[Toshi]

Still no word from Denver, a week later.

I'm currently on an Amtrak headed down to Portland for my OHSU interview. Pretty decent way to travel, this.

My business class seat (something stupid cheap like $45) has two 110V outlets, looks pretty nice (newly upholstered car with reserved seats), and is smooth and quiet. All this plus the stations at both ends are near downtown, and I was plenty early by getting to said station a half hour before scheduled departure. Oh, and no TSA agents fondled my yambag, either.



I'm being reimbursed for this trip so could have flown, but for trips of this length I prefer rail.

Update: Trip back was in the non-business class cabin, a comparative zoo. Meh.

 

[Toshi]

Update for the peanut gallery, with Cliffs Notes being that I hope to have an offer in hand by Valentine's Day.

1) Should hear from Boise (yea or nay) a week from today.

2) Denver says "good news" "likely" "soon" from the chairman, whatever that means (!).

3) Portland's timeline is unclear, but having a Denver and/or Boise decision will allow me to put a bit of pressure on them to decide quicker.

4) Casper, WY phone interview went well, so I might get flown out there in a few weeks (if the above offers don't materialize). If I head out there to interview I'm taking the wife and kid for sure, as I need the wife's blessing 100% before we move some place that remote.

5. Loyola (Chicago) phone interview also went well, and will likely garner another interview invitation.

>>>>>

I changed my possible-car plans, too, just for ****s and giggles... and they now include a Tesla in several scenarios. Booyah, feeling rich again.

Model X prototype in the wild

I could dig a brown wagon with a brown interior.

Plans in a nutshell:

Portland: One car life 4lyfe.

Her car: LEAF until August 2015, then Tesla Model X
My "car": Bike or public transit commute + Zipcar

Denver: Upscale Subaru and Tesla snobbery.

Her car: Used Volvo XC70 (! thus "upscale Subaru") until August 2015, then Tesla Model X
My car: LEAF until August 2015, then I'd inherit the Volvo, and then in 2016 the light rail would open

Boise: I don't think either a Tesla would be very appropriate here, plus there's no Tesla service center closer than Salt Lake City. We would probably go with an AWD minivan/Forester or Outback type combo here so as to blend in.

 

[Toshi]

Mariko turns one on Monday so we threw her a party today.

She wants my camera

Digging into cake face first

Feeling reflective after finishing eating

The center of attention

Monkey-baby deserves a monkey-cake, of course

 

[dan-o]

FWIW my 75yo mom's XC70 (same gen as pictured) had the tranny implode at sub 30k miles, out of warranty due to age. $7500, 4 week wait for another to be delivered from Sweden. After some bitching they ultimately replaced the unit at no charge. Granted she lives in the Rockies and the V6 she has is underpowered, so the tranny is constantly hunting for the proper gear, but it turned me off to an otherwise very nice car (in terms of function, comfort etc).

 

[Toshi]

Ah, you preempted my year/generation question.

How's the airstream shaping up, btw?

>>>>>

With regard to XC70 reliability, seems like an outlier based on Consumer Reports' data, for whatever that's worth (not much to her!):

I imagine we'd go for the T6 turbo inline-6 version so as to suck less at Denver+ altitude. All is apt to change when I go to test drive (XC70 and XC60 for sure), though. Maybe next weekend, for ****s and giggles?

 

[Toshi]

Another day, another Mariko gallery. She technically wasn't born until 3:54 AM Pacific time this upcoming night. I think she'll probably wake us up around then to feed her, so I'll tell her happy birthday then.

It was certainly close enough to the proper date to do her final monthly photoshoot with the monkey, though:

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

hey toshi.. i´ll be a dad in about 6 months too!.
i really like your kid´s photos. might steal the monthly shoot idea.


considering that I have had my 60d stolen, and another t3i stolen before the 60d..... am considering buying another dslr for when my kid hits the earth.

I´d probably stay with canon (and buy a cheapish body, because chances are it will get stolen), what lens would you recommend for baby photography?

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

and btw... any lifehacker kinda websites for first time dads?

I need to figure out what the hell to buy, whats good and whats optimum.
My first few excursions into kiddie supply stores, have left me feeling a bit clueless... like a n00b dropping by a bike shop. so many kinds of seats/strollers/craddles, its kinda hard to figure where to start for pathological decision-analyzers like me.

 

[Toshi]

Congrats, Alexis!

My favorite lens by far is the 135/2L, but that's on a full-frame body. An 85/1.8 on a crop body would probably be 90% there, and a more inexpensive setup all around.

The key thing to realize is that it doesn't matter whether baby supplies, etc. are optimum or not. Just use a car seat (rear facing as long as possible!) at all times when driving, and encourage your wife to breastfeed or pump for as close to a year as possible.

Here's a brief rundown of our baby-crap, which has a Seattle upper middle class bent:

- Chicco KeyFit 30 car seat
- Chicco corresponding stroller to which the car seat plops in
- Bob jogging stroller
- Stokke Trip Trap adjustable high-to-medium chair, which should be useful for a few years yet
- no crib: Mariko sleeps on a twin mattress on the floor, hedged in by walls x 3 sides, with pillows for the fourth side to cushion her exit from it. She can crawl off and go to her toys if she wakes before us (as she did this morning). She initially slept in a section of her pack and play, which honestly wasn't that useful after a few months.
- Dropcam HD video camera, with separate logins for the grandparents--they absolutely love having this. We just ordered a second Dropcam, a Pro, today, in fact.
- Philips non-video baby monitor, DECT? something
- Pampers Swaddlers via Amazon's Subscribe & Save program, which I'm not sure if is available worldwide

Of all the things above I think Dropcam gets my vote. It's on Amazon, or read about it at www.dropcam.com .

 

[Toshi]

Hmm. Awfully good reviews for this WRX, and I have little interest in the new STI now that it was introduced with the same old thirsty non-DI engine.

Thus, another possible Denver scenario:

- wife keeps on truckin' in the LEAF, which admittedly would be really small should kidlet two pop out over the course of the next 18 months
- I get a base WRX in July 2015 immediately post move (base model for no moonroof to clear my big noggin comfortably) and we ship the LEAF (duh)
- Tesla Model X reserved soon after moving to Denver, ideally delivered around LEAF lease end date in August 2015

I think it's worth a test drive of a new WRX once they hit showroom floors, and once I have a contract to show dealers to demonstrate that I'm not just an idle tire kicker this time around. I'm also going to try to drive an XC60 and XC70, maybe this weekend, to see if I feel grand or like an old man in them.


Update: Given that I felt cramped in a freakin' XC70 and liked the tall Forester over the XV Crosstrek, I doubt I would be happy in a WRX, no matter how sharp the handling.

 

[Toshi]

I had big hopes for this month. Most of them have not come through.

Mariko did indeed turn 1 and that came off well in terms of her liking her cake (that we made--I helped frost monkey-features on it). I also did go on two in-person interview trips and had two more phone interviews, and those went well, as far as I can tell.

On the other hand, a meeting to discuss commercialization of one of the programs I wrote this year has come to naught. We met and then their conclusion is that they want to re-implement what I have already done in the future on their own, so as to write us out of the loop. That's fine, but I'm not going to help them (a company not associated with UW--they're Canadian, in fact) if that's their tack.

Additionally, as evidenced by the lack of good news posted here, I haven't heard anything but these apparently false rumors of good news regarding my job hunt. It's frustrating and exhausting. At this point I have to pretty much sit tight, too: there's limited utility in applying for more positions that crop up periodically from here on out, in that those positions' decision timelines don't align with my current outstanding interviews at all. I'm going to wait to hear "no" from the current batch before moving forward, in other words, because it'd be pure wasted effort otherwise.

Give me a job already, people!

 

[Toshi]

I'm also going to try to drive an XC60 and XC70, maybe this weekend, to see if I feel grand or like an old man in them.

2014 Volvo XC70 T6

In a nutshell:

- nice materials
- fancy LCD dash is win
- good packaging
- looks suitably sporty yet classy, IMO
- adequate power and good ride
- didn't feel floaty on my city test drive route
- not enough headroom for me, but don't let that dissuade you, normally-proportioned readers

2014 Volvo XC60 T6

Similarly in bullet points:

- interior materials palpably cheaper, such as in the surround around the center console LCD
- panoramic moonroof is nice
- same adequate powertrain and multi-singing and dancing LCD dash
- looks more dumpy, IMO
- noticeable but not objectionable impact harshness on rougher roads
- great front visibility with thin A pillars and big windshield but moderately high side sills
- a few more inches of headroom despite having a very similar h-point due to seats seemingly going lower

Overall verdict: I give the nod to the XC60 over the XC70. Visibility is better, I didn't feel claustrophobic, and the feel is similar due to similar perceived h-points. It's too bad the materials are a class down, but that's not a show-stopper and might be addressed by the leather dash of the Inscription package, perhaps.

 

[Toshi]

Additionally, as evidenced by the lack of good news posted here, I haven't heard anything but these apparently false rumors of good news regarding my job hunt. It's frustrating and exhausting.

Give me a job already, people!

So I heard back... and it's another "thanks, but no thanks." Boise will apparently continue to staff nights internally rather than hiring someone (like me) as a dedicated nights person.

Scratch another one off the list, I guess, leaving the current count at:

Medford: No
Boise: No
Denver: ???
Portland: ???

(and then will I get interviews in Chicago and Wyoming, let alone an offer?)

Magic 8-ball says things are looking hazy. I just might end up as a stay at home dad with my very pricey and lengthy education if my wife proves to be more employable as a music teacher.

 

[Toshi]

Revisiting a topic from earlier in this thread, the Toyota RAV4 EV:

Initially I was worried that it'd sell out too quickly and we wouldn't be able to get our hands on one due to that. That proved to be patently untrue, as witnessed by sales the last three months of 62, 28, and then 63 units (!). At that torrid pace they'll be selling them through 2016 given the total allocation of 2,600 units.

The price has come down to reflect the sorry take rate, but instead of the big $10k+ incentives for buying that were around the first winter, now the current deal strongly favors leasing. Buying nets one up to $7,500 off Federal taxes + a meager $2k off of MSRP + whatever else one can negotiate. Leasing nets one $14k in capitalized cost reduction, which makes for a $3500 down, $359/month x 24 months lease. This is actually pretty reasonable, albeit still about $150/month more than even my current top-of-the-line LEAF lease, and closer to $250/month more than a lease of a cheaper LEAF.

Finally, and most damningly, Toyota has not offered any support whatsoever for enterprising owners who wanted to drive an EV SUV outside of California. Indeed, they've been openly hostile, which is doubly unfortunate since reliability has proved to be horrid.

In conclusion, we will not be driving a RAV4 EV anytime soon, whether or not I get a job. Well, unless we end up in the same ZIP code (in California) of a dealer, and they have nice loaner cars. At this point anything job- and location-wise is equally possible/impossible...

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

looking for a job is so frustrating... but look at the bright side. at least you are not looking for a job in south america.

jobs ads that list "prompt salary payments" or "salary according to market" as perks.
yeah right... because paying salaries on time and paying market value is a job perk.

other hilarious (and highly illegal in other countries) hiring practices in Peru include asking your age, place of birth, number of children and marital status during interviews.
hell, I have also been asked if I planned to have children (!).

and thats not to mention the pseudoscientific testing.
rorschach testing for job placement? yay! draw a man under the rain? yay!

but the one I hate the most (which happens to be very common) is job ads without a salary.
they make you go to 3 or 4 interviews... only to let you know the salary WHEN they are making an offer.
I once interviewed for Caterpillar (of all employers, nonetheless), only to have a "welcome to CAT" phone call from HR. They asked me to come sign the contract and stuff.... funny thing is, nobody had told me what the salary (or even what the position was!).... I told them on the phone, I´d like to know the salary before dropping by, because I had already gone to 4 interviews and nobody had said anything yet.
and what was the offer????... a whopping 50% LESS than my then-current salary at Toyota. (and to make things funnier, I remember I had told them what my salary was).

 

[Toshi]

My interviews have been very clear about salary, benefits, etc. They just haven't been clear about their timeline for actually making a decision, and, when they did lay out a timeline, to sticking to said timeline.

Le sigh.

 

[Toshi]

If I don't have a job lined up by May I'm going to take Seattle's Civil Service exam and try to find some generic white collar city job based solely on my possession of a bachelor's degree.

Who needs an MD, residency training, fellowship training, and board certification?

 

[Toshi]

Job hunt drags on: Latest "no" is from OHSU in Portland.

No:
- Medford, OR private practice
- Boise, ID private practice
- Portland, OR academic

???:
- Denver, CO academic (they are interviewing one final candidate today, apparently? it's been so long, though...)
- plus any further interviews as of yet undefined that I may land and take with my 4 remaining vacation days

Yes:
- nothing yet

 

[Toshi]

Still nothing from Denver. (At least it hasn't been a "no" yet&#8230

I've reached the pit of despair with regard to job applications, as I've now applied to even Long Island and NYC-proper positions. Yes, that hellhole that I thought I'd escaped… The ironic thing is I might have a better chance there given that I've lived and trained out there so "my people" have local connections.

 

[Toshi]

If/when I get a contract signed, this is the first vehicle I'm going to go see:

2006 Land Cruiser, black over grey, 91k miles, located in Puyallup (not too far from Seattle!)

 

[Toshi]

Job hunt drags on:

???:
- Denver, CO academic (they are interviewing one final candidate today, apparently? it's been so long, though...)
- plus any further interviews as of yet undefined that I may land and take with my 4 remaining vacation days

Denver update: I last emailed 'em on the 20th. Heard not a peep from them since. I don't think that's a good sign.

On the upside, sorta, I have two interview trips coming up, to semi-rural Oregon in early March and then to semi-rural Alabama (!!) a week and a half later. Both are private practices, which means more money but more work, too. I wouldn't have to publish or perish, though...

(... I'd still rather take the pressure of publishing to be at CU-Denver and to live in Denver rather than these aforementioned places, but if that's not an option I'll continue to take all the interviews I can. After this batch I'll have all of one remaining vacation day to use on a final whirlwind/redeye interview trip.)



Hmm: looks like there's a regular autocross just outside of the Alabama city in question! Score! Maybe I can justify a Subaru STI after all, especially given these reviews: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-subaru-wrx-sti-first-drive-review . I don't think there's any sort of elevation, so skiing would be right out, and my Turner would see even less use than it has this sad year in Seattle.

The Oregon town has a race track, but only for midget/sprint type events, seemingly: http://dcspeedway.org/schedule/ . Do not like. That might be more a place to get an ATV and get lost in the woods... ah, the things I could do with a job.

 

[Toshi]

Denver update: I last emailed 'em on the 20th. Heard not a peep from them since. I don't think that's a good sign.

At long last (10 weeks! so painful) I accepted an offer from UC Denver. I shall become a Denver monkey!



This means I could cancel my remaining two interview trips (and the local, third interview I added since penning the post quoted above). This will free up a bit of time to scout out a house to rent in Denver and maybe even go on a trip for pure recreation.

 

[dan-o]

Congrats on the job Toshi.
You've got family in/around Denver too, correct?

 

[Toshi]

Thanks.

Yes, my sister and her family (husband, two kids) lives there. My sister's hospital is moving to the same campus where I'll be working, in fact, so we could grab lunch together on workdays, potentially. Jessica also has second cousins or the like in the area.

 

[stevew]

if you get a land cruiser....

this guy is in boulder.

 

[Toshi]

As of today I'm preapproved for financing through my credit union, so the only thing left to do is to find a decent example.

I'm going to see three LC 100s this Saturday, with the goal of finalizing a deal by that afternoon through playing the dealers against each other. I may also run the LEAF out of juice in doing so, but there's always the quick charger at the Nissan dealer nearby…

Contender 1: 2004 Land Cruiser

It's white (not the wife's favorite non-color, I must say), has 101k miles, and is posted with a $23.9k asking price against NADA guide clean retail of $20.9k.

This one has at least a small amount of bumper rash on one corner, and 2006 saw some true improvements (more power, slightly updated styling, LED taillights amongst other things) so I'm not excited about this one out of the box unless they bite at, say, $20k. The low miles for the year are nice, though, it doesn't have the potentially fussy adjustable suspension, and I feel it's worth checking out to use as a baseline for the others in both condition and how these things should drive.

Contender 2: 2006 Land Cruiser

Black, looks clean in the photos, has 93k miles, and is posted with a $29k asking price against NADA guide clean retail of $27.3k.

The miles and equipment are strong on this one--even has the rear seat entertainment, for what that's worth. This is another for which I'd walk unless they dropped their price down to at least $27k, assuming it looks good all around in person.

Contender 3: 2007 Land Cruiser

Black Garnet Pearl in color, which is awfully close to the Black Cherry that my parents' first new car was (a 1992? Plymouth non-Grand Voyager LE. Piece of ****, that turned out to be. ). 122k miles, and asking price of $27k against NADA guide clean retail of $29.3k.

This is the one I'm most excited about. The 2006 has slightly lower miles than this one, but the color is better, I actually don't want a rear seat entertainment system so as to keep Mariko's brain hippie-pure, and the price looks fine even without any haggling.

 

[Toshi]

My strategy is going to be to go in and test drive all three in succession, and tell each dealer that I'm checking out the others.

It's 13 miles from home to the first dealer (2007), 22 miles to the next (2006), then 13 miles partway doubling back to the third (2004). I will probably have to charge the LEAF at the Nissan dealer after this third dealer. At each showing I'll poke around with a flashlight underneath and look for respray evidence and rust, and will drive each to see if anything glaring is awry.

Then I'll have an idea of which one I actually like, and will be prepared to deal in the afternoon.

 

[Toshi]

Summary of this whole flying deal: / Cliffs Notes:

In the medium-term I may end up flying and owning something like the below goofy looking thing. Or not.

Quicksilver GT400

Time to revisit this idea now that I know that I'll be in Denver doing academics.

I'll be making pretty good but not obscene money. Denver is much cheaper than Seattle (or New York/Long Island!) but isn't cheap. We have the one kid at the moment and possibly one or two more in the next few years. Finally, I'll definitely be short on time between work (publication pressure! need 13 more publications in next few years for the next promotion), family, and recreation (skiing and biking alike).

Put all of this together and me building then tooling around in an ultrasound or experimental amateur-built aircraft just isn't in the cards.

What I could potentially do, given even a few hours of spare time here and there, would be to fly an R/C airplane with a first person video setup, such as from Fat Shark: http://www.fatshark.com/ . That could be pretty cool--flying! only without the morbidity/mortality/cost aspects of actually flying.

 

[Toshi]

Next logical step after the Land Cruiser starts to feel small:

Diesel, low range 4x4 Sprinter, now with 100% more plans to have it be sold in the US.

One of those in high roof forms would finally shut me up about having enough headroom, I figure.

 

[DaveW]

Hugemungous volume of space to take up on the road for something that will spend 95% of it's time as a single occupant vehicle.
And also obnoxiously hard for other drivers to see around/past in traffic, increasing the risk of a rear ending by another car when you jump on the brakes for something ahead.

 

[Toshi]

It would be reasonably efficient as a diesel, though.

Rest assured that I'm not seriously proposing a Sprinter as my daily driver. Test driving that similarly sized Nissan NV van disabused me of such notions.

 

[Toshi]

No Land Cruiser for me today.

The 2004 was scratched off my list earlier this week for age and visible bumper damage. Oh, and that UN/refrigerator white color.

The 2007 proved to be an ex-smoker's car, which is a deal killer for me.

The 2006 had too many scrapes inside and out, plus gray interiors just look like crap after 90,000 miles, apparently. They were willing to play ball at $22.5-24k range (from initially posted $31k and later asking $29k) but I decided I didn't want this one.

The sweeping view outward from the big glass area on test drives of each reminded me of why I like 'em, at least.



Update: 2007 apparently wasn't ex-smoker. Sales guy is a smoker, though, so I guess I was smelling his morning cigarette. He'll get it detailed again and I'll give it another shot after trying to hunt down timing belt history.

 

[dump]

I don't pop in here often, but when I do I'm often surprised.

Last time I checked it was tiny EVs, now it's V8 SUVs.

What's the purpose of a land cruise?

 

[DaveW]

Compensation.

 

[Toshi]

Micropenis!

I am certainly not internally consistent, I admit.

I figure moving to Denver is as good of an excuse to buy a Land Cruiser as I'm apt to encounter, plus some of its characteristics are those I like in general: good visibility, smooth power train, and a reputation for reliability. I'll offset my carbon then who'll be the wiser?

 

[Toshi]

I'm coming home today with that 2007! $24,650 including doc fee but pre-TTL. I'm satisfied. Took multiple rounds of hardball and I felt the screws were turned enough.

I'll have to get the timing belt and water pump done lacking records that it was done until this point, but then I should be good for the next 100,000 miles if it lives up to its reputation.

I'll also give the interior some detailing love, but my wife thought it looked like a good example of the breed both inside and out (even though she doesn't understand why I like the breed in the first place).

 

[Toshi]

Score. I just found documentation that the timing belt and water pump were done at 92k miles, back in 2012.



Things now documented to have been done at Toyota dealers (with oil changes in the interim either in the driveway or at indie shops, I hope!):

7/2013: new radiator and hose

6/2013: resurface front rotors + new pads, fixed botched rear window lift repair, oil change, new air filter

9/2012: new alternator, timing belt, water pump, crank seal, flushed suspension and power steering fluid

3/2012: new air:fuel sensor to fix P0138 code, resurfaced rear rotors and new pads, new battery, new floormats (ones that I got with the car are the wrong color, though), oil change

9/2011: front rotors resurfaced but no new pads, front wheel bearing repacked, code P0138 first reported but not addressed at this point

10/2009: front and rear rotors resurfaced, new pads all around, transfer case and both front and rear diff fluid changed

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

i´d replace the transfer case/diffs oils.
if you are really anal about it; send a sample for spectometric tests (~$30) and you´ll know for sure if you can get another 100k miles out of the diff/transfer case.

 

[Toshi]

I think I'll shop around for the 120k service instead, now that the 90k whopper is out of the picture, after verifying what the 120k includes (spark plugs in particular).

Doing all the diff and transfer case fluid at that time seems prudent, agreed.

 

[Toshi]

I had to go to three hospitals today, shuttling around research protocol paperwork and gathering signatures. I was psyched to only pay $2 in parking total, only to realize that the gas I used to get to merely the first two probably was worth $7. I then proceeded to drive the LEAF to the third hospital, feeling miserly. (The LEAF feels like a veritable go-kart compared to the LC!)

#landcruiserownerproblems



In other news, I looked in the glovebox and found the Land Cruiser'soriginal window sticker. I'll scan that up tonight.