6,000 Mile Update

VS

A few months ago, following my accident(s) on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I decided to get a new car. Well, it has been nearly two months and over 6,000 miles since I made the leap from my repaired 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk to my 2016 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 4Matic and, so far, the results have been great. To do a direct comparison on every aspect of these vehicles would be a disservice to both the Jeep and the Mercedes so I am going to stick to some of the basics based on my experiences.

The hard numbers that we can compare side mostly with the Mercedes with the only exceptions being that of maintenance and fuel costs which are, not surprisingly, higher than that of the Jeep. However, Mercedes has a clear advantage in the other categories. To be specific, I averaged about 23.5 miles per gallon combined in the Cherokee over the course of about 22,000 miles. So far, the GLC is averaging about 27.5 miles per gallon combined over this initial 6,000 mile break in period. Basically, the difference in MPG wipes out, almost exactly, the additional cost of premium versus regular gas. With a bigger gas tank and about 60 more horsepower, the GLC has the clear advantage in both of those categories as well.

Now we are going to discuss the subjective aspects of the change from one car to the other. This really comes down to personal preference but, for me, the GLC definitely has a more comfortable ride which is to be expected given the two manufacturers. And since 90-95% of my driving is on the highway this is hugely important. But it is not just more comfortable for me behind the wheel, both my wife and my son have noticed a difference in how the car rides and how much more interior space we have in the GLC over the Cherokee. However, I will say that the Cherokee is a superior off road vehicle but, for me and my use, that really is a non-factor at this point.

Bear in mind that, while the perception of these two brands is completely different, when compared with nearly the same equipment in each (obviously the Mercedes has more things that are standard) the price difference is nominal, about $1,000-2,000 more for the GLC. Many of the dimensions are similar as well including height, width, clearance, and turning radius. Both are great cars but my preference is firmly with the GLC and, at this point, I would be hard pressed to switch to another brand in the future. Clearly, given the initial results and experiences, I would recommend the GLC to anyone looking for a midsized SUV.

Mortgage Monday: Finding Our New Stores

All of the other places that my wife and I have lived had immediate access to a variety of both small shops and national chain stores. Now, where we have decided to make our home, there are a number of stores nearby but not as many as we have grown accustom. For many of the places that we once frequented, we have to drive a little further than before which, we are finding, is actually a welcomed change from the places where we once rested.

Just down the road we have many of the essentials just by different names than those that we are used to seeing. There are local eateries, small gas stations, and other stores that line the main thoroughfare just down the street. And, while it seems further than it really is, there are a few of the national retailers just a little further down the road including the local Wal-Mart. On a side note, this is the first Wal-Mart, or any large store for that matter, that I have ever seen which has separate buggy parking.

All of the other stores are either the same distance that we are used to driving or are a little closer than they once were. Ollie’s is a perfect example of this as it is now about 20 minutes away when there were a couple of others that we used to go to that were a 25-30 minute drive from our previous rentals. But there are replacements that are much closer to us including BB’s and some other local stores that offer the same if not better prices.

The only stores that could be seen as inconvenient are the ones that we don’t use regularly. If we need to go to Staples, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, or Babies R Us they are no longer 10 minutes down the road. However, at least a couple of them, Staples for certain, are near my office and usually those trips can be done quickly in the middle of the day. But, again, many of the things that we once purchased there can be found elsewhere and, at the moment, we are still in the process of exploring the local area including the towns immediately around us as well as the Reading area.

We have everything that we need at a convenient distance from our home. There are plenty of options out there some of which we have already fond while others are, as of yet, undiscovered. However, when compared to our previous houses and apartments, we are the most comfortable and relaxed being ever so slightly removed from the retail commotion. We have space, we have room to breathe, and we still have access to everything we need.

Son Of A… Beach

Kiss my seagull arse!

Yes, the title of this post has become quite the cliché especially in recent years. However, it seemed to be the most appropriate collection of words to convey some of the experiences from this past weekend at the shore. While I grew up going down to the New Jersey beaches, as I have gotten older they have become less and less appealing. Some people find the sand and salt air in the southern half of this communist state enjoyable and even relaxing but my experience is definitely at the opposite end of the spectrum. Obviously, heading east from my office is not normally a direction I would chose to travel but my wife and I received a generous offer to spend some time near the beach so off I went.

After a long work week I got in the car and headed over the iron river and into the communist state. Almost as soon as I crossed the halfway point over the bridge and into the dark side, the traffic came to a halt. This seems to be a regular occurrence during my rare travels into the restrictive boarders of New Jersey and would prove to be a pattern throughout our brief time east of civilization. Adding to our relaxing travels was the use of the New Jersey turn signal. As many of you know, this can come in two forms either an imaginary notification to drivers behind them or a single blink halfway through the turn. Either way, it is a marvelous way to drive. As the smell of seagull arse grew stronger, I knew that I was getting close to ending the three hour trek down to the beach.

Finally, people started leaving for the day!

With a night of sleep behind us and the morning coming to an end, we walked out to the car and back on the road to visit the places we frequented during our childhoods. While there were a few similarities to the memories that we continue to carry with us, there are also tremendous differences that we immediately noticed. In addition to the obvious overgrowth near my wife’s childhood vacation spot in Cape May, one of the houses I remember fondly in Ocean City was completely gone. It may not be practical but I guess that is one way to get rid of the streaks left by a dog dragging his butt across the carpet.

However, the one thing that each of those towns had in common was the crowds that filled the streets and sidewalks. Even during the peak times of summer, I don’t remember that many people flooding the shore points years ago. And while these were never cheap places to begin with, the few signs that we did see included a noticeable increase from those days past. I know it has been ten or twenty years since I spent any substantial amount of time there but those prices were well beyond normal inflation over time.

However, there are some things that stay the same. Most notably is the inconsiderate atmosphere that still proves pervasive during tourist season. There are too many examples to cite here but I am sure that many of you know what I am talking about… especially those who have spent time at the Jersey shore. Much of this stems from congestion and, given the increased number of people flooding the beaches, it is only going to get worse. Combine that with the entitlement that fills the air and this destinations along the coast are far from relaxing. This is probably why we were more wiped out after a few days at the shore than we were after 10 days and 2500 miles traveling throughout Virginia. I think we will continue sticking with the mountains.

That is so flat it's disturbing!

The Ebb And Flow Of Fellowship Nights

With Thanksgiving only a couple days away, attendance was pretty light at the lodge last night. That combined with a little bit of illness and some travel mixed in and the turnout wasn’t what it was last week. However, this is to be expected throughout the year especially during the holiday season. It is the natural ebb and flow of the fraternity.

And sometimes we need night like the one last night when a few of us can get other work done and coordinate our efforts for upcoming events (have you signed up for our blood drive yet?). At the same time, it also forces some of us to take on roles during these evenings that we are not part of our usual routine. This is especially true when you consider that there were a couple candidates that made it out and all the usual instructors were unable to attend last night.

I was surprised at just how much I have been able to retain over the past year and a half. Many of the phrases and much of the ritual is immediately brought to the forefront of my mind with very little prompting. It is by no means second nature and I still have a long way to go but I am making progress and I am confident that my future goals in Freemasonry may not be as daunting as I once thought.

These are the moments that I am not used to experiencing and the conversations that I am too seldom able to have with brothers during their first few months as a Mason. Having spoken with and assisted in relaying the information needed for their next degree last night, I am impressed with these new brothers and I look forward to having them as members of my lodge. Heck, they are picking things up much faster than I did when I first became a Mason (I know that is not saying much).

It is amazing to think about the difference from last year… that is what really struck me last night. On an evening when our attendance was down it was still many more brothers than we would have seen this same time last year at the lodge. While I wasn’t able to accomplish all that I had set out to do last night (I got some things done in the place of others), I was happy to have been a part of the training and conversations at the lodge and I am looking forward to seeing the many more faces during our Tuesday night fellowship. Sometimes it is the best possible way to end a long day.

Exploring Other People’s Homes

With costumes filling the racks, bags of candy piled on the shelves, and dark shows and movies dominating the television stations it is impossible to look around and not realize that Halloween is quickly approaching. I remember when the treats and decorations would just now be getting put out for sale but these days we have been walking by them for weeks. The preparations and time from may have changed but some things have not.

I think back to those nights after school walking up and down the streets of developments thinking about what treats may be hiding behind the door. However, what I remember more are those moments when the doors opened and I could see the recently cleaned entry to the home. It was an interesting evening to peek into the homes of others and see where they lived. What was even better was when we were invited in to the foyer so that we were able to see just a little bit more of the house. It’s interesting to think about those times years later.

As I scroll through the pages on the real estate websites I get that same feeling of peering into the homes of others. Sometimes you see a beautiful home from the outside but one you open the doors, or click on the additional pictures, you can see that someone took great pains to polish a turd. Other times, the outside looks a little run down but the interior is spotless and looks nearly brand new. It is the same experience that I remember having when I was going house to house with my friends on Halloween night.

Things are a little different now both in the digital wall that now exists but also in my perspective. Things are no longer good and bad. Okay, maybe there are a few exceptions to that rule. Most of the time it is either discovering the aspects that we would want in a home or trying to see the potential in the property. It really is a balancing act between what you want to have in a home and what the realistic expectations that we have for our first home.

Of course, sometimes it is fun going through neighborhoods and peering into the homes we will most likely never be able to afford. That is the commonality that has transcended the decades… opening the door and stealing a glance at the homes of others. Some things don’t change.

Finding Your Roots vs. Who Do You Think You Are?

When talking about genealogy with people it is common for the conversation to touch upon the show “Who Do You Think You Are?” Over the years, all different kinds of people have watched the show regardless of their interest level in genealogy as a whole or their own family tree… they usually watch because they are a fan of some actor, actress, or athlete and want to learn a little more about them. More often than not, this leads them to jump to the conclusion of “I wish I had stories like that in my family tree.”

The people I have spoken with make that determination that those types of stories do not exist in their tree mostly because the show focuses on a single line in that celebrity’s genealogy. I guess you could say that is the one thing that many of us familiar with genealogy have a problem with when it comes to the show “Who Do You Think You Are?” It is for this reason that I tend to pay closer attention to and enjoy “Finding Your Roots” a little more than the main stream counterpart.

Like any PBS show, “Finding Your Roots” isn’t as well-known but it takes a much more interesting and broader look at the ancestry of celebrities (of all kinds not just main stream). During the course of an episode, three family trees are analyzed with a common thread running between the three stars. Sometimes it can be as broad as overcoming adversity while other times it is tied to a specific event such as the roles their ancestors played in the Civil War.

While that is one difference (one vs. three) the other, more important and more interesting differentiator is the fact that the latter of the two shows looks at the family tree as a whole not just a singular line (or two). From my own experience, I know that this is the most interesting part of genealogy as you never know what names, places, and events may be adding color to the individual leaves. After all, we are the culmination of all these people who played, for the most part, equal roles in determining the family story and making us who we are.

“Who Do You Think You Are” may have the bigger audience, interesting locations, and larger budget, “Finding Your Roots” brings us closer to the interesting realities of doing genealogical research. Furthermore, the latter show also explores the use of DNA in discovering the mix of places, races, and heritage that exists within all of us. This is why my preference is quite clear but, in the end, taking a look at the sponsorship, Ancestry.com wins no matter which show you prefer.

I Finally Got A New Phone…

For the last 5 years I have been relying on the iPhone to be my mobile office. There were only a handful of times when it didn’t hold up in this application so I can’t say that, overall, there is anything wrong with the iPhone as a whole. However, lately there have been a few issues that have become more prominent as the battery life has become shorter and shorter and the speed of the phone has been anything but fast at times. Having become eligible for an upgrade, I had an important decision to make as to whether I should stay with Apple or to cut the cord and move on to another company and operating system. That was the basis of my question last weekend.

So, what did I decide to do?

After considering what I really needed the phone to do during the day I made the decision to go a different direction and pick up the Nokia Lumia 635. That’s right, this past week I hopped off the iPhone bandwagon and joined my wife in using a Windows based smartphone. While I am not a fan of Windows 8 on a laptop, it makes a lot of sense on a mobile device.

Having been using it for a few days, I am pretty impressed with the functionality of this phone especially considering that the MSRP is about a quarter of that of the iPhone 5s which I was also considering ($140 vs $550). Especially convenient is the fact that the battery, with fairly regular use while I have been trying to figure out the functionality, lasts for about a day and a half. And while it may not have the same apps that are available from Apple, I can’t say that I am missing anything. In fact, some of the comparable on the Windows are actually better than the iPhone.

It has been interesting so far in that more people have asked me about this phone in just a few days than had asked me about my iPhone in the last 5 years. I guess people are just curious when someone doesn’t buy an Apple or Android based product. Of course, this is my initial experience with the phone.

There may be some things that I don’t like that will come up and there are certain operations that will exceed my expectations once I create a Microsoft account and gain full access to the entire suite of operations. With that said, having played a bit with my wife’s phone already, I am looking forward to the benefits and not expecting many shortcomings beyond simply learning a new operating system. Only time and use will really tell and I will be sure to write about the experience at a later date.

Overflow

This week was one of constant flow. Not a give and take, there was no ebb present, it was a week of putting my head down and producing. With a heard deadline looming on Sunday, I had no choice but to put the additional hours in at night. Even though I was only at lodge one night this past week, I did not manage to get home before 8 each day of the week. Even tonight.

Just because I was out of the office didn’t mean that the work would stop. In addition to the late nights there were late nights of work which usually left me with about 5 hours of sleep per night. While even during the busy weeks I would have time to crash and recover over the weekend. This was a uniquely overloaded work week that is easily carrying over to the weekend. These tedious tasks will be in addition to the day long travel and training at the annual Secretary Seminar in Elizabethtown (about an hour and a half to two hours away).

You will be reading more about both the Secretary Seminar and the work deadline in future posts. Now, understand, both of these things I have been looking forward to but I would have liked them spread out a little more than they are. The problem is simple in that all the events on my schedule seem to be lumped together. This was not my choice it was just something that seems to be happening as the gravitational pull from these large calendar blocks refuse to fight one another.

These kinds of weeks are not good for me, or for those around me. Not only am I constantly going but I tend to get some serious tunnel vision and anything that breaks that focus is met with some level and form of unpleasantness. I guess you could say that this is where the real similarities present themselves to addition and why they call people workaholics. You get the same type of attitude and reaction when you try and take a drink away from an alcoholic as you do when you break the focus of a workaholic in the middle of a project deadline.

The only thing that has interrupted me from work this week have been meals and other work. For instance, while this blog is written for fun, this week I had to treat it as a job in order to get things done. Sometimes that is the solution to these situations, you have to view things through the work lense, even things that have nothing to do with work like fun projects, meals, relaxation, and sleep have to be treated as necessary to getting the job done. It may not be pleasant, it may not be healthy, but it is something that has to be done on occasion in order to maintain functionality.

It can’t be done all the time but for short stints, like the one that I am currently in the middle of, it works. I may not have been the most pleasant or patient person but it has gotten me to this point which, granted, is still a little behind where I should be but I am much further along than if I treated this week like any of the other 51. However, I am going to have to make up for this in the coming weeks in order to restore some balance. We will see to what extent that actually happens but, for now, back to work.