Take 5's oil change reminder scam
Last week I got an oil change at Take 5. It was a terrible experience, as they managed to fuck up my oil pan, requiring an expensive replacement as well as a second oil change the following day.
I submitted a claim request, which was quickly rejected after they completed āa thorough investigation of the situation and also reviewed all of the documents and/or evidence,ā which somehow did not include asking me what I was even complaining about, let alone reviewing any related evidence (which I was explicitly told I could not submit until I was contacted by the claims department for more information).
Needless to say, itās a shitty company that Iāll never visit again. I recommend you steer clear of them, too.
One thing that stuck out to me during the oil change was the dark pattern the company uses for its āoil change reminderā windshield sticker. Traditionally, these were placed by mechanics to remind you when you should get another oil changeāyou know, usually 6,000 or 10,000 miles after your last one, depending on your vehicle specifications.
But Take 5 wants to trick you. So they give you this reminder sticker, saying that you can get a free oil ātop offā (huh? that hasnāt really been a thing for decades now, right?) until the date or mileage listed below.
The date and mileage is HALF of the promised lifespan of the oil change they just sold you, but itās clearly designed to trick you into believing that itās when you need another complete oil change. Itās a scam to make you pay for another oil change long before you need it.
This is aggressively anti-customer and deceptive behavior, intentionally designed to extract unnecessary purchases from you. So Iām filing a consumer complaint with the Arizona Attorney General to rectify this scam, which sure seems like obvious consumer fraud to me:
Consumer fraud, as defined by Arizona law, is any deception, unfair act or practice, false statement, false pretense, false promise or misrepresentation made by a seller or advertiser of merchandise.
It may also be fraud if a material fact is concealed, suppressed or undisclosed with intent.
Breakfast tacos and convenience purchases
āBreakfast tacos?ā
Itās a text I sometimes wake up to, sent by my buddy Wayne while Iām still sleeping. Itās a call to get together to catch up, or discuss a particular issue thatās on our minds. Breakfast tacos are had at Rudyās, a popular Austin-based BBQ joint with a location down the street from my house.
I first met Wayne probably 15 years ago, via the Phoenix twitter scene, and we quickly became friends. We both approach life in similar ways, especially around money, and our flexible schedules allow us to get together regularly while others are at the office.
Wayne worked as an engineer in the aerospace industry, at least until he had saved enough money that he could retire in his mid-40s. In some ways, he was an early adopter of the FIRE movement, whereby he lived frugally on a small portion of his salary while aggressively investing the remainder. Compounding gains took care of the rest. Heāll start collecting Social Security next week, his first outside income since Iāve known him.
Itās an interesting inflection point. Up until this point, heās been in saving/accumulation mode. But thatās now changing; itās time to transition into spending mode. Of course, itās hard to turn off the frugality when youāve lived it for so longā¦
One of the things weāve been talking about during breakfast tacos recently is using purchases to reduce friction in our lives. How do you eliminate those little pain points, the tiny stupid things that make a particular thing just a bit harder than it needs to be?
My favorite example of reducing friction is changing my kayaking set up. A more recent example was investing in some new coolers and accessories earlier this summer. Both were purchases that made getting out easier, even though they involved somewhat redundant purchases.
Money canāt make you happy, but it can solve a lot of problems and reduce numerous frustrations. In fact, spending money to reduce frustrations and annoyances, and solve problems that would otherwise stress you out, leads to more overall feelings of happiness than buying possessions you think will make you happy (especially status or ego purchases).
As it turns out, you canāt buy your way into happiness, but you can help buy your way out of frustration.
Towards that goal, last week Wayne bought a fancy-ass cardboard cutter, transitioning from the kitchen knife he had previously used. It cost $35 or something, but it makes a menial and annoying taskācutting cardboard boxes to fit into his small recycle bināmuch less annoying. It sounds like a dumb little thing, but hey, itās remarkable how just a little focused effort can improve a small slice of your life.
I totally understandāfunny enough, I already owned my own special serrated box opener for Amazon purchases. Again, a stupid little thing, but a worthy purchase to reduce unnecessary friction.
While my wife and I still have a solid decade of accumulation mode left, weāve leaned more heavily into this philosophy the last few years, especially as our overall financial position has continued to improve. Before, Iād look for items that could do double- or triple-duty, allowing me to use one single purchase in a variety of situations. But increasingly, Iām now looking for items that save me annoyance or time. Instead of buying something that can serve as a twofer, Iām buying two of the item, just to make things a touch easier.
It feels a bit weird, perhaps even wasteful. But the convenience of, say, having a ready-to-go kit with all the stuff I need for a particular activity creates less friction for doing that particular thing. Itās easier to travel every weekend if packing your bag takes only moments, even if that means having three different toiletry kits fully stocked and ready to go, each dialed in for a different type of trip.
And having an āout-and-aboutā kit (charging cables, charging block, pen/notebook, some OTC meds I might need, glasses cleaner, etc) in each of our cars and in each of our various bags means that we never have to expend mental energy remembering to bring any of those items before any outing. The decision has already been made (by default, itās already packed and ready to go), so itās just one less thing to think about.
As weāve increasingly pursued this strategy, I was a bit apprehensive that weād simply end up with too many things other than manage. As travelers, we know how packing for any possibility can really slow you down and make things unwieldy.
But so far, weāve avoided that fate. Thereās a balance between having too many things, and having too few, and I think weāve so far done a generally decent job in walking that line. Being intentional about what we purchase, and why, makes a lot of difference, even if some occasional purchases donāt pan out as expected.
Why we wonāt visit San Francisco again
Last week we made a weekend trip to San Francisco. It was sort of a bust.
Thatās unexpected, as SF has traditionally been my most favorite city to visit in the United States. But itāll probably be the last time we plan such a trip.
Thatās not due to San Francisco being a some sort of hellscapeāwe didnāt notice anything different than what you can find in any large US city. We didnāt witness any crime whatsoever (well, except perhaps for the prices at some Pier 39 shops).
San Francisco has always fascinated me. Thatās probably because my mom loved living there, and my dad loved it there too. They met in SF, living there for much of the 70s, so I heard all about their heydays together in the city. Its cosmopolitan vibe was so different than my life in Arizona, especially the edge of rural Tucson where I spent my early childhood. It was urban in a way I hadnāt experienced before, and everywhere you looked, there were cool things like cable cars(!) and crazy ass hills(!) and Lombard Street(!) and sea lions(!) and Alcatraz(!) and Golden Gate Park(!) and Ghirardelli Chocolate(!), and of course, the Golden Gate Bridge(!!). Everything about it seemed cool, countercultural, and just foreign enough to be uniquely interesting. Oh, and it was home to my favorite team, the 49ersāso it also meant seeing lots of fellow fans, and picking up a shirt or hat that was not available anywhere in Arizona.
We had family in the Bay Area, our closest in both geography and relationship, and so it was a common destination for family trips. In fact, it was among the few places we ever traveled to.
So youād imagine that Iād have really enjoyed the weekend there. Itās been ages since Iāve seriously visited the cityāweāre talking at least a decade and a half, perhaps even two, by this point. What magical little spots might we find in the neighborhood we were staying? What interesting museums could we peruse? What lost history could we uncover? What street scenes would conjure up those romantic notions of urban culture? We arrived without a set plan, hoping to find our way through a place that was familiar yet still quite foreign.
Iāll admit that this was a much different trip than our normal travel weekends. It was actually the first time that we flew into the city, sans car, and stayed in the city as a couple.
I usually stay in Palo Alto with other family, opting to jet around the metro area, usually avoiding the high traffic and lack of affordable/easy parking options in the city itselfāwhich is why I hadnāt been to any of the touristy spots in so long. We were primarily there to visit Jenās good travel friend, visit my uncle and aunt, and check out the urban core of the city. We had also hoped to visit the immigration museum on Angel Island (the āEllis Island of the Westā), the GLBT Historical Society Museum, the Counterculture Museum, and check out the local beer scene. Oh, and weād stop by a game watching party for the ASU football game. And of course, weād see whatever else there was to see along the way.
Well, that plan did not work too well. We quickly rediscovered why we dislike urban life so much.
Walkability is great when youāre mostly staying in your own neighborhood. Otherwise, it can be incredibly inconvenient. We walked quite a bit during the weekend, which Iām sure my cardiologist appreciates. But half of the time we needed to get a ride to our destinationāand boy, do those add up. We spent more than $250 on rides during the weekend, never at any sort of special rush hour, and that doesnāt include getting to or from the airport (though it was fun to finally take a self-driving Waymo, especially since one of its major training areas was right down the street from our Phoenix home). But a rental car, of course, would have been much cheaperāthough entirely impossible to park.
Nothing speaks to that more than the street sweeping tango we witnessed, whereby local residents had to take time out of their day to stage themselves in their vehicles during a particular window of time, waiting to briefly dance their vehicles out of the way as the street sweepers passed by, reclaiming a space generally convenient to their abode before anyone else could. Our friendās landlord, who lives in the floor above her, keeps his car at a completely different house across town, just so he doesnāt have to move it three times a week for street sweepers. Thatā¦that seems crazy to me. He has to uber from his home to where he keeps his car to then use said car. What?
But beyond the annoyance of the whole parking situation, it was also apparent that Iām just not especially interested in urban landscapes. Iām just not inspired by trendy restaurants, hip nightlife, or avant garde art scenes. Sure, I enjoyed wandering around to a number of street art hotspots, but itās not something Iād opt to do regularly. I donāt need to see that colorful alley more than once. We enjoyed people watching, especially around the Castro, which seemed extra ālively,ā but itās not something Iād travel for.
And I think thatās really the crux of the issue for me. Iāve never been a big city guy, and as I visit more and more places, the intrigue of any particular city declines. By and large, cities in the US are mostly the same; thereās very few that fundamentally feel different, at least to me. And so each of them is less and less interesting or appealing the more I visit.
But perhaps we would have felt differently about the weekend had more of it worked out better. We didnāt get as much with Jenās friend as expected, my aunt had a fall and required surgery which canceled our visit, and the museums were overpriced and underwhelming. And due to logistical challenges, we didnāt make it to the immigration museum either. We found some good beer, but it was a struggle. The timing couldnāt quite work for getting to the Niners game, who happened to beat the Cardinals that Sunday. We saw some interesting things, of course, and enjoyed not being at home. But the overall ROI for the weekend was well below what we had expected. Like plenty of the places we visit, we gave it shot and are happy we donāt need to go back.
Let me rephrase. Weāll be back to San Francisco, but I doubt weāll do a San Francisco trip againāitāll be a Bay Area trip instead. Weāll have wheels, and perhaps weāll spend a day in the city to see something or someone in particular, but it wonāt be the basis of the weekend. Weāll pop on out to Muir Woods, or check out a new brewery in the East Bay, or pay an ungodly sum to park and tailgate at Levi Stadium.
And thatās just fine. Iām much more intrigued by a campsite in the mountains than the burrito place with the line out the door anyway.
When you stop by for a beer and you get a free slice of cheesecake because the bar staff has some extra in backā¦
Spent the afternoon reworking our travel plans, given the cancellation of tomorrow’s trip. Shifting some things, but got an alternative on the books for New Years instead. Next summer is shaping up to be very busy. Hopefully we can keep Jen on track for finishing the NPS units in Aug 2027.
If any of my friends are interested in a camping weekend at Anza-Borrego Desert SP, we’ll be there in mid-March. Message me to coordinate.
Doing some more road trip planning. The black circles are some potential areas I might be driving through soon. Any attractions or stops you think I’d enjoy making in any of them?
First thoughts on our Cotopaxi Allpa 35L travel packs
A quick review after two long weekend trips with these Cotopaxi Allpa 35L travel packs.
We primarily bought these for use on weekend trips to cities, especially when we use public transportation instead of renting a car, or when we’re bouncing around several destinations using short flights or public transit.
Our first trip was a simple long weekend to visit Jen’s parents, which involved flying, renting a car, and staying at the family homeāso the bag offered few benefits over a normal roller bag. Still, it worked fine enough, even though our long walk through O’Hare and to the rental car facility might have been marginally more comfortable rolling a bag instead of carrying one. The second trip was a weekender to San Francisco, which involved ubering and staying at a friend’s house. So again, not a lot of advantages over using a normal roller bag.
That said, we’re both pretty satisfied so far.
The packs are generally laid out well and work for how we pack. The first trip I stuck to my usual packing cube strategy, which mostly worked; I could probably dial it in a bit better with different shaped/sized packing cubes than the ones I currently use. The second time I just packed directly into the zippered compartments, which worked much better, though feels a bit “naked.” I pack all of my clothes into the larger compartment that takes up the one entire side.
The smaller compartment on the other side is where I put my toiletries, including liquids (since I usedTSA pre-check, we don’t have to have remove them or else I’d keep them in a more accessible spot), plus other items, like a sweatshirt, pajamas, charging pack, rental car kit, and so forth. In a smart design move, this section also extends behind the small, flat zippered pouch above it, which provides a bit of extra space, depending on how full the other pockets are.
The opposite side of this area is a large compartment on the front of the bag, which is where I keep my airplane bag (I currently use this small 3L Patagonia Black Hole Cube, but though a 2L version would be more ideal). This bag holds a whole slew of things that I might want access to during a flightāsnacks, airpods, kindle, phone holder, battery pack, notebook and pen, tissues, wet wipes, masks, some meds…basically anything I might possibly want. I take this entire airplane bag out when I get to my seat on the plane, attach it to my water bottle, and put my carry-on in the overhead bin. The airplane bag then lives under the seat in front of me, though it’s small enough that it doesn’t impede my legs from stretching out at all (I also have an attached carabiner so I can hang it from the seat back pocket if I prefer). This plane bag strategy works great for me, and it’s incredibly easy to use with that large compartment on the front of this packāmuch easier, in fact, than with my roller bag or my usual “personal item” backpack I’d use with my roller.
There’s a padded laptop area up against the shoulder straps whose sleeve perfectly encases my 13" MacBook Air. With the added padding from the shoulder straps, I think it’s well protected when the bag is full, though I’m a bit more nervous about it when the bag is open, especially if the bag could get torked and twisted in an awkward way that compromises the screen (yeah, Iām probably overly paranoid about such things) which seems possible if you try to move the bag while itās unzipped and half packed. But thatād only happen after I was at my destination, so I should be able to remove and safeguard the laptop when I arrive. Finally, thereās a stretchy water bottle sleeve thatās deep enough to hold my 20oz bottle without fear that itāll always fall out, though I wish there a loop nearby to attach it with a carabiner.
Beyond that, the remaining pockets to mention are all fine. There’s a smaller one above the large plane bag compartment where I keep my sunglasses and other small items. When you fully close the bag, the two halves zip together in the middle, and Iāve used the space in between to pack an empty flat daypack to use at our destination that wouldnāt have quite fit inside a compartment.
There are a number of other minor bag features I wonāt get into, as we havenāt really utilized them yet. Ok, I will point out the handlesāthere are several of them positioned around the bag that are easy to grab, which Iāve found wellā¦handy š. And while I havenāt made much use of the waist belt, Jen has gone so far as to stash the straps behind the hip padāa nice feature if you wonāt be using them.
The only concern thus far is that Iām surprised at how scuffed up the exterior has gotten after just two trips, especially since weāve only hand carried these. It took just one flight in an overhead compartment to receive a number of blemishes on both of our bags. These appear to be cosmetic, but itās something to keep an eye on. Just a few trips in and your pack will paint you as a well seasoned traveler who must bounce around the world constantly.
All in all, the packs have been a good purchase. Iām interested in seeing how they hold up over time and if we start āonebaggingā it over our usual roller + small backpack routine as a result of having them.
When you do a bedtime shot with your wifeā¦(but itās actually just nighttime cold & flu medicine because youāve both been sick all damn week).
Found an ASU game watching party here in San Francisco š #GoDevils
Did our first driverless Waymo ride here in SF (weird, since Waymoās training facility was near our house in Phx). Impressed with how well it negotiated some tough scenes, including steep hills, traffic parking in the street for no apparent reason, and plenty of unexpected pedestrians in the road.
My wife and I are flying to San Francisco for the weekend. It will be an unusual trip for usāthe first time we’ve flown to a US city together and not rented a car. Usually we’re off to explore a larger region, but this time we’re just hanging out with friends in the city proper, sans any set plans.
ShadeMap.app is a useful map that simulates sun shadows for any time and place on Earth, along with the total amount of sun it receives over the course of the day.
We were traveling during the home opener, so yesterday’s ASU football game was our first of the season. It also marks the start of my 39th year(!) as a season ticket holder. Whoa!
It was a bit of an ugly performance imo, but I’m glad we got the win and could enjoy our traditional victory “champagne” toast during our post-game tailgating while the traffic subsidies. I’ve dialed down my investment in the team (and sports in general), but still have a good time tailgating with friends and enjoying the stadium atmosphere.
Just posted: My summer in 10 photos.
Piggybacking on @birming’s post on turning a problem into a perk, I wrote about how I’ve gotten some good out of a bad situation by adopting a similar approach.
I ran across this post from March outlining the trips we expected to take this year while looking for something else. Of the 8 listed as “booked,” we only did 2 as originally planned, and only a smaller portion of one other we had listed. Of the 9 “still plotting,” we’re doing exactly 0 of them.
I’ve been prepping our tailgating stuff for tomorrow, our first home ASU game of the season, and was reminded of how we met the rest of our tailgating crew. Here’s the fun story.
Visiting the Flight 93 National Memorial
Nine days ago, we visited the Flight 93 National Memorial, the site of the plane that crashed en route to the Capitol Building on September 11th, 2001. This was my second visit, and it hit just the same as my first time there.
As youād imagine, itās an incredibly somber place, especially for anyone who remembers that day. The exterior of the memorial is angled to align with the flight path, capped by a memorial plaza and a solitary stone in the field where the plane crashedākilling everyone on board, but saving so many others.
The visitor center is relatively small but quite powerful; it feels weird to have a park bookstore there, or even a passport stamp available. No photos or videos are allowed inside, and most people have shed at least a tear or two by the time they depart. I opted not to listen to the phone calls left by those on the plane this time, a good call given how it crushes rushes you.
The approach
The end of the approach, overlooking the memorial plaza and crash site in the distance
The angles here are piercing. This is the edge the visitor center, as seen from near the end of the approach above
Along the memorial plaza walkway
Deer wander near the crash site, denoted by the large boulder
The Wall of Names, Ceremonial Gate, and boulder in the distance
The Wall of Names, looking back up at the visitor center and approach. The gate and boulder are behind you, all lined up with the flight path.
The Ceremonial Gate, with the boulder visible in the distance.
Two of several outdoor interpretive displays near the memorial plazaāa small nod to the more complete interpretation in the visitor center museum.
The Tower of Voices, which had yet to be built during my 2016 visit. This was designed as a musical instrument, built with 40 wind chimes to sound in the breeze. Unfortunately, we didnāt have enough sustained wind to hear much during our visit, though you can hear what it sounds like thanks for a nearby push-button speaker.
Thereās more to the site, of course, but I didnāt capture it on this visit. Besides, photos donāt relate the feeling you have in reliving this day, you just need to go there yourself. So if you find yourself in western Pennsylvania, I recommend you stop by.
We had to cancel some camping plans with friends to book this upcoming “flyover state” trip, which brought me to the cancellation page on recreation.gov. Wow, it’s been a disappointing year for our initial trip plansā12(!) camping cancellations since returning from our big trip in March.