Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large.

Long term automotive goals

On the car forum I frequent yesterday - The Car Lounge - a user posted a question of “What long term automotive goals are you planning for?”, which created quite a thread, with many users chiming in with their respective plans and dreams for the future. It’s rather nice to see people remaining hopeful and optimistic, amidst these times of huge uncertainty, though I guess it’s a biased representation: those that have lost a job aren’t wont to post about their future car plans.

We count ourselves lucky.

Because of the massive uncertainty caused by the current COVID situation, my own long term automotive plans are quite simple: pay off the GT3 as soon as possible. Now is the perfect time to pay down debt: monthly expenses have gone way down since the lockdowns began, and with future prospects murky at best, I want to be as prepared as possible. That means to not be encumbered with a huge car note, should I need to move or find something else to do. Fortunately, I have about a new entry-level luxury sedan’s worth of payments left on the 911, so I have to say this plan is going quite well.

And if I come out of this coronavirus pandemic unscathed, then the plan is to keep the GT3 forever - it might be the last “fun car” I buy. With the automotive industry heading towards a landscape I don’t particularly like: turbocharging and electrification, is there even an opportunity to upgrade for those of us who preference analog feel and naturally-aspirated motors? My 911 is plenty fast as is, and it presents a level of enjoyment that I think I can be satisfied with for a very long time to come - I bought it with the intention of it being the “forever car”, after all.

Should I need another car for commuting purposes, I’ll likely lease something super cheaply. Contrary to popular belief, the automobile can indeed be just an appliance for us enthusiasts; each type of car has its purpose.

Right now may not be the best time to be reading this book…

The art of doing nothing

As for as weekends go during these time of the coronavirus, I try to stay home as much as possible. Aside from the requisite run for groceries (got to eat, right?) and the occasional drive of the GT3 to keep its battery in top shape, weekends are spent at home, limiting exposure to the outside. Anyone with a functioning twitter feed would know the COVID situation in America is still far from ideal, so even though the strict lockdowns of early Spring have since expired, I’ve thus far have stuck to those same habits. The coronavirus is not something I want to catch, even if statistically I am very likely to survive it.

The problem then becomes I quickly run out of things to do at home. Not one for marathon session of television shows or video games, the weekends have started to get rather boring. I’d find ways to entertain myself, and lately it’s coming up blank more often than not. What I failed to realize is that the scenario as it is presented may perhaps be perfect already: I should simply do nothing if there is indeed nothing to do, though apparently that’s easier said than done.

I’ve been so trained on what people call “hustle culture” that it feels utterly wrong to have idle time. Spare hours outside of work should be allocated towards self improvement, in whatever form that may be: reading a novel, learning how to code, or working on a “side hustle”. We’re told that’s the recipe for success in life, and this is why it’s so awkward to not do anything on the weekends. When you’re used to business on the weekdays, i’s surprisingly discomforting to put a stop to that work for a few days. There’s an immediate sense of inadequacy, as if I am not doing enough.

But I am. On top of the regular job (which in it of itself is quite taxing), I do read books, study a language, and write every single day during the work week. What I need to understand is that weekends are not meant to be a continuation, but instead, it’s a stop; a moment to break up the monotony and introduce some balance. During normal times this would be easy: I can go outside and hang out with friends, but during COVID times, when more often than not I’d be twiddling my thumbs on Saturdays and Sundays, it’s difficult to not want to be “productive”.

It’s okay to be bored and do nothing; not because I’ve earned it, but because that’s just how it goes.

Showering thoughts

What is it about showers that induce me to start thinking ahead to the next day? Why can’t I simply enjoy the shower itself and not really think about anything at all?

Is this caused by the particular time I take showers? I do so at night right before I go to bed, so perhaps it triggers a sort of preparedness protocol and I start to get ready for the next work day. Best to not let any time go to waste, right? Get ready for tomorrow while I lather myself with suds.

This is a bad habit of mine that I prefer to get rid of, because thinking about the future takes me away from the present, and that’s always a dangerous game, not the least of which I don’t get to have the peace that the present is giving me (a shower should be a calming experience). How short-sighted is it to be thinking about tomorrow’s work when there’s still a whole night’s sleep to go; what usually happens is I carry those worries and simulations of what the next day will bring right into bedtime, which affects how quickly I can fall into slumber.

I need to just let it be.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the current situation that those of us with employment are slightly worried about how permanent it will remain. The coronavirus is still raging through this country, so there’s absolutely no predictability to the future; security one day can be gone the next. What do humans do when they feel like they don’t have control? They cling, and I reckon stressing over doing the job for the next day whilst in the shower the previous night is a form of clinging. The false impression that if I try extra hard at work, that will somehow save me from the layoff axe, should that come to be.

Even if there may be some truth to that, and that one should always strive to do the best regardless, stressing over work during off the clock hours is never a good thing. Unless that work is your life’s passion project, which my current employment definitely is not. In these times of COVID-19, having balance is crucial; those of us lucky enough to have the option, anyways.

Take care.

On HD televisions

I can fondly remember the first time I upgraded to a proper HD television. At 32-inches, the Sony Bravia isn’t large compared to the common behemoths of today, but the huge jump to 1080p resolution was stunning all the same. Those were the days when I’d find any excuse to dig up some HD content to enjoy the sheer picture quality that’s being blasted in front of our eyes. The Planet Earth series was an absolutely treat; so was “The Lighting of the Beacons” scene in the The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. HD was such a significant leap that I felt like I was participating in something off in the future, but I’ve somehow gained early access. It was a delightful.

Fast forward to today, and here I am still with my 1080p television, though it’s since grown to a lofty 58-inches in size. The 4K revolution is largely complete now - I don’t suppose you can even purchase a 1080p unit right now - yet I still do not feel a great need to upgrade; the incentives just aren’t there. Broadcast television still isn’t fully 1080p yet, and with Netflix you have to pay extra if you want 4K streaming. The next generation of gaming consoles from Sony and Microsoft touts 4K playability, but until there is a game to entice me to upgrade (such as whatever the next Grand Theft Auto will be), I’m quite okay with my original SKU Playstation 4.

It’s really easy to get used to something that once awed you immensely, to become bored with it and needing to chase after the next innovation to placate the human insatiability for novelty. This is how people get onto the endless hedonistic treadmill, feeling the need to keep buying news things. As an owner of a sports car costing in the six-figures, I totally get it, though I also gained the understanding that these shiny objects aren’t going to make us happy if we’re not at a base level happy to begin with. The increase in joy from achieving whatever newness is momentary and fleeting, and soon we’ll be back to our old normal, chasing after the next hit.

Owing a 911 hasn’t made me any happier than before, though that’s okay because that’s something to work on from within, rather than hinging on external objects or circumstances. I think it’s important to remember the initial joy when we first attained our nice things - like a sports car or HD television - to carry that burst of happiness through to the present. This exercise makes me grateful to have these things now, and how much I’d wish I did if that weren’t the case. That should be satisfaction enough.

Please be kind

Though I try to remain positive, times are indeed chaotic right now, and many people are going through much difficulty. Even those lucky to not be ensnared by the grasp of the coronavirus may be facing intense economic hardship. or are at their wit’s end with concerning about their children’s education prospects in the immediate future. We’re all trying to be as normal as possible during these decidedly abnormal times, and I think it’s important to keep in mind that it’s possible to have a bad day, and to offer grace to those who may not momentarily live up to our perceive standards of social decency.

We have to keep kindness; for ourselves, and others.

Is there really any use being angry at someone else because things aren’t going your way? Perhaps the line into Trader Joe’s a just a bit too long, and you’re incensed that you have to wait for half an hour in the beating sun before you’re let in; what purpose would taking out your frustration on the line usher serve? An usher who cannot change the situation, and who is probably simply happy that he’s still got a job right now. We can’t treat our everyday situation as normal until things have completely gone back to normal, even if the facade says otherwise.

On the flip side, as a pseudo service person myself (IT support), I have to also be mindful the angry customer may be going through some issues, and them being unreasonable at this moment is a not a reflection of who they are as a person. They’re also simply coping as best as they can, and perhaps complaining why the turnaround time for a laptop service is in the weeks - seemingly forgetting what sort of time we are living in - is just symptomatic of the current circumstances. There’s no need for me to retaliate or increase the snark; it wouldn’t be productive, and I’d be the one suffering the stress.

Try not to be unreasonable during these times, but also don’t be upset at others being unreasonable; what we are living through right now is era-defining and unprecedented. Please be kind.

Internet usage

One thing lost in the work-from-home shuffle is how much additional Internet bandwidth we use while we’re all stuck at home. The lucky few may have unlimited Internet (hello, friends with Sonic fiber), but I bet most of our Internet service providers implement data caps. For example, my provider Comcast has a one terabyte monthly limit, with each additional block of 50 gigabytes costing $10 dollars (extortionate). Under normal situations our family of four would never approach that limit, but during these COVID times with many Zoom meetings and extra Netflix sessions, bandwidth gets used up rather quickly.

Due to the ever kindness of Comcast (ha ha!), it eliminated its data caps for the three months after the coronavirus outbreak began back in March. In support of people working from home and children learning remotely, customers like us were able to use as much data as we like. Which explains why it never entered my mind that all this extra usage would cause a problem in the future. July marks the first month the unlimited data is no more, though Comcast increased the typical one terabyte cap to 1.2, surely a result of having done the calculations, and the slight increase should cover a vast majority of customer usage patterns.

Comcast will also show customers how much bandwidth they have used during the initial quarantine months, so they can have a sense of scale and if needed, cut back now that the data cap is back in place. Unfortunately for my household, the stats are not so good: for the three months since March, we went over the one terabyte cap in all three; two out of the three we’ve even gone past the new 1.2 terabyte allowance. Now that the data restrictions are in effect, I’am going to have to keep an eye on our consumption and adjust accordingly.

This massive increase in data use is not something we’ve been talking about, though I suspect it will become an issue for people now that caps have returned. Companies expect employees to work from home, but what they don’t compensate for is the additional bandwidth needed to support that task, and if doing so pushes someone over the data limits, it can get really expensive. Unlike the self-employed, we don’t get to itemize home Internet as a business expense; I think one can reasonably argue it has become just that in the times of COVID-19.

Of course, I am incredibly lucky to still be employed and able to work remotely.

This is a special car

I wonder: how much this would have cost me if the car didn’t have its certified preowned warranty?

Yesterday I took the GT3 in for an unscheduled visit to the dealership because the HVAC system was not doing anything at all: no air would come out of the vents, no matter the setting. This issue was confirmed on Tuesday, and I was surprised I was able to get an appointment only two days later - provided that I select the option for waiting while the work is being done (Appointments where a loaner car would be provided are many weeks out). This would prove to be an error on my part.

Because apparently you cannot treat Porsche GT cars as normal; only a special group of mechanics are allowed to work on them, and depending on their schedule, your car might not be looked at right away. In essence, every time a GT car comes in for service, expect to leave it there for a at least a few days. Being new to the Porsche GT car world, I didn’t not know about this until yesterday when my service advisor informed me to the fact: diagnostics will take more than a few hours, and that I should find transportation home instead of waiting potentially the whole day at the dealership and still might not get to take the GT3 home at the end.

The proper way to do it - should I desire a loaner car - would be to either call the service advisor directly to schedule, or to select the appointment times with that option on the online scheduler. A 911 GT3 is definitely not the typical Toyota Corolla, though the Corolla probably wouldn’t need any unscheduled service visits because being a Toyota product, nothing will break ever. Honestly though, I rather get this fixed quickly than to wait a few weeks just so my service experience would be a bit more comfortable. Driving a car without any ventilation during Summer is far from ideal.

So what is actually wrong with my GT3’s HVAC system? Apparently the main blower has failed, and the entire unit is being replaced. Thanks to the car still having its CPO warranty, this will cost me exactly zero dollars out of pocket. This episode is a good reminder to purchase an aftermarket extended warranty once the CPO one expires; I simply cannot trust a German-made car to not have extraneous problems throughout its life. Insurance for the peace of mind is well worth it.