The New Adventures of Expatboy!

"Will Drive For Rims": Part 5 - Back to New York City

2009-06-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

As I drove out of the dealership parking lot, I realized that I had not even looked at the rims I had put on my car up close. In fact, those 18" wheels I had on could be all scratched up with curb rash, or the tires could have been worn down to the nub without me even knowing it. In my half-panic during the swap, I had forgotten all the basic stuff in a trade.

At the first gas station that came my way, I gassed up and inspected my new wheels. Looked good. No scuffs. Tread was very good. I got back on the road. There wasn't any vibration that would signal a bent wheel.

Back on the road, I took note of the additional tire hum which was expected on larger wheels. The feel of the larger wheels gave the car a much more sporting drive, but still compliant. In fact, I felt I could probably go up to 20" wheels and still feel comfortable. So, hey it probably really ended up as a good deal for me.

Driving back to Chicago for an overnight stopover before I headed back to NY. I took my folks out to dinner and when they got on the car I discovered that with additional passengers, the ride became even more compliant to the point of almost being cushy. Nice sporty ride when you're alone, comfy cruiser when with passengers. Nice.

The next day, the Weather Channel freaked me out with its forecast for my route back to NY. "Very High Risk of Thunderstorms and Tornados" along my entire route. Flipping to other stations, there were floods in Indianapolis and Milwaukee. Was I just a day away from disaster? I turned off the TV immediately so that my folks would not get too worried.

Turns out that the drive home was quite pleasant. Except for what looked like a tornado in the distance in Ohio, the dark skies that barely turned into rainm and frequent stops for coffee, the only interesting event was a stop at Long John Silvers somewhere in Pennsylvania. I dubbed it "the fast food joint that time forgot", as the furniture were still circa 1970's and not in a good way. I was out of there in a hurry after wolfing down my root beer float and tilapia platter.

At around 11:30 I was back in NYC. Day is done, mission accomplished. Just need to break down the expenses:

Mileage: $240
Swap at the dealership: $120
Misc: $170
Grand total: $530

Not quite ending up "free", I think. In fact, I would have been better off buying a set of wheels and selling my stock wheels on Ebay (if I could find a set of OEM 18" wheels - these cars are pretty rare). But hey, what would be the fun in that?

"Will Drive For Rims": Part 4 Milwaukee

2009-06-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

The one thing I remember about the drive to Milwaukee from Chicago, was that there was nothing to see. Before leaving the hotel for the dealership, a 100 mile drive, I was scouring the interwebs for touristy spots to see along the way. There was nothing.

So my mind filled up with thoughts of the wheel swap itself. First of all, who in their right minds would want to swap to smaller rims? The lady who wanted to do the transaction had mentioned that she wanted a smoother ride, and to be able to better deal with the snow. But in my mind she was either ignorant by not asking for money on the trade, or that she was scamming me. Did she have damaged rims? Was the car stolen? Was it a ponzi scheme? Not the last one, at least.

So to be able to stay anonymous in this transaction, if she decided she really did not want to swap or wanted her old wheels back, I took out a wad of dough at the ATM, so that the swap at the dealership would be an all-cash transaction. She would never be able to find me, unless the dealership took my VIN number (my car still had dealer plates on it). On the other hand, if I were being scammed, I would have no proof. Damned if you do, damned if you dont.

As I arrived at the dealership, I was approached by a middle-aged lady, sun-weathered and lanky almost like a cowboy in one of those movies. It was her. We made small talk, she showed me her car. I made all the appropriate oohs and aahs of appreciation as she walked me through all the option packages, upgraded leather and other rarities on her ride. After a couple of minutes, we both went into the dealership for the swap.

I was crossing my fingers the whole time both of our cars were lifted into the air. Good thing my car obstructed the view of hers, so she wouldn't see my crummy 17" wheels mounted on her car. The last thing I wanted to happen was for a last minute change of heart on her part after I drove more than a thousand miles (mostly office subsidized) for this transaction.

As the mechanics slapped on the bigger wheels, I could immediately see the improvement in the looks and presence of the car. Its a wonder that the eyes and mind of a person can discern a 1" change in wheel size from 20 feet away. As they lowered both of the cars, the service guy asked if we wanted a complimentary hand wash of the car. Since mine was covered with splattered bugs, I accepted although part of me wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. The lady I was trading with also seemed to be in a hurry, and that freaked me out a bit. Did she think that she was putting one over me and wanted out of there? Did both of us think we were putting one over the other?

As soon as the car wash was over, we said our hurried goodbyes, and both of us practically ran towards our cars, and sped out of there as soon as possible. The swap was done, and I had felt that something was amiss. Was I scammed?

I would soon find out

"Will Drive For Rims" : Part 3 Chicago

2009-06-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

So it turns out that my folks were in Chicago to attend a wedding. And since Chicago was smack between Indianapolis and Milwaukee, I decided to take a short stop over at the windy city on my way to my 18" rim swap.

The 3 hour drive from Indianapolis to Chicago was way different from the drive to Indy from NY. Instead of narrow highways cutting across lush valleys, there were swaths of urban decay. I passed through Gary, Indiana and what seems to be miles upon miles of abandoned residential neighborhoods. As soon as I hit Illinois, I was surrounded by power lines, old train tracks, and industrial decay.

I now had a routine with the EX35. Before I leave for a long drive, I load up the iPod with podcast versions of my favorite shows, and just listen to them while I'm driving. The excellent iPod interface makes choosing and playing the tracks easy. Long drives now are almost like hanging out on my favorite sofa, except that I have to keep an eye on the road.

My folks' hotel was right on the Chicago Riverwalk, and that changed my impression of the windy city. Basically, a large part of downtown was bisected by a river, with bridges crossing the divide every couple of blocks. Both sides of the river was lined with promenades and restaurants, and the whole area gave the impression of a huge blue promenade. Unlike much of New York City, at the Riverwalk you actually had the space to appreciate the architecture, and it was absolutely gorgeous to walk through during a warm summer evening.

The next day, we took a short drive to Hyde Park, and the Museum of Science and Industry. It was a huge building reminiscent of the NY Museum of Natural History, the British Museum, and the Greek Pantheon. There was a small lake in the back, where some people were actually fishing. No bites when we were there though.

Since I was on a tight schedule, we did not go inside. My appointment for my rim swap was just a few hours away, and I did not want to be late.

Next stop, Milwaukee!

"Will Drive For Rims": Part 2 Indianapolis

2009-06-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

The drive from NY to Indy was scheduled to be 12 hours long. I was planning to start at 10am so I could arrive at the hotel in Indianapolis by 10pm, about an hour earlier than I regularly check in when I fly into town.

Problem was some last minute office duties prevented me from leaving until around 1pm, so I was going to have little sleep before work the next day. So I loaded up my iPod, bought some coffee and chips, and went on my way right after.

The drive to Indy was unexpectedly pleasant. The car's iPod interface was excellent, far better than the one I had on my roadster (which was nigh unusable!). The drive was very quiet with nary a hint of engine noise unless I was gunning it; and the suspension soaked up all the bumps. Maybe the suspension was even a bit too soft with the 17 inchers. After the 1st hour of driving, I no longer had 2nd thoughts about trading my rims for 18". With my favorite podcasts playing on an excellent 11-speaker stereo system, sitting comfortably on quality leather seats, and the beautiful view driving through the Poconos, it was almost equivalent to my lounging around on my sofa in the living room. The hours passed by pleasantly. Every now and then I would get a call, automatically routed through the car's bluetooth, and no more strugging with headsets, or lowering the stereo volume.

As it turned dark and it started to rain, I finally made my peace with the AWD and high seating position, things which I had always equated with a bad drive. The AWD kept me confident in the slick roads, and the high seating position also meant high headlight mounting, which makes for better visibility at night, far better than both the Accord and the Spyder. Plus the self-dimming mirrors and the parking sonar, it makes this a damn safe car.

One thing I realized I did not want though, was the sunroof. I kept on opening it, but always ended up closing the sunroof after a couple of minutes because of sound intrusion as well as glare. I had fixated on sunroofs for years because I never had a car with one. But as it turned out, if I wanted sun on my skin while driving, I would have taken out the roadster instead.

I arrived in Indy around 1am, with me exhausting the contents of the iPod and surfing between satellite radio stations. Except for a stiff arm from driving I felt relaxed, and not even tired. This was far different from my trip in the MR2, where I was physically exhausted, and with a terrible ringing in my ear from the sound of the engine right behind my back. The Infitini I realized, was built to eat up the miles.

Wish the mileage was better though. On purely highway driving I only managed a measly 25MPG. To compare, on the highway the Accord makes 30MPG, and the Spyder 34MPG.

"Will Drive For Rims" - Part 1 New York City

2009-06-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

So, I just got myself a new Infiniti EX35. Nice car, but I wanted the 18" rims, and I couldn't find one on the color that I liked (silver).

Enter the EX35Forum, ostensibly, one of those enthusiast forums for the car. There was this lady who wanted to trade her 18" wheels for 17" wheels. The snow and bad roads made 18" wheels impractical, she said. So being the considerate gentleman that I was, offered to trade my smaller wheels for hers.

Trouble was, she lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is about a 900 mile drive. So my mind spun and churned and I figured out a plan to get there:

1) I would drive to work to Indianapolis, so I can charge the mileage to the office (750 miles, 12 hours)
2) From Indianapolis, after the work week is done (Thursday), I would drive to Milwaukee for the trade (280 miles, 5 hours)
3) After the trade, I would drive back to Indy, spend the night there, and the next day drive back to NYC. I would be back in NY before midnight Friday, with shiny new 18" rims!

Would I drive 2000 miles for free rims? Of course! Almost 3 years after my cross country drive with my then brand-spanking new Spyder, a new road trip is afoot!

Current Events, Caricaturing the Caricatures

2009-02-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

So, I saw the mayor of Lansing, Michigan on an interview on FOX, spewing platitudes, espousing the virtues of union-negotiated benefits (like health care for life), for workers of the Detroit automakers while completely ignoring the consequences of the resulting exhorbitant labor costs - the insolvency of the Big 3.

It was so hilarious, and the performance was so over-the-top that it reminded me of that popular meme in comics, now in TV and film, of the "crazy TV guest". First popularized by Frank Miller in works such as "The Dark Knight Returns" back in the '80s, it's often used to draw the reader or viewer to a conclusion that is opposite what the "crazy TV guest" is arguing for.

When real life starts to imitate the caricatures in TV and film, you know that the situation in the real world has started moving towards the extreme.

When the talking heads on TV start talking about bailouts in the trillions of dollars, when people no longer feel that they are causing a panic by calling the current economic situation a "depression", when you see ordinary Americans scream and collapse in tears in the presence of the new president - much like the poor, impoverished, future-less masa in Manila forget their own hopeless condition to adore and swoon over Judy Ann - you know you're in deep trouble.

Goodbye Jill, Hello Samantha

2009-02-17T20:14:00.000-08:00

One thing that happens to me a lot, is that I get attached to my gear. Some of you may have already read about the tears and guilt
when I had to replace my Roomba, but angst associated with replacing my GPS was something else.

As a backgrounder, my first GPS purchase was way back in 2003. It was a Garmin GPS V, one of the first GPS units to offer turn-by-turn navigation. It only had 19 MB of memory, so whenever I went on a trip, I had to load the maps. It took forever to find satellites and it spoke in beeps. It was my navigator for my epic LA-NY solo road trip back in 2006, but by then it was already showing its age.

Right after my road trip around October 2006, I retired the GPS V and replaced it with a Garmin NUVI 350. It could actually hold all of the maps in memory, could speak street names, had a real-time traffic antenna which you could buy separately, had a media player, and the screen did not take forever to update!

I was particularly impressed with "Jill", the voice which I chose for the GPS to speak with. Jill, I realized used a sampled audio vocabulary, meaning that a lot of the audio that came out of the GPS were actually assembled snippets of a real person talking. This made for awkward pauses, but you had the feeling that a real person was talking to you.

So for 3 years, Jill was my companion during trips, getting me out of trouble when I was lost. Until of course the day Jill died on me, a bitterly cold day in Feb 2009.

It was a waste, because the 350 was still a perfectly servicable GPS, had it not gone kaput. There was no big, new, must-have GPS feature that could justify a purchasse.

Then of course, I grew excited because it gave me an excuse to get a newer, incrementally better unit. So I got myself a Garmin NUVI 265T. Faster processor, bluetooth, built-in traffic and a revised interface. What's not to like? I was pretty happy until I heard the voice.

Turns out, Jill was demoted. The Jill voice did not speak street names now. That job went to "Samantha". Samantha was a terse, hurried lady. Like that officemate who is too busy to give you the time of day. And her voice was so.. unnatural. Turns out that part of the increased processing power of the 265T was given over to full text-to-speech synthesis. Meaning there was no real person behind the words, every word was generated from scratch by the software.

Which, honestly, sucked. And was disturbing as well. Who is this irritating robotic voice speaking to me in my car, invading my personal space, giving me directions? How can I trust her? Especially when she sounds like she's doing me a favor by giving me directions? Hey, giving me directions is your job lady!

So today, I'm still getting used to Samantha. She still sounds like a back-seat driver, giving me directions like she knows everything. Hmp! And I'm still guilty about replacing Jill. Jill though is still on my desk, a non functioning piece of plastic. Still haven't thrown her away. One day though, I'll have to move on.

It's a Recession When..

2009-02-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of months I've been asking myself "what recession"? There have been the worried economists in the newspapers and the late night politicians wrangling bailout bills on C-SPAN, but until recently, no part of this was within my orbit. I personally did not experience it, nor did anyone who I knew. But it's changed now, accelerating, like that slow inexorable movement of a canoe just before it leaps off the edge of a waterfall.

So what happened that made me think a recession actually really happening? Well, it's a recession..

..When the horror stories popping up on the internet of firms first unplugging their coffee machines and then a few days later going on a mass layoff - happens to people I actually know.

..When I go on Google and start typing "Great", the first suggestion it comes out with is "Great Depression".. yikes!

..When I drive into the usually crowded Palisades Mall, and find out, disturbingly, that there is no competition for the best parkibng spots

.. When the first thing I listen to now is the NPR Planet Money podcast.

..When they're practically giving away flat screen TVs at the mall and even I dont bite

..When even I go off my blogging hiatus to talk about it.

Alternative Holiday Traditions

2008-12-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

Putting up the tree, Christmas shopping, etc etc. Everyone has a holiday tradition that signals Christmas day being imminent. For me, its the mad flight back home.

This morning for the flight at Detroit Metro, I started off with 8" high snow, my cab twisting in the slick, slippery, unsalted pavement. It was going to take 45 minutes the cabby said, 15 minutes longer than usual.

It was OK, I thought silently, the flight was an hour late anyway. Hundreds of other flights were canceled or delayed or rerouted what with the unfriendly weather.

When I got to the boarding gate, I beheld a completely barren, completely flat, completely white tarmac. You could have mistaken it for a frozen lake. The plane was not even there when the boarding staff were already starting to ask for volunteers as the flight was overbooked. 5pm flight to Newark, the lady said, with transportation to La Guardia and a $250 flight coupon. Since I have not paid for a single flight I've taken in more than 8 years, this was not an inducement.

After about an hour, I saw my plane slowly making it's way to the boarding gate, like a tired musician walking up to a microphone. I'm just about as beat as you Mr Airplane, I thought. I just want to go home too. We got on the plane and waited for it to be de-iced and all that extra cr@p you had to do during winter.

After about another hour, we were in the sky. Blocked sinuses expanded in the pressurized interior of the plane, and I was getting a headache. Maybe it was hunger, but it was most likely the sinuses. I took a nap, which always made the ordeal go faster.

When I woke up, I felt the airplane depressurize, but out the window was pure white. It could not be clouds at this altitude, I thought, so it must be fog. When we were low enough, I was surprised at how quickly New York was transformed from the regular shades of gray, to black and white, snow covered ornaments. This was the only upside of the trip.

When we landed, there was of course no gate available for us, so it was another hour and a half of waiting for one to open up. When everything was said and done, door to door I traveled for more than 8 hours. That like a drive from NYC to Niagara Falls.

But at least that holiday tradition is done for the year, and I'm home and dry.

My New BFF

2008-12-18T20:08:00.001-08:00

I remember way back when I used to want all the newest technology, the latest gear for the sake of.

Well now, I still don't shy away from the latest gear, just as long as it's functional - if it can help me live my life better.

My original Blackberry, the Pearl, was a breakthrough. It allowed me to get away from my desk and actually read and compose office and personal email while on the go. My iPod was another such device, where I could place-shift my TV viewing from the living room to on the road, in the airport, while waiting for people, etc etc.

But the problem of that was I had to have 2 devices on me, each one requiring me to plug something into my ear. I did not want an iPhone because of the restrictive form factor and lack of a keyboard.

So last month came the closest thing to the perfect solution - the Blackberry Kickstart aka 8220 aka Pearl Flip. Larger screen, bigger keys, decent form factor, and a media player that can operate while the phone is in the closed position. The Facebook application is pretty good too.

Highly recommended for people who need to do lots of stuff on the go. If the internet was faster, I could run my small business of of this too!

The Return of Expatboy!

2008-12-18T19:44:00.000-08:00

My Friendster blog was completely messed up, so I'm moving to Blogger!

Heres a link to the old blog:

The Original Adventures of Expatboy!