Guess who's back at Mission Raceway?

[Thomas E.]

Dave McKay and Doug Floer returned for the debut 2023 race. Another quick driver, Robert Fraser, also showed up. The three of them were the best of the remaining field by several seconds per lap. McKay and Floer have been faster that Alan Baker in almost all the races where they competed. It's probably going to be a fun summer of loser-Baker excuses. I'm sure Alan will brag about having the almost record FF lap!

Alan Baker did not show up. He claims to be laid up waiting for hernia surgery. Must terrible to have to wait in line for months to get simple surgical procedure, huh Alan? No racing until June or July? Giving the all-star season winning competition a chance to get all those laps in before you even show up? :-)

[-hh]

On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 6:34:23 PM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:
> [Alan] claims to be laid up waiting for hernia surgery. Must terrible to
> have to wait in line for months to get simple surgical procedure…

Because it never can happen here?

I’m coordinating on a medical appointment this week that was set
up in February. And another called for at the end of March which
took ~3 weeks to get scheduled… it is finally going to be in August.

-hh

[Alan]

On 2023-05-07 15:34, Thomas E. wrote:
> Dave McKay and Doug Floer returned for the debut 2023 race. Another
> quick driver, Robert Fraser, also showed up. The three of them were
> the best of the remaining field by several seconds per lap. McKay and
> Floer have been faster that Alan Baker in almost all the races where
> they competed. It's probably going to be a fun summer of loser-Baker
> excuses. I'm sure Alan will brag about having the almost record FF
> lap!

The fact remains that I'm the second fastest FF driver ever around Mission.

Dave McKay and I went head-to-head all of 2019. In total, there were 27
sessions when we were both on track.

I was faster than Dave in 20 of those sessions. I was fastest FF overall
in 17 of those sessions.

Oh, and because of last year's tire supply issues, some of the drivers
out there—specifically, Robert Fraser, are still using up Hoosier Club
Ford tires already purchased.

Those tires are good for about 2 seconds a lap.

>
> Alan Baker did not show up. He claims to be laid up waiting for
> hernia surgery. Must terrible to have to wait in line for months to
> get simple surgical procedure, huh Alan? No racing until June or
> July? Giving the all-star season winning competition a chance to get
> all those laps in before you even show up? :-)

I'm fascinated how you can both claim that I'm somehow a mediocre
driver, when I've been faster than those you would term "all-star",
Little Shit.

[Alan]

And sadly for me, there's been a miscommunication between my surgeon and
the Delta Hospital, so I'm postponed.

[Thomas E.]

Let's set this record straight.

From 2016 to 2020 I show 43 races which were competitive from start to finish and you were entered.

Winners:

Floer: 17
McColl: 8
McKay: 10
Baker: 8

McColl dropped out after 2016, else this record would likely be different. Floer dropped out after 2018. Then it was you and McKay in some races, not all.

You can be faster, but overall you are not.

[Thomas E.]

Liar, you are afraid to race real competition.

[Thomas E.]

All medical appointments are not equal. Hernia can be life threatening. Cataract surgery et al, less urgent. It also depends on the doctor and medical facility schedules. I just had a melanoma excised off my right shoulder. Took 4 weeks from the initial visit when the sample went to the lab. A week to get the lab result back. Now the wait for the second lab result.

[Alan]

You think I'm lying about having a hernia, Little Shit.

I'm not you.

[Alan]

On 2023-05-08 14:45, Thomas E. wrote:

Riiiiiiight.

Because the fair, logical way is to compare the last 5 years of a
relatively new driver against the results of much more experienced drivers.

I only started racing in 2013, Little Shit.

Doug, Dave and Alan have all be racing for far longer.

The simple fact is that the last time I went head-to-head for an entire
season with one of those three, the results were

McKay: 218 points
Baker: 199 points

And I had three races where I scored a total of 2 points due to:

1. Another driving crashing into me and taking me out of the rest of the
weekend.

2. A health issue.

Even if I'd finished all those three races in second place (and Dave and
I were basically in first and second positions all season long) then I'd
have won the SCCBC FF championship.

<https://www.sccbc.net/racers/club-championship/2019-sccbc-club-standings/>

And note that my very best lap was a full 7 tenths faster than his.

[Alan]

And my hernia is definitely (at this point) nowhere near life-threatening.

But it doesn't prevent me from doing the kind of activity necessary to
compete in a racing weekend. Not so much the driving, but everything
else (prepping the car, loading the trailer, unloading at the track, etc.).

[John]

On 5/7/2023 3:34 PM, Thomas E. wrote:
> Dave McKay and Doug Floer returned for the debut 2023 race. Another quick driver, Robert Fraser, also showed up. The three of them were the best of the remaining field by several seconds per lap. McKay and Floer have been faster that Alan Baker in almost all the races where they competed. It's probably going to be a fun summer of loser-Baker excuses. I'm sure Alan will brag about having the almost record FF lap!
>
> Alan Baker did not show up. He claims to be laid up waiting for hernia surgery. Must terrible to have to wait in line for months to get simple surgical procedure, huh Alan? No racing until June or July? Giving the all-star season winning competition a chance to get all those laps in before you even show up? :-)

Canada is a very socialistic country. No surprise one has to wait so
long for surgery.

[-hh]

On Monday, May 8, 2023 at 5:51:08 PM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:
> On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 7:23:13 PM UTC-4, -hh wrote:
> > On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 6:34:23 PM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:
> > > [Alan] claims to be laid up waiting for hernia surgery. Must terrible to
> > > have to wait in line for months to get simple surgical procedure…
> >
> > Because it never can happen here?
> >
> > I’m coordinating on a medical appointment this week that was set
> > up in February. And another called for at the end of March which
> > took ~3 weeks to get scheduled… it is finally going to be in August.
> >
>

> All medical appointments are not equal.

Of course not.

> Hernia can be life threatening.

As well as less urgent too. As such, no use in trying to make a big deal about it.

Oh, and on your brag attempt from however many years ago, figured I'd upload
these for general enjoyment:

http://huntzinger.com/photo/2023/brac/Suunto_0403.jpg
http://huntzinger.com/photo/2023/brac/Suunto-log.png


-hh

[-hh]

BTW, noticed that the log has an entry error: should be 78 not 81
for tank size. As such, reduce SAC values by ~5% (78/81).

-hh

[-hh]

Got a chance to update the log; here's the corrected version's UI:

http://huntzinger.com/photo/2023/brac/Suunto-log_corrected.png

-hh

[Alan Baker]

Dang, HH!

A nearly 90 minute dive? And what... 8 minutes at 50'?

As a non-diver, it's interesting to see that those 8 minutes seem to mean you needed to spend nearly an hour coming back up.

[Thomas E.]

My surgeon told me that they can go from minor annoyance to strangulated in a split second. Watch it, that can be very bad news.

My skin doc's office called yesterday, margins clear. I get the 6 stitches out next week.

[Thomas E.]

February to now August! Wow, that means that Alan will probably miss the whole racing season. Very convenient. He does not have to face drivers who have cleaned his clock on a regular basis.

[Thomas E.]

LOL! You have had what, 10 or 11 seasons now? The last 5 years? That's after McColl and Floer dropped out. Of course you would look better! But you did not mention that, did you?

[Alan]

This will be my 11th season.

And you specifically brought up Dave McKay.

[Alan]

LOLOLOLOLOL!

Again, the last season that Dave and I ran together, we were close to
even on points (less than 10% difference) and I had a large majority on
fastest laps.

Did he win the championship? Yup.

Did he "clean my clock"? Please, Little Shit. Stop pretending you know
anything about racing because you took a Walter Mitty experience with
"RaceWithRusty".

[Alan]

On 2023-05-12 11:12, Thomas E. wrote:

Still waiting for you to tell me what sanctioning body made your
"RaceWithRusty" experience an actual race.

[-hh]

> Dang, HH!
>
> A nearly 90 minute dive? And what... 8 minutes at 50'?

It was a shallow second dive. Went in, cruised the deeper part of the reef
hoping to see some of the loggerhead turtles that are arriving to nest, then
came back in to the shallower spur & groove formations & hunted up some
macro critters. Found a couple of corkscrew anemones with cleaner shrimp,
a nice filefish (tiny; need to look up its name) and a decorator crab. Pics in
a few more days.

> As a non-diver, it's interesting to see that those 8 minutes seem to mean
> you needed to spend nearly an hour coming back up.

Nah, 50fsw won’t become a decompression dive at just ten minutes; it’s more
like a full hour at that depth. This was a no-decompression profile the entire
time; you can peek at the bottom right’s graph (“Tissue Saturation”) and see
than none of the ‘compartment’ bars are even close to the red horizontal line.
Some of that is due to the ~hour spent shallow, plus using 32% Nitrox, but I
can also slide the time pointer around (this one’s at 81 minutes to match
the other pic) to see how close the loading got…if I had to guess, it had probably
peaked at around, oh, 35 minutes.

-hh

[Alan]

Ah: "Tissue Saturation"!

Got it.

[Thomas E.]

According to you this will not be your 11th season. You have not raced yet, and if your claimed hernia surgery timeline holds up you won't. And, if you look at some of those years you hardly entered any races.

[Thomas E.]

Dave did not, but Doug and Alan did.

[Thomas E.]

We were racing each other for a trophy. It's was intense.

[Thomas E.]

On Friday, May 12, 2023 at 2:23:25 PM UTC-4, Alan wrote:

LOL, compared to NASCAR, F1 and Indy Car SCCBC is a REAL Walter Mitty experience! Even compared to the U.S. and Canadian national level competition SCCBC is the minor league.

[Alan]

Really? When was that, Little Shit?

[Alan]

True. So?

That's also true of Alan and Doug... ...so why is it only a down-mark
against me, Little Shit?

And I note that you've failed to acknowledge that it was you who chose
to compare my season against Dave McKay.

[Alan]

Bullshit.

Prove it.

[Alan]

The 2015 SCCA Runoffs winner in FF was SCCBC member, Rick Payne.

And my best laps around Mission are faster than his.

And whatever you think of SCCBC racing, it is REAL racing...

...so far, FAR, above your little play at racing.

If we both stepped into one of "RaceWithRusty's" cars, I'd clean your
clock despite your previous "experience".

[Thomas E.]

You keep bringing up a single example to prove a general point.

2015 was a long time ago. Track conditions and cars change. You have proved nothing other than you can run a single fast lap.

I'm sure you would "clean my clock" if we were in similar cars. That's your Walter Mitty kicking in, isn't it?

Other than Rick Payne, who else from SCCBC has raced in the Ontario, or at the U.S. Runoffs level? If there are any, what were the results?

[-hh]

So that's a compliment that Alan's lap time has held up for seven years and counting?

> I'm sure you would "clean my clock" if we were in similar cars.
>That's your Walter Mitty kicking in, isn't it?

Like how I'd "clean your clock" scuba diving ... assuming that I'd even notice you.


-hh

[Alan]

Well, to be fair, I only mentioned the year 2015 to provide specificity
to the accomplishments of another one of our drivers...

...to provide context to the fact that despite being able to run
stickier tires than we are now allowed to run, I've run a faster lap at
Mission than Rick ever ran.

After checking, Rick Payne set the lap record on August 14, 2004 at
1:13, but the track was reconfigured in 2008...

...at which point he set a new record of 1:13.248. That record was set
in a Swift, and although they don't specify the model, Swift's are so
good that they are still competitive with the best FFs currently built.
When Rick won the SCCA Runoffs in 2015, he was driving his 1998 Van
Diemen, but second and third were both Swifts: A Swift DB-6 from 1991
and a DB-1 Swift first built in 1983. And Rick's 1998 was completely
optimized to win at Daytona (the narrowest legal tires using the front
tire size on the rear as well with revised bodywork for better
aerodynamics).

That's all just in case the lying little shit tries to claim Rick wasn't
in a car as good as my 1998. ;-)

In 2009, Dave McKay lowered the lap record to 1:12.783.

Then Olov Brandfors lowered 1.12.255 on August 7, 2011.

Alan McColl lowered it to 1:11.880 on September 23, 2012.

Then he lowered it again to 1:11.026 on August 9,2015.

Then Doug lowered it to 1:10.863 on September 11, 2016.

And then lowered the current record on 1:10.583 on May 6, 2018...

...and then on July 14, 2018, I ran a 1:10.833 in qualifying for race 1.

And that's faster than any other driver has ever gone except for Doug.

[Thomas E.]

One lap one time, LOL. How many times did you win a race against Doug? Or Alan McColl? Doug, Dave and KJ dominated this past weekend. Most of your wins are against the also-rans. So, I hereby admit that you are the best of the second tier drivers. Go regularly win races against those top three to change my mind. I think your race driving days are done. The #21 tires are probably rotting off the rims.

[Alan]

So Dave McKay is an "also-ran" now?

LOL!

[Thomas E.]

Way to dodge the facts about your "wins" and recent lack of race activity. Yep, lying by omission.

I did not say Dave McKay was an also ran. You made that up. Do you REALLY want me to look up the details races you won and publish it here? It will show that quite a few were over the likes of Keith and Erle. How many times did you win over Doug, Alan and KJ?

Qualifying is not racing anyway. What's your fastest race lap? This month the winners were running in the 1:12 area for Sunday qualifying and 1:11 in the race. You should have a faster race lap.

[-hh]

On Friday, June 30, 2023 at 1:14:36 PM UTC+1, Thomas E. wrote:
> …

>
> Qualifying is not racing anyway.

Yet it is part of racing, who organizationally places significance on it.

> What's your fastest race lap?

Goalpost move, right?

-hh

[Alan]

Wow, Little Shit.

You talk such an amazing amount of bullshit, it's hard to know where to
begin.

For a start, qualifying laps are often faster than racing laps;
especially for the fastest guys in the field.

Why? Because in a race, if you're among the fastest, there are usually
only two situations, both of which result in you running slower than the
very best lap times you can run:

1. You are in a close race with another competitor of about the same
speed as yourself. The moment two cars are battling for position, they
both end up going slower, because the lead car is compromising optimal
lines to prevent the following car from passing, and the following car
is thus slowed down.

2. If you have no close competition, you back off a little to save the car.


Next, it's interesting you mention "KJ" (Olov Brandfors), and have
clearly decided that he is NOT an "also-ran" (agreed?). It's doubly
interesting for the very reason (2.) I listed above; at least for some
of our races.

Dating back to July of 2019, Olov and I have been in the same race 14
times. Of those, I finished ahead of him...

...TEN TIMES. Of those, 6 were outright wins.

The interesting part is the weekend of August 22 in 2020,

because it was a perfect example of running slower than my best laps in
the race, because I opened up a gap of a little more than 10 seconds
ahead of Olov, and just maintained that gap.

If you are exiting turn 2 about 10 seconds ahead of a competitor, you
can easily glance across to where he'll be exiting turn 1 and gauge
whether or not the gap is increasing or decreasing.

In real racing, you always race as slowly as will get the job done.

And all you've done is demonstrated your ignorance...

...again.

[Alan]

On 2023-06-30 08:00, -hh wrote:
> On Friday, June 30, 2023 at 1:14:36 PM UTC+1, Thomas E. wrote:
>> …
>>
>> Qualifying is not racing anyway.
>
> Yet it is part of racing, who organizationally places significance on it.

And as I explained, there are very good reasons why qualifying laps are
often faster than the fastest race lap of the same event.

>
>> What's your fastest race lap?
>
> Goalpost move, right?

That's his MO.

Now watch him scramble because he's declared "KJ" one of the "top three"
FF drivers at Mission...

...only to discover that I've easily bested him.

;-)

[Thomas E.]

He was top 3 after Floer, McColl and McKay dropped out. So were you. That does not make you as good as the top three now that they are coming back.

>
> ...only to discover that I've easily bested him.
>
> ;-)

I'm not a race driver, just good with numbers.

Based on race wins out of race entries there three distinct categories of SCCBC FF drivers:

Elite: Floer, McColl (tie) and McKay
Intermediate: Baker, Brandfors and Grandbois
Also Ran: Robinson, Fraser, Power, Archer, Phillips, Kwan, Wong and others

Let's look at your record against McKay:

2019: Floer and McColl stopped their FF racing. It was down to you and McKay. Of 16 races you entered, McKay won 10, you won 4 and Brandfors won 2.

2020: None of the Elites raced FF. Of the 9 races you entered you won 7, Grandbois 2. The season was shorted by COVID and no season championships were awarded by the club,

2021: You entered and won 3 races, all in October, against a weak field. None of the Elites raced FF.

2022: You lost your first 3 races to consistent loser Archer, giving him (i think) his first wins (tire excuse). You won 3 August races against a weak field with no Elites. You lost to Fraser in your only October race.

2023: You have not entered any races. Elites Floer and McKay entered all three June 24 races. McKay won race 1, Floer races 2 and 3. Winning best lap times were in the 1:11 to 1:12 area. Except for 7/27/2019 race #1 these latest winning lap times are lower than any of your winning times by about 2-3 seconds.

It’s remarkable that Floer and McKay came back so strong after so long away. Their times match their 2016-2018 best lap records.

Your racing record is not competitive with June’s winning times by Elites Floer and McKay.

Prove me wrong with numbers, not excuses, lies and anecdotes.

[Alan]

On 2023-07-02 13:39, Thomas E. wrote:
> On Friday, June 30, 2023 at 12:18:47 PM UTC-4, Alan wrote:
>> On 2023-06-30 08:00, -hh wrote:
>>> On Friday, June 30, 2023 at 1:14:36 PM UTC+1, Thomas E. wrote:
>>>> …
>>>>
>>>> Qualifying is not racing anyway.
>>>
>>> Yet it is part of racing, who organizationally places
>>> significance on it.
>> And as I explained, there are very good reasons why qualifying laps
>> are often faster than the fastest race lap of the same event.
>>>
>>>> What's your fastest race lap?
>>>
>>> Goalpost move, right?
>> That's his MO.
>>
>> Now watch him scramble because he's declared "KJ" one of the "top
>> three" FF drivers at Mission...
>
> He was top 3 after Floer, McColl and McKay dropped out. So were you.
> That does not make you as good as the top three now that they are
> coming back.

And now the scrambling begins!

>
>>
>> ...only to discover that I've easily bested him.
>>
>> ;-)
>
> I'm not a race driver, just good with numbers.
>
> Based on race wins out of race entries there three distinct
> categories of SCCBC FF drivers:
>
> Elite: Floer, McColl (tie) and McKay Intermediate: Baker, Brandfors
> and Grandbois Also Ran: Robinson, Fraser, Power, Archer, Phillips,
> Kwan, Wong and others

There's a lot more than number of race wins to consider there, Little
Shit...

...but you go on not having a clue.

>
> Let's look at your record against McKay:
>
> 2019: Floer and McColl stopped their FF racing. It was down to you
> and McKay. Of 16 races you entered, McKay won 10, you won 4 and
> Brandfors won 2.

Wow. You can't even look up the basic facts correctly.

In 2019, I won 6 races to Dave McKay's 10...

...but it should be noted that on one of those weekends another driver
in a different class drove right over the top of my car; utterly
preventing me from competing in 2 races.

Here's the aftermath on my helmet:

<https://drive.google.com/file/d/13Z98fKnZ8ZJA0Lq2meVhwu44aB-E0y1Y/view?usp=share_link>

That's the other car's right rear tire.

And to be clear, the other driver was completely at fault.

>
> 2020: None of the Elites raced FF. Of the 9 races you entered you won
> 7, Grandbois 2. The season was shorted by COVID and no season
> championships were awarded by the club,

<yawn>

>
> 2021: You entered and won 3 races, all in October, against a weak
> field. None of the Elites raced FF.
>
> 2022: You lost your first 3 races to consistent loser Archer, giving
> him (i think) his first wins (tire excuse). You won 3 August races
> against a weak field with no Elites. You lost to Fraser in your only
> October race.

Different tires with more grip is not an "excuse", Little Shit.

>
> 2023: You have not entered any races. Elites Floer and McKay entered
> all three June 24 races. McKay won race 1, Floer races 2 and 3.
> Winning best lap times were in the 1:11 to 1:12 area. Except for
> 7/27/2019 race #1 these latest winning lap times are lower than any
> of your winning times by about 2-3 seconds.

LOL!

>
> It’s remarkable that Floer and McKay came back so strong after so
> long away. Their times match their 2016-2018 best lap records.

Given that the "best lap record" of that time period is 1:10.583, I'm
not sure how that's a match.

>
> Your racing record is not competitive with June’s winning times by
> Elites Floer and McKay.
>
> Prove me wrong with numbers, not excuses, lies and anecdotes.

Look at the post of mine to which you were too craven to make a reply,
Little Shit.

You're not only a liar. You're a coward.

[Alan]

[Thomas E.]

The other 2 2019 victories over McKay are tainted by weather conditions.

LOL you say? I say deflection.

Your tire excuse is lame, to say the least. Your 2021-2022 record sucks. A few races against weak competition. No wins over the Elites. You were not Elite before 2021, and your recent record is even worse.

[Thomas E.]

Let's look at the most recent qualifying and race best laps:

24 June, qualifying, best lap was 1:12.616. For Floer it was 1:14.292

Best race laps for Floer: 1:11.426, 1:11.470 and 1:11.725

Bottom line, you continue to dodge the fact that almost all your wins came after Floer, McColl and McKay dropped out. You are the lying little shit here, not me.

[Alan]

I said "often faster", Little Shit, not always.

There are other important factors as well; factors like track conditions
in the early morning chill versus races in the afternoon.

>
> Bottom line, you continue to dodge the fact that almost all your wins came after Floer, McColl and McKay dropped out. You are the lying little shit here, not me.

Bottom line: you continue to dodge that I have been Doug Floer
head-to-head, and spent most of 2019 racing against Dave McKay and we
were basically equal...

...and most tellingly, you dodge that you declared "KJ" one of the "not
also-rans"... ...and I've beaten him easily for the last few years.

Let me refresh your memory and see if it can stir up an once of
integrity from the dregs of your psyche:

'Doug, Dave and KJ dominated this past weekend. Most of your wins are
against the also-rans.'

You agree you wrote that, right?

You agree that places him in the NOT "also-ran" group, right?

[Alan]

Bwaahahahahahahahahah!

>>>
>>> Based on race wins out of race entries there three distinct
>>> categories of SCCBC FF drivers:
>>>
>>> Elite: Floer, McColl (tie) and McKay Intermediate: Baker,
>>> Brandfors and Grandbois Also Ran: Robinson, Fraser, Power,
>>> Archer, Phillips, Kwan, Wong and others
>> There's a lot more than number of race wins to consider there,
>> Little Shit...
>>
>> ...but you go on not having a clue.
>>>
>>> Let's look at your record against McKay:
>>>
>>> 2019: Floer and McColl stopped their FF racing. It was down to
>>> you and McKay. Of 16 races you entered, McKay won 10, you won 4
>>> and Brandfors won 2.
>> Wow. You can't even look up the basic facts correctly.
>>
>> In 2019, I won 6 races to Dave McKay's 10...

Not answered.

Weird, huh?

But you're "good with numbers", right?

Bwaahahahahahahahahah!

Not answered.

Weird, huh?

>>>
>>> Your racing record is not competitive with June’s winning times
>>> by Elites Floer and McKay.
>>>
>>> Prove me wrong with numbers, not excuses, lies and anecdotes.
>> Look at the post of mine to which you were too craven to make a
>> reply, Little Shit.
>>
>> You're not only a liar. You're a coward.
>
> The other 2 2019 victories over McKay are tainted by weather
> conditions.

How are race wins "tainted by weather conditions", Little Shit?

>
> LOL you say? I say deflection.
>
> Your tire excuse is lame, to say the least. Your 2021-2022 record
> sucks. A few races against weak competition. No wins over the Elites.
> You were not Elite before 2021, and your recent record is even
> worse.

LOL

Except for being literally run over by another car in another class,
there's a good chance that I would have won the 2019 championship,
Little Shit.

And if someone else is running tires that aren't class legal (because,
while they give more grip, they have a shorter life and are more
expensive), OF COURSE they can go faster than they would otherwise go.

[Thomas E.]

LOL!

2019 was now 4 years ago. What have you done lately? Not much. You can't "do" anything when you don't even show up. We both know that post 2019 things changed, and we both know that there is more to your recent lack of racing than COVID and personal health issues.

Like for example, Doug Floer won the 22 July race with a best time of 1:10.623. That's about 2 or 3 seconds faster than your typical race winning times. Dave McKay was second with a 1:11.826, also much faster than your typical times.

As for the better tires, why are you not running them too? Personal financial issues holding you back? As you know, I think that is more than a random guess.

Finally, other than calling me names, you have no proof that you won most of your races after faster drivers left FF competition. You did not get better, then field got slower, LOL!

[Alan]

"WE" know this, do we?

Tell "us" what "we" are supposed to know, Little Shit.

>
> Like for example, Doug Floer won the 22 July race with a best time of
> 1:10.623. That's about 2 or 3 seconds faster than your typical race
> winning times. Dave McKay was second with a 1:11.826, also much
> faster than your typical times.

What tires were they on?

>
> As for the better tires, why are you not running them too? Personal
> financial issues holding you back? As you know, I think that is more
> than a random guess.

Because we made an agreement NOT to, you simpleton.

[-hh]

Funny how back in March, Tommy was admitting to CoVid as a factor for his
own reductions in travel, not financials.

Of course, he also said:
“We are now 5 years older but still wanting to travel. I just bought a flying club
membership, opening the opportunity to take some trips by air not involving airlines.”

…which hasn’t had a peep about since.

-hh

[Thomas E.]

I've been quite busy traveling, flying CAP aircraft, and playing with my "toy" RC aircraft :)

After getting back into the flying club (https://www.sky-vu.org/) since May we have gone by air to Atlanta GA, Nashville TN and northern Michigan (Ludington) to see friends and family. Plans are in the works for an August trip and another Atlanta trip later this year. Never lost a bag, been hassled by TSA, or had to share a row with a disagreeable passenger. We both love flying to places on our own schedule.

We are still thinking about a western Canada trip in September as a follow-up to last year's eastern Canada trip. If we go we will drive. No excuses, it's just more of a hassle and too expensive to fly.

At home we are going to concerts and plays on a weekly basis, getting the landscaping in the best condition ever, and generally enjoying life.

For the Oct fiscal year I've logged 166 total CAP and personal hours and got back instrument currency too.

We have pivioted some assets to income producing stock funds from capital appreciation, increasing retirement income by about 25%. Total family assets are now over $3 million with total debt at the moment of about $1,000 in credit card balances. I have fully retired from consulting, including shutting down the company website and email account in early 2022. I have also gotten back into RC aircraft with a current fleet of 10 plus a DJI drone.

Income is more than sufficient to cover all expenses. In fact, we are putting money back into savings.

In the meantime, Alan has raced in 10 of 41 SCCBC FF races in the 2021-2023 seasons. And he still lives in his glorified closet.

[Thomas E.]

You neglected to mention that in 2019 Dave McKay missed the first weekend. Had he raced the results would not have been as close. Also, you forgot to mention that of the 16 races where you competed, Dave finished ahead of you in 11 of those. I have the 2019 season standings printed off and on my desk. Please try and dispute those numbers.

In the 2021-23 seasons there have been 41 races. You have run in 10 of those. Dispute that if you can.

In the 10 2021-2023 races you have run you have not competed against Doug Floer, Allan McColl or Dave McCay. In fact, in 2021 when Allan McColl failed to show up for the final weekend, you did. Hmmmm. And, you bragged about "winning" that weekend.

In 2022 you placed 3rd in the season standings, and lost to Erle Archer in several races.

You are the best second-rate SCCBC FF driver at Mission Raceway. Have been almost since you started racing there. I see no improvement in your record other than quality of competition running against you. I include equipment in my definition.

As for tires, I don't care. Enter races and beat Floer, McColl and McKay on a regular basis. Prove your claims to being a better racer. Then I'll shut up.

But,

If you FF drivers made an agreement on tires, why are those breaking the agreement even allowed to run a better tire? If others are running better tires why are you not? Explain that please. Else you are just a whining loser.

[-hh]

> I've been quite busy traveling, flying CAP aircraft, and playing with my "toy" RC aircraft :)
>
> After getting back into the flying club (https://www.sky-vu.org/) since May we have gone by
> air to Atlanta GA, Nashville TN and northern Michigan (Ludington) to see friends and family.
> Plans are in the works for an August trip and another Atlanta trip later this year. Never lost
> a bag, been hassled by TSA, or had to share a row with a disagreeable passenger. We both
> love flying to places on our own schedule.

So long as you're content with staying domestically, and within a ~4hr (600mi) circle. Some of
this year's squall lines have caused significant air travel delays .. I saw one thunderhead on the
radar map a few weeks ago that had an 'echo top' of 51,500 ft. Insofar as other pax and bags,
we did our last EU trip with just carry-ons & booked up front so that there was no real 'neighbor'.

> We are still thinking about a western Canada trip in September as a follow-up to last year's
> eastern Canada trip. If we go we will drive. No excuses, it's just more of a hassle and too expensive to fly.

Google flights is indicating under $500/pp-RT, versus 35 driving hours each way, which is 3-4 full days
each way, depending on how much you choose to do, so figure 4-6 hotel nights plus meals, so figure
(5 nights at $150 + 7 days at $100) = ($750 + $700) = $1450 = you're likely paying ~40% more, not less.

> At home we are going to concerts and plays on a weekly basis, getting the landscaping in the best
> condition ever, and generally enjoying life.
>
> For the Oct fiscal year I've logged 166 total CAP and personal hours and got back instrument currency too.

None of which was mentioned previously, yet no one accused you of doing utterly nothing.

> We have pivioted some assets to income producing stock funds from capital appreciation, increasing
> retirement income by about 25%. Total family assets are now over $3 million with total debt at the
> moment of about $1,000 in credit card balances. I have fully retired from consulting, including shutting
> down the company website and email account in early 2022. I have also gotten back into RC aircraft
> with a current fleet of 10 plus a DJI drone. Income is more than sufficient to cover all expenses.
> In fact, we are putting money back into savings.

Believe I suggested that sort of reassessment a few years ago, which would free up a good chunk for
doing more travel.

> In the meantime, Alan has raced in 10 of 41 SCCBC FF races in the 2021-2023 seasons.

Merely that you know of, for Absence of Evidence is not Evidence of Absence. Which similarly
applies to my lack of comments on personal outlays.

> And he still lives in his glorified closet.

Similarly, a "closet" in a highly desired market can be worth much more than a ranch in a less desired area;
I read a report this past week of houses for sale in ND for just $15K: "location, location, location!" applies.


-hh

[Thomas E.]

Uh, we are planning on stopping in Calgary/Banff, then on to Vancouver and Victoria, south to Seattle/Portland, then back home. Please supply airfare and car rental costs for:

Indy-Calgary-Vancouver-Victoria-Seattle-Portland-Indy

I figure driving, gone 25 days at about $300/day is about $7.5k. The majority of that would be incurred whether we fly commercial or drive. If we took the club C182S it would be about about 30 hours at $177 or $5300 just for air travel. Then you have hotels, meals, ground transportation, airport fees etc. on top. Plus, you have to go over some rugged mountains on the second and last legs. Not to mention personal air travel is highly weather dependent. On our recent air trips we allowed for weather flexibility and were staying with friends and family, so not such a problem. A trip involving hotel and rental car reservations gets a lot more complicated if flight plans change. That applies to both personal and airline flights.

Anyway, look up the total airfare for 2 people on that itinerary.

Alan's condo has an estimated value a little less than my 4 BR home. Location matters. But there are huge trade-offs. I would not sell my home to move to a 500 sq ft Vancouver glorified closet. I can say that because my home has about the same closet area as Alan's condo! Of course I would be living alone in that Vancouver condo. My wife would not be moving with me.

[Alan]

On 2023-07-26 09:10, Thomas E. wrote:

> Alan's condo has an estimated value a little less than my 4 BR home.
> Location matters. But there are huge trade-offs. I would not sell my
> home to move to a 500 sq ft Vancouver glorified closet. I can say
> that because my home has about the same closet area as Alan's condo!
> Of course I would be living alone in that Vancouver condo. My wife
> would not be moving with me.

Your wife only stays with you for the accommodations.

Got it, Little Shit. That actually tracks.

[-hh]

FYI, this was for RT to/from Vancouver, since Tommy had only mentioned real estate there.

> > > At home we are going to concerts and plays on a weekly basis, getting the landscaping in the best
> > > condition ever, and generally enjoying life.
> > >
> > > For the Oct fiscal year I've logged 166 total CAP and personal hours and got back instrument currency too.
> >
> > None of which was mentioned previously, yet no one accused you of doing utterly nothing.
> >
> > > We have pivioted some assets to income producing stock funds from capital appreciation, increasing
> > > retirement income by about 25%. Total family assets are now over $3 million with total debt at the
> > > moment of about $1,000 in credit card balances. I have fully retired from consulting, including shutting
> > > down the company website and email account in early 2022. I have also gotten back into RC aircraft
> > > with a current fleet of 10 plus a DJI drone. Income is more than sufficient to cover all expenses.
> > > In fact, we are putting money back into savings.
> >
> > Believe I suggested that sort of reassessment a few years ago, which would free up a good chunk for
> > doing more travel.
> >
> > > In the meantime, Alan has raced in 10 of 41 SCCBC FF races in the 2021-2023 seasons.
> >
> > Merely that you know of, for Absence of Evidence is not Evidence of Absence. Which similarly
> > applies to my lack of comments on personal outlays.
> >
> > > And he still lives in his glorified closet.
> >
> > Similarly, a "closet" in a highly desired market can be worth much more than a ranch in a less desired area;
> > I read a report this past week of houses for sale in ND for just $15K: "location, location, location!" applies.
>

> Uh, we are planning on stopping in Calgary/Banff, then on to Vancouver and Victoria, south to Seattle/Portland,
> then back home.

Oh, so it's not just to Vancouver.

> Please supply airfare and car rental costs for:
> Indy-Calgary-Vancouver-Victoria-Seattle-Portland-Indy

Using Google Flights for one-ways & Price Graph tool to avoid peaks, I'd put the baseline as:

Calgary ... $206
Vancouver ... $75
Victoria ... reposition by (Taxi + $20 Ferry + Mass Transit); probably cheaper than taking over a rental car (Ferry + dropoff fee)
Seattle ... $144.00 (Victoria Clipper Ferry - "Panorama" seat)
Portland ... reposition by rental car
Indy .. $100

Sum: $206 + $75 + $100? + $144 + $100 = $625/pp ... x2 = $1250.

> I figure driving, gone 25 days at about $300/day is about $7.5k.
> The majority of that would be incurred whether we fly commercial or drive.

Versus how many days less if one flies?

> If we took the club C182S it would be about about 30 hours at $177 or $5300 just for air travel.

Which at its cruising speed means ~5000 miles covered, which at the IRS mileage rate means
the fully burdened POV costs are around $3,000.

> Then you have hotels, meals, ground transportation, airport fees etc. on top.

Fewer hotels or meals when employing air transportation, and ground transportation (rental cars)
are effectively needed regardless of if its a Club aircraft or a commercial flight.

> Plus, you have to go over some rugged mountains on the second and last legs. Not to mention
> personal air travel is highly weather dependent. On our recent air trips we allowed for weather
> flexibility and were staying with friends and family, so not such a problem. A trip involving hotel
> and rental car reservations gets a lot more complicated if flight plans change. That applies to
> both personal and airline flights.

Yes, personal flights are much more vulnerable to weather factors, plus you also lose the luxury of
riding instead of driving. For 'trickle down' schedule effects of delays, some can be mitigated
through prior planning, such as to plan one's within-city itinerary without needing a rental car.

-hh

[Alan]

Huh.

I guess you couldn't figure out what "we" know, eh?

>>>
>>> Like for example, Doug Floer won the 22 July race with a best
>>> time of 1:10.623. That's about 2 or 3 seconds faster than your
>>> typical race winning times. Dave McKay was second with a
>>> 1:11.826, also much faster than your typical times.
>> What tires were they on?
>>>
>>> As for the better tires, why are you not running them too?
>>> Personal financial issues holding you back? As you know, I think
>>> that is more than a random guess.
>> Because we made an agreement NOT to, you simpleton.
>>>
>>> Finally, other than calling me names, you have no proof that you
>>> won most of your races after faster drivers left FF competition.
>>> You did not get better, then field got slower, LOL!
>
> You neglected to mention that in 2019 Dave McKay missed the first
> weekend. Had he raced the results would not have been as close. Also,
> you forgot to mention that of the 16 races where you competed, Dave
> finished ahead of you in 11 of those. I have the 2019 season
> standings printed off and on my desk. Please try and dispute those
> numbers.

You neglected to mention that that was a choice he made...

Which you have consistently claimed as some failing of mine.

...and that I was knocked out of two thirds of a race weekend through no
fault of my own, and missed one third of another weekend through no
fault of my own.

Some other facts that you seemed to have "neglected":

In 2019, Dave and I were on track together for 27 sessions.

Of those 27 sessions, I recorded a faster lap than Dave in 20 of them;
74% of the time.

In those sessions, I was the outright fastest lap holder for 17 of them.

Eliminate 3 practice sessions and I'm 19 for 24; 79%.

So the argument you were advancing about current times (where conditions
aren't equal) somehow showing Dave is faster than I am kind of falls
apart, doesn't it?

>
> In the 2021-23 seasons there have been 41 races. You have run in 10
> of those. Dispute that if you can.

Why would I? Only Little Shits try and twist facts.

>
> In the 10 2021-2023 races you have run you have not competed against
> Doug Floer, Allan McColl or Dave McCay. In fact, in 2021 when Allan
> McColl failed to show up for the final weekend, you did. Hmmmm. And,
> you bragged about "winning" that weekend.

The reason I didn't run any races in 2021 except for the last, you
Little Shit, is that I was too busy caring for my younger brother, who
was diagnosed with cancer and died of it that summer. Following that,
there was my widowed sister-in-law and niece to care for.

I ran one race at the end of the year, simply to keep my licensing
status in good order.

As for any supposed "bragging"...

...let's see the quote,

> In 2022 you placed 3rd in the season standings, and lost to Erle
> Archer in several races.

Erle is a good guy...

...but on equal equipment he isn't even close to me.

I lost to Erle because he was on new Hoosier tires and I was on American
Racers I wanted to use up. Given that the consensus is that the
Hoosier's are good for 1.5-2 seconds a lap over the American Racer
tires, I'd say finishing an aggregate of only 13 seconds behind over a
total of 46 race laps speaks to my abilities over his.

>
> You are the best second-rate SCCBC FF driver at Mission Raceway. Have
> been almost since you started racing there. I see no improvement in
> your record other than quality of competition running against you. I
> include equipment in my definition.
>
> As for tires, I don't care. Enter races and beat Floer, McColl and
> McKay on a regular basis. Prove your claims to being a better racer.
> Then I'll shut up.

1. You don't "don't care" about tires...

...because you're ignorant about what matters in motor racing and are
happy to stay so in order to attempt to slam me.

2. Alan McColl is racing in Formula CONTINENTAL now, Little Shit.

3. Define "regular basis" for you. Because in 2019, I DID beat Dave
McKay on a regular basis. Head to head, it was 10 to 6 Dave finishing
ahead of me.

Beating him 37% of the time sure feels like a "regular basis" to me.

>
> But,
>
> If you FF drivers made an agreement on tires, why are those breaking
> the agreement even allowed to run a better tire? If others are
> running better tires why are you not? Explain that please. Else you
> are just a whining loser.

We didn't just make a private agreement, you Little Shit. We actually
had it added to our rule book:

"21.2.3 Rain tires are open. Where reference is made to the “Hoosier
Radial” is designated as the spec tire, that one of the following
options will be the designated spec tire and the official tire for
CACC’s Formula F. By February 1 of the coming race season should option
“A” be no longer available from the manufacturer then option “B” will be
the Spec tire. Should options “A” and “B” not be available from their
respective manufacturers then option “C” will become the Spec tire.

21.2.3.1 Option “A” – American Racer Tire compound #133;

21.2.3.2 Option “B” – American Racer Tire compound #133 and Hoosier R60A
Club Ford bias ply tire;

21.2.3.3 Option “C” – Hoosier VVF Vintage Formula Ford tire (P/N 44165 &
44170)."

<https://www.caccautosport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-CACC-Race-Regulations.pdf>

Oh! Look at that!

The Little Shit didn't have a CLUE.. ...again!

And the reason the rule is written that way is that the American Racer
tire—which was used by gentlman's agreement (a concept of which I'm sure
you have no familiarity) prior to this year—wasn't available last season
due to a fire at one of American Racer's manufacturing facilities, and
there was some doubt as to whether or not they would be putting it back
into production. So last season, as a group we decided to let everyone
run whichever tires they could get. Some chose to buy Hoosiers and some
(such as myself) opted to use tires I already owned.

And the reason they are "allowed" this season is that...

Unlike you.

...we're not Little Shits.

[Thomas E.]

Liar, Liar Liar

In 2019 one of the 6 races you claim to have finished ahead of Dave McKay was on May 4. Dave was a DNS on May 4. So in races where you were both running it was 5 out of 16, not 6. What else are you distorting?

Tires: You can buy the same tires as anybody else. Can't you? The tires are all equal if you choose to make them so. You could have bought Hoosiers or others too. You are a shitty driver because you actually choose to lose.

Fastest laps: The fastest single lap does not win races. Consistent faster than the field wins races. The fact that you can post a faster best lap and still not win the race actually PROVES what a shitty and inconsistent driver you are.

Excuses: You are full of excuses. Your record speaks for itself.

[Thomas E.]

I simply note that you failed to include rental car costs. Seattle-Portland leg mid-size is about $360 for 3 days on Expedia. Calgary for 3 days close to $300. I think a good estimate of 25 days of car rentals is going to be over $2,000 plus gas. That does not include supplementary insurance.

You also low-balled the airfare. Those flights might not fit our plans. I did a realistic multicity on Expedia and came up with roughly $1,000 pp. That itinerary includes indirect flights with some long layovers. I was surprised it was not more.

So combined rental car and airfare is going to be about $4,000. I agree with the $3,000 full cost of driving. But, most of that is either deferred depreciation. Some of the IRS number is fixed cost for insurance mainly, so the flat mileage rate is actually a little lower. If I drive I have more hotel, meal and fuel costs. $1,000 for that extra expense is a good guess. Call it a push. The difference to me is not material.

For me, riding in an airliner passenger seat is no luxury. Riding in the left front seat of a C182 is a luxury. I rate the left front seat of my Accord above any economy seat in an airliner too.

[Thomas E.]

On Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 6:04:07 PM UTC-4, Alan wrote:

Oh, also BTW, I do not dispute that Dave chose to sit out that first week. That he did gave you 35 points in the season standings to his 0. Even with that lead you still finished second, placing lower than Dave in 5 of the 16 races you both ran. That is hardly routinely outperforming Dave in 2019. Dave placed ahead of you in 69% of those races.

This was the best season of your career. But, of course, Floer and McColl were absent. Lower level of competition = better relative standings.

Dispute any of that.

To get to 16 I ignored your DNS on May 5 and Dave's on May 4.

[Thomas E.]

Correction - But most of that is deferred depreciation

[Alan]

And like the coward he is, the Little Shit didn't have a word to say.

As someone said to Kevin McCarthy yesterday:

You. Are. A. Pussy.

>>
>> And the reason the rule is written that way is that the American
>> Racer tire—which was used by gentlman's agreement (a concept of
>> which I'm sure you have no familiarity) prior to this year—wasn't
>> available last season due to a fire at one of American Racer's
>> manufacturing facilities, and there was some doubt as to whether or
>> not they would be putting it back into production. So last season,
>> as a group we decided to let everyone run whichever tires they
>> could get. Some chose to buy Hoosiers and some (such as myself)
>> opted to use tires I already owned.
>>
>> And the reason they are "allowed" this season is that...
>>
>> Unlike you.
>>
>> ...we're not Little Shits.
>
> Oh, also BTW, I do not dispute that Dave chose to sit out that first
> week. That he did gave you 35 points in the season standings to his
> 0. Even with that lead you still finished second, placing lower than
> Dave in 5 of the 16 races you both ran. That is hardly routinely
> outperforming Dave in 2019. Dave placed ahead of you in 69% of those
> races.
>
> This was the best season of your career. But, of course, Floer and
> McColl were absent. Lower level of competition = better relative
> standings.
>
> Dispute any of that.
>
> To get to 16 I ignored your DNS on May 5 and Dave's on May 4.
>

But happily left in my DNFs when:

1. Another driver drove his car right over top of mine on May 5 (which
is what led to the DNF in the third race).

2. When I withdrew from a race on July 28 with breathing problems.

So in races where we both ran to the end, the actual head-to-head score
is 9 to 5, and in those 14 races:

<https://www.sccbc.net/racers/club-championship/2019-sccbc-club-standings/>

You also ignore that my best race lap that year wasn't just a little
faster than Dave's: it was 0.7 seconds faster.

And I had the faster lap 12 times out of the 14.

And they weren't one-off flukes as you allege...

...because if they were, I wouldn't have finished as close behind Dave
as I did almost every time he finished ahead of me.

In fact, for the 14 races taken in aggregate (211 laps), I finished them
a total of 41 seconds faster then Dave. That's just a little less than
0.2s per lap.

So explain exactly how you can claim that I'm "best of the also-rans"...

...but call Dave McKay, "elite":

"Elites Floer and McKay entered all three June 24 races."

Now I'm sure you'll cast around for some new way to redefine your terms.

:-)

[Alan]

No. Not one of us is the same kind of Little Shit that you are. That's
the truth.

:-)

>
> In 2019 one of the 6 races you claim to have finished ahead of Dave
> McKay was on May 4. Dave was a DNS on May 4. So in races where you
> were both running it was 5 out of 16, not 6. What else are you
> distorting?

The actual count in races we both finished was 9 to 5 (yeah... ...I
miscounted by one).

>
> Tires: You can buy the same tires as anybody else. Can't you? The
> tires are all equal if you choose to make them so. You could have
> bought Hoosiers or others too. You are a shitty driver because you
> actually choose to lose.

I could... ...but I chose to respect our gentleman's agreement which has
become our rule.

But from your reply, it's clear your choice would be to cheat.

:-)

>
> Fastest laps: The fastest single lap does not win races. Consistent
> faster than the field wins races. The fact that you can post a faster
> best lap and still not win the race actually PROVES what a shitty and
> inconsistent driver you are.

I finished the aggregate 2019 season of 211 racing laps head-to-head
against Dave 41.336 seconds ahead.

And you said that Dave was "elite", didn't you?

:-)

>
> Excuses: You are full of excuses. Your record speaks for itself.

Indeed.

Head-to-head against someone you deem elite, I won 36% of the races and
was, on aggregate, just less than 0.2s per lap faster.

If you do make it out to Vancouver, sign up for a high performance
driving day, and I'll school you on what a car can really do...

...because the best drivers in the SCCBC deemed by good enough to teach...

...after only 4 seasons of racing.

:-)

[-hh]

> I simply note that you failed to include rental car costs.

Of course, because it doesn't matter if you fly commercial flight or rent the Club C182,
you're going to need a rental either way.

> Seattle-Portland leg mid-size is about $360 for 3 days on Expedia. Calgary for 3 days close to $300.

FYI, keep checking, for price management is wonky this year. We had a reservation
for TN in June which was originally $786 when booked several weeks out, but then
at ~2 weeks out, we rebooked (same company - Avis) for $200 less.

> I think a good estimate of 25 days of car rentals is going to be over $2,000 plus gas.
> That does not include supplementary insurance.

But if you're flying and not driving, the trip is not going to be as many days.

> You also low-balled the airfare.

Nope. All I did was use Google Flights for each flight leg, represented as one-way,
so as to avoid any aggregating discounts, and then eyeballed the 'monthly' bar chart
to identify what the prices were like when one avoided the high cost peaks. I didn't
ever choose the lowest price unless it happened to be what predominated over half
of the dates in a month.

> Those flights might not fit our plans. I did a realistic multicity on Expedia and
> came up with roughly $1,000 pp. That itinerary includes indirect flights with
> some long layovers. I was surprised it was not more.

If you're willing to burn an extra week or more to drive the whole shebang, you're
in no place to complain about flights with layovers.

> So combined rental car and airfare is going to be about $4,000. I agree with the
> $3,000 full cost of driving. But, most of that is either deferred depreciation.
> Some of the IRS number is fixed cost for insurance mainly, so the flat mileage
> rate is actually a little lower. If I drive I have more hotel, meal and fuel costs.
> $1,000 for that extra expense is a good guess. Call it a push. The difference to
> me is not material.

So what you originally justified as "too expensive to fly" turns out to be a push. Golly.

> For me, riding in an airliner passenger seat is no luxury. Riding in the left front
> seat of a C182 is a luxury. I rate the left front seat of my Accord above any
> economy seat in an airliner too.

Let us know if you can lay flat in either one of those while piloting underway ;-)

-hh

[Thomas E.]

First, apples and oranges. I would not fly the 182 on an overnight.

Second, if we flew we would miss some incredible scenery out west.

Finally, we enjoy the driving experience.

We made the decision to drive. That's our preference. YMMV.

[Thomas E.]

Forgot to mention that the wife got a jury duty notice that has her showing up on the Monday we planned to leave here. Now we cannot plan a departure date. They say 1-3 days in the notice, but it may settle out of court. So, as of now we cannot schedule anything until the day before, or even day, of departure.

[-hh]

> First, apples and oranges. I would not fly the 182 on an overnight.

Who said anything about an overnight? Just being able to kick back & relax (or nap)
while still underway is the point, rather than having to be attentive while driving the whole time.

> Second, if we flew we would miss some incredible scenery out west.

I can recall the first time that we saw the Rockies. Pulled over & took photos,
and then proceeded to drive for another day towards them before actually
getting there.

> Finally, we enjoy the driving experience.
> We made the decision to drive. That's our preference. YMMV.

Which is simply what you should have said upfront, rather than claiming that it was
"too expensive" in other modes.

-hh

[-hh]

On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 8:27:48 AM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:
> ...

> Forgot to mention that the wife got a jury duty notice that has her showing
> up on the Monday we planned to leave here. Now we cannot plan a departure date.
> They say 1-3 days in the notice, but it may settle out of court. So, as of now we
> cannot schedule anything until the day before, or even day, of departure.

Whereas an advantage of having a commercial airline ticket is that they're
pretty much a free 'buy' to get out of an inconvenient Jury Duty notice.


-hh

[Thomas E.]

Maybe, but we had nothing booked when the notice arrived. So no begging off. We had a 3-day buffer at the end of the trip before the Symphony Gala starring Joshua Bell. Because we are driving and making reservations with free cancel we are very flexible to change plans with no financial penalty. By the way, you would need to add Bismark ND to the air arrangements cost. We are stopping off to visit the T. Roosevelt Park just west of there before heading to Calgary.

Also, going back to another point, if you want to make this trip compare to our opinion of air vs. driving please quote 1st/business class airfare.

[Thomas E.]

You can "lie flat" or take a comfortable nap in a coach seat? What airline is that? The Accord's seats put any airline coach seat I have ever been in to shame. And, there will be no infants screaming their lungs 2 rows ahead for an entire 3 hour flight. That happened on our Costa Rica trip earlier this year. Miserable... You way overrate coach class airline travel.

[-hh]

> You can "lie flat" or take a comfortable nap in a coach seat?

Flat? Not unless it’s Air NZ. Nap? Sure. But then again, it’s not
30+ hrs in a car, so being able to really rack out is not really all
that necessary on just 2-4 hr daytime flights.

> The Accord's seats put any airline coach seat I have ever been in to shame.

So don’t fly coach. As mentioned long ago, your budget was freed up.
You won’t feel a more cushy coffin liner, so $ now is better than never.

> And, there will be no infants screaming their lungs 2 rows ahead for an
> entire 3 hour flight. That happened on our Costa Rica trip earlier this year.
> Miserable... You way overrate coach class airline travel.

But there will be 30+ hours of highway drone. Plus you do have the option
to pay to position so that they’re not 2 rows ahead of you. Personally, I’ve
not had any screaming babies issues in multiple years, which illustrates its
relative rarity. Of course, it’s even quieter when riding in front of coach on
a flight, even if it’s just in E+. Try earplugs next time.

-hh

[-hh]

On Friday, August 4, 2023 at 8:07:22 PM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:
> On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 1:09:18 PM UTC-4, -hh wrote:
> > On Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 8:27:48 AM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:
> > > ...
> > > Forgot to mention that the wife got a jury duty notice that has her showing
> > > up on the Monday we planned to leave here. Now we cannot plan a departure date.
> > > They say 1-3 days in the notice, but it may settle out of court. So, as of now we
> > > cannot schedule anything until the day before, or even day, of departure.
> >
> > Whereas an advantage of having a commercial airline ticket is that they're
> > pretty much a free 'buy' to get out of an inconvenient Jury Duty notice.
>

> Maybe, but we had nothing booked when the notice arrived. So no begging off.

Which was my point.

> We had a 3-day buffer at the end of the trip before the Symphony Gala starring
> Joshua Bell.

Wasn’t familiar with him, but ‘yay you’.

> By the way, you would need to add Bismark ND to the air arrangements cost.

Plus another stop for that gas station next to the world’s biggest ball of yarn, etc.

-hh

[Thomas E.]

We had nothing booked because we were still debating taking the trip or not and itinerary if we did.

[Thomas E.]

30 hours of sightseeing and audiobooks. Try Where the Crawdads Sing or Horse in the car. Time will fly by. My experience with screaming kids in coach is very different. One was Dallas to Istanbul. 8 hours of agony. When one would shut up the sibling would go off.

Anyway we are driving. Probably leaving Aug 30 now.

[Thomas E.]

More...there will be no casket liner. No casket at all. Spending more now reduces the amount going to the charitable entities receiving most of what's left. That is important to us. We have plenty, more than 95% of the U.S. average. So do my kids.

[-hh]

> 30 hours of sightseeing and audiobooks. Try Where the
> Crawdads Sing or Horse in the car. Time will fly by.

Oh, I’ve suffered through that before; it’s why I pay to “fly over”.

> My experience with screaming kids in coach is very different.
> One was Dallas to Istanbul. 8 hours of agony. When one would
> shut up the sibling would go off.

Where “very different” is that you had to invoke a business trip from
how many years ago? April 2010 was thirteen years ago.

> Anyway we are driving. Probably leaving Aug 30 now.

You should be far enough north to miss most the localized flooding that’s
now expected from the future remnants of Hurricane Hillary.

-hh

[Thomas E.]

The most recent crying kid incidence was in January of this year - Houston to Costa Rica. The Istanbul incident was a few years ago, also on vacation. The flight from there to Tel Aviv was OK.

So, we each have preferences. Those are different. News at 11.

BTW, given the fires in southern BC we are skipping Banff and driving to Seattle. Friends have offered a place to stay. From there south to Cedar City then back home. I offered the wife flights a rental cars as an option. She would rather drive.

The flooding will be long gone by the time we get there. Our main concern is smoke. That was a major issue when we went to Montana/Wyoming/Colorado 2 years ago.

[Thomas E.]

You lost 64% of those races. You are not as good as Dave McKay.

I thought you could not get a racing license due to a health issue. I am sure you could teach a novice like me a few things. I never claimed to be an experienced FF driver.

[-hh]

> The most recent crying kid incidence was in January of this year - Houston to Costa Rica.

I know.

> The Istanbul incident was a few years ago, also on vacation. The flight from there to Tel Aviv was OK.

Where "a few years ago" was 2010. Specifically, departure from the USA on 19 April 2010.

> So, we each have preferences. Those are different. News at 11.

No, what I'm saying is that your own experience is similar to mine, which is that these
'screaming baby'flights tend to be rare, as your own volunteered experience was 2023 and
2010, which means its on the rough order of magnitude of just one per decade.

> BTW, given the fires in southern BC we are skipping Banff and driving to Seattle. Friends
> have offered a place to stay. From there south to Cedar City then back home. I offered the
> wife flights a rental cars as an option. She would rather drive.

Yet she agreed to how many Cessna flights already?

> The flooding will be long gone by the time we get there. Our main concern is smoke.
> That was a major issue when we went to Montana/Wyoming/Colorado 2 years ago.

The flooding may take out infrastructure, which takes more than a few days to rebuild.
Smoke from forest fires can have an effect for hundreds of miles, as we saw earlier
this summer in the US (including the NYC Metro area) coming down from central Canada.

-hh

[Alan]

On 2023-08-23 05:06, Thomas E. wrote:
>>>> We didn't just make a private agreement, you Little Shit. We
>>>> actually had it added to our rule book:
>>>>
>>>> "21.2.3 Rain tires are open. Where reference is made to the
>>>> “Hoosier Radial” is designated as the spec tire, that one of
>>>> the following options will be the designated spec tire and the
>>>> official tire for CACC’s Formula F. By February 1 of the coming
>>>> race season should option “A” be no longer available from the
>>>> manufacturer then option “B” will be the Spec tire. Should
>>>> options “A” and “B” not be available from their respective
>>>> manufacturers then option “C” will become the Spec tire.
>>>>
>>>> 21.2.3.1 Option “A” – American Racer Tire compound #133;
>>>>
>>>> 21.2.3.2 Option “B” – American Racer Tire compound #133 and
>>>> Hoosier R60A Club Ford bias ply tire;
>>>>
>>>> 21.2.3.3 Option “C” – Hoosier VVF Vintage Formula Ford tire
>>>> (P/N 44165 & 44170)."
>>>>
>>>> <https://www.caccautosport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-CACC-Race-Regulations.pdf>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Oh! Look at that!
>>>>
>>>> The Little Shit didn't have a CLUE.. ...again!
>>>>

>>> In 2019 one of the 6 races you claim to have finished ahead of
>>> Dave McKay was on May 4. Dave was a DNS on May 4. So in races
>>> where you were both running it was 5 out of 16, not 6. What else
>>> are you distorting?
>> The actual count in races we both finished was 9 to 5 (yeah...
>> ...I miscounted by one).
>>> Tires: You can buy the same tires as anybody else. Can't you?
>>> The tires are all equal if you choose to make them so. You could
>>> have bought Hoosiers or others too. You are a shitty driver
>>> because you actually choose to lose.
>> I could... ...but I chose to respect our gentleman's agreement
>> which has become our rule.
>>
>> But from your reply, it's clear your choice would be to cheat.
>>

>> 😄

>>> Fastest laps: The fastest single lap does not win races.
>>> Consistent faster than the field wins races. The fact that you
>>> can post a faster best lap and still not win the race actually
>>> PROVES what a shitty and inconsistent driver you are.
>> I finished the aggregate 2019 season of 211 racing laps
>> head-to-head against Dave 41.336 seconds ahead.
>>
>> And you said that Dave was "elite", didn't you?

Unaddressed, Little Shit?

What a shock.

Did you declare that Dave McKay was "elite"? Yes or no.

>>
>> 😄

>>> Excuses: You are full of excuses. Your record speaks for itself.
>> Indeed.
>>
>> Head-to-head against someone you deem elite, I won 36% of the races
>> and was, on aggregate, just less than 0.2s per lap faster.
>>
>> If you do make it out to Vancouver, sign up for a high performance
>> driving day, and I'll school you on what a car can really do...
>>
>> ...because the best drivers in the SCCBC deemed by good enough to
>> teach...
>>
>> ...after only 4 seasons of racing.
>>

>> 😄

> You lost 64% of those races. You are not as good as Dave McKay.

I won more than a third of them against a driver you deem to be "elite",
you Little Shit.

You agree that's factual, right?

>
> I thought you could not get a racing license due to a health issue. I
> am sure you could teach a novice like me a few things. I never
> claimed to be an experienced FF driver.

There's little evidence that you've done much thinking about it at all.
I never once claimed I was unable to get a racing license.

And I could do much more than teach you "a few things"...

...and it wouldn't matter which class of car it was in.

[Thomas E.]

Good news. The wife got a call today from the courthouse. She was #30 on the juror list and they are only going to need to call 25. So she is excused, and it still counts as if she was not excused ahead of Monday because she was willing to serve.

[Thomas E.]

I clearly remember you claiming that you are not participating so far this year because you have a hernia. That's what I meant by "not able to get a license." Could have stated that better. In the aviation world when you fail a physical we say "he lost his license." Must be different in racing. In any event, if you lived here the hernia surgery would have happened in weeks, even if you were on Medicaid. What A FUBAR health system you have up there.

As for Dave McKay, he has placed ahead of Doug Floer twice this year. How many times did you do that? I recall once, and that you stated it was because Doug made an unforced error on the last lap. One of those recent McKay wins over Floer was Race 1 on July 23. Floer finished third for passing under yellow, but McKay won by 0.041 seconds. Floer lost one position for the pass.

[Alan]

I did say that, yes.

> That's what I meant by "not able
> to get a license."

That's a ret-conning lie, Little Shit.

Why can't you EVER behave with personal integrity?

You ASSUMED that's what I meant.

> Could have stated that better.

You could have behaved with some honesty after your error...

...but you are the man who advocated cheating with tires, so I think we
know where you stand on honesty.

> In the aviation
> world when you fail a physical we say "he lost his license."

Only problem being that I didn't "fail a physical", Little Shit.

That's something you're just making up.

> As for Dave McKay, he has placed ahead of Doug Floer twice this year.
> How many times did you do that? I recall once, and that you stated it
> was because Doug made an unforced error on the last lap. One of those
> recent McKay wins over Floer was Race 1 on July 23. Floer finished
> third for passing under yellow, but McKay won by 0.041 seconds. Floer
> lost one position for the pass.

I've definitely finished ahead of Doug on track more than once, Little
Shit...

...but isn't it interesting that you don't think a mistake made by Doug
counts against him?

[Thomas E.]

Please list all race details (date and race number) for those where you finished ahead of Doug and all those where you finished behind Doug. Also list all races you won and Doug was in the field.

[Alan]

No reply?

I'm shocked.

>>> In the aviation world when you fail a physical we say "he lost
>>> his license."
>> Only problem being that I didn't "fail a physical", Little Shit.
>>
>> That's something you're just making up.
>>> As for Dave McKay, he has placed ahead of Doug Floer twice this
>>> year. How many times did you do that? I recall once, and that you
>>> stated it was because Doug made an unforced error on the last
>>> lap. One of those recent McKay wins over Floer was Race 1 on July
>>> 23. Floer finished third for passing under yellow, but McKay won
>>> by 0.041 seconds. Floer lost one position for the pass.
>> I've definitely finished ahead of Doug on track more than once,
>> Little Shit...
>>
>> ...but isn't it interesting that you don't think a mistake made by
>> Doug counts against him?
>
> Please list all race details (date and race number) for those where
> you finished ahead of Doug and all those where you finished behind
> Doug. Also list all races you won and Doug was in the field.

I'm not running around the internet for you, Little Shit.

[Thomas E.]

On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 5:23:13 PM UTC-6, -hh wrote:
> On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 6:34:23 PM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:
> > [Alan] claims to be laid up waiting for hernia surgery. Must terrible to
> > have to wait in line for months to get simple surgical procedure…
>
> Because it never can happen here?
>
> I’m coordinating on a medical appointment this week that was set
> up in February. And another called for at the end of March which
> took ~3 weeks to get scheduled… it is finally going to be in August.
>
> -hh

Sure it can. I've had a hard time getting dental cleanings rescheduled. But that's the exception, not the rule.

[Thomas E.]

First, prevailing winds are westerly. West coast should be OK, east coast not so much.

The wife has never turned down a Cessna flight. She likes flying point-to-point with no crying babies, lots of legroom, luggage in sight, no set schedule, no TSA and car parked in the hanger.

We are now in Rapid City. Already made changes to the schedule that would be difficult if we had traveled by airline, and looking forward to Seattle area sights.

This works for us.

[Thomas E.]

Of course not, because you seldom finish ahead of Doug. You just ducked out and deflected and you know it. And, all the results are on one site, you don't have to "run all over the Internet".

[Alan]

LOL!

I've beaten Doug. Period.

You're so interested in the stats:

YOU chase them down.

[Thomas E.]

To sum it up we had a good time. Because we drove we were able to be very flexible on diversions to see things we never planned. We planned our stops only a day ahead. The only downsides were the 3 days we spent on long drives and a tire failure that knocked us out of visiting one national park we had intended to see. We stumbled across Little Bighorn National Battlefield, the Truman Presidental library and a stay at the Hotel Nevada in Ely. We spent half an hour waiting for a buffalo traffic jam to clear, visited some great local restaurants, friends that we had not seen since college days, and saw some epic vistas that your airline travel would have flown over.

Five first time National Parks, Custer State Park, two national monuments, and Victoria/Butchart Gardens. OMG, Redwoods, Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic. Plus, US Highway 50 across Nevada.

Having said that, at our age this may be the last time for such a long road trip. Next year we have made reservations with a local tour company to fly to Vancouver and take a train to Banff and Calgary, then fly home. We may go out a few days early, rent a car, and explore a little more of Vancouver Island. Also thinking about a European river cruise and Florida for a few weeks. The annual 2 weeks of skiing is already booked and paid. Maybe not your idea of a good time, but it's ours.

[-hh]

Seeing the Rockies from the ground is nice..question is the time constraints factor
vs other priorities.

> Five first time National Parks, Custer State Park, two national monuments, and
> Victoria/Butchart Gardens. OMG, Redwoods, Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic.
> Plus, US Highway 50 across Nevada.
>
> Having said that, at our age this may be the last time for such a long road trip.

Yup, it’s grinding hours in the car. Glad to hear that you made it safely home
despite the tire failure. Currently on a train to from Kanazawa to Kyoto myself;
someone else is driving & we’re using a Tokyo Wireless hotspot for easy connectivity.

> Next year we have made reservations with a local tour company to fly to
> Vancouver and take a train to Banff and Calgary, then fly home. We may go
> out a few days early, rent a car, and explore a little more of Vancouver Island.

Sounds like a good plan.

> Also thinking about a European river cruise and Florida for a few weeks.
> The annual 2 weeks of skiing is already booked and paid. Maybe not your
> idea of a good time, but it's ours.

EU River cruises are pretty nice; we’ve done a few. Trade-off is often no nights
within the city being visited…found that to be a consideration during the December
Christmas Market season, as they’re much more fun in the dark with their lights.
Last year’s trip to Colmar is probably going to be on this year’s Holdiay card.

-hh

[Thomas E.]

I did, took all of 30 minutes. Sources are SCCBC season champion records where available and where none posted Speedhive.

Number of times you finished ahead of Alan McColl, Doug Floer or Dave McKay

2013 - 0
2014 - 1 McKay
2015 - 1 Floer and 1 McKay
2016 - 0
2017 - 1 Floer and 1 McKay
2018 - 0
2019 - 4 McKay
2020 - 0, but there were only 3 races and none for Alan, Doug and Dave
2021 - 0
2022 - 0 but one more race to go

Only 9 times out of all the races you have run against these 3 you finished ahead. 6 of the 9 were ahead of McKay, the slowest of the top 3. Not a great record at all.

Face it, you are not even in the same league as Alan, Doug and Dave. Best of level 2, you are that. LOL at your inflated ego.

By the way, is one reason you don't race more financial? Are debt and tax obligations a problem for you?

[Thomas E.]

We are both retired, we don't really have any time constraints. Financial yes, but not severely limiting at this point.

[Alan]

On 2023-09-30 16:16, Thomas E. wrote:
>> I've beaten Doug. Period.
>>
>> You're so interested in the stats:
>>
>> YOU chase them down.
> I did, took all of 30 minutes. Sources are SCCBC season champion
> records where available and where none posted Speedhive.

Well first of all. 30 minutes is bullshit.

I know precisely where to look for everything, and I know it couldn't
possibly have been done in 30 minutes.

So your obsession with me continues to grow.

>
> Number of times you finished ahead of Alan McColl, Doug Floer or Dave
> McKay
>
> 2013 - 0
> 2014 - 1 McKay
> 2015 - 1 Floer and 1 McKay
> 2016 - 0
> 2017 - 1 Floer and 1 McKay

My first years ever in racing AND in an overweight car with a less than
stellar engine.

Alan McColl is a Kent engine builder and has been racing for decades
longer than I. Dave McKay and can also do his own engine work. Doug runs
in a car prepared by his brother-in-law's professional race shop, and
during the latter years (2016 & 2017), Doug was racing in an RF94 with a
fresh Loyning engine (look him up; one of the top 2 or 3 Kent engine
builders in North America).


> 2018 - 0

It wasn't until June that my RF98 had finally arrived, and it wasn't
until July that I'd have enough time to get it set up for Mission
(gearing, spring rates, camber, etc.). But even in June, my lap times
were competitive with Dave McKay's, and in July they were competitive
with Doug's, where I out-qualified him for race 1.

And I finished ahead of Alan McColl at the BCHMR "Hagerty Formula
Festival" race on August 18, 2023

And in September, I was faster than Doug and Dav in practice AND
qualifying 1...AND finished ahead of Dave McKay in race 1

That was some careful checking you did, wasn't it, Liarboy?


> 2019 - 4 McKay

Let's come back to this.

> 2020 - 0, but there were only 3 races and none for Alan, Doug and Dave

So why even mention it? Oh, right! You're a lying little shit.

> 2021 - 0

And how many races did Alan, Doug, and Dave run?

> 2022 - 0 but one more race to go
>
> Only 9 times out of all the races you have run against these 3 you
> finished ahead. 6 of the 9 were ahead of McKay, the slowest of the
> top 3. Not a great record at all.
>
> Face it, you are not even in the same league as Alan, Doug and Dave.

So you admit that I finish ahead of Dave with some regularity but
somehow I'm "not in the same league"?

LOL

Let's look at 2019 in depth.

Here's my record, nicely presented by driverdb.com:

RACES 18

WINS 5

PODIUMS 15

POLES 11 (that's qualified first for you, Liarboy)

FASTEST LAPS 12 (that's race laps)

<https://www.driverdb.com/drivers/alan-baker>

Sadly, they don't have Dave's data, but I'll look it up for you.

Races 18

Wins 10

Podiums 17

Poles 2

Fastest laps 3

Sure, Dave won more races, but some of that comes down to aggression,
and Dave is a very aggressive driver, and he has had more on-track
contact than I have by far, but he can afford to have...

...because he does his own repairs in his own home racing car garage.

Now certainly, Dave won more races than I did and was worthy champion,
but...

...I'm "out of his league". Give your head a shake, Liarboy.

:-)

[Thomas E.]

30 minutes is correct. All but 3 years are quickly referenced via the SBBC championship results. Using Speedhive is also very quick also if you know how. Apparently you don't know how.

You admit it yourself, Dave is a more aggressive driver than yourself. He places ahead of you WELL over 50% of the time. He is the better driver. He is also apparently a pretty good mechanic too.

This is a VERY interesting claim: "And I finished ahead of Alan McColl at the BCHMR "Hagerty Formula Festival" race on August 18, 2023 ." Interesting because it's full of lies and half truths.

First, I only looked at the SCCBC races as these are similar in classification and competition. The BCHMR races are only once a year and a different format. But, let's take a detailed look.

Anyway, I thought you were not driving at all this year! Yet you say you are. But wait, I checked (https://www.bchmr.ca/) and the 2023 event was in May, not August, and you were not entered. You entered last year but Alan McColl did not.

2022, no Alan McColl
2021-2020 - races cancelled
2019, no Alan McColl

2018, August 18/19 - Both of you entered, so is this the correct year? You lied to try and fool me with 2023? If so, it did not work

August 18 Race 1 - McColl DNS, you finished behind Floer
August 18 Race 2 - McColl DNS, Floer DNF
August 18 Race 3 - McColl DNS, Floer DNS
August 19 Race 4 - McColl finished 2nd, Baker 3rd (https://beta.speedhive.com/sessions/5062535#byclass), Floer DNF
August 19 FF/EX - You finished behind Floer, Dobbie and McKay but ahead of McColl. Really? You count your poor showing as better than McColl's poor showing?

So you apparently lied several times. You did not race in the 2023 BCHMR. In 2018 the race you cite by name was on August 19, not 18, you finished ahead of Alan McColl but behind 3 others. McColl had a bad weekend, yours was nothing to brag about. (https://beta.speedhive.com/sessions/5062536#byclass)

Different year? Let's check.

August 7-8 2017 - You finished ahead of Floer in Race 4, McColl dropped out on lap 2 or 3. There was apparently a bad race #4 accident that took out several cars and may have affected the results. In the other 4 races you failed to finish ahead of Floer or McColl. In race 5 McColl and several others were DNS. (https://www.bchmr.ca/)

August 20, 2016 - You were not entered.

PS - this took about an hour.

I note you failed to respond to my financial status inquiry. Are you inferring that finances prevent you from doing better on the track? That I could believe given what I have seen is probably just the public facing piece of a large iceberg lurking below the waterline.

[-hh]

On Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 1:00:09 PM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:
>
> PS - this took about an hour.

Translation: Yup, Pwned.

> I note you failed to respond to my financial status inquiry. Are you inferring that
> finances prevent you from doing better on the track? That I could believe given
> what I have seen is probably just the public facing piece of a large iceberg lurking
> below the waterline.

That’s a pretty dubious angle, because ‘finances’ is such a broad lane. Could be as
simple as one not feeling up to a certain spending level for just a hobby. Or it reflect
a change in investment priorities due to a change in retirement planning (eg earlier),
or interest in Real Estate changes, which are both simple examples which don’t have
current income/job security as factors, which is what you’re trying to imply.

Of course, it’s also ironic that you yourself just went “cheap” by trying a driving vacation,
despite how you’ve been advised that your own claimed financials allowed for higher
discretionary spending than you’ve been practicing. Thus, one could also ‘easily believe’
that your own personal financial challenges could be why you happened to have chosen
that lens… /s

-hh

[Thomas E.]

I promised Alan that I would not reveal what I found. You will just have to believe me, it's very serious. And there are other clues. He took a job. He never seems to travel. His racing activity has become very spotty. He lives in a condo half the size of our 1100 square foot first floor. He recently posted a Windows Control Panel complaint that I had to show him how to work around.
LOL. We drove more for the experience than cost considerations.

On to my finances...

FYI, we have booked a rail excursion Vancouver-Calgary next year, $12k, plus a 2+ week Paris-Zurich excursion, all with friends. We will start the Europe trip with a self-booked stay in Paris in a 4-star hotel (Pullman Montparnasse), then on to Luxembourg, a Viking cruise, and winding up with a few days in Zurich. Likely a bit over $12k all-in, including airfare.

My main personal financial challenge this summer has been estate planning, including paperwork for funding revised trusts. And, my investment advisor changed firms and his staff made an error in the 401k transfer that is taking a while to fix. My retirement income is now about $20k a month and net worth north of $3 million. Hopefully the markets are going to get over higher rates because most of that $3 million is in stocks.

Having said that, recent expenses for estate planning, unplanned dental issues, and 2024 upfront travel payments have stretched the cash flow a bit. :)

[-hh]

On Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 8:33:08 AM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:
> On Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 1:43:20 PM UTC-4, -hh wrote:
> > On Saturday, October 7, 2023 at 1:00:09 PM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:
> > >
> > > PS - this took about an hour.
> > Translation: Yup, Pwned.
> > > I note you failed to respond to my financial status inquiry. Are you inferring that
> > > finances prevent you from doing better on the track? That I could believe given
> > > what I have seen is probably just the public facing piece of a large iceberg lurking
> > > below the waterline.
> > That’s a pretty dubious angle, because ‘finances’ is such a broad lane. Could be as
> > simple as one not feeling up to a certain spending level for just a hobby. Or it reflect
> > a change in investment priorities due to a change in retirement planning (eg earlier),
> > or interest in Real Estate changes, which are both simple examples which don’t have
> > current income/job security as factors, which is what you’re trying to imply.
> >
> > Of course, it’s also ironic that you yourself just went “cheap” by trying a driving vacation,
> > despite how you’ve been advised that your own claimed financials allowed for higher
> > discretionary spending than you’ve been practicing. Thus, one could also ‘easily believe’
> > that your own personal financial challenges could be why you happened to have chosen
> > that lens… /s
> >
>

> I promised Alan that I would not reveal what I found.

Done so publicly, instead of privately. Not particularly genteel.

> He took a job.

So what? Didn't you also have a job at that age?

> He never seems to travel.

That you know of. Besides, there's other metrics to happiness/success/etc than merely travel.

> His racing activity has become very spotty.

Which has already been addressed.

> He lives in a condo half the size of our 1100 square foot first floor.

Yet still worth how much more on the open market?

> He recently posted a Windows Control Panel complaint that I had to show him how to work around.

As opposed to what? Do you really believe that anyone in IT today can operate without having
some level of proficiency in Microsoft products?

> LOL. We drove more for the experience than cost considerations.

But when I mentioned flying alternatives, didn't you complain about their costs?

> On to my finances...
>
> FYI, we have booked a rail excursion Vancouver-Calgary next year, $12k, plus a 2+ week
> Paris-Zurich excursion, all with friends. We will start the Europe trip with a self-booked
> stay in Paris in a 4-star hotel (Pullman Montparnasse), then on to Luxembourg, a Viking
> cruise, and winding up with a few days in Zurich. Likely a bit over $12k all-in, including airfare.

So just $25K in total. Even if we include your winter ski trip, its still under the $30K/yr that I had
eyeballed a half decade ago as a budget .. and age-wise, your "Go Go" travel years are continuing
to draw to a close.

For Paris, I've been to the 14ème where the Pullman Montparnasse is; its IMO not really all that
interesting of a neighborhood unless you're visiting Montparnasse Cemetery. Expect lots of trips
on the Metro, especially if you prefer local cuisine over large sanitized Hotels.

> My main personal financial challenge this summer has been estate planning, including paperwork
> for funding revised trusts. And, my investment advisor changed firms and his staff made an error
> in the 401k transfer that is taking a while to fix. My retirement income is now about $20k a month

With how much of that likely being due to being RMDs? 33%? More?

> and net worth north of $3 million. Hopefully the markets are going to get over higher rates because
> most of that $3 million is in stocks.
>
> Having said that, recent expenses for estate planning, unplanned dental issues, and 2024 upfront
> travel payments have stretched the cash flow a bit. :)

Ironic that you were jabbing me on noting that dental care is expensive just a few months ago.

-hh

[Thomas E.]

His condo is worth about as much as my house. But housing prices are relative to the local market. If he sells it then what? Where does he go? The States? Latin America? If he stays in Vancouver then what?

Yes, I said flying was too expensive. Given our preferences it would have needed to be less expensive.

Your $30k recommendation has no value to us. We travel according to our preferences, not yours. The listed trips are not inclusive, just 2024 international highlights. We will also have several DIY air trips to see friends and family. All-in the ski trip is about $6k. We went to West Baden yesterday for a behind-the-scenes hotel tour (https://www.frenchlick.com/west-baden-springs-hotel.htm). Flew us to Peoria to see friends a week ago. Flying ourselves to Atlanta again for a family Christmas. Probably going to Florida in January. Rockies in Feb/Mar. After that maybe more. Never know what opportunities might present.

We do plan to use the Metro. I know the system and the sites they want to see. It's their first Paris trip so we will be hitting the highlights and bistros. No advice required from you. Ever dined at L'Ilot Vache, Ile de la Cite? Hoping Notre Dame is open by August.

One reason for that hotel is Viking uses it for most of their Paris-origin cruises so we don't have to change hotels. If they go elsewhere our reservations have no cancel penalty up to the day before. We can easily change to a different hotel. We had wanted to go a bit earlier but then discovered our first choice was the last day of the Olympics. Talk about some expensive hotels! Double or more the next week. A large 3 BR condo near the Opera House $40,000 per week!?

[Thomas E.]

I forgot. Alan taking a job in 2018 tells you that his consulting business was not doing well. At Alan's age (born about 1957 so late 60's) I had been retired from my last job for about 12 years and had a lucrative consulting business going. I retired full time at 75. Alan still working at 68 is another indication that either he loves working for a company or simply needs the money. Given what I know the latter is the most likely.