Blog

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

Go out and do things

This past Sunday, after doing my morning routine of visiting my parents - as I do every Sunday - I was at an impasse. What to do for the rest of the day? It was the final day of February, so the monthly update on my M2 Competition needed to be written. Being a self-professed writer, naturally that article was something to be procrastinated onto later. I actually planned to be write it this weekend.

Because truth be told: I didn’t know what to write about.

What I did end up doing was getting into the M2 and taking it out for a spin. All the way up past the Golden Gate Bridge, and looping back just before Highway 101 splits off towards Mount Tamalpais. As I came home and proceeded to park, I carelessly backed the M2 onto another car. Thankfully, that other car was my brother’s Mazda MX-5, which I am presently in stewardship of. Speed was low, damage was minimal: only a small chip on the M2’s rear bumper.

After a brief moment of internal despondence at my own stupidity, a stroke of inspiration hit: I knew exactly what to write about. In all my years of car ownership, I’ve continuously done stupid things like backing them into concrete posts and running over parking curbs. So I did a chronicle of my clumsiness with cars, and that age and experience hasn’t saved the M2 from suffering the same fate.

The lesson here is: to have something to write about, it’s important to go out into the world and do things. Had I decided against taking the M2 out for a drive on Sunday, I’d be stuck on what to write for the February update article that likely still hasn’t yet been written. The one time I fought my instincts to stay home, I am rewarded with material and inspiration. I just wished it didn’t take damaging the rear bumper, but that’s something that can be fixed easily.

Four months since moving out

Hard to believe it’s been four months since I’ve moved out on my own. I think it’s finally sunken in that this new place is indeed my home now, and that my previous home is solidly my parents’. When I tell people I’m going home, this place I’ve been renting since November of last year is what I am referring to. It’s wonderful.

On certain days it still feels like I’m off somewhere on vacation, renting from an AirBnb. Exacerbating that feeling is the fact I’m renting from friends of the same age, so this whole thing feels like we’re traveling somewhere, away from our respective parents. How long does it take after moving out of your parents’ house for it to truly feel like you’re an adult? I don’t think I’ve reached that stage yet.

I have to say there’s great advantage to renting from a friend, though I guess you run the potential risk of a ruined friendship also displacing you from a place to sleep. That’s why I recommend renting from friends that you’ve known since high school, and which point the friendship should already be unconditionally lasting. The positive of renting from someone familiar is that the process is far smoother and less formal. The place is also friendlier.

Like I said, it’s like we’re all on vacation somewhere and renting a whole house.

The primarily reason for moving - other than finally striking it out on my own - is to be closer to work. The ability to walk to work within 10 minutes is an absolute game changer, a huge positive to my mental health. The feeling that at the end of a tiring day, I can be home in minutes rather than a slogging commute in a car is worth every penny of the rent I am paying. The difference will be even more stark once the world returns to normal, and I will have to go into the office the regular five days a week.

If I can help it, I am never going back to having a commute.

First dose aftermath

It’s been two days since I got the first dose of the COVID 19 vaccine (Pfizer), and the intense soreness of the receiving arm has largely subsided. Thankfully I did not experience any other symptoms or side effects. My body is essentially fighting off COVID and creating antibodies, so I am fortunate to be good shape. I know people who have received the vaccine and suffered major symptoms afterwards. It’s part of the process, of course, but I’m definitely happy to be on the “feeling well” side.

There’s still the second dose to come, obviously. Anecdotally, that’s the shot that will enduce the COVID-like symptoms of fatigue, brain fog, and fever. I shall find out on the weekend of March 18th.

The drive-thru vaccination site at the City College of San Francisco - run by University of California San Francisco - is very efficient. Once you are checked in at the gate - and given a second mask to go over the one you should already have - you drive up to one of the 20 plus lanes and await your turn. From arrival to the needle going into my left arm (you get a choice) took about 30 minutes. After the shot, you are then to wait for 15 more minutes at another parking lot. This is to see if there’s any allergic reactions to the vaccine. Should that occur, paramedics are on hand to assist.

I am incredibly relieved to be (half) done with vaccination. It feels like I can finally relax now, even though I’m not easing up on any precautions until a solid majority of people are vaccinated. That day might come quicker than we thought: the Johnson & Johnson one dose vaccine have now been authorized by the FDA for emergency use. With three vaccines now in supply, I bet we can all return to some semblance of normal by summer.

And that would be just sweet.

First dose

Today is a highly anticipated day: I am getting my first COVID vaccine dose! After months of waiting since the vaccines were approved for emergency use, I finally get my turn at this big step in returning to normalcy. The sense of relief was palpable when the appointment confirmation came through. With the second dose marked for mid March, I’m in the endgame now.

My eligibility for the vaccine is predicated on me working at San Francisco State University. The first tier of people eligible were those over the age of 65, and healthcare workers. Education is lumped into the next tier - tier 1B - because I guess they really are trying to open back up the schools as quickly as possible. Tier 1B came in effect yesterday, and I was lucky to snatch an appointment for the following day.

I am to receive the Pfizer vaccine, and it’ll be interesting to see if I experience any adverse symptoms. Anecdotally, people I know who got the Moderna vaccine had a rough time with COVID-like symptoms for the few days after the shot. Those that got Pfizer seems to be okay for the most part. It’s probably idiosyncratic to the individual, rather than which company of vaccine. Obviously, I don’t care which one I get, and neither should anyone. The goal is to vaccinate as many as possible.

I reckon the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine is going to be the next game changer.

It takes two weeks for the vaccine to take full effect, so I reckon by early April I’ll be fully shielded from COVID. That’s an exciting thought, and I look forward to going outside and doing stuff with way more impunity - vis a vis the virus - than I’ve done the past year.

Long live the roadster

Due to adverse circumstances of my brother, I am going to be taking stewardship of his Mazda MX-5 for awhile. It’s quite the fortuitous timing, because I’ve been pining drive a manual transmission car these days. I can now give up dreams of buying a Honda Civic Type R, and enjoy one of the purest sports car experiences money can buy.

And I’m reminded of just how sweet the Miata is. I am no stranger to the ND generation of the classic Mazda roadster, though it’s been more than five years since I sold mine. My brother’s MX-5 is the improved “ND2” version. The primary difference from my 2016 “ND1” is that It’s got a more powerful engine, with a higher 7,500 RPM redline. There’s a federally-mandated backup camera now, which in a car the tiny size of a Miata it’s rather superfluous.

The other bits of the car are largely the same, which is just fine. The manual gearbox is just as satisfying to row as I remembered. This rod-actuated AISIN six-speed unit is truly one of the best available on the market. The feel is solid, yet it snicks into each gear with precise ease. Ultimately, I don’t regret getting the M2 Competition with the dual-clutch automatic instead of the manual, but barring having my brother’s MX-5 around, I really want a manual car in my life.

Maybe the Type R dream isn’t dead after all.

What else? I was surprised at how little steering feel there is. The rack itself doesn't transmit much information, but because the MX-5 is so small and light, sensation from the suspension can be felt directly in the hands on the steering wheel. Therefore, I don’t bemoan the lack of actual steering feel. I’ve yet to drive an electric-assisted rack that can hold a candle to the hydraulic unit in my old Subaru WRX STI. And that includes a bloody Porsche 991 GT3.

If pure sports car is what you are after - no requirements for any utility factor - it’s hard to imagine why you’d spend any more money than an ND2 Mazda MX-5. I’m glad Mazda makes it, and I’m glad my brother has bought one. Long live the roadster.

No Internet for early man

Yesterday morning I woke up to the home WIFI not working. Because I rent, and all utilities are included, I don’t control nor have access to the Internet modem. I’m an incredibly early riser, so I wasn’t about to wake up my friend and landlord upstairs at 6:30 AM in the morning, just so I can have Internet. It will have to wait until he has woken up, and realizes the WIFI connection has stopped.

At least I still had cellular network on my iPhone. I can never quit you, twitter!

It turns out I didn’t really need the Internet for the first two hours of my morning. Indeed, I did use my phone to check the socials for a bit. After that, I didn’t bother to tether the phone to the MacBook Pro, even though I could (my cellular plan is unlimited). Lacking an Internet connection, I wrote my morning blog in Microsoft Word instead of directly onto the Squarespace CMS, as I am doing now. And then I read a book until breakfast.

The Internet has given us many wonderful things; it’s good to be reminded that I don’t have to be completely reliant on it to function normally. My morning didn’t get ruined just because the WIFI was down. It reminds me back when I lived with my parents, when I was in charge of the home Internet. Whenever the system was down, I’d immediately get a knock on my door from my parents informing me of such. As if they couldn’t bare to be without connectivity for one minute.

Sometimes I would wryly retort that they should go read a book, or do something non-digital (have a conversation with each other, perhaps). Not having Internet for the 10 minutes it takes for the modem to reboot is going to be just fine. Take a breath! At home we either stare at our phone or the computer screen constantly, so it’s good to have breaks from it from time to time. Even if said break is induced by nonfunctioning equipment.

A touch of curb

It’s one of the most terrible sounds in the world: the wheel-rim of a car grinding on a sidewalk curb. Try as you may to be careful during parallel parking maneuvers, it only takes one moment of carelessness to ruin an otherwise perfect wheel. The feeling in the driver seat, the dread of getting out of the car to check damage, is uniquely dreadful to a car enthusiast.

We suffer greatly when we put too much value to things material.

It used to be that something as benign as curbing a wheel would absolutely ruin my day, though perhaps I am improving. Last Friday I had the unfortunate tragedy of tagging the M2’s right-front wheel on the curb as I was pulling off to the side to park. Thankfully, the damage isn’t too awful, but I just couldn’t help to bash myself with my own stupidity. Reality seems to always bite soon as you get too comfortable and complacent.

I quickly forgot about the transgression, however. I was on my weekly visit to see my friend’s kids. I owe it to them to give my undivided attention. Stewing over the mistake of curbing the wheel serves no purpose other than feeling bad for myself and showing a negative vibe to the kids. I was somewhat surprised then that I was indeed able to put the wheel damage behind me and devote fully to playing with the little ones.

I’ve come a long way from the intense obsessive compulsiveness vis a vis my cars that I used to have. Maybe if the actual damage was worse, I wouldn’t have been able to forget it so quickly. Either way, I’m glad I didn’t stress about something that I cannot turn back the clock to change.