewing and Parish Brewing... And, as usual, tax season kicked off toward the end. Though it typically takes a bit to get me motivated to start, I do enjoy IRS' VITA program, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, as we bring a lot of value to the community....

This is simply a blog post for myself, so I can remember what the terms mean. I do get asked occasionally...prosit! Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Bottled in Bond Whiskey - "An alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain produced at less than 190 proof in such a manner that the distillate produces the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whikey, stored in oak containers and bottled at not less than 80 proof, and also includes mixtures of such distillates for which no specific standards of identify are prescribed." Bourbon  - "Whisky produced at not exceeding 160 proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn and stored at not more than 125 proof in charred new oak containers, and also includes mixtures of such whiskies of the same type." Therefore, Bourbon is a specific type of whiskey. Straight  - "Whiskies conforming to the standard prescribed in the definitions of Bourbon whiskey which have been stored in some ...

Greg's and Rick's Excellent One Lap of America Adventure, 1997 Editorial note: this was written soon after completing the 1997 One Lap of America, as a series of emails to an audience of National Motorists Association members, state chapter coordinators, and activists. Recall that this is very shortly after the repeal of the 55 mph National Mandatory Highway Speed Limit so not only was I relating my experiences of the event but also my impressions of how the country "was dealing with" the prospect of "thousands of deaths" that many opponents predicted (incorrectly, history records). Regardless, enjoy the write-up, it was fun to pass along! - Greg  

Someone recently asked me, "what's the fastest race car you've ever driven?" I had to think about that one for a minute. I tend to favor slower cars ("better to make a slow car go fast, than vice versa") but the STL and STU cars were pretty speedy. As was some Mustangs and such. But no, I'd have to say that "the fastest race car that I have ever driven" was a Porsche 962. Wait... you drove a 962?? Of course there's a story! San Antonio, love that town. It's one of my fav bigger cities with beautiful geography (love the Texas Hill Country), southwest culture, the Riverwalk (and its associated civil engineering; ever wonder why the San Antonio River doesn't ever flood the Riverwalk ?) Architecture, music, and of course the food.  I think my first time there was during high school (I grew up in North Texas) when our band took a tour down there and I fell in love with the place right away. IMSA liked the town, too. In 1985, the City of...

At the 1992 SCCA Runoffs I was poised to take home a National Championship. Instead, I took home a third-place podium finish...and a 6-race driving probation. You can read JJ Gertler's write-up of the event itself here: https://tgadrivel.blogspot.com/2026/06/1991-runoffs-wrap-up.html While many would be ecstatic at a Runoffs podium finish, 1992 was a burr under my saddle as this was my race to lose -- and I did. That event, and its ignominious conclusion, pretty much ended my racing "career". After the accolades, photos, wine, and post-race impound was done I got "invited" to join the Chief Steward, Sue Rothel, for "a talk" about that collision two laps from the end. I don't remember the details of the conversation but I came away with surrendering my license in exchange for a probation letter requiring me to appear before subsequent chief stewards for six National races (later adjusted to include Regionals). But by then I was burned out and cynica...

Greg Note: "Tales From the Road" are some short stories that my father wrote, that I found on his computer when he passed away in 2012. I found them quite interesting and entertaining and wanted to share them here. Tales From the Road - Tight Ass By Bud Amy Now, I heard this tale at the same truck stop west of Houston where I heard the story about Whitey and the dock lock. This one was about a old time trucker that was so tight with a penny that they called him Tight Wad, which was soon changed to Tight Ass. It was said that he was so tight that he kept his money up his...(you know the drill). Anyway from the story, it seems that the description was pretty close. Enough...the story... Old TA had been a trucker for all of his life and had gone through the depression where each penny was precious...hard to come by. Money wasn't a convenience, it was life or death. There was so little of it, that it was used only when desperate measures dictated it's use. TA was known to...

Greg Note: "Tales From the Road" are some short stories that my father wrote, that I found on his computer when he passed away in 2012. I found them quite interesting and entertaining and wanted to share them here. Tales from the Road - 7AM Appointments It looks like I can go four or five loads and all of the appointments seem to be at 0700. Now I can count on a 7AM appointment every Monday and the delivery is usually at least 250 miles away and most of the time, in the 400-500 mile range. That means that I have to leave Sunday morning or early afternoon to make the appointment time. No problem, I don't mind driving Sunday afternoons and evenings, so it works out OK. I don't like leaving at midnight or 0100 cuz I am at the end of my limit by noon. I've driven for 14 hours and still alert, but to start out the week with a day like that, means that I could have one of those miserable weeks when everything is out of kilter if I get some crossways loads with pickups i...