We Aren't a Quarter of a Century into the 21st Century

Happy New Year!

This year a lot of people are going to start saying we're a quarter of a century into the 21st century.

That's not correct. We won't be a quarter of a century into this century until 2026.

Why?

Because there was no year zero. We went from 1 BC (BCE) to 1 AD (CE).

So the first century was 1 to 101.

The second century was 101 to 201.

The third century was 201 to 301.

And so on until the 21st century will be 2001 to 2101.

So 25 years into the 21st century will be 2026.

I know it's not fun. But it's the truth. But man, a quarter of a century next year already. That amazes me.

Huskies' Bowl Game and Season Wrap Up

The University of Washington's 2024 season is over. And, it wasn't a great one. New head coach Jedd Fisch had a near impossible task of making the Huskies a winning team after all but two starters left and he had to rebuild the program.

The Huskies last game was the Sun Bowl on December 31st against the Louisville Cardinals who had an 8-4 record versus the Huskies' 6-6. 

When our true-freshman quarterback threw an interception that was ran in for a touchdown on his second pass attempt, I thought the game was over. But the Huskies came back and fought hard. Their final drive started on the 3-yard line and they put it in for a touchdown in the final seconds of the game. A PAT would have tied the game but Coach Fisch wanted to go for two to win it. But not getting the two points would lose the game. And, of course, we missed the two-point conversion. And the Huskies lost the game 35-34.

Back around 2008 when the Huskies weren't doing very well (worse than this year, even), I came up with my criteria for a "good season." They were:

• Win at least 8 regular season games
• Beat Washington State
• Beat Oregon
• Go to a bowl and win it

And they managed exactly none of those.  Their regular season record this year was 6-6. They lost to WSU and Oregon. And they went to the Sun Bowl and lost.

So, I guess there's always next year. With that season, Fisch probably won't be hired away like Kalen DeBoer was. That'll help build continuity in the system. If we can hang on to our coaches, that would help too. Next year we'll have a sophomore quarterback who this season showed some real talent. So, we'll have to see. Their first game is on August 30th against Colorado State at home.

Things I'm Not Good At

Did you have a nice Christmas? I hope so.

I think I'm a pretty good writer and I have to reviews to prove it. Just wish I had more reviews.

But there are some things I'm not very good at. 

1) Parking. Not just parallel parking (I'm actually decent at that), but parking between the lines. I'm almost always crooked, or to one side, or both. I'm rarely as bad as shown in the picture, but close.

2) Book Marketing. Yeah, I know.

3) Proofreading. As a writer I should be good at this, but I'm not. That's why I have my wife and a friend both proofread what I write before I submit it.

4) Not speeding. I once tried to go the speed limit all the time. It lasted about two days. I couldn't stand it. Even that 5 mph over the limit I usually go made the driving so much better.

5) Determining how much liquid is left in opaque bottles. Shampoo, body wash, eye drops, it doesn't matter. I will think I'm almost out, put them on the shopping list, and then the new bottle will sit on the counter for a week. Or two. If the liquid is viscous (shampoo, body wash), it's worse. If I can shake the bottle and feel how much is in it (eye drops), I'm a little better. 

6) Remembering blog post ideas. I'll have an idea for a blog post, not write it down thinking I'll remember it, and then forget it. 

Do you have things you have to admit you're not good at? Let me know in the comments below.

Speeding

It's almost winter officially (Saturday or Sunday is the winter solstice depending on what time zone you're in). So I decided today is the time to discuss my philosophy on a sensitive subject: speeding.

To me, there are three types of speeding: accidental speeding, casual speeding, and blatant speeding.

Accidental speeding is when you're accidentally exceeding the posted speed limit probably because it's set too low. My last speeding ticket (years ago) was this. I realized I was going around 50 mph in a 35 mph zone. I had just lifted my foot off the gas to slow down when I saw the cop. Now 50 in a 35 might sound reckless to you, but it's a country road with no houses or farms. There's one intersection before you reach the end and after the intersection nothing but a couple of corners that are fun to take at about 50. In my opinion, the speed limit should be at least 40 or 45. But local jurisdictions around here like to set speed limits low. Probably to increase their fine revenue.

Casual speeding is probably most of the speeding I do. I set the cruise control 5 mph over the speed limit and go. I'm pretty sure I won't get a ticket only going that fast. This is probably, also, the way most people speed: just a bit over the limit. And again, speed limits are often set too low. A sure sign of this is one of those radar signs telling you how fast you're going.

Blatant speeding is when you don't care what the speed limit is you're going to drive as fast as you want. In my opinion, it doesn't become blatant until you're at least 10 mph over the speed limit. I do this occasionally but I pick my spots: empty back roads mostly. Although the first time I went over 100 mph was on an interstate and the speed limit was 55 mph (back in the bad old days of the NMSL*). That was pretty risky.

I've never gotten a ticket blatantly speeding (except my first speeding ticket, doing 70 mph on a 55 mph interstate (stupid NMSL). Knock on wood I never do again. I'm pretty careful these days with where I blatantly speed (never on an interstate).

Oh, and that interstate where I got a ticket for doing 70 mph, now has an 80 mph speed limit.

Do you speed? Is it accidental, casual, or blatant? Let me know in the comments below.

*NMSL: National Maximum Speed Limit that imposed a 55 mph speed limit on the whole nation. It was passed in 1974 in an attempt to conserve oil. In 1987 it was raised to 65 mph on "rural interstates" and in 1995 it was repealed completely.

Dream Cars

1967 Shelby Cobra 500

If you read this blog regularly, you know I like cars. I really do. I'm not sure what the appeal is to me (and a lot of people) about cars. They are amazing engineered machines and some are fun to drive. Some of them even sound good.

Jay Leno is a car guy. He owns 181 cars (and 160 motorcycles). I'm envious of his ability to do that. There are so many great cars that have been made over the past century.

Like any piston head, I have cars I dream about owning. Here's some of mine:

2015 Ferrari 458 Italia. This was the last naturally aspirated (no turbos*) Ferrari sports car. And 2015 was the last year they were made. After that, Ferrari started putting turbos in their sports cars and shrinking engine sizes to meet EU and US carbon emissions regulations. In Ferrari red, please. Which is actually rosso corsa or "race red."

2024 Ferrari 812 Superfast. This is a "grand tourer," not a sports car. But it has a naturally aspirated V12 engine that makes 789 horsepower. I'd like this car in yellow, or "Giallo Modena" in Ferrari speak.

1967 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra 500. Not only are these beautiful cars, but they have around 650 horsepower. A little scary with 1967 suspension technology. In blue, please, with a white stripe.

2025 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. An amazing sports car packing 670 horsepower out of its naturally aspirated V8 that sits behind the driver. With huge tires and an amazing suspension, it's designed for racetrack duty. In "Accelerate Yellow Metallic," please. Or maybe "Hysteria Purple Metallic" (which is a new color this year).

2024 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS. This is the last year for the Cayman before it goes all electric. (Maybe. Porsche might be backing off of that.) This model sports 493 horsepower in its mid-engine design. A true old-fashioned sports car that is small with go-cart like handling and lots of power. Either "Guards Red" or "Racing Yellow" are my color choices. (Or, for $14,750 you expand the colors you want so maybe "Acid Green.") Used ones are selling for more than MSRP of new ones.

2024 Ram 1500 TRX. A pickup truck with a 702 horsepower supercharged* HEMI V8. That was the last year it was be offered with the HEMI. It's fast 0-60 (especially for a truck) but its top speed is limited by it's weight and tires. Made for off-road use, it would be fun to barrel through some muddy trails. In "Flame Red" and "Crystal Black" please (all come in two colors).

1967 Shelby Cobra. A tiny sports car from England (the AC Cobra) with a Ford V8. Built by Carroll Shelby, original models today sell for over $1 million. Replicas can, depending on the quality, go for six figures. A very scary car with old-fashioned suspension. But oh so pretty. Blue with a white stripe.

Honorable mention: 2024 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. A sports sedan with supercharged V8 engine and is available with a manual transmission. I'm not really picky about the color (believe it or not).

And now Ferrari has a new car, the 2025 12Cilindri two seater. It has a 12 cylinder engine and is beautiful. It is the replacement for the 812 Superfast. I think I still want the Superfast more. Ferrari has announced it will make V-12s until regulations make it impossible.

Do you have any cars you dream about owning? Let me know in the comments below.

*Turbos and superchargers pump air into the cylinder to give it more oxygen to burn, thus increasing horsepower. They work like a bellows in a blacksmith shop, making the fire burn hotter.  In a car engine's cylinder, that means more energy thus more horsepower.

Turbos use exhaust gasses to spin. Thus you often get "turbo lag" where the exhaust pressure has to build up. Somehow, automakers have found ways to minimize that. 

Superchargers are belt driven and don't have "turbo lag." You can hear them whine under the hood as they spin up. The faster the engine goes, the more pressure they put into the pistons.

Huskies Season Wrapup!

The University of Washington Huskies football regular season is over. I was cautiously optimistic about this season even though I knew we'd have some tough games.

The first two games were easy wins against Weber State (an FCS team) and Eastern Michigan at home. 

Our first loss was to the WSU Cougars in the Apple Cup cross-state rivalry game. Penalties at key times really hurt the Huskies. Since this was played in Lumen Field (the Seahawks usual stadium) we still kept our home winning streak alive. But I hated losing to the Cougs.

Next we played Northwestern, a Big10 team, at home. We won that game. Then we played Rutgers in New Jersey. And despite being the better team, we lost. Three missed field goals didn't help. So we were 3-2 going into playing Michigan at home. 

I was worried at this point that we'd be lucky to be bowl eligible (win six games out of a twelve game schedule) and if we did go to a bowl it'd be something like Cooters Bait Shop and Adult Novelty Emporium Bowl. 

Then we upset #10 Michigan! Despite our quarterback throwing his first interception of the season, the Huskies did almost everything else right. The final score was 27-17. We were 4-2 overall. Hope swelled in my chest.

But then we headed into a buzzsaw of a schedule. First up was at Iowa. Iowa was 3-2 but we'd yet to win a game not at Husky Stadium. And we didn't win this one, losing a horrible 40-16. I was seriously wondering if the Hawkeyes were playing second stringers by the end of the game. 

The Huskies had a bye week to lick their wounds and listen to calls to fire Coach Fisch.

 Next they traveled to the University of Indiana who was undefeated and ranked #13 in the AP poll. They played better than they did against Iowa, except for our quarterback's two interceptions. We lost 31-17. We were 4-4 on the season and needed to win two more games just to be eligible for the Cooters Bait Shop Bowl. Wasn't sure we could do it. Our next game was at home against USC. They also were 4-4 and we had home-field advantage. But if we didn't beat USC, we probably weren't going to a bowl game.

We did beat USC. It was a nail-biter of a game as the Huskies were dominant in the first half, but USC came out at the second half, started running the ball, and scoring. They led by one point in the third quarter but the Huskies managed to get a touch down in the fourth quarter while their defense held the Trojans scoreless. The final score was 21-26. Our record was 5-4 and only needed one more win to be bowl eligible. And our home game winning streak rose to 19.

Next we played Penn State at their home field. Penn was 6-1 and #6 on both the AP poll and the CFP (the first CFP rankings came out the Tuesday before the game). I held little hope for winning that game. The game was shown on Peacock and I debated paying NBC for the privilege of watching the Huskies lose. But I did pay, and they lost, 6-35. It was brutal.

Our only hope to be bowl eligible was to beat UCLA at home (because we probably weren't going to beat Oregon). Going into the game, UCLA was 4-5 and we were 5-5. It was a home game, and that gave me some hope because for two seasons the Huskies have been unbeaten at home. It was a Friday night game and shown on FOX. 

And win we did, despite our quarterback throwing two interceptions in the first half. Coach Fisch put in the freshman quarterback he's grooming to be next year's starter for the second half. And he threw an interception! We still won 31-19 and kept alive (at 20) our home game winning streak. And we were 6-5 so we were bowl eligible. Probably wouldn't be a very good bowl (Cooters Bait Shop Bowl).

The Huskies had a bye and then they had to play Oregon who was 11-0 on the season, #1 in the AP poll and #1 is the CFP rankings. It was the only undefeated team in FBS football. And we were playing in Eugene. Winning that game would be a miracle.

And they lost 21 - 49. Coach Fisch put in his true-freshman quarterback Demond Williams who played well, connecting with his recievers and using his legs to make plays. But he was also sacked ten times. The Husky defense couldn't stop the Ducks run at all. This wasn't as bad a loss as the Nebraska game, but it was still bad.

The Huskies went 6-6 on the season, winning all home games but no away or neutral games. Yes, it was a rebuilding year after last year's amazing season. We can only hope now that they improve next year.

On December 8th we find out which bowl we go to. Let's hope it's not the Cooter's Bait Shop Bowl.

UPDATE: The Huskies are going to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. They are playing Louisville (8-4). The game is 12/31 at 11am PST. It'll be on CBS.

I Did the Math Too Late

 

Happy Thanksgiving, USA!

I did the math and the math won.

Or, let me explain. I bought my wife a Toyota Prius Prime PHEV. I thought this would be great for her because she mostly just drives around town. Then if she wants to go on a longer trip, say to go see her sister, she has a gas engine to get her there. This is why I rejected an EV for her. She might want to take my car on the longer trip! Eeek! Plus the 2024 Prius actually looks like a nice car. We got one in red.

I live in a unique area where, due to state laws, gasoline is expensive compared to most other states (California and Hawaii are the only states where it's higher). But the area I live in has some of the cheapest electricity in the country due to being 100% hydropower. 

So, after I bought the car, I did the math. Here's what I learned:

She gets about 30 miles off of a full battery. I calculated that it takes $0.64 to charge the battery. So that's $0.021 per mile. Pretty dang cheap.

Assuming gas is $4 a gallon (which is about what regular runs in Washington State), and a Prius gets 52.3 miles per gallon (that's what a Google search came up with), that's $0.076 per mile. That's a savings of $0.0551 per mile. Yay!

But, the Prius Prime cost about $5,000 more than a Prius. So I divided $0.0551 into $5,000 and I get 90,744 miles (ignoring significant figures). So my wife has to drive about 91,000 miles on battery to pay back the extra expense of the PHEV. But it's a Toyota. She might do that. It'll just take years, though.

Now if gas goes up to $5 a gallon, its only 67,000 miles.

But if electricity goes up (and it will January 1st), the miles goes up.

Maybe I should have just bought her a Prius.