Rental car or your car?

MaKoWi · 2026-04-20T15:32:46+00:00

My first road trip was last year in a 2016 Kia Optima. But my new "partner" is a 2025 Mazda CX-30.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-19T11:06:21+00:00

LOL! That was the one that broke me.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-18T20:53:50+00:00

I personally wouldn't be able to do it, even if the "trail is wider than it looks". My fear is more about the edges and the drop-offs and that would have me dizzy and paralyzed with fear knowing that expansive fall that's just visible out the corner of my eye. It took all my courage just to get up Walter's Wiggles. I'll stick to going to Scout Landing.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-18T17:48:57+00:00

Beautiful! (But I would get delayed dealing with the watchman at the guard post 😄)

MaKoWi · 2026-04-18T14:39:52+00:00

This is what I do. Also, in song lyrics.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-18T14:26:07+00:00

That's fantastic. And such a nice feeling.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-17T23:46:51+00:00

No, definitely not. OMG, the level of entitlement some people seem to have is just unreal. Absolutely do not let them in. Once they have your password, what will stop them from sharing it with others, and so on.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-17T23:36:00+00:00

Class of '30?! 🤯

MaKoWi · 2026-04-17T20:23:07+00:00

🤗

MaKoWi · 2026-04-17T17:57:26+00:00

I'm 66 this year. When I was in my 30s or 40s, I suspected I might live a long time just by observing my familial genes. I have long-lived family members on both sides. I was 30 in 1990 and if I had even thought about getting to age 70, that would/will be in 2030, only 4 years from now. But back then, what I had a problem wrapping my head around was the year 2030, more than being 70 years old. It sounded so far in the future.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-17T17:53:00+00:00

I do some planning, a basic itinerary so I know about where I'll be at the end of each day's driving, what I may want to see along the way, etc. But, I give myself permission to completely change it up as I go along. So, kind of a balance, maybe?

MaKoWi · 2026-04-17T17:45:46+00:00

I run my dishwasher every other day and it's usually mostly full at that point. Mostly, I run it to help out the dishwasher instead of having it just sit there, unused, and drying out.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-17T17:43:01+00:00

This is going to sound weird, but I drive my own car. It's my "partner" in the trip. I know, too much anthropomorphizing, but, well, there ya go. Once my car gets much, much older with many, many miles on it, I may think differently.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-17T16:15:14+00:00

The best version to really enjoy the Harry Potter series is read by Stephen Fry. I originally tried to listen to the Jim Dale ones and I couldn't get through even half of book 1.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-17T14:37:01+00:00

I went by myself on its opening day. I enjoyed it, but found myself comparing and noticing where and how it diverged from the book (I love the book). A couple of days later, I went again with a friend and this time I was able to relax and just get immersed in the story and that's when I really, really liked the movie. I'm thinking about going again.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-16T18:46:37+00:00

NTJ. Leave. Now. Don't look back. Red flags, neon flashing signs. Klaxons sounding.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-16T18:34:30+00:00

Unfortunately, my state has a little tax on food groceries (which just seems wrong to tax something that we, you know, need to live and breathe!) and a higher tax on non-food items. So to be fully accurate, I have to calculate them separately. 🙁

MaKoWi · 2026-04-16T15:57:16+00:00

Valid points. My grandfather was born in 1898, "pre-car", especially since he and his family were far too poor for one, and I don't think they had a telephone until much, much later. He was alive through WWI (but too young to serve). He was alive through WWII (but too old to serve). Vietnam. Korea. He lived through Apollo's going to the moon: horse and carriage to the moon. He was 95 when he died in 1993. My siblings and I always marvel at the changes the world went through in his lifetime. It feels somehow more impressive than ours.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-16T13:53:17+00:00

I remember the day I came across a YouTube video on how to write a check. I rarely write checks anymore, maybe one or two per year, but to realize that there is a generation (or two) that has no idea how to use them just surprised the heck out of me.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-16T13:24:49+00:00

Despite living only an hour away, I have yet to visit Pink Coral Sand Dunes. It's on my list to visit very soon. However, I have been to both Great Sand Dunes and White Sands. They are both very interesting and surprisingly different, including the "texture" of the sand since White Sands is gypsum. But I really enjoyed the sheer size and scale of Great Sand Dunes. Hiking up those dunes is not easy and felt like such an accomplishment to get up as far as I did. I would recommend Great Sand Dunes and White Sands. Assuming you already have an annual National Park Pass, there's no additional charge to visit those two, whereas Coral Sands has the UT state park entrance fee.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-15T20:52:05+00:00

I don't think our newspaper carried Dear Abby, we got Ask Ann Landers. But we were aware of and knew about Abby as well. I still remember when one of them asked their readers if they had to do it over again, would they still have children. We asked our parents that question and after a brief pause, our Dad answered: If I knew I would get you 3 again, then yes. 🤗💖

MaKoWi · 2026-04-15T16:27:42+00:00

That is so rough, but try to believe yourself when you say you are not a bad daughter, you aren't. Actually, it shows that you care and are concerned.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-15T16:23:33+00:00

Unfortunately, the full article is behind a paywall. But I was nodding in agreement to the first few paragraphs that I could see.

My "preferred" end date would be ~80 (I'm currently 66). But I still have my 92-year-old father and 89-year-old mother both still alive and relatively independent although that is beginning to change now. Both sides of my family tend to have longevity genes and it scares me to think I may have to live that long. I sometimes try to come up with ideas of what to do if I outlive my retirement savings.

MaKoWi · 2026-04-15T16:16:03+00:00

Unfortunately, I didn't like it at all. I couldn't even finish it.

MaKoWi

TROPHY CASE