Blog

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

Catch me if you can

When America violates the sovereignty of another country, that’s perfectly fine! Essentially kidnapping a foreign President in their home soil; why wouldn’t other nations do just that? The People’s Liberation Army special forces should airdrop into Taipei, no problems! When you are famous like the United States, they just let you do it. Grab them by the Maduro.

There’s precedent to this sovereignty violation thing. Many years ago, American Seal Team Six flew into Pakistan in the zero dark of night to kill Osama bin Laden. The international community said nothing about that, because we can all point to Osama as say, “Yup, that’s a bad guy.”

So this isn’t about President Trump - Osama was under President Obama. It’s about America flexing its muscle and daring dissenting nations to do anything about it. Russia invaded Ukraine because it can. The only thing the rest of the world has done is protest loudly at the United Nations. When the deterrent is effectively zero, the bully shall reign until it gets punched in the face.

Nor is this commentary on whether or not Maduro has done terrible things. If the nations of this globe cannot respect each other’s borders and sovereign rights absolutely, then what the heck are we doing? It’s all a shell game because there’s a tacit understanding on who’s got real power (read: nukes) and influence to impose their will internationally. A country’s extradition laws is only as solid as its ability to defend itself against the offending nation.

Though I guess Pakistan’s nukes didn’t deter a DEVGRU team from jumping in unannounced. I guess it would be rather difficult to defend harboring bin Laden of all people.

Can Americans at least get cheaper gasoline prices out of this embarrassment?

The waiting game

Before you buy anything on Amazon, it’s smart to check camelcamelcamel on an item’s historical pricing. Has it been cheaper in recent weeks? Is the discount really a discount, or did the vendor simply raise the price then handed out coupons? If you’re able to wait, it’s good strategy to ensure you’re getting the best price. All the randomized savings here and there can add up bigly.

Amazon, not content to let a third party service get all the ad revenue, have rolled out historical pricing check right in the item description. The “Rufus AI” doesn’t go as far back as camelcamelcamel - the past 90 days versus for as long as an item has been listed, but I reckon three months is sufficient data to see if you’re getting ripped off. Who cares if a thing is $20 cheaper back in 2021. Inflation comes for everything and everyone.

I however am incapable for waiting. The worst part of online shopping is the lag time between ordering and the package arriving at the door. Especially if the item is part of a bigger project I am working on.

I bought a used VW Golf GTI back in October, and I’ve been slowly fixing the flaws left behind by the previous owner. The goal isn’t to make it perfect again - as much as I want to. The goal is to refresh the car to a level where it would be as if I had owned it the entire time. A portion of that is buying new parts to replaced worn out ones. And the worst thing that can happen to me is seeing that an item is backordered.

It seems I don’t get satisfaction until something is done. This in between process stuff is merely an annoyance. Good things come to those who wait? Forget that! I want a project done as quickly as possible so I can move on to other things. In the meantime I’ve got to look at an unfinished - to me - car, and it bugs me every time.

That backordered set of wheels cannot come soon enough.

There's another problem

For the obsessive compulsive, buying a used car has one big advantage: it comes already imperfect! Having purchased three new cars in my life thus far, I can say the agony of that first flaw - usually a curb rash on the wheel - hurts a metric ton. The car is no longer perfect, and it is all my fault.

A used car solves that problem. The previous owner(s) blemished the car already. It’s physical impossible to keep a car perfect, short of trailering it from the factory right into a hermetically sealed, climate controlled garage. Forever.

Sadly, the compulsion to keep something perfect rear its head in another way. A few months ago I bought a used 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI. Ever since delivery, I’ve been fighting a battle to refrain from making it perfect again. Existing curb rashes on the wheels? I should buy a brand new set. The leather steering wheel is excessively worn? A replacement isn’t that much money. What’s another interior trim piece to “fix” the unsightly scratches?

See the problem? Instead of obsessively trying to keep a new car perfect, I am instead obsessively trying to make a used car perfect. Both are bad, I do not recommend. Soon as they figure out a pill for this malady I shall be first in line.

The financially conscious part of me is doing its best to keep the spending in check. The goal is to have a functioning car, properly maintained. Perfection is optional. Replacing wear items like perished rubber window trim is entirely appropriate. Replacing an interior button because the lettering has worn down? I shall not go that far. Not in this economy.

I will be replacing the wheels on the GTI. Because one of them is bent. I’ll allow the extravagance of buying four new wheels, even though I could easily buy just the one to replace the broken rim. We car enthusiasts sure love new car parts, straight from anywhere, not just Japan.

Stop it. Get some help

Headlines are buzzing about the high price of new cars. The average transaction price for new vehicles in America is now over $50,000. The average monthly payment for a new car is nearly $750. As is the wont during these high inflation times (why would Joe Biden do this?), people are grumbling about the ever increasing cost of personal motor transport.

I do not have an ounce of sympathy for this situation. The beauty of the capitalistic system is that it takes two to proverbially tango. Sling all the greed accusations you want against the automakers and dealerships: car buyers still have to sign on the dotted line. The Truth in Lending Act dictates that consumers are given complete information on exactly what sort of loan they are contracting themselves for. No excuses.

The average new car may be selling for over $50,000, but a perfectly fine Toyota Corolla sedan can be had for $22,275 starting. It’s got power everything, and Apple CarPlay. And because it’s a Toyota, it will last forever with minimal maintenance. Now you may say that you need something bigger for your family. That’s a want, not a need. The Corolla is equipped with child seat anchors in the rear. For sure it’s not as convenient as a Toyota Sienna minivan, but do you have $40,120 starting for a Sienna?

New cars aren’t expensive - the cars people want to buy, are. If stretching your wallet for that three-row SUV is going to be financially difficult, then perhaps it’s just not in a cards for you. No one is entitled to a fully-loaded SUV with all the trimmings. Consumers’ unwillingness to purchase within their means isn’t the fault of the banks or the automakers. Let’s not strip agency - and blame - from fully functioning adults.

I will however get on Porsche’s case for raising prices so dramatically over the last year…

Traffic on traffic

Our local thoroughfare - 19th Avenue - is getting some much needed surface repair work. In order to do this, the authorities must interrupt traffic for a solid year. The locals aren’t happy because an already congested road will only get even more so. But what’s the alternative? If the road never gets repaved, then drivers are going to be gripe about the horrendous condition.

Is it ideal? Of course not, but the job has to be done. Roads need repaving, the Golden Gate Bridge needs repainting. We all have to endure some civic pain in order to have nicer things.

Albeit I am writing from my high horse of never needing to commute on said road that will be severely interrupted. My tune will surely be different if I’d the misfortune of taking 19th Avenue to work. Perhaps they should have put the repaving project up to a vote! Just like how they put the fate of the Great Highway to the people.

And look how that turned out! San Francisco voters elected to permanently close the Great Highway off to motor vehicles. However, a majority of residents in the district directly adjacent to the road did not want this, because they use the Great Highway to commute. Closed road, more congestion elsewhere. It’s simply math. Sunset district residents were so incensed that they recalled their representative supervisor.

Resurfacing 19th Avenue - also in Sunset district - seems to be pouring salt onto the wounds. One thoroughfare is closed forever, and the other will be choked up for a whole year. To quote the great Xzibit: “Yo dawg, I heard you like traffic…”

Some people just go bowling

Bowling. Not a sport I would watch in a million years. (I can admire the skill for sure.) However, I think it’s a fabulous sport from a recreational perspective. Gather your mates and go bowl a few games. Maybe one of you might even break 100. About $20 for two hours of fun is way more economical than going out to eat these days. Though you should definitely do that afterwards as well. It’s all about hanging out.

My problem is I can’t seem to get a feel for the game. Of course it’s doubly difficult when I only go bowling perhaps once a year. Therefore every time it’s like relearning how to walk. The hand and wrist just doesn’t get used in that fashion in normal day life. So rather than trying to curve the ball, I end up bowling it straight, hoping the ball goes where I want it to. It usually doesn’t.

Not that I need another spendy hobby in my life. But if I were to bowl somewhat seriously, I’d definitely be taking lessons. I’d also buy a bowling ball of my own, cut specifically to fit my mangled fingers. The standard hole sizings at the alleys aren’t conducive to to proper gripping. Though I’m sure that’s a skill issue on my part as well. A seasoned amateur can probably make strikes with those standard issue balls all the same.

Ultimately, I prefer my hobbyist sport to be more of a complete workout than merely one single limb. Running is an excellent full-body workout, and it can be absolutely free. Less social points than bowling, of course. But that’s why you have the meal afterwards!

Right on queue

Recently I was at Whole Foods picking up an Amazon package. I like to do this for the important stuff, so the eliminate the possibility of theft when going the typical ship-to-your-front-door route. Not that I’ve ever had a package stolen, now that I think about it (knocking tremendously on wood). But when I got to have something for certain, the pickup option at Whole Foods is the method to go when shopping on Amazon.

It also helps the local Whole Foods is but a third of a mile away from me.

Ahead of me at the pickup line is a woman with a cart full items to return. There’s about a dozen things in there, and each of them have to be scanned and bagged individually. Needless to say, this process took way longer than the typical counter transaction.

The guy behind me in line was audibly upset with many groans and grunts. Come on, dude: what can be done about it? The woman with many returns have every right to the service as we do. Word on the street is Amazon actually does ban serial abusers of the return system, but that threshold has got to be high, I presume. Either way, we just got to wait. That’s like getting angry at a grocery store because the person in front has a cart full of products.

Whether or not a person is capable of waiting in a queue in a calm and patient manner can reveal a great deal about their temperament. The folks who are incapable of doing so likely have a strong overlap with the population of road-raging drivers. The most trivial of inconveniences are enough to trigger an adverse reaction tantamount to grievous personal offense. We can also blame this on social media, right? (Sarcasm.) The instant and constant dopamine drip have conditioned us to be intolerant of waiting.

If you can’t be happy waiting in a line, you can’t be happy.