april 2024
sunny adventure ambitions
Hello!
changing seasons
I’ve realized that a perpetual topic in this newsletter is me complaining/talking about the weather. I think that’s because:
weather is hard to predict
my spirits follow the changing weather quite closely
When it’s sunny and light out until 8:30PM, I love Victoria. I can finish work, go outside, and bask under the bright blue sky. Then I can return home for a snack or dinner and go out again to see the sunset. Wonderful.
I’ve noticed that April in particular encompasses a drastic change in daylight hours. Here’s a chart showing the change in daylight hours:
You’ll notice that the month of April is when the blue line (hours of daylight) is at its steepest; hence the noticeable increase. I love it.
trucks
Anyone who knows me knows that I own a 2008 Honda Civic. It’s a manual that I bought in the summer of 2019 to zip around town.
Recently, I got the idea in my head that I wanted to replace the Civic with something more adventurous.
Here’s my reasoning: different modes of transportation allow for different levels of autonomy.
Generally, you can get more places in a car than on a bike. The same goes for biking versus walking. And within these levels, there are levels. Walking in flip flops versus running shoes. A tricycle versus a mountain bike.
A car versus a truck.
Disclaimer: I’m still figuring out how this truck-buying fiasco recons with my less-carbon, smaller environmental impact ambition. This is not an argument to buy a bigger car. In fact, not owning a car at all is admirable: divesting from car-centric culture, not producing carbon, etc.
Anyways…
Am I a truck guy? I'm not sure. I'd like to think I'm an adventure guy.
I like the idea of being able to move big things easily. The ability to drive up logging roads confidently. There’s so much potential for what I could do in the truck. And, if there’s room to sleep, it allows for a road trip.
road trip
I’ve become enamoured with the idea of a road trip, mostly because of this youtube video. But also because walking onto a metal tube (airplane) for five hours and walking out somewhere completely different is a bit strange.
I like witnessing the gradual change of climate and geography and people over the course of a road trip. It feels like enjoying the journey instead of just the destination. And a truck makes this a bit more of a possibility.
however!
The more I test drive trucks (4Runners), the more I realized how much I love the Civic. I love that it fits in any parking space. I love that it feels agile. It hasn’t broken! It is a joy to drive. And so I’m stuck.
🎵You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone🎵
travels
I traveled for two weeks this month, first to Montreal then Kingston. It’s so nice seeing family and friends! But it’s tough breaking the routine!
I’m proud that I didn’t get sick or lose anything over the course of my travels.
end
A few items to end this newsletter:
new Starbucks order - iced oat chai latte w/ cinnamon dolce syrup
Kahuna in Victoria has a delicious coconut cream pie
I watched This Place Rules; it was both hilarious and insightful
I was staying in a hotel in Dorval and the blinds looked like this. Can anyone explain this pattern?
See you next month!
What?! A truck?! Check out a Subaru outback-you can even sleep in the back!
GPT4o helped me with the blind problem. Nice!