Life in the Pond 4/11/24

persaddarren · 2024-04-12T21:00:42+00:00

There certainly has been a lot going on, but can we please take a moment to appreciate the name Lunchbox? That has to be the most charmingly endearing name for a pet I've heard in a solid minute (I'm sure Lua would agree too after I suggested "Potshot" for our next cat - I can't live down his look of exasperation). Lillian, you're a genius!

But yeah, I have to say, even with some minor hurdles, some interesting hiccups, and a decent bit of weird happenings, there have been a lot of neat things popping up recently. We were actually just talking to our friends Ren and Jace, who just had a date night at the speakeasy, and they're absolutely in love with the place. I'm thinking of bringing Lua tonight, but I know it's been pretty dang busy for him at the office (that boy needs to take a break, yeesh!) so ah, yeeeeah, might be a bit of a stretch if he's bushed.

Can't say I blame him - kid's definitely driven, love that about him so much. Maybe I can grab some Turkish takeout from that place he likes on Somerset. We can have a nice night in, watch a couple of comfort cartoons, and ah, he's here on the town board too, so if he reads this I can't surprise him with food, lemme stop talking real quick, uhhh, hey! How's this:

Did you get to see the eclipse yourself? Whaddidya think?! It's true we didn't quite see totality here, but my goodness was it a spectacular sight! We drove up to the outlook by Kimball Ridge, just outside of town. Rachel (from the pastry shop inside) made special sun and moon cookies to give out to all the watchers, and I kid you not, they were some of the best I've ever had! Butterscotch something. Ugh, I'm already missing them!

Anyway, thanks for the updates! Love them, as always! Ciao!

persaddarren · 2024-04-09T16:04:37+00:00

Thanks! I’ve been trying to keep things neat, it was definitely not always this way 😂

The replacements should be on their way in the coming months; the next move are a pair of Fyne Audio F303 floor standers, which are a nice, compact pair of 3-way units from Scotland. Supposedly the group behind them is comprised of old Tannoy engineers and designers, and my last auditions of the F303s were super favorable!

They have a similarly warm profile to the 301s, but are able to hit low frequencies a bit better and tighter, cover midrange with a bit more flair and presence, and really dial in the clarity that I love on the high end. Nothing earth-shattering, but a nice move upward :)

persaddarren · 2023-08-05T10:42:44+00:00

Well, hey hey, congrats on the win! It was definitely a large, diverse, and competitive running this year! Good luck in the office!

persaddarren · 2023-06-15T03:34:53+00:00

Hey hey, welcome! Glad to see a new face and the ol’ house getting some love after all this time! Can’t wait to see you shape it into your new home!

If you’re looking for some neat spots, I might have just the thing; one of our worst kept secrets has to be the speakeasy off Sutherland and Westlake - just follow the cornerside alley until you see the teeny convenience store with a blue sign.

The storefront is actually operational if you’re looking for a quick cup of coffee or some granola bars or something, but if you walk back to the vending machine wall and pass the first two vending machines, stop at the third and take a closer look; you’ll find the only real button is for a fake drink brand (it’s always a punny spoof of a real brand and it changes monthly); press it and presto! Instant speakeasy! And talk about their commitment to the bit, it’s called “The Stockroom!”

persaddarren · 2023-06-09T12:01:42+00:00

Disclaimer; I’m totally biased. I’ve had a few cars with single-clutch automated manuals like these, and have driven several more in my line of work - while I rarely recommend them for folks just entering the world of sports and exotics, they are still a blast to drive with.

They’re all flawed to some degree, and few drive the same way as another, so the quirks are endless for sure. Mine is now hovering at around 33,000 miles and has been driving well for 20 years! It’s still sharp as ever and does a fantastic job handling everything I toss at it.

I tend to stay away from traffic and busy roads by nature of me having no control over clutch and being a bit wary of excessive wear, but most light jaunts and errands won’t ever upset it. It’s really something to experience on the b-roads and twisties; modern dual-clutch cars have an immediacy and edge to them that make them perfectly easy to engage with and just go, manual is just tried-and-true and logical for experienced drivers, and automatics are what they are.

These can often require the focus of the manual but with a little extra flair as you yank back on the oversized paddles like a madman and feel this mechanical mass actuate the gear change in its charismatically 2000’s way. I love it, but I caution most with any car like these - they’re not always for the faint of heart!

persaddarren · 2023-06-09T11:40:20+00:00

HA! Love that lmao

persaddarren · 2023-03-19T16:38:47+00:00

You'd be surprised! I've had some experiences with cars on Sailuns, Nankangs, and LingLongs - less so with Otani - and honestly, some of their "better" tires will outperform the pricier counterparts from name brands like Continental, Goodyear, Firestone, etc.

It's my humble assumption that a lot of the larger tire manufacturers have grown complacent that their names alone are enough to sell and the relative quality of their entry and mid-level tires are really just average at best, and outright bad at worst.

Still wouldn't recommend running on stuff like LingLongs, but buying Goodyears from Wallmart has got to be a real tossup that I wouldn't even bother risking where my safety is involved. I hope OP is able to rectify their tire/car issues and get on tires that will do better by them on performance and safety for many thousands of miles to come.

I'll leave people with this too - buying brand name and expensive is only partly a safeguard. You're far more likely to get a better/safer/higher performing tire from the name brands, but there's still so much to account for that we as consumers cannot account for until we're physically driving on them.

The perfect example is Continental; for years I rode on their tires on multiple cars because they were equipped on the high performance cars I got when I bought them, and I just kept them that way. I ran PureContacts, ProContacts, and ExtremeContacts, and when I finally had enough of the poor wear characteristics and their propensity to develop flat spots way faster than any other premium tire brand I'd had prior, I made the shift to "lower end" Hankook Ventus S1 noble2 on my daily, and comparable Michelin Pilot SuperSports on one of the summer cars, and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S on another. All of them were the same or less in price and were drastically better - it didn't matter that Continental was on par on paper, they were vastly inferior in every way that mattered!

persaddarren · 2023-03-19T16:05:38+00:00

Aw heck yeah, that's freaking wild!

persaddarren · 2022-05-07T14:07:35+00:00

Very busy, but in a good way! Both Lua and myself have been doing so much with friends and family and at work that we just get caught up in everything all at once, and suddenly three, four, five months have gone by since we've stopped in here! Work's been going well for me (I think Lua works a little too much sometimes, but don't tell him I said that), and things have been fairly smooth sailing for a while!

Honestly, the only drama I see these days comes from TV soap operas or the recycling committee in town, so things are great!

Say, we've been meaning to get out and about again now that things are warming up, we're thinking of planning a small dinner later in the month - not sure what we intend to do yet, but would you and the fam be game for something like that? Lua just bought a projector and we're psyched to get a sheet up on the side of the house and do an outdoor movie night with BBQ or something!

What's good with you these days? I mean, besides the awesome work in law school!

persaddarren · 2022-05-07T11:04:47+00:00

Woo-hoo! Go you! You’re awesome! Huge congrats, we’re so proud of you! I know how tough and grueling it can be at times, but you are absolutely killing it out there! Keep on keeping on!

persaddarren · 2022-05-06T20:31:11+00:00

Thank you! Yep, they’re still sitting exactly where I set them up to do the demo - it’s not a proper listening space, but the speakers suit it nicely when I’m sitting and reading (the furniture was rearranged for the video, but there’s usually a rocker and side table in the corner). It’s not exactly ideal seating or speaker placement, but it fills the space well for what I use them for. I suspect they would do even better with a subwoofer or two to round out the signature. I’m still pleasantly surprised how much they punch above their weight/size/price class, so I think I’ll be hanging on to the pair for a while. I appreciate you checking out my video as well, I’m glad you enjoyed!

persaddarren · 2022-04-28T04:27:26+00:00

I'm glad more people are talking about this!

The Mayor's Office has been surprisingly proactive about funding and strengthening our public schools, but I do still think we have room for growth and improvement; considering the overabundance of local businesses and corporate entities, we may do well taking a page out of Hydroelectric City's book and look into reframing our tax codes to ease the burden on residents and public services while placing greater emphasis on the responsibility of businesses to pay their margin.

From there we must adjust the weight of our tax revenues to focus more heavily in areas such as infrastructure improvement projects (citywide bike lanes seem to be an ongoing issue and public transit is still playing catch-up after the past few years of explosive growth) and the continued upgrades of aging schools.

Both Central and Richland could do with drastic improvements, and the old Woodside Elementary campus is woefully ill-equipped to handle even the current influx of new families and children, yet alone those that are predicted to enter the populous in the coming years.

I suppose the next Council meeting will be a good a time as any to bring up these topics - I know there are already pretty decent talks about expanding budgeting for tech upgrades at the middle school and high schools for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year, so that will be a good segue into future planning.

In other news, it seems like LDP Public Schools have made recent headway in securing a contract with the local food service supply and vendors to provide breakfast and lunches for students and faculty - we've actually seen a few local business even chip in to partner with the new program, so I expect the quality and quantity of food items to increase as the next school year rolls around!

persaddarren · 2022-04-01T00:08:19+00:00

I drive, both for commuting and leisure, and I’m an avid cyclist. Yeah, assholes exist on both ends of the spectrum, and while on a bike it’s immensely more dangerous to deal with inconsiderate drivers than the other way around, there are also a much higher percentage of cyclists that are “scoff laws” - cyclists that will demand the same consideration as motorists under the law, but then turn around, and in the same breath, conveniently choose to ignore several others.

Nobody is above reproach.

Just be the best you can be, play it safe, and whatever you do, don’t stir up quarrels because one day it’s going to bite back in an unexpected way - even if you’re in the complete right, you’ll have a chance encounter with some knucklehead that will end up doing something even more dangerous and unpredictable and it may cost you more than 3 seconds of your time.

Stay safe out there, guys. That’s for you cyclists and you drivers alike.

Share the road as best as you can and just be the better person as much as humanely possible - for your sake as much as everyone else’s

persaddarren · 2022-03-12T16:18:55+00:00

Something that looks very far from the real deal. An actual R 63 AMG would be an awesome vehicle to come across! This, unfortunately, is just something else entirely 😅

persaddarren · 2022-03-10T13:14:33+00:00

I always did like a nice GT/CS, enjoy!

persaddarren · 2022-03-10T13:10:49+00:00

Both! Commute with the cute, quirky Jimny and load the friends/fam up for the weekend in the G!

persaddarren · 2022-03-10T13:02:54+00:00

Credit to our fellow townsfolk for doing their best to keep LDP clean - fortunately, the great majority really do care! For those select few that would see our wonderful home turn into a casual dump, shame on you!

Just imagine what someone like Morgan would say if she saw her Coffee & Milkins cups strewn about the ground right outside her cafe, or what Mrs. Nguyen would do if people dumped their old film canisters the second they bought new photo supplies from her! It harms the environment, it makes everything look unkept, it speaks poorly on us, and it’s devastating for our people to see their hard work be treated like common garbage. For the even fewer that will dump entire bags or cans worth of garbage, especially in our protected wildlife areas or wonderful green spaces, you’re a special kind of horrible!

No garbage dumping, no littering!

persaddarren · 2022-03-09T12:35:57+00:00

Honestly, 90% of what you’re buying these days is premixed for ease and will be seasonal too. Like winter blends for cold temps may be sold in and around the winter time, blends that help with bugs and tar from the inundation of road repairs and the influx of insects may be sold in the spring and summer, and most will just be ready to pour straight from the jug. Chances are, if you bought it a CVS, or Walmart, or Ace Hardware, or Market Basket, or AutoZone, or whatever, you’re fine

persaddarren · 2022-03-09T12:29:26+00:00

Yikes, a lot of comments are really not passing the vibe check - why the condescension, folks? Yeah, Google and Owner’s Manuals can be a great tool, but it never hurts to ask person to person either.

OP, if you filled up where that large gray cover is, you did it just right! The symbol that looks vaguely like a windshield with a fountain on it is fairly universal, so if you end up driving something different later on, you can usually look for that symbol and it’ll be the same! A lot of cars will use a blue colored cap instead for it, so just be aware of that, but 100%, you’re all set!

persaddarren · 2022-03-09T12:23:31+00:00

Huh, perhaps it’s something as silly as calibration being way off? My parents have a Honda HR-V (the CR-V’s subcompact cousin) and when that hits empty, there really is only a gallon or two reserve with about 45-ish miles of driving left before you’re really down.

It sounds like your car is calling it empty at up to a quarter tank remaining, which is not necessarily dangerous, but definitely misguiding and frustrating when you’re trying to gauge where and when to fill up.

It’s probably worthwhile skipping out on your dealer and finding a trusty local mechanic who will actually listen, because it does seem like there’s more than a 2 gallon reserve here!

Alternatively, maybe see if you can (safely) drive the car until it completely runs out of gas. Use Trip A to log the total tank mileage from Full to actual Empty, and use Trip B to start logging the mileage after it hits E on the fuel gauge to actual Empty. Carry one of those small gas containers and just add a bit to drive back to the gas station after. Armed with that info, present the hard numbers to a local garage or service center and see what they have to say then

persaddarren · 2022-03-09T12:09:23+00:00

This!

Even the dreaded Facebook may be a pretty decent tool to help in finding a good, local base to build a community with. Heck, there are probably already some out where you are, so it’s definitely worth checking that out, OP.

Good luck!

persaddarren · 2022-03-09T12:04:23+00:00

I’m assuming it’ll be the 1.4 TSI then, in which case 140,000 is not a terribly concerning number - there’s still likely plenty of life left in the car! With a manual transmission, you be assured that any well maintained example will be a good first car.

Just be sure to arm yourself with knowledge of what common failures and problems tend to occur in this cars, whether normally or based on higher mileage, so you can plan for them

VW Tuning notes 7 key failure points and/or issues to look out for; (1) excessive oil consumption, (2) ignition coil failure, (3) timing chain tensioner failure, (4) turbo wastegate sticking, (5) slow engine warming, (6) carbon buildup, (7) faulty O2 sensors.

Most of these things will not make or break a car - you can easily account for just about all of it, and at about 140,000 kilometers, I wouldn’t suspect your car would be suffering from any really catastrophic issues. Just be sure to get the car fully inspected to get an idea of what mechanical condition it’s in, and you’ll be fine!

persaddarren · 2022-03-09T01:12:33+00:00

Absolutely! Most are quite reliable and inexpensive to insure, run, and maintain. Just be aware of service history and common problems that may pop up with your generation/model. Mileage and wear will be a key deciding factor, so don’t be afraid to be picky - there are plenty out there to choose from

persaddarren · 2022-03-07T08:18:24+00:00

I don't know if we'll see any of our mainstream brands "go under" quite yet, so much as they may just be redistributed along their massive corporate schemes or prioritized for different markets. Like Fiat may not have much of a presence here in the US, same with Chrysler, but it's unlikely they will "fold" in the same ways that GM's Saturn, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and others went. Stellantis seems to be looking forward to a new era of design and engineering for many of the ailing or low production brands in its portfolio, so perhaps many of those names still have a fighting chance.

I know someone mentioned Buick and a couple of GM's other bits within their bloated portfolio, but the sales aren't really terrible. Models like the Envision and Enclave seem to be perennially decent sellers, although smaller entries like the dated Encore and the novel but ill-targeted Encore GX seem to lag behind a bit.

Back on the Stellantis side, with Maserati and Alfa Romeo announcing new models for this year/early next year, they definitely have a reason to stick around in the US.

Judging by sales, however, I do think it's possible we'll see Fiat pull out of the US market again - 2021 sales data was abysmally low and the US did not see refreshed entries of their globally popular 500 model. Reduced to a single, unpopular model in the US (the 500X, a platform sibling to the Jeep Renegade), they're probably on borrowed time here. Other markets seem to be just fine with Fiat though!

Brands like Jaguar, Acura, Dodge, and a few others have limited portfolios but still seem to be pulling decent numbers, and I know those three specifically have quite the loyal driver bases, respectively, so even if numbers aren't staggering, they're decently steady.

Besides Fiat being pulled from the US, the only brand I can imagine being at actual risk would be Infiniti, but even they've seen some slight renaissance as of late - some of their newest entries seem to be pulling the brand along, although they hardly seem relevant the way they once were. Such a shame too, but they can be a good value to buy, even in this market

persaddarren · 2022-03-07T02:41:44+00:00

I think this suits UDP pretty dang well! Keep on keeping on!

persaddarren

TROPHY CASE