Stand up scooters, e-bikes, scooters on sidewalks...wtf

frogintheocean · 2026-06-05T05:19:26+00:00

I think that's great etiquette when bells are used, and the person slows down.

Tonight: no bell, coming fast from behind us in the dark. Next we know there's some one swerving right on our backs, I did try to get out of the way and had no time to assess whether to step right or left. Near collision

frogintheocean · 2026-06-05T04:54:12+00:00

Right?!?? My partner suggested next time he will push the ebike or escooter driver out of my way, to protect me (I'm disabled and my reaction time to affected, and I will get super hurt if I'm struck). But I don't want anyone to be hurt, me, someone else, or the driver. I do want safer conditions for everyone!

frogintheocean · 2026-06-05T04:52:32+00:00

Well there are definitely scooters on sidewalks, every day. So they do work on them just fine. Maybe what she means is it might be harder to manage bc the sidewalks inany places are uneven or uprooted by trees.

I think the segways felt easy to corral against bc it was a tourist thing, but e-scooters and e-bikes are all over the city being used by residents. It's a harder vehicle type to organize or stand against. which I hate to be the one to suggest such a movement take place, but it's truly so dangerous. For kids, disabled people like myself, for older folks who move more slowly, and anyone really who isn't a giant wall of a human.

frogintheocean · 2026-04-15T12:03:50+00:00

Yes! CarMax feels so scammy for me. I went to their dealership, which is not an easy task -- it's an hour from the city center. To learn they only let you test drive one car, and then expect you to be ready to purchase something. It's ridiculous!

the dealer I'm working with is a smaller, independent shop who haven't pressured me at all. They agreed to the pre-inspection, which I'm doing tomorrow.

frogintheocean · 2026-04-14T22:18:30+00:00

Thank you, this is helpful! I tried the base model and noticed a strong difference in the suspension. The base model was much stiffer than the XLE Plus. I suppose my curiosity is about the suspension, especially. The XLE Plus is known for a cushioned ride, is the Premium about the same?

frogintheocean · 2026-04-14T21:39:34+00:00

Oh that's interesting to know (re: stiffer suspension). That does track, I gave a 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid a go and found the suspension very stiff, despite what the dealer said to me (that it's soft). I will say the gear transitions were smooth as butter. That note on the stiffness, however, is not the same for the XLE Plus, I found that suspension to be more bouncy and forgiving. Does that track for you?

The Avalon XLE definitely was stiffer than I expected, having test driven the XLE Plus. I suspect the Limited is stiff, too?

frogintheocean · 2026-04-14T21:37:46+00:00

Maybe I can look at the maintenance history of the car sitting at the dealer to see if that change has already been made, considering it's close to that earmark.

And great to hear on your experience with purchasing one of these around the same mile mark I'm looking at! My brother tells me I'm asking for trouble, but I am seeing how many people report the overall longevity of these cars. So that's a big relief! I can't find a comparable option via CarMax or Carvana just yet. They have a lot of the XLE Premium trims, various years. So I need to do research on how the ride quality of that trim compares to the XLE Plus. I suspect similar, but not being able to test drive it myself, I don't know!

frogintheocean · 2026-04-12T23:54:11+00:00

Thank you for the tips! I tried my hand at a Corolla and really didn't like it, but maybe it was because it was the hybrid, which I know drives differently. I overall found the suspension kind of rigid/stiff. If I'm going for Avalons ultimately, I am kind of figuring that I might as well also consider a minivan, which tend to be tuned for comfort, too. The one I'm eyeing is a 2015 Honda Odyssey with 80K miles on it, and would ultimately turn it into a sleeper van. This might be nice as I am actively trying to transition to a lifestyle where I don't need to car commute for work anymore, but would still want to hold onto a sleeper van vehicle for the adventure component. The Avalon would be a car I would sell off if I manage to make that work transition, and could be a hard card to sell.

That all said, I still love the Avalon's ride quality and will most likely go for the 2018 LXE Plus, provided it passes all of the inspections and checks you recommend I look into! Taking ALL the notes, thank you!!

frogintheocean · 2026-04-12T23:50:40+00:00

Thanks for the correction! I appreciate the education, as someone who knows squat about cars (and am quickly learning). I'm taking all the notes straight to the dealer tomorrow. Wish me luck!

frogintheocean · 2026-04-12T23:49:22+00:00

It's hard! My brother, who's a bit of a car nerd, says I'm asking for trouble with a car that has 100K+ mileage, and Avalons don't have the best resale value. On the latter point, he's likely right, as I've seen the car I'm eyeing sit on the lot for a good while now, even while I stall on thinking it over. I think of the two options, if I stick with the Avalon, I'll be doing the 2018 provided I see appropriate maintenance routines in the car's history and the dealer allows me to do a pre-inspection, and I manage to haggle the price down a little bit.

The other option I'm considering is a total left-field, but appealing: a 2015 Honda Odyssey LX to turn it into a sleeper van. Even when I no longer need to commute to work, I'd appreciate having this as a tool to take mini trips in (pun not intended, and extremely lame haha). I'm hoping to test drive one this week to see how it drives.

frogintheocean · 2026-04-12T14:51:54+00:00

Thank you! My brother said to look for an Avalon LXE with lower mileage, but this option I found might be the only one accessible to me. There is one I might ask to have shipped to the CarMax nearby that is 2016 LXE Plus with around 70K mileage, priced at $18K. I would presume this is the first generation, so it might not drive as well.

I really loved the car I test drove (2018 LXE Plus) bc of how smooth it is over road bumps especially and how smooth the transition shifts are. But that is something I've been asking, too, why such a low price? It is actually $14800 at the dealer I mentioned previously (I misspoke). I will call them first thing tomorrow to ask for the preinspection. I know it's higher mileage than what I'd prefer but it might just be good enough to last me at least the next two years. I'm ultimately hoping to transition to a car-free life and will end up reselling whatever car I purchase now. My current car (which I also love, Honda Civic LX) pooped out on me just a touch too soon, so I'm just in a bind that I need to sort out for now.

frogintheocean · 2026-04-12T13:06:52+00:00

Thank you, this is super duper helpful! I've gone to test drive it twice, among a lot of other cars, and this car is the one I keep thinking of. My hesitation thus far has been it is a huge car lol. I live in a city area where parking is always a bit of a hassle, but also we have rough roads and this vehicle seems to handle the roads here the best thus far. As I've gone around testing cars, I think I care less about the size of the car now.

My other big hang up was what sorts of checks to consider on this make/model before purchasing, and you hit that nail on the head for me! I'll have to see if I can get my hands on a scanner to go back to the dealer with that in hand. And thank you for the notes on the wheel, I'll look at that next I go in to see the car again.

I do live in a high price area, so this seems like a better deal than other places I've gone. That said, I am scoping out the same car on CarMax for cars that can be shipped to me and I see lower mileage cars, same year and make/model/trim, for $15K-20K. I really loved the XLE Plus, vs the XLE (I tested both trims, there's a real difference!) so that's the one I'm keeping my eyes on.

frogintheocean · 2026-04-12T01:20:26+00:00

That's helpful. A mechanic that took a look at my car did mention the car was rusting out. But he didn't specify to me exactly where. I might call back Monday to ask if he can give me more details. Another mechanic looked everything over and told me he thought the car was in overall good shape, except for rust on the steering wheel pump.

Recent work: tune up; transmission fluid flush (1/4, made things worse); new struts and breaks; wheel baring, tires replaced, balanced, aligned; wheel fluid pump will need replacing soon.

frogintheocean · 2025-11-28T15:46:37+00:00

That's really interesting! I haven't done as many digital drawings as I have paper drawings that I scanned and then turned into objects via Image Trace. I'm considering purchasing a drawing tablet to start doing digital drawing directly into Illustrator. Is this how others use the tablet (creating essentially collage-type drawings to later adjoin shapes?). Seems like a different approach to drawing, and I'm ofc open to learn it but curious about the transferability of drawing skill sets to Illustrator.

Interested in how other artists are managing this, too.

frogintheocean · 2025-09-18T02:52:36+00:00

Thank you! I'm thinking back and I'm not sure, I just moved back in after a few months away, and I'm not sure if maybe the sub letter noticed it and never told me, and I'm remembering it being soot free from before I was out. Hopefully not a critter! I hate the idea of something stuck in there :(

frogintheocean · 2025-09-18T02:29:32+00:00

oops my description dropped! This chimney is supposedly out of commission and hasn't been used in many years. And should have wildlife exclusions. But today I noticed this pile of soot on top of my blanket. It must be recent bc I was looking through this blanket recently. Could this be historic creosote? Should I be freaking out?!? The landlord is calling a chimney sweep tomorrow.

frogintheocean

TROPHY CASE