The free time I had a year or two ago is gone. I’m not entirely sure what changed, but I suspect the cycle that I’ve had my entire life is still at play. I always come into a new environment, prove my value, become a fixture and necessity, and ultimately discover that I am overworked. This cycle has occurred with me for years, likely decades, potentially my entire life. At this point in.. Read More
I’ve been out of pocket for a bit for a multitude of reasons. I would believe that the vast majority of these reasons are good. I was in a strange place when I began this website–going through a few things. You may recall this post around this time last year about the night drive: Well, the time has changed from daylight savings again so here we are… the weather is cool and it’s.. Read More
This weekend was surprisingly interesting for being such a non-event. Let’s run through it. Warning: this post will go all sorts of directions as I try to work out everything going on my life. Last weekend I was out of pocket for a family reunion primarily on my Mom’s side although I did spend much quality time on my Dad’s side as well. This was the first reunion after my Mom passed away.. Read More
This past week I learned what a clock spring (also known as spiral cable) is. For the past several decades I have been content with my ignorance, but not today! As I may have mentioned in past updates, I have been regularly commuting to work, something I was missing the past year and a half. One of my colleagues has been joining me in the office (making two out of a team of.. Read More
A common question that I encounter while looking at the next sports car goal (which I have affectionately named “the future dilemma”) is whether I want it to have a manual or an automatic transmission. This is a serious question. The first time I ran into this was when I purchased my Mazda 3. That Mazda was the first car I actually purchased wholly on my own. I vividly recall that when I.. Read More
I’m ready to discuss the future dilemma as of today, just shy of August, 2021. I haven’t been able to post as regularly as I have been going into the office, returning to some semblance of normalcy. Today I happen to be working remotely so I thought I would check in. My primary goal remains debt consolidation, and I will continue on this path for the foreseeable future. That being said, I still.. Read More
Let’s call it, Project CELICA – Level 2. I’ve invested somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 thousand dollars into Project CELICA between parts and associated labor, but the car is night and day different from when I purchased it. The most major upgrades came from the clutch, flywheel, wheels and tires. Don’t get me wrong, the most important repairs were the timing chain cover gasket and chain tensioner because oil leaks of any.. Read More
I confirmed that I currently have four different tires on my car from three different countries. This is nuts. Passenger side rear: Cordovan Velozza ZXV4, 225/40ZR18 92W XL, Manufactured 2016 ($109.99) (USA)Passenger side front: Keter KT757 225/40ZR18 92W XL, Manufactured 2016 (China)Driver’s side front: Kumho Solus TA31, 225/40R18 88V, Manufactured 2017 ($171.00) (Korea)Driver’s side rear: BFGOODRICH g-Force Comp-2 A/S, 225/40ZR18 92W XL, Manufactured 2015 (USA, model subsequently replaced with A/S Plus) The driver’s.. Read More
I just wanted to update after a busy couple of weeks. Three out of four motor mounts have been replaced (save for the one with the nut that is free in the frame on the passenger side). The clutch kit, flywheel, and rear main seal have finally been replaced. The shaking of the motor is gone, and the previous (worn) clutch assembly and flywheel was in desperately poor shape as I expected. Now.. Read More
So I managed to crawl out of my slump. In retrospect I think my low spirits were relevant to the old saying “one step forward, two steps back” meaning that essentially every time I try to reach my goals I inadvertently set myself back further from said goals. Over time, experiencing this type of frustration just leads to you not wanting to even try to work towards the goals–the textbook definition for lack.. Read More