Highlights: The BMW issues have been identified as a failing pump and thermostat. We're looking at over 3k after addressing it, the battery, and other maintenance needs. It is what it is and nothing one can't expect. As always, there is a part of me wondering what I could do myself to save on costs, yet the realist in me knows to roll with a professional who has the skills, tools, and experience I lack. I still remember hauling my Fiat towed along with a zip-lock bag of parts. I still think selling it might be the best next step, but it feels daunting for the moment. Tommy asked for a ride to pick up the Rivian, but when we got there, he was turned away. It made me wonder why he thought it was. It was an annoying thing to have done, but I am learning not to be surprised or affected by it. Jen and I took Lucky to the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos for a walk in the woods. It was a pleasant outing, but in the future, I may keep it closer to home. It's too distracting to have to manage him while he pulls and trying to prevent him from getting into poison oak. It takes the fun out of the effort and makes it hard to take in the experience of being in such a beautiful place.
Insights: I have been immersed in the recently released audiobook "Apple: the First 50 Years" for several days, and it's been a complete joy. I grew up in Cupertino, was an Apple user since the mid-late 80's, and found myself working there from 1991 through 2009, as a contractor and an employee. It took years to break from the attachment I felt to the products, and yet I remain as embedded in their ecosystem as the six colors that still course through my veins. Many of my friends and colleagues and I were watching so much of this history play out from the sidelines, and often from the fields themselves. Hands-on. To be walked through all of this history feels like revisiting a substantial chunk of my life's passions and passages. I feel so very fortunate to have all of these invaluable memories. I only wish I still had the stock. :-/