At the Peak of Summer

It’s been long enough since I’ve posted, and that is an unfortunate fact which I’m wholly aware of.

It’s time to toss the big, block-sized and beefy textbook out the window, hope it doesn’t hit someone on the head and send them to the hospital, and start anew.

By the way, the above was my spin on a metaphor for life — more specifically, my life, currently. Sometimes we like to put on nerdy, Harry Potter glasses, bury our faces in the books, or else toil away click-clacking on the keyboard behind the hypothetical, work-from-home cubicle, and whilst pursuing higher academic studies, or learning, or fitness and personal goals, or the professional 9-5 grind which is a hallmark of the ubiquitous, all-too-present rat race.

Whilst doing so — that is, while pursuing the ideals and actionable items that we are passionate about, or need to in order to turn the effort into cash money, or pursing the diet and lifestyle that will make us fitter and provide us a more competitive edge, or reading the book that will enlighten us and forever change and transform our lives as we know it, or hiking and traveling and exploring the wide world, or picking up a new hobby, socializing and cultivating meaningful relationships, or whatever — whilst doing all of the above, sometimes we don’t leave any room for the small stuff.

The stuff like writing a blog entry, as I am doing now. Perhaps by cloaking and covering ourselves with a “safety blanket”, by jigsaw pieces that too easily fit into the puzzle of the day-day humdrum and monotony that is our lives, we forget all the things we ought to be doing, like journaling a blog post on one’s most important time of the year.

Consistency is key, and if there’s anything running has taught me, it is that. Running is a good allusion to blogging, or even generally writing for that matter. Running is a sport that rewards consistency, that rewards hard effort, but more importantly — effort made on a consistent basis.

For all the bad rep that running as a sport has: oh boy, who cares how long that guy can run for, or how fast he can run? Yeah, I never care to train to run fast, because I know for fact that nearly any wild animal like say a Bear can easily outrun even the fastest human in the planet, so there’s no point competing. Or the more common: Oh you’re a runner? I hope you’re aware you’re in a dead end sport? Buddy, literally anything else is faster than you. An old woman on an electric scooter. A fat man riding a motorcycle. A douche in a sports car that can go way faster than 150 mph on the highway. Buddy, sorry to break it to you, but I could very likely finish my morning bowl of cereal, brush my teeth, take a dump, and catch the school bus, all before you run 26.2 miles to some pointless finish line.

For all the bad rep that running has, it still teaches a hard, but important lesson. A lesson that very few are attentive enough to pick up and really understand, like have it burned deep in their bones, liquified behind their eye sockets. The lesson is very simple, and it’s one about consistency. Running rewards consistency, more so than any other sport, I would argue. As a direct result, it makes an excellent parallel to a mundane, but oft times hand-in-hand, task such as journaling.

Writing in its purest form, is being able to jot down your thoughts and feelings and experiences, to give it voice. To sculpt it from mud and clay into a body, into a structure, into a work of art. Even if the thing you sculpt is a monster, an aberration, or a freak, it is better to make something of the formless — of the mud and clay — than to never have made something at all. Write, because it feels good. Write, because it cleanses the soul, and keeps the headsails properly aligned and turned to where they must, and ensures the tailwind is at your heels, exactly where it must be. Propelling one forward to where they must go. Write, because it’s hard. Because coming back to it after a long while, is exactly like relearning how to ride a bike. Except this bike is made out of lightning. It’s unwieldy as fuck all. Write still, even when you don’t feel like it, when you can never find any time to do it. When you are out of time to write, that’s precisely why you should do it. Writing has never given up on you, not once. So, don’t give up on writing now. Keep at it, keep chipping away at the tree bit by bit, like a woodcutter with terrible upper arm strength. Keep at it, and one day that tree will eventually fall. Or you’ll get a splinter, or chop a finger or two off, or your arm or muscles will cramp and you’ll be rushed to the E.R. One way or another, there has to be an ending, and even if it’s not pretty, the journey will be a passably enjoyable one.

Anyway. Now I’ve got to get back into the writing groove. Well, this is going to be fun.

The recent days from June to July end have been wild. In large part, I mean that in a good way, in the best of ways. Especially the month of July. But as with all good things, at times it requires talk and mention of the bad, or the unfortunate.

A Wrench in the Works

In the tail end of June, around the last week of it, I sustained a concussion in the head, the details of which are largely irrelevant here. After a day or two, I went in to the doctor, who confirmed that I do in fact 100% have a concussion — and ordered a CT scan, without contrast, to rule anything out. I went almost immediately for a CT, and thankfully the results came back negative. I was told it will take time to resolve and for my body and brain to heal.

The same day I received a concussion, I daringly went in the evening to test drive a car I was thinking of getting. It was a Tesla Model Y, an EV. That model in particular was recommended by a family member, as it had more cargo space and better driving experience for longer trips. I did enjoy the drive and the 0-60 of it.

Here is a photo of that:

I went as fast as I could in that car — it capped at 85 MPH — mostly in the highway (28-N or S) but occasionally in a side road to check how the steering and turning felt. It felt exhilarating, and the driving experience was solid. Even waddled and wrapped in neurological fever as I was, I could appreciate the acceleration of it, the sheer joy of driving a fast car, an efficient car.

A few days ago, I’d test driven the Model 3, and enjoyed the experience immensely. It was a solo drive then, as now. The 0-60 was even slightly faster, and the turning and handling was much improved. Here is a few photos of that below.

The cabin interior had a fewer, more modern features that I enjoyed and was an immediate fan of. For example, the sunsetting of turn signal stalks, and supplanting them with turn signal software-based buttons on the steering wheel (SW). Having them on the SW was… interesting, to say the least. Most folks would not like such an experience on their first time, and I would not blame them. It’s always change that is hard to wrap your head around. Your mind fights any kind of change or innovation, because it is clunky and hard to get used to. It’s different than what you know, or have developed habit or instinct for. I believe the correct approach is to evaluate anything new, and see what it adds, or what it subtracts. The advantages and the disadvantages, so to say. Who knows, the surprise waiting around the corner, could be when the pluses outweigh the cons. As it was in my case. Then again, this might be a YMMV thing.

Long story short, I enjoyed the drive experience of this model more. Plus, it was a sedan, and I already owned a sedan — a Hyundai Sonata — at present. The downside, for sure the cargo space. There was not enough to space to go around. The interior, especially the rear seats, was a bit cramped. The car was touted to fit 5 passengers, but it might be realistically more like 4, because I could see 5 being a tight squeeze. Also, some folks said that for longer trips, the driving seat was a bit uncomfortable. Again, I can’t speak much on this, as this was just a short demo drive experience for me. I didn’t actually own the damn thing, did I?

Some folks might say that driving like a maniac when you have a (transient) head injury such as a concussion, is ill-advised. The thing of it, when most people say the word, “concussion”, they just roll the word around in their mouth, and don’t understand all that it brings with it. It’s horrible to be afflicted with a concussion. That first day, even the first few hours, my ears were ringing constantly and I could not get it to stop. Slowly once [the concussion] got developed and started rearing its ugly hand, I started catching on to the more typical symptoms of that affliction. Brain fog, that came a bit later, maybe a day or so. That first day, I had a nasty headache and a fever. So bad I had to put myself to bed. It was in the midst of that neurological fever, that I decided that life is too short to spend chained to a bed, too short by far to be afflicted by a head injury, especially when you have no control over that.

Unexpected, highly inconvenient situations like that are anathema to me, and prompt me to do utterly spontaneous, wondrous things at times. So I got out of bed, still in a fever, and booked a demo drive, and in the next blink of an eye, I was whizzing by, unbridled on the wide-open side roads, driving 0-60 and even flirting with speeds closer to 85. The acceleration on the Y was muted, and the handling and driving was not as great as the 3, but it was still pretty damn fast. It pulls you back into the seat, going 0-60 so fast like that. In any Tesla, for that matter. Life is short, so you may as well enjoy the hell out of it, and live it to the fullest.

The next day, the neurological fever went away, but the headache persisted. In addition, I had a noticeable brain fog, which was very worrisome. I suppose these were the tell-tale signs of a concussion. The brain fog is really the highlight of it. It makes it hard to think, to process emotions and thoughts about anything really. It hinders your day to day life, and it is in a word, horrible. Thankfully, the symptoms alleviated and dissipated into thin air about a week after, so perhaps that’s enough said on that. In either case, I would not wish such a thing — any head injury really — on my worst enemy. I am really glad that I recovered from that, though if it was a full recovery remains to be seen.

Independence Day

July 4th this year, 2024, was a jam-packed day for me.

My cousin came over from the Midwest. We were both signed up for a 5K race on July 4th — the Firecracker 5K for the Troops, hosted by Leidos.

It took place at the Reston Town Center, which is a very short drive from where I am. That day the weather was good, about 80’s if memory serves correct, so it was summer weather but not absurdly hot. The race was tough, and I gave it my all and ran the fastest I’ve ever run in my life. There were slight uphills, which I didn’t mind as I had trained for them. It was the fast pace that really took its toll on me. At the end, that 5K truly felt like a longer distance, like a 10K, to me. It was both mentally and physically exhausting, but it felt good to finally have a 5K race under my belt.

Here is a candid photo of us both at the RTC post-race:

I got a finish time of 18:31 for my first 5K race. I feel that is pretty good, but I was shocked by the absurd number of folks that outperformed me. I only placed 36th overall, or thereabouts. The fastest person in the race ran about a 15-minute 5K, or close to that. Absurd and mind-boggling endurance and resolve, considering the heat. Assuming that summer makes everyone run at a slower pace than they normally would — then what the heck does it say about those folks that got around a 15:00 for the 5K? Clearly that on a good day, their finish time would be noticeable improved. Insane resolve and endurance, as I’ve iterated already. Wish I had that strength of resolve, but I fell a bit short on race day, July 4th. But it’s all good. Worth it for the experience more than anything. Anyway, I wasn’t really expecting to get top 3 on my first 5K ever. That was a pipe dream, if there ever was.

Drove to my family’s home, and relaxed for a while. Had a long shower. Went to a nearby park and walked the dog together. Shortly after, we went to see the fireworks at Leesburg.

Parking was a decidedly tough pickle, because even 2 years ago on the dot, we’d had an issue at the Leesburg location for Fireworks — we hadn’t even gotten traditional parking then, had parked at a gas station, and only got partway into the street, and snapped videos and photos of the fireworks afar from the sidewalks.

This year around, we got much further. The fireworks took place at the Ida Lee Recreation Center, same as last time. Traffic was as heavy as I remembered it. I managed to find parking in a residential neighborhood somehow, even though that seemed to take ages to get it accomplished. The whole parking lot for the event was completely jam-packed. Bumper to bumper, and there was no way I was doing that — even backing out would be a nightmare. So, it would definitely fortuitous that we managed to chance upon a parking spot — street parking — as we did. Once that was out of the way, we walked about a mile or so to Ida Lee, where the Fireworks were taking place.

Got there a little early, and there was a long line for the food at the fireworks show. They had hot dogs, pizza, steak, ribs, you name it. I stood in line for kettle corn, and bought one of their popular variety, which was the standard one. The kettle corn tasted damn good, or maybe it was just that I was hungry. I shared it, of course, but the thing about kettle corn is it is highly addictive. Plus, I have a sweet tooth, so ’twas unfortunate that I was more easily swayed by the allure of sweet corn than others. But, hey, what can ya do.

Anyway, shortly after the fireworks started, and by that time the food line mostly evaporated into the thin mist surrounding us. My cousin was in a long line to pick us up some hot dogs, but even he broke off to watch the fireworks with us.

Make no doubt, the fireworks were a dazzling, spectacular display at the Leesburg location at Ida Lee! Here is a short, 1-minute video showcasing the main points of it, which I was able to diligently capture on my phone camera:

At the end, there is a short clip of the final, concluding fireworks — that went out in a bang at around 9:30 PM that day, to signal the end of the spectacular fireworks display. I believe we can all agree that the fireworks were pretty awesome overall.

July 4th was an action-packed, and fun day. Spent that whole day with family, one way or another. A good day, leave no room for doubt.

Best Birthday Gift Ever!

What’s the best birthday gift you can receive?

Well that’s easy, it’s a gift that you look out for many weeks or even months in advance, and make a plan to purchase it for yourself!

So ’twas in my case. The day before my birthday, on a weekend, I finalized a sale online, and drove all the way to the Rockville, Maryland service center to pick it up.

A brand new, shiny Tesla Model 3 Highland. In Ultra Red. Hot damn! Or should I say, Hot Wheels!

I didn’t snap any photos at the service center, but here’s a photo the next day, when I went with my family to do a Car Pooja for my brand-new car:

She’s a beaut, and I’m proud to own my first EV, that is, Full Electric, baby! Upgrading from a fully, gas-powered sedan — a Hyundai Sonata 2020 — it was a complete 180 turn to even consider purchasing an EV. The main selling point for me was the slick new appearance of the car, along with the insane 0-60 speed.

0-60 in 4 seconds flat, holy cow! Searching online, it seems the Sonata would take 7.3-7.6 seconds, for comparison. So, the winner clearly is the Tesla. Plus, saving on gas costs for the lifetime of the car, is also quite hard to pass on. The only downside, Costco Gas will certainly miss me, the ever loyal customer. Filling in Gas at Costco, before heading into Costco, was almost like a weekly, or bi-weekly, routine for me. It’s unfortunate that I will miss out on this recurring tradition on my Tesla. On the plus, I do get the occasional half-smiles as my Tesla pulls out of the attached lot next to the local Costco Gas Station. After all, I’m not really competing for what they’re competing for. Put another way, I’m not really smoking what they’re pulling out a lighter for. More gas for others! I feel like I’ve had my fill for a lifetime nearly. Gas was life, for a long while for me. So I’ve certainly been there, and done that.

As to the ever-arching question of what I actually did on my birthday! There were plans to do some outdoorsy stuff with my family, like horseback riding and hiking, but unfortunately that was not achievable. The heat that day was palpable and all too real — 90 degrees and scorching hot, sunny too. There was no way we were stepping outside, as the risk of getting tanned was real.

Instead, we decided to eat out at an excellent restaurant which I’ve frequented multiple times, and where they make excellent, ethnic food. Spice Village in Herndon! In fact it’s pretty close to where I am. Their kadais and biriyanis have always been top-notch historically.

Here’s a photo of one of the items we ordered as a group:

Either way, it was the perfect way to spend my birthday. Solid food, and company. Even though we did not get a chance to do anything else that day, on my birthday. Other than eat out a local place. I felt too grown up to receive gifts and presents anymore. I did receive one, an unexpected gift, but anyways.

The biggest gift is one that you gift yourself. I don’t know if this is true across the board, but for me, in this particular scenario, on my 32nd birthday, it was.

As a large, it can be said that I and my family gifted me the best gift I’ve had in a while.

A brand, new shiny car. My very first Tesla. Bright red, because red means danger, and also extreme safety (more on that later). For the longest time I used to be a skeptic of Teslas, and EV’s in general. Gas for life was my mantra. I loved my Sonata too. I drove it well, admittedly like a maniac at times, but almost always averaged over 35 MPG on empty tank. For those who don’t drive gas, 35 is really good MPG. For a full gas car. Even hybrids don’t do a whole lot better, maybe 40 MPG at the lowest. In short, my mileage was excellent on my Sonata, and I will miss driving a gas sedan.

Looks like I’m full electric now. Songs like “Ride the Lightning” take on a whole new meaning now, I’d wager. How about that saying, like “catching lightning in a bottle”? It’s not all fun and games. One has to remember that EV fires burn the brightest and also the deadliest. EV fires are no joke, they are insanely hard to put out. To counteract that, battery management and playing it smart becomes all the more important. Don’t be a moron driving around a Tesla. Check and check, I’ve got that written down, rest assured I’m (actively) working on it.

In closing, I want to end with a photo of my brand new car, rather recently, after I hand-washed it for first time with help, since I found so much dust, fingerprints, and grime on it.

Glistening, isn’t she?

The Tesla’s truly a blast to drive, and I hope to take it for a spin on many, many thousands of miles more!

Finally – here’s to Summer, and to July, the best month of the whole year!