Heart Palpitations

Obviously, I do not observe Yom Kippur.

The post title does not refer to my reaction to a great car. Instead, I am writing about real heart palpitations: mine.

Being “blessed” with an Ashkenazi Jew genome means I am not predisposed to good health. One condition that has plagued me as long as I can remember is heart palpitations. While I have some structural cardiac abnormalities, these palpitations–more accurately, Premature Ventricular Contractions or PVCs–are not really related to those irregularities.

I have been experiencing PVCs (not polyvinyl chloride) for a few days so I sent a message to my Primary Care Physician and asked him to write a script for a beta blocker, his choice. (Beta blockers interfere with the binding to the receptor of epinephrine and other stress hormones and weaken the effects of stress hormones. Given their effect, they are used to manage abnormal heart rhythms.)

Instead of replying that I had to come to the office for an examination, my physician wrote the script. I am very grateful to have a doctor who doesn’t treat me like an ignorant idiot. Many thanks, Dr. H.

While the PVCs have not disappeared completely and I am dealing with mild negative side effects from the beta blocker, I had a good night’s sleep last night that I would not have had without the medicine. If my previous history is any indication, the PVCs will stop in just another couple of days.

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Forty-two percent of 2021 Corvettes were convertibles. That is just one tidbit from the recently released production figures. Eighty-seven percent were equipped with the performance exhaust option; sixty-one percent had the front lift option with GPS memory recall. Below is a picture of a ’21 Vette in the most popular exterior color:

 

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That is Torch Red, which was chosen by almost 20 percent of ’21 Corvette buyers. If that doesn’t sound like a high percentage, remember that the car was available in 12 different exterior colors, the most in Corvette history. The second most popular color was Arctic White.

Not counting the first three model years–Polo White was the only color available the first year–red has almost always been the most popular color for Corvettes. Counting Red Mist Metallic, about a third of ’21 Corvettes were in Red. In at least five different model years, more than 40 percent of Corvettes were in a red of some type. Of course, my Z06 is also in red, Long Beach Red Metallic, to be exact.

 

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As much as I am loathe to do so, it might be time for me to finally buy a Windows 10 or Windows 11 desktop. I had originally intended for this computer, running Windows 7, to be my last desktop. However, Microsoft Outlook is no longer working on this machine. The fact that Microsoft is no longer supporting Windows 7 is also a minor factor in the consideration.

I just prefer a desktop for writing and for accessing the Internet and email. I think I will be writing this blog for at least another 15 months, barring any unforeseen events, so I may just have to bite the bullet. It’s not the cost of a new computer that has put me off. They are really quite inexpensive. I just don’t like the thought of my having to jump through hoops to keep Microsoft from collecting personal data, which they do in Windows 10. I also don’t know if Lotus 1-2-3–yes I still use it–will work under Windows 10.

I have already saved my most important spreadsheets in Excel format, just in case. Any computer “geeks” out there want to offer an opinion?

 

#HeartPalpitations

#2021ChevroletCorvette

#OutlookMeltdown

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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The End Of Frugal Friday?

Originally, I was going to call today’s post “Frugal Friday, 25 Miles From Home Edition” and briefly talk about Charles Edwin Hatcher, better known as Edwin Starr. (He was a singer and the first of his two top ten hits was “25 Miles From Home.”) I was going to show the least expensive cars with engines of at least 8 cylinders no more than 25 miles from my home zip code.

All of those cars were either Camaros, Challengers or Mustangs. As my vehicle universe is far smaller than that of the rest of the world I am beginning to wonder if Frugal Friday has outlived its usefulness. I will always be grateful to David Banner (not his real name) for suggesting the feature, but after almost two years (the first Frugal Friday post was in February of 2019), I am reminded that all things must come to an end.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the topic? I would be happy to read them.

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One of the reasons Chevrolet/GM made the “radical” change to a mid-engine design for the Corvette was to bring new buyers to the Corvette market. Granted, the rollout was compromised by the damn virus and UAW strike, but so far that seems to be the case. According to Vice President of Chevrolet Steve Hill, two out of three C8 buyers are new to Chevy. [emphasis mine]

Interestingly, prospective C8 customers have been cross-shopping the new Stingray with its long-time rival, the Porsche 911, more than any other car. Since the 911’s price is in six figures and one can buy a nice C8 for $70,000-$75,000, it should be no surprise that many people are choosing the Vette. Of course, the Corvette has long been an unbelievable bargain in the world of performance cars. It’s just that a lot of buyers in that market would not consider buying a front-engine car. You can call them “snobs” if you like, but people’s perceptions and preferences are what they are.

From Car Buzz, a picture of a 2021 Corvette:

 

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We see a lot of C8 Corvettes here in the desert, but we see A LOT more Porsches. Obviously, the former is a brand-new model while the latter is not.

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The tile and carpet work are all done. My wonderful wife and I are very happy with the outcome. Although no one reading this has any frame of reference (well, except maybe K Squared), we are just overwhelmed at the transformation of the house from dark space to light space. Remember this photo?

 

 

We chose a local company over a “big box” retailer. The latter wanted significantly more money AND wanted additional bullsh*t fees AND wanted us to do some of the work! So far anyway, we are happy with our choice. Yes, the newly carpeted rooms have that new carpet smell. This, too, shall pass. Of course, little carpet fibers are still everywhere as you can see in the picture. We will vacuum this weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, I hope all of you enjoy yours.

 

#FrugalFriday

#2021ChevroletCorvette

#NewTileAndCarpet

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Arizona Yin And Yang

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Yesterday, the first day of Astronomical Winter, was a beautiful, cloudless day here with a high of 75°. I had two more Jack In The Box tacos at lunch, bringing my total to 30 in 52 days here (through yesterday). Getting those tacos, though, was another matter.

My wonderful wife and I decided to roam out of our immediate area to find lunch. We are not dining in any restaurants and, frankly, I don’t even want to dine outdoors, so we went looking for a different place to drive through and get our lunch. Well, two dirty little secrets of this area are the traffic and the frequency of accidents.

We were stuck in a huge traffic jam because of a bad accident on a street that’s usually busy, anyway. While I grant you this evidence is anecdotal, I have seen too many “fresh” accident scenes given the amount of time we have been here.

I think too many Arizonians drive too aggressively and too inattentively. It’s a given that at least one driver will run a red light at an intersection. Anyway, it took us almost two hours to find and to eat a fast-food lunch.

OK, everyone: EVERYTHING is a trade-off. The population of metro Phoenix has increased almost five-fold in the past 50 years. While road construction continues at a brisk pace, it cannot keep up with the influx of people.

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I don’t know if this is related to Arizona drivers or not, but…people who blindly follow an ideology are, basically, just blind. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Oh…I have been receiving requests from people who are not regular readers of nor regular commenters on Disaffected Musings, but who want me to publish a guest post of theirs. I don’t think so…I am not the world’s most trusting person so I don’t know if these posts will contain a virus or hidden message of violence. If you don’t read this blog on a regular basis and don’t comment on a regular basis, then I am NOT posting anything you write.

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I won’t know if this video plays until I publish the post. It shows one of my favorite trinkets, a radio station ornament that lights up. The call letters are WSNO.

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How many of you care that 2021 Corvettes are now being shipped to dealers? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

I know this blog has a lot of Corvette material, but I don’t want the blog to be another Corvette Central. Like the hashtag reads, so many cars just one life. Still, can’t resist a photo:

 

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From Car Scoops a picture of, supposedly, two 2021 Corvettes.

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A random car photo:

 

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From Orlando Classic Cars a picture of a 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix that is obviously a convertible. I really like the “face” of this car.

5,856 of these were produced at a price of $3,813, about $30,000 in 2020 dollars according to this. That doesn’t seem like a lot of money given the average price of a new vehicle in the US is about $40,000.

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I am a “prisoner” of the newly found “popularity” of this blog. I have reached a certain level of daily views for x consecutive days, so I am reluctant to take a day off for fear of ending that streak.

While this blog will never make me rich, and while I still think Disaffected Musings should have five or ten times the number of readers it has, I am happy that the blog has reached a new level of readership, even though the damn virus has played a role in that popularity.

If you are a regular reader, please tell your friends about this blog. Thanks.

 

#ArizonaYinAndYang

#SayNoToIdeology

#EarnTheRightToWrite

#2021ChevroletCorvette

#1967PontiacGrandPrixConvertible

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.