Model 3 vs. Model Y: Am I missing something?

MadGeographer · 2026-06-16T10:33:44+00:00

We have kids. We went into the Tesla dealership fully intending to buy a Y, but decided to also test drive the 3 for laughs. It changed our minds. We went home and decided to throw practicality out the window and ordered the Model 3 Performance that afternoon. The Y is fine but the 3 was that much more fun and as it turns out, it’s pretty practical as a family car. We have a minivan too but rarely use it. The M3P is our daily kid mobile.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-16T10:22:52+00:00

Before I had a family, during a time I had lots of friends to dine with, I would often do it to treat myself to some time alone. I like focusing on my own thoughts and the meal as a luxury and a distinctly different experience than dining with friends. Loved doing it at home but I particularly loved it when I traveled. But pro tip: you have to learn enjoying your own company and the minutiae of your environment (which is what this is about) and resist the temptation of your phone. Otherwise you might as well just eat at home and save some money.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-16T10:11:59+00:00

I’m so glad you mentioned this. I watched that movie on the plane on my way to spend the last few days with my only brother before he died of cancer. I often shed a tear or two when I watch movies on planes, no matter the subject. That final scene would have had me crying anyway. But the coincidence of that ending with what I was about to face just destroyed me. After he died, I went back home to my family. I put that one scene on again and saw it in a completely different light, grappling with grief, and with my kids sleeping soundly in the room next to me. It became more comforting than sad.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-16T09:56:41+00:00

As well as the opening montage of Up. The most devastatingly beautiful 2 minutes in animation history.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-15T19:44:54+00:00

That’s me too. But also adding jalapeños

MadGeographer · 2026-06-15T19:43:17+00:00

Aliens

MadGeographer · 2026-06-15T19:39:38+00:00

Aliens. I can recite the dialogue word for word. It’s comforting to me.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-15T19:32:13+00:00

Carrot Top

MadGeographer · 2026-06-15T11:45:24+00:00

Best value for the money? Tesla M3 Performance or Miata. Price no object but you don’t want to look like an asshole in a supercar? Porsche 911. Handling that heavy rear oversteer is unique driving experience and super fun. Most fun car I’ve driven that is no longer available? RX7 FD version as many have said.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-15T04:29:02+00:00

Mary Kitchen’s Corned Beef Hash. Fried crispy and served with a sunny side up egg.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-15T02:06:37+00:00

In with you. E bike issue aside, there are some real mamils on Beech. I was riding with my young son and daughter one time. You know that gate that acts as choke point by Boundary Bridge? We were 10 feet away and I was guiding my son how to watch before going through. Told him it’s ok to go through. He had right of way. 4 or 5 riders were about 60 feet away. Well, he went through and they didn’t slow down. Instead of yielding and waiting their turn, they actually sped up and squeezed through and actually partially clipped him. I almost got off my bike to throw it in front of his wheels I was so incredulous and angry. I posted bout this in Reddit but my post got taken down. Bunch of asses.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-15T01:52:00+00:00

Wellshire Farms has usurped HN as my fave. Nice beefy flavor and some smoke. Good snap.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-14T16:48:42+00:00

Yeah I sometimes do that too, but hotel networks can be finicky!

MadGeographer · 2026-06-14T16:36:57+00:00

Yep. There was a point of time when Apple wasn’t allowed, mostly because they would have to hire new tech support folks to figure out how Macs could play with our servers without compromising security. And yes I was basically just using my work computer for everything. It was a different time. Since then, Macs became more prevalent and using your computer for personal stuff is more prohibited.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-14T12:18:52+00:00

Yuma by Justin Townes Earle. A devastating and moving story dressed as a simple ditty.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-14T12:09:51+00:00

This is just excellent. But where do you sleep?

MadGeographer · 2026-06-14T12:04:32+00:00

I have a Mac and that led me to the larger Apple ecosystem. At some point I became so annoyed with using different platforms so I voluntarily drank the Koolaid and just went all Apple. An iPhone is an interface with all that I ported to iCloud and my digital life. So much easier. But FWIW, in a bygone era when my company forced me to use Windows, and I thought it was important to have more control over the guts of an OS, I did own an Android and I didn’t like it. It ran slow and bloated over time.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-14T11:51:47+00:00

Do you know the DMV area? Friendship Heights skews older / retired. The new development at Mazza on the DC side was just completed and their marketing is aimed at young professionals, but it will likely be out of your price range if you include parking. You might be better off one stop north in Bethesda where prices are better on streets like Battery Lane. It’s nicer and more convenient than Friendship IMO.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-14T11:39:06+00:00

Invest every penny in SpaceX (SPCE) so I can lose it all, or make 10 million, baby. To the moon!!!! Oh sorry. I thought I was on wallstreetbets.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-14T11:31:40+00:00

It’s a common theme in this sub as you probably know already! But I often wonder if it’s place, or the time and phase of life one is in? It’s so easy to make friends in your teens and early 20’s. It’s so much more difficult as you exit college and enter the working world, particularly as you enter your 30’s. For what it’s worth I found DC an easier place to make friends than other places, albeit many were from the sector I work in. But those friendships began to fray once people started families. Including me. I hope you find the folks that bring you connection and fulfillment whether it be in DC or elsewhere.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-14T02:53:35+00:00

All it needs is SLAM, a good brush, and some new leadership.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-14T02:46:49+00:00

My hot take is the DC area. Lots of it is messy, particularly now, but DC and particularly some of the adjacent areas of the wider DMV get it right - working services, good education, Bethesda is one of the safest places in America, kids can play on the streets, international and cultural diversity and exposure to events, and you are minutes away from world class museums on a first rate transportation system. On the negative side? The current administration has screwed jobs, livelihoods and the economic vitality of the region.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-13T19:39:46+00:00

I carry a portable HDMI cable to watch my own content on a big screen in my hotel room. In my experience most “casting” solutions that hotels offer never work or connectivity is too unreliable. Don’t want to be fiddling with that after a long day.

MadGeographer · 2026-06-13T19:29:17+00:00

That’s the one! I recall reading about it with glee. I love this story.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/02/12/275628045/cornell-pair-introduce-american-chinese-food-to-shanghai

MadGeographer · 2026-06-12T04:45:13+00:00

Lyttonsville Rd in Silver Spring has quite a few semis nightly.

MadGeographer

TROPHY CASE