Robert Hall

Always liked Tag Heuers, back when I wore watches looked at them closely...the problem with many higher end watches is tend to be large and not look good on my skinny wrists... (I've been told I have a Mr Potato Head physique..). Back in the 00s had a coworker who I think had a watch addiction..he was buying new watches constantly, from a variety of brands..I think he had about 200 watches in 2005.. I've always liked silver watches with blue backgrounds, like this Tag Formula 1 (plus being an F1 fan makes this appealing). I have a Skagen that is nice and thin and the same color scheme. I like this new Timex Pam Am tribute...love the classic Pan Am logo and the plane motif...

I'm EV-curious, not ready to buy one though. Not sure what or when my next vehicle purchase happens.. a couple different possibilities...

After seeing a bunch in parking lots and in traffic, I really like the design of both of those. Really like the Ionic 5 for its shape and quirky lighting details.

I've been thinking about it a lot lately, as I look at my investments and timelines.. and part of why I bought my big one story house this year..I don't want to deal with stairs as I get older. And if I can avoid it, I don't want to go back to having a commute and a cubicle...working out of my house the last 6 years is just so much better for me in terms of schedule and flexibility..

It will be interesting to see what the automotive landscape looks like in 2035..I'll be ready to retire then.

EVs only have 7% market share in the US now, going to be a long time until they are the obvious choice.

I'd rather see more front structure for crumple zones and crash engineering... not a fan of the egg on wheels shape.

cab-forward taken to extremes...

It is funny how in olden days automakers looked at lightening vehicles for performance and/or efficiency, but with EVs the weight is irrelevant...

Haven't regularly worn a watch in close to 20 years since I always have a cell phone w/me...but I do like watches. One drawback from being a software engineer working from home is I rarely need to 'dress up' in anything beyond shorts and t-shirts or sweats and hoodies...but watches are nice when I do go out to a nice restaurant or the symphony. I have a few watches going back to high school and college (Citizen and Seiko). I also have a few Fossil and Skagen watches from the mid 00s. Maybe I'll get back into wearing watches..

Old house went on the market this past Tuesday (22nd) and by Thursday the 24th had 3 offers, incl. one for $30k over listing. It's sold. Closing will be in mid September. Happy happy joy joy... Car related content--drove down to Newark (east of Columbus) Monday night (about 150 miles) for a concert and Waze didn't get me the best route going there..winding back roads through Amish country and random farm equipment on the roads..at least it was sunny and not raining. Coming back drove an extra 25 miles so I could do it all freeway with a short bit of country road. (I enjoy winding country roads on a sunny afternoon leisure drive, but don't do them at night when deer and cows wander the roads). Newark has a downtown square and the Midland Theatre is a gem. (Columbus' 270 belt line is a nice freeway, wide w/ lots of lanes..I wish Cleveland's 480 was as nice...) Then Tuesday evening when commuting between the two houses drove through some of the heaviest rain I've driven in many years..reminded me of getting caught in an Arizona monsoon. Intense, heavy rain...couldn't see the markings on the road, had to follow people's flashing taillights on the fecal 480. In the construction zones often several inches of water pooling on the roadway...later heard that there were tornados in parts of Cleveland a few miles from me. Crazy wet summer... The Jeep has been great in the rain, with the Michelins and Bosch wipers. Hit 76k miles on Wednesday.

Presumably similar to the Hummer EV, like 9000+ lbs... mega bloated.

That would painful...going to the post office, waiting in line and getting a money order like it's 1995...dark ages stuff. If a charitable organization doesn't take PayPal, I won't donate. (Most of the charities I regularly support are small terrier breed rescues and shelters)

Haven't been around much lately, been a busy summer...hating the constant rain..been so wet the last 3-4 months. Is this Cleveland or Seattle? Moved into the new house on June 22, been going back and forth working on the old house, moving out everything, unpacking boxes, busy with work since then...old house almost ready--should be on the MLS in the next week finally. Getting new carpet this week. Had the inside and inside of the garage painted over the last two weeks. Getting tired of the 25 mile drive on I-271 and the fecal I-480 back and forth between the two houses (480 freeway has the worst drivers in Ohio I think--saw the aftermath of 3 crashes in a 5 mile stretch yesterday). The worst drivers are no longer BMW drivers--its KIA drivers--they drive like complete assholes.... Looking forward to getting the house for sale and actually getting back to enjoying my weekends....

For 'safe' colors, like the way-overused black, silver and white, I never thought I'd go for any of those, but I do like my metallic black Jeep w/ the beige and black interior. It's a very common color combo on so many SUVs, though...esp premium and luxury models. Not a fan of white, but could go for a pearl white on Cadillacs..

Not sure about 'safe', but F8 green and Octane Red are my favorite current Mopar colors..I'd definitely go for that green. Perhaps like the song, she's 'a Barbie girl in the Barbie world'... it's cool when people are fearless and be themselves in public..

Quite the beast. The contours make it look it smaller than it is..looks smaller in the side profile pics..would like to see a photo parked next to the regular slab-sided upright Escalade. 'Escaladiq' would have a better name?

The Auto World C8s are very nice...I have a couple of them, my favorite is the Zeus Bronze.

It's in Floriduh, so probably flood damaged.

My last one I got 3 years out of (iPhone SE (2020))...it got harder to charge and the battery life got worse over time. We'll see how long my new iPhone 14 Pro lasts..I'll be happy w/ 3 years..

I wouldn't say lazy, just efficient...as a tech person, I don't have any interest w/ fooling around with bull$h!..just want products that work well and require minimal maintenance.... that's why I like Apple products, for example, none of the constant update nonsense w/ MS trash. Apple products just work and work well. I have no interest in EVs at this point, but I can see the low maintenance/charge at home angle as being attractive. But with gas stations everywhere and very quick to fill up compared to finding a charging station, I don't see any advantage to having an EV for my use case.

Thanks for the birthday wishes. Today makes a week since we moved into the new house, the movers were pretty quick and efficient w/ the furniture last Thursday. Been unpacking boxes, getting rooms around the house set up (my office is pretty well along), going to the old house in the evenings to clean out, etc. Just exhausting...been relaxing in the hot tub in the evenings. Going out for some good seafood Friday night for my birthday...will Uber downtown. Looking forward to the 4 day weekend, more unboxing, working on cleaning up the old house, going to the Indy Car race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday. Did do a fun thing the other evening--went and saw Santana in concert--had never seen Carlos play, he's great live. The June weather has been crazy...hot and dry at the start of the month, then lots of rain lately, and this week smoke and haze from the Canadian wildfires (I think Ontario is less than 50 miles from here across the lake). Looking forward to July.

Yeah, she's loving it. I can definitely see using the tub as part of my daily routine. Should be fully moved in at the end of the month around my birthday..

New pic of Lula and Lola, now almost 14 weeks...plus Jack! The breeder called last week and they had one puppy left, asked if we would be interested...so we added Jack to the pack...

Got in the hot tub for the first time tonight...fantastic. Learning the remote and all the jet settings. Hadn't been in a hot tub in years, just what we needed. Very relaxing. Was streaming some Pink Floyd to it's speakers...