Robert Hall

Since EV technology is changing so fast, I would only consider a lease. But an EV makes no sense for me since I don’t have a commute. My driving patterns are so variable…depending on what I do on weekends, some weeks I drive 5 miles, some 50 miles, some 500 miles…

I sat in the Lyriq at the auto show in Feb. Really like the interior and exterior design...

Not unlike Cleveland...even with automatic climate control, I find myself tweaking it often...I do like the intuitive up/down arrows for temp and rotary dial for fan speeds.. FCA did a good job on the '14-22 WK2 GC HVAC and radio controls, IMO...most of these are duplicated in the touch screen and there is stuff only in the touch screen pages like the seat and steering wheel heaters, which vents to blow out of, etc. But the basic functionality is all there w/ buttons.

I like a mix of real buttons and touch screens. I don't think I could live w/ a touch screen only interior w/o smashing the screen out of rage/frustration eventually.. ?

I kinda like the Chevy one w/ the red and the one below it...the rest seem to be ugly gray plastic... The Hummer went crazy with rectangles... looks like an homage to the F-bodies, Fiero and other 80s designs.

I figure if I'm worrying about how much it would cost to repair, then I'd be keeping it too long... I don't intend to keep anything 'modern' (i.e. my '14 Jeep or anything newer) after it's out of warranty or so old that it needs a repair to cabin tech... I do think FCA in the mid 10s had a good mix of touch screen controls, physical controls, and redundant controls. I like having the audio controls on the back of the steering wheel (just like my '00 GC did) and as physical center stack controls and on the touch screen...and the HVAC as a mix of buttons and on-screen.

My home is mixed Apple (moi) and Google/Samsung (my sister). She loves Android Auto in her new Equinox...works very well from what I've seen. In my Jeep, I mostly listen to Sirius XM channels for New Wave, Classic Rock, Alternative, or podcasts streamed from Overcast on my iPhone or music from Amazon music... once in a while I'll pop in a CD (CD player is in the center armrest, awkward to use). I've tried playing music from a USB flash drive, but the interface on the Jeep's touch screen is so slow when reading from a USB drive...haven't used AM or FM in years...

When I lived and worked in the DTC in the 00s, I used to get on at the Bellview station and go to out to County Line to meet friends that lived out there, or to University area and downtown..very convenient. They were planning the airport line then...

Always been a fan of light rail, used it often when I lived in Denver..they have a pretty extensive service around the metro area that keeps growing. Alas, Phoenix and Cleveland's light rail is more limited and never been useful for me.

I do seem to have a pretty good sense of direction. But having vehicles the last 25 years or so w/ a simple 'N', 'S', etc indicator on the dash does help, independent of the nav system. I love maps, having grown up w/ Rand McNally maps and Thomas street guides. I usually pull up a place on my computer on Google Maps before I travel there the first time and study the various routes...I rely on my phone and Google Maps navigation in the car when I go to a place the first time, after that, I usually can find my way pretty well w/o nav or a map.

Not a good move, IMO. Apple Car Play is a 'gotta have' feature for my next vehicle

It's funny how that illustration shows all the different colors for the Model Y, anytime I see one of them on the road it's always white w/ black wheels..so bland and fecal. Interesting...a passenger side screen like how Jeep does on some models, but not really well integrated...looks like an afterthought...

It's going to be an adventure. Glad I didn't have to do a contingent sale. I can take my time moving and do some improvements to my current house before I put it up for sale...it should go for $275k or so (over $100k more than I paid for it 6 years ago).

Yeah, I wonder...it may have been the couple's adult children selling the property..it was another one that has the square footage listed wrong--basement might be 250 sq ft, house was only a little over 2000 sq ft (not the 3600 listed), beautiful wooded lot.. Linked below: https://www.trulia.com/p/oh/chesterland/13063-woodcrest-ln-chesterland-oh-44026--2045350499 This house below we liked a lot, I put an offer on it about 3 weeks ago, but they took another offer they already had: https://www.trulia.com/p/oh/chesterland/8635-carmichael-dr-chesterland-oh-44026--2045352075 I loved all the garage space, pole barn and pond with this one below, but the house was smaller than represented and needed a LOT of work... (I've noticed a lot of sloppy listings where they have the basement listed as the same square footage as the upper floors (inaccurately). And it was a split level, not any bigger than my current split... https://www.trulia.com/p/oh/streetsboro/1913-frost-rd-streetsboro-oh-44241--2046037349

Looking forward to Easter brunch on Sunday...we are going to a restaurant in downtown Cleveland that has a great brunch..

One house I toured last weekend had been built in the 50s and last remodeled in the 70s...had some great details (slate entryways, lots of original stone and wood) and had belonged to an older couple that were either deceased or in care homes...sadly, their furniture and kicknacks were still in the house, family photos on the walls, etc..and in the garage---a clean Cadillac Brougham from around 1990-92 (dark brown w/ dark brown leather interior) and a clean late 90s Eldorado in dark red w/ red interior.

Went and saw Bruce Springsteen for the 10th time in 25 years this past week..most of the band is over 70 now, but still put on a high energy show clocking in at almost 3 hours. Great music, always great live... I was distracted by all my personal drama this week, but had bought the tickets probably 8 months ago, so couldn't skip the show. Was a great evening...

Of the Firebirds a few years earlier, I like the '74-75, didn't like the '76. Something about the front bumper angle..

Of the late 70s Firebirds, my favorite front is the '77-78, but my favorite rear is the '79-81 with the full width taillight trim...

My electric snowblower w/ the 100 ft cord isn't going to cut it... maybe need a larger gas powered snow blower. And since it is on the north east side of Cleveland, it's in a Lake Erie snow belt and gets about 20 inches more per year than I get on the southwest side where I am now...

The garage is great..2 1/2 car garage, over 20 ft deep and room to build another garage and or carport beside/behind it. I looked at another place last week at about the same price that had 4 garage spaces and a pole barn big enough for 6 cars and an RV, a pond and on 3 acres, but a much smaller house that was in rough shape... This is the house I'm buying.. https://www.trulia.com/p/oh/highland-heights/5875-highland-rd-highland-heights-oh-44143--2045882742

The last 4 weeks have been a rough patch for my sister and I... Our 17 yr old Yorkie Henry passed on March 7th (she drove back early from SC as I knew Henry was going down fast), and our 15 yr old Yorkie Ginger passed on April 4th after a heart attack at 3:30 am (she died as we were rushing her to the emergency vet). Both had been declining for a long time and were on heart medications for enlarged hearts. First time in almost 15 years without a Yorkie at home. Pic below of them from 2020 when they were healthy and in need of a grooming. We still have Beardsley (chi-terrier mix) and Raine (Australian Terrier mix). The exciting and anticipating is after about a month of looking at a variety of properties in the area, I put an offer on a house on Saturday and it was accepted Sunday..working through the process now, looking to close later in the month. Nice 5 bedroom, 3000 sq ft ranch (one story w/ finished attic, 20 ft ceilings in some rooms), on almost 2 wooded acres in a suburb north and east of Cleveland closer to Lake Erie...only 20 miles from my current house. Huge driveway w/ loads of parking space, large oversized garage w/ room to expand, deep and wide lot w/ a good setback and distance from the neighbors. Looked at a number of places w/ more land and bigger garages that were duds as far as the houses... Not looking forward to the task of moving, but after 6 years in my current house, looking forward to having one story again and not dealing w/ stairs as I get older....

Yesterday made 6 years since I bought my Jeep. Has 72k on it now, still running great, no issues.

Watched the MH 370 documentary a few nights ago. Very interesting story, still so much unknown about the why and what happened....

Yes, love that color. Haven’t seen one in person yet.