Now I was never really a car person. I see all these people buying fancy cars. I tell ya, they’re money pits. Especially the German vehicles. I have family members that trade in every few years, rolling in their negative equity to the new car, and making car payments in perpetuity.
Yes sir call me an hypocrite, but after a friend picked me up in his Lexus, I want one. This was a Lexus GS sedan. Very comfortable, quality ride. Night and day different than my Corolla. I want to buy one and take it with me beyond my retirement and to the grave. And the Lexus is just a souped up Toyota anyway, so figure I can splurge for once.
I spoke with a Lexus dealer about purchasing a new IS, since it’s all they had on the lot. Despite a very high credit score and my house being paid off, they quoted me a > 7% interest rate. And they wanted me to pay $3000 for paint protection and some other useless stuff. No thanks, bunch of clowns. I got up to leave, and I couldn’t! I had given them my car keys because I thought about figuring out what my Toyota might be worth. But god damn they didn’t want to give me the keys back. The sales manager also came out trying to convince me why a 7% rate was more than good enough and how some stupid plastic film on the door that they’re charging me $800 is worth it (it’s not).
I haven’t made time to talk to a different lender. Might just wait a year and see if there’s more vehicle inventory with this god damn recession everyone keeps talking about.
I’m waiting for the stock market to crash so I can hopefully buy a fewer things for cheap. Where I live, cost of housing and goods is insane because of big tech companies. The bubble starting to burst is music to my ears. My former employer is one of them, and I pray they crash and burn with what a horrible work environment they’ve created. That’s another story.
I don't own a laser cutter but I really want one so can experiment with lasering 3D prints.
I don't own a CNC machine but I really want one that can cut aluminum so I can make really strong structural parts and injection molds.
As for things that make life better or work easier ... I carry a Swiss Army "Climber" multitool. (In his Last Viridian Note writer Bruce Sterling eloquently describes a multitool as "a set of possible creative interventions in your immediate material environment"). When I go hiking I'll also take my Opinel #6 pocket-knife - it's light and has a really nice locking mechanism. It's great for quartering an apple or stripping the bark from a branch.
I want more plywood. So I can build more cabinets.
I want a new Jura. Because my current one is approaching 12 years.
I want to find a cheaper source of IPA. Because a Form3 WashL drinks more alcohol than an Irishman at the bar on payday.
I need every job I've ever had to understand that more management of my time, or more meetings to discuss the issue, doesn't get the problem solved any faster.
I need my dog to not have terminal cancer.
Great items we want or own are not necessarily the things that make life better or work easier.
Over a decade ago I was given a Rolex by my work. It doesn't make my life better or work easier. I actually need to get it cleaned because it doesn't keep great time. But it is a nice piece of design, and caused me to recognize quality and balance.
I love my bike, a 12 year old (maybe more) Kona Honky Tonk. It fits me perfectly, I love the timeless look of it. Does it make life better than any other bike? Probably not, but I have a strong attachment to it because it is unique and mine. Same with my mountain bike, but that's a custom job made for me, so a bit difficult to compare.
Artwork, stuff that I've made, or stuff I've been given.
I guess what I'm saying is that I don't think we can take the "life is better" without the attachment, which is often post-rationalized as to why we like something.
It's something that is front of mind for the work we're doing at https://soundmind.co - we're creating a sleep headband that improves the function of your brain during sleep. The design of something somebody is going to wear to bed is more important than many people initially think it is. In order to be successful, you have to create something that doesn't only work, and do the job, but also makes people feel the right way about how they put it on, what it feels, like, and how they become attached to it.
Between work, two kids and all the chores, life is just flying by. The days are long, but the weeks are short. I wish I had more time to enjoy life. To travel, to write code, and to do what I want, instead of doing what other people want or need.
That's all I want. Is that too much to ask for?
Not as good as my local barista, but damn close, and a hell of a lot cheaper in the long run. Great for dinner parties too where folks want a cappuccino or something after dinner.
https://ember.com/products/ember-mug-2?variant=3084397782638...
Not a fresh piece like they brought back by the Apollo missions, but it’s a verified lunar Meteorite nonetheless…
Northwest Africa 11444, melt breccia found in Mauritania in 2017