When the war began 💣
Truth is all these days of pure madness have been leaving me sick with almost flu like symptoms, but I am not sure if it’s my madness studying every angle every day night, looking at the shadows as I hallucinate from the cannabis and coffee.
After a bitterly cold Saturday, 🌬️ I got the bike tire patched and back on my bike. Still spending endless hours researching trucks and dealership negogation tactics, 🛻 trying both to figure out what I really want as Iran blows up and how to get it at a fair price. Ultimately it’s not about the money, but my self respect in the deal, I don’t want to be just another consumer endlessly ripped off the at dealership. I work hard for my money, and I’m willing to forgo some of it for great adventures traveling, but it has to be fair. 👻 But I worry I am seeing things that aren’t really there these days, like that shadow that scared me other day in the corner.
Monsters scare me, 🤖 as do the ever so strange looking shadows that are necessary for me to get a least a few hours of sleep each night. But I’m trying to be educated and informed. 🤓 Is it pure madness to even be considering a truck with a 48-gallon fuel ⛽ tank as several of them I’ve been negogating over have – and others have a 34-gallon tank. And that 7.3L is fuelish, and the 6.8L is no Toyota Prisus. And what about Iran 🇮🇷 and Climate Change? 🌎 There won’t be much left of the ice on poles by the time I retire the SuperDuty, and it’s expected to be a record hot summer this year. 🥵 If my remaining deals fall apart this week, then maybe I’ll consider alternatives. On the other hand, that new truck would be great for camping and traveling, 🏕️ after I overcame the pain of filing it up. But first I got to overcome my endless jitters and find a way to at least get a few hours of sleep 💤 and restore my fried brain.
Heading to Walmart and probably the Schiffendecker Preserve 🐦 for a while. Then it’s off to see Mom and Dad, well dad is picking me up, and I can tell him about the great adventures I’ve had this week car shopping. 🚗 Then it’s back home and another week of negotiating. But I think while stressful and wearing me down, 😫 it will be worth it. And if not for the truck, for future endeavors as I’m learning so much on how to read people and think critically from the perspective of the people on the otherside of deal. 🤝 People think negotiations are about witty and clever remarks, but actually it’s about always putting things in frame of mind of the opposite side and being well researched, taking your time and being careful. But yeah, first Wally World.
Final Saturday of March 🗓️
Truth is I am just tired from the week that was, working car deals and just trying to figure out what’s next. Late nights in Albany Pine Bush, busy days in the office, and just everything else.
I just need to enjoy the weekend, 🏡 and note the work week isn’t that far ahead. A time away from it all, though I do want to continue perusing leads on the various trucks I’m interested, but ultimately the March 31st deadline isn’t for me, it’s on the dealers. 🤝 A couple of the deals are close, that I do think I should be able to close on one of them next week. Honestly, I’m just kind of unsure of it all. I guess a lot depends if I can make one of those deals work this week, got to keep the pressure up.
Often the end of March is one of marathon sessions and late nights at work. 💤 And complete exhaustion. This year is no difference. But then April comes around then I get a chance to recover, the weather gets increasingly nice and green. 🌸 The darkest hour is always before dawn. ⛽ Honestly though I really don’t know what is going to happen with Iran. 🇮🇷 Do I want a gasser truck with a 48-gallon tank that is 3 feet longer then Big Red?
Cold start this morning, ❄️ it got down to the 20s last night in Albany, and I used the electric blanket for a while, 🛏️ though quickly it got uncomfortably hot. Many nights lately it’s been off and the heat is done for the year. Barn swallow have chewed a hole through my bathroom 🚽 ceiling, they do that every year, but I don’t want heat to escape through there before I can patch it. My whole apartment sucks, especially when I’m looking at buying such a big and nice truck, but I figure spend money on things I actually care about. 💰 But don’t I want that off-grid cabin in the woods with cows 🐮 with the burn barrel and no more paper or plastic recycling? ♻️ I haven’t recalculate my net-worth in some time now, as I watch the market slide, and only think of the future upside. 🔮 But first the interim in the world of the Trumpster.
I should think about riding downtown to the No Kings Protests 👑 but honestly I don’t care about those political things nowadays. They matter, outside of a small circle of friends. But maybe I should go downtown and join that protest downtown as I’m kind of need that kind of distraction, and then I can go grocery shopping on the way home on my mountain bike. 🚲 I think the downtown protest is at 11 AM so I have time to make it downtown, ⏳ and it’s a way to pass time this weekend as I think more about Monday. It would be good exercise of my legs and first amendment, but first I need to patch that leak on my bike tire, or at least top it off.
Good morning, Happy Friday 😀
Rain last night but it has stopped so I should be able to ride to work. Still feeling quite sleep deprived as I continue to study all possibilities for the truck deal, with hopes of locking something down in the next day or two.
If not, there is always next month. 🛻 I have three deals outstanding, one is very close, the other two need work but pressure only increases as Tuesday, the last day of the quarter approaches. 🛏️ I’d love to put this to bed sooner then later, but I am not going to get totally scammed out. I know how high gas prices are, and I’m no rush to put $200 in gas to fill up an HD pickup. So close on one of deals, but if we can’t make it work, then I’ll walk. 🚶
But first riding to work. 🚲 Started to rain a bit in Delmar this morning, too late to catch the bus at this point, but it looks like it’s just a quick rain shower ☔ and I should be good if I hold off leaving for a few minutes. ⏳ This is going to be nerve racking day at work, 🤓 not because of work so much but this is close to my peak leverage on the truck deal. I think I will get a good or maybe multiple good offers, and then I just need to decide to bite. Truth is I am still having second thoughts about buying such a big enormous truck with the whole Iran situation. But if I do bite, I will finally be able to sleep well tonight.
Wheeling and dealing on my mountain bike 🚴
Rode over to another dealership early this morning and looked at but did not buy another one of those enormous trucks. It felt good to walk out of the dealership, but I am hoping I hear back, as I wasn’t going to play games in the showroom. They tried to get me to stay, but I gave them my card, and told them this bullshit, and if they don’t want to fuck with me, give me a text or email when you have a fair price.
Saturday one of my buddies is taking me to dealerships in his diesel SuperDuty, 🛻 and I told him I’d pay him to keep it idling in the parking lot while I run in, so they can’t waste too much of my time. Seriously though, I am continuing to work car deals and test drive those enormous trucks, while I am thinking I am drawing close to having a deal on at least one of the trucks I’m looking at.
Other then that, it was a very late night 
at the Town Board Meeting, before the early morning at the dealership. And now I’m off to the office to work on the database update. 
Truth is I am just so tired, 
trying to figure out every angle on this, 📐 and what truck I actually want to buy. I have moved money and have a good idea of what is a fair price based on my outreach to dealerships, now just to make the deal before the month draws to a close. 
Then get a camper shell, move over the the batteries and equipment. Going to be a great rig, once I close the deal.
Going to rain this evening, 
but hopefully I won’t get soaked riding down to the bus stop downtown on my bike, 
but I needed the bike to get to the dealership much too early this morning. Well when I get home, I will probably just strip off my wet clothes and hide in bed. I was in bed after 10:30 PM again last night, and then up at 3 AM. I just so want to get one of the deals to work this weekend, without overpaying by too much.
5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens
While crude oil futures are surging again, officials in the Trump administration are discussing a range of scenarios, including oil reaching as high as $200 a barrel, according to Bloomberg. Oil prices have surged as a result of the war because the conflict has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, a passageway that carries around 20% of the world's oil. Iran is reportedly looking to formalize its control over the Strait as a result of the war, as the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council said Iran is already starting to charge fees to allow ships to pass through safely during the war while its parliament drafts a bill that would make the tolls law, per the Associated Press.12