My Car Story - How Top Gun and a "Justification for Higher Education" Poster Changed Everything!

I have always loved cars.

From being a kid playing with Matchbox day and night, to an adult that is obsessed with the internal combustible engine.  In fact many of my memories revolve around the vehicle I was in - whether traveling through 106 countries or driving through 10 provinces and all 50 U.S. States.

I know it is a bad thing, but I have a lead foot as well.

I have the dubious honor of getting speeding tickets on all 6 drive-able continents - lucky that there are no cars in Antarctica!  Did I ever tell you the time I passed the Polizia in Italy with my mom?

He was smiling because I was driving a little yellow gutless Panda - and passing a Lamborghini!

A couple of major milestones happened as a teenager that further solidified my love of driving:

1. I was 14 when Top Gun was released in theaters.  

After watching Tom Cruise take off after the girl on that GPZ900R (or better known as the Kawasaki Ninja 900), I was hooked.  For the next couple of years my life revolved around motorcycles. 

My first bike was old 1964 Bridgestone 400 that would literally seize up on the highway (having your back tire lock up at highway speeds teaches you a lot about balance and motorcycle handling!).

My second bike was a Yamaha RD400. It was white with red accents, had some serious upgrades including pipes that made the 2 stroke louder than a Harley.  My favorite memory was tearing down the engine and removing the carbs to get it running each day before school.

Then it happened.  I got a red and black (matching the movie) Honda CBR600R - with matching leathers, gloves and a helmet too!  I had arrived - in the motorcycle sense.



2.  Then my sister bought me this mounted poster and everything changed:

This poster became symbolic on multiple levels. One, to finish post-secondary studies, and two, to own all 5 of these cars in my lifetime.  It never left my wall - different dorm rooms, apartments and even my first house - never took it down!

Knowing my first car couldn't be a Ferrari or Porsche, I started where I could.

First came a nice 4x4 Chev truck that I lifted slightly, put nice big tires and rims and a 3 inch solid steel bush guard on the front.  Nothing could stop me, especially shopping carts on late night supermarket runs.

With my first job secured at IBM came my first brand new car - a 1994 Saturn SL1.  It wasn't the fastest or sportiest car - but it had the new car smell and I drove it everywhere.  Across all 10 Provinces in Canada and at least 15 States.  It was stolen off our front driveway (fun story for another blog).

Replacing the stolen Saturn was the new 1994 Mazda MX-3 Precidia GS Coupe with the smallest V-6 in production! The sporty and cool factor went way up until I was moved to Winnipeg and I learned (the hard way) about the ice ruts that form on the road for 6 months out of the year.

So I traded in the front bumperless Mazda on a new 1997 Ford Ranger Splash truck. You may remember these from BayWatch on TV.  That lasted until the kids came - Danica in 1997 and Mila in 1999.  It was time to upgrade the Ford to an Eddie Bauer Edition Explorer which were so popular in that era.

Then it happened.  A crazy few years of upgrades.

Combined with some good sales quarters at IBM and a neighbor who was a GM at the Toyota dealer, I located the first car on the poster.  A BMW 320i Sedan.

Then 1999 hit - and for anyone selling computers pre-Y2K, there were some rich commissions being paid out. Exit BMW, enter a cherry red Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor!

A year and a half later, the Mercedes was traded on a bright blue Corvette.

Not sure why I bought a 2 seater in the Great White North, the next year I went back to a 4 seater, a yellow 1987 Porsche 911 Cabriolet.

With some nicer cars meant that I had to get some winter wheels - everything from a Volvo, Pathfinder and Jaguar XJ6 provided some winter comfort.  I even took over the lease of a Toyota Yaris hatchback because I was pounding on miles driving to work and with my kids.

Three vehicles, one motorcycle, one boat and a jetski for a single guy was not efficient.

Around the mid 2000's I decided to upgrade the Porsche to a 2000 model with the new body style - still yellow of course.  Also traded the Jaguar and Toyota into a 2000 Mercedes ML430 SUV. I still have the Mercedes and added another one - a 2010 Mercedes GL450 last year.

After moving to the U.S. in 2009 I felt it was my duty as a new American to buy a Harley - so there it was, a beautiful V-Rod with $5K in extra chrome and only 600 miles presented itself.  Did you know that Porsche designed the V-Rod engine?

After 40 vehicles since 1987, I officially pumped the brakes.  We have an SUV, car, a bike, a golf cart, and Boat. 

The Marine Life is Calling

Around the time I moved to Toronto from Winnipeg (2000), I also got a passion for the water.

I bought a Seadoo Speedster boat with 2 jet engines capable of 55 miles/hr in a 15 foot boat.  Within a year, I upgraded to a more reasonable 16 foot bowrider that didn't scare my children.

A few years later, after cruising the Trent-Severn, Rideau Canal and shooting up the St. Lawrence to Montreal, it was time to get a cruiser.  The Bayliner 2651 Cierra provided a couple of nice beds, a bathroom and some cooking abilities and we must have put 1000 hours on it.

Finally, the two-footitus set in and I upgraded to my dream boat - a Carver 350 Mariner - with leather seats, a big screen TV and ample room to live in summer comfort.  Parking it on the ocean in North Carolina provided the best moveable ocean-front property one could ask for.

Then in 2015, the reverse of two-footitus set in and it was time to downgrade into a boat where we could explore the North East United States without getting killed in gas money or repairs. The Carver was sold and a Bayliner 245 Ciera was purchased. And then the downsizing continued as we got a 17 foot Bayliner M17 bowrider that fits in the garage (HOA friendly in Florida!).

Full story here:

http://www.jaymcbain.com/2014/12/my-nautical-story-adventure-on-high-seas.html


History in Pictures


1969 Bridgestone 175cc Dual Twin Motorcycle

1976 Yamaha 400 Offroad Motorcycle

1982 Yamaha RD400 Motorcycle

1982 Yamaha IT125 Offroad Motorcycle

1987 Honda Hurricane CBR600 Motorcycle

1982 Chevrolet C1500 4x4 Truck

1986 Hyundai Stellar Sedan (Second vehicle)

1984 Yamaha 400 Motorcycle (Getting back and forth to Lethbridge more gas friendly than truck)

1994 Saturn SL1 Sedan (first new car!)

1994 Mazda MX-3 Precidia GS Coupe

1991 Honda Civic DX Sedan (second car)

1997 Ford Ranger Splash Truck

1995 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer SUV

1992 BMW 320i Sedan

1999 Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor Sedan

1997 Honda CR-V SUV

1995 Seadoo Speedster Jet Boat

1995 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe (and Mila!)

2000 Dodge Caravan

2000 Scorpion 16ft Bowrider 60HP Boat

1987 Porsche 911 Convertible

1994 Volvo 850 Sedan

1997 Toyota Corolla Sedan (second car)

1995 Jaguar XJ6 Sedan

1998 Honda CR-V SUV

1990 Suzuki Sidekick ($1000 project car - rebuilt engine) - and Danica!

1994 Nissan Pathfinder SUV

2007 Toyota Yaris Hatchback (and Austin)

2007 Honda CBR125 Motorcycle

1990 Bayliner 2651 Cierra Boat

2006 Honda Accord V6 (Michelle's car before the deer incident)

1997 Carver 350 Mariner Yacht

2000 Mercedes ML430 SUV

2009 Audi A4 Quattro Convertible (Michelle's car)

2006 Seadoo RXT Jetski

2006 Harley Davidson V-Rod Motorcycle

2011 Honda Rancher 4x4 ATV

2000 Porsche 911 Convertible. 

2010 Mercedes GL450 SUV

2008 Bayliner 245 Cierra Boat

2018 Honda CBR650F Motorcycle

2016 EZ-GO Golf Cart (Florida Life!)

2024 Honda CBR1000RR Motorcycle

2013 BMW 328i Convertible (purchased 6.2.18)

Current Garage:

2018 Mercedes GLS 450 (purchased 2.12.23)

2022 Porsche Taycan Electric (Michelle's car - purchased 3.14.26)

2023 Bayliner M17 Boat

2025 Star EV Lithium Golf Cart

2026 Ducati Panigale V2 Motorcycle

History in Spreadsheet Format (yes, I track everything)

Where does the story end?

If you have been keeping track, I still have one car left to buy on the "Justification for Higher Education" bucket list.  The BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar and Porsche are done.  What is next?

Yes, a Ferrari.

I don't know when, and I don't know exactly how - but I will own a Ferrari.  My favorite so far is the 360, but time will tell...

On the marine side, I will have to let go the Carver to get a sailboat at some point.  Another bucket list item is to sail blue water from Florida to Spain.  Unless there is a breakthrough in battery technology, or they magically figure out how to convert salt water to fuel, I will need the wind.

Anyway, a topic for another blog.

Epilogue - How I Buy Cars

Cars are depreciating assets and can burn a hole in your pocket very quickly.  Here is what I have learned along the way:

1.  Focus on one number only - depreciation.  You can go a buy a fancy new $30K car that is only worth $4K in 5 years (many US based models last decade).  The depreciation number is $26K or more than $5K per year of ownership.  When you add insurance, maintenance and gas - not a pretty picture.

Take this example - I bought the Mercedes above for $18K (the list price for someone previously was over $80K).  Letting someone else take the $62K hit was a good strategy.  Even better is the 8 years of driving I have had with it and only $1,500 per year in depreciation.

It is hard to find a car that you only have to pay $1,500 per year on (buy or lease).

The Porsche new was over $140K ($CDN).  I bought it after 3 years for $62K.  After 11 years of driving, the depreciation number is $26K or $2,363 per year.  Still a low cost for driving a nice car.

2.  Buy OUT of warranty.  Everyone loves new car smell with a bumper to bumper warranty right? Consider buying out of warranty (with low miles and clean CARFAX).  The money you save - sometimes upwards of $10K from "in warranty" status - will more than pay for any mechanical problems that will arise.  In most cases, the $10K will be pure profit.

3.  Negotiate hard and without a hint of emotion.  Michelle's Audi came from Florida and had a $500 shipping charge.  That didn't matter because we had dealerships up and down the eastern seaboard competing for our business.  We walked away several times and still got the exact color, style, options, etc. that she wanted.  While you don't make any friends, upwards of $5K can be saved by not buying in your local town.

4.  Use the $10K lift rule for buying.  I could have never saved $62K for a Porsche at the time - but I didn't have to.  I bought the BMW for $20K, sold it for about the same and added $10K for the Mercedes.  Same thing, sold it and added $10K for the Corvette. Rinse. Repeat.  The Porsche ended up only costing $10K more than the Corvette when I sold it.  That is how I could flip cars every 6 months and not take a bath.

Quick Summary:

1. Target your dream car with options/color/etc
2. Research on Autotrader (disregard location)
3. Draw out the actual depreciation curve based on time and miles - choose optimal year (usually 4 years old)
4. Narrow down to 3-4 cars and approach dealers.  Negotiate relentlessly.
5. Drive that beautiful luxury convertible for less than a price of new Honda Civic!

________________________________________________________________________

Read some other stories from A Few Thoughts - Jay McBain:

________________________________________________________________________

My Life Story - Have you ever thought about the impact of big decisions that you made in your life? How about the small ones or the ones made for you? How would have your life turned out if things went the other way?

My Love Story - Michelle and met on October 15, 2010 in a serendipitous way. We were both part of a charity in Raleigh, NC and one night at a dinner struck up a conversation about many things - including our love of travel.

My Housing Story - After 13 moves and stops in three Canadian Provinces and three U.S. States, here is my journey in pictures from the Northwest to the Southeast of North America.

My Travel Story - The story started with a "Rollerblades and Red Bull" journey to 100 countries. It is now expanding in every direction after hitting 7 continents and the 7 wonders of the world (most with kids in tow).

My Nautical Story - I am pretty sure the love of water started in 1972 when I was six weeks old and my grandparents Bob and Dona McBain retired to Shuswap, British Columbia, Canada, and built a log cabin.

My Crazy MBA Story - In the summer of 2017, while climbing Machu Picchu, Peru as part of my wife Michelle’s International MBA from Manhattan College, I thought – why not me?

My Hockey Story - As long as I can remember, I have been playing hockey. Over four and a half decades and thousands of games later, I still lace them up a couple times a week, year-round.

My Cycling Story - When the Covid-19 pandemic first took hold in March 2020 we responded quickly as a family - including strict stay at home orders and no outside contact until we could get a handle on the risks. My attention now turned to exercise - and biking across North America (virtually).

My Retirement Story - I have no interest in disconnecting fully from the work that makes me so fulfilled. I could never see myself  in bingo-playing retired life. I want to stay curious, engaged, and adding value past the (very specific) date in 2034 that I am aiming for.

My Christmas Story - Whether traveling to see family, or going to Disney or Hawaii, or simply staying home - the season is packed with memories of family and friends.

My Music Story - My favorite music can be best defined as sad / emotional / multi-level slow music. Oddly, it is opposite of my worldview - which is normally overly-positive and optimistic.

My Movie Story - Oddly enough, I think Pretty Woman made me very interested in business. I named my cat Austin Powers - oh, and yes, "Danger" is his middle name. Our current dog is named August Rush (Auggie Doggy). Movies such as Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Forrest Gump, & National Lampoon's Vacation have become soundtracks to my life.

My Nautical Story - Adventure on the High Seas

I am pretty sure the love of water started in 1972 when I was six weeks old and my grandparents Bob and Dona McBain retired to Shuswap, British Columbia, Canada, and built a log cabin:

Here I am with Grandpa Bob, my dad, Jim, and my sister, Tracey:

After the cabin was built, a portion of every summer of my life up until University was spent on the water - skiing, going on picnics, and swimming.

Water meant more to me than just fun and games though - it was a vehicle for adventure.

I can't think of a bigger adventure than Grandpa Bob rounding up his family in 1967, putting them in a 21 foot Starcraft aluminum cruiser and travelling from Lake Superior to Montreal for Expo '67. Across 2 Great Lakes, numerous rivers and canals, hundreds of locks, and thousands of miles of coastlines.

That is not only a ton of nautical miles, it was a trip of lifetime!

Fast forward 32 years and I was an IBM sales rep living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The year was 1999, and the pre-Y2K buzz had everyone buying new computers to avoid the end of the world. With fat commission checks and an opportunity to move to Toronto, Ontario in early 2000, the time was right to make my first boat purchase.

I defied all levels of logic by choosing a super-fast, 15 foot dual-jet boat made by Seadoo. I bought it sight-unseen on a website that many people were just starting to hear about - eBay.

With a flat bottom and no props or rudders, these boats were made to do donuts at 55mph and send you careening across the lake like a rock skipping. Also, no protection from the sun, no functional windscreen, and an impeller that sucked in weeds at the south end of the notoriously weedy, Lake Simcoe.

Exactly what the family needed - with 2 young girls, Danica and Mila, aged 3 and 1, this was a failed experiment in so many ways! But fun, nonetheless.

I owned my first boat for less than 6 months. It was time for an upgrade - both in wind and sun protection as well as usability. Enter the 2000 Scorpion, a 16 foot bowrider with a Yamaha 60hp on the back.

Wonderful gas mileage, brand new mechanicals, and a way to start exploring the many lakes, rivers and canals that make up the Canadian Shield.

A month after buying the boat, the first major voyage was planned up and down the Trent Severn Canal. With a unique marine railway lock to flight locks, hydraulic lifts, 39 swing bridges and 160 dams, the 386km (240 miles) route was a major undertaking for our maiden voyage.

Some history on the canal:

Samuel Champlain was the first European to travel the network of inland waters from Georgian Bay to the Bay of Quinte with the Hurons in 1615. A route that would later be canalized and named the Trent–Severn Waterway. 

In the mid-19th century, the river systems of Central Ontario were used by lumber barons to easily transport newly felled trees to sawmills closer to market. Many of the logging companies opposed the building of locks, for these would interfere with their business interests. The logging companies did, however, help to create thriving communities such as Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls, all of which helped to delay the building of the lock system.

 

Countless miles were put on that little bowrider. The final trip was an amazing journey to Ottawa, Ontario, with the kids and my mom, Gloria McBain. Travelling up the historic Rideau Canal was one of my favorite memories. At 202km (126 miles), and 45 locks, it meanders from Kingston, Ontario to Ottawa.

History lesson:

The construction of the Rideau Canal was a preventive military measure undertaken after a report that during the War of 1812 the United States had intended to invade the British colony of Upper Canada via the St. Lawrence River, which would have severed the lifeline between Montreal and Kingston. The British built a number of other canals (Grenville, Chute-à-Blondeau and Carillon Canals, all along the Ottawa River) as well as a number of forts (Citadel Hill, La Citadelle, and Fort Henry) to impede and deter any future American invasions of Canadian territory.

In the summer of 2002, the little bowrider was upgraded to a functional 26 foot cruiser - a 1990 Bayliner 2651 Ciera. With 2 double beds, a bathroom, shower and kitchen - we were now in business!

The maiden voyage was up the Trent-Severn again to a town called Midland - in Georgian Bay. Several other trips were made up and down the Trent-Severn exploring Collingwood, Ontario in the Blue Mountains, down to Toronto, Montreal (via the Saint Lawrence Seaway), Rochester and numerous trips to Niagara Falls.

Life was definitely good - and the nautical miles kept piling up!

One of my favorite memories with the kids was our marina at Ontario Place. We were moored in the middle of a theme park and would wake up and go on the rides, eat, play, go boating, listen to an outdoor concert, and then sleep again!

Life was definitely good on the Bayliner.

In 2006, some strange things were happening with the Canadian dollar. The value was increasing rapidly and ended up (in 2007) hitting 10% more valuable than the US dollar.

Dreams of owning a serious cruiser went from flashes of fantasy to a reality in no time flat!

I started to look around and fell in love with the Carver Mariner 350. A yacht that was 39 feet all decked out with leather, big screen TV, 3 double beds, and the ability to carry 30 passengers.

I found the perfect boat in Cape Coral Florida, sitting on a lift behind a huge mansion. The person who sold it was a Realtor who bought numerous $10 million dollar estates and sold off the boats behind to put the money into new kitchens and landscaping.

The yacht brokerage was instructed to list them on boattrader.com and drop the price by $10K per week until it was sold. I thought I lost it when it hit a low number, but the other guys financing fell through and I was able to scoop it - with another $10K off because a week had passed.

The next challenge was to get the boat to Toronto from Florida. I decided to have it shipped to Atlantic City, where I would pick it up, navigate the ocean (or Intracoastal Waterway depending on weather), go through New York, up the Hudson to Albany, hang a left at Erie Canal and hit Lake Ontario via Oswego.

This is where the story takes a turn for the worse!

A major storm ripped through Upstate New York wiping out lock 10 on the Erie Canal. With no promise of re-opening in the 2006 season, we had to decide whether to:

a) Leave the boat in New York for the winter
b) Have it shipped from Albany to Toronto
c) Take the loooong way up the Champlain to Montreal and then down the Saint Lawrence to Lake Ontario

The sense of adventure kicked in and, not to be defeated, we set sail to Montreal.

The boat was named Lucky Deux, but was anything from lucky from that day forward!

Going up the Hudson, north of the Federal Troy Lock, we started to have mechanical issues with the boat taking on water through a broken front window seal, losing the fan belts and then clunking bottom in a narrow Montreal canal.

But that was nothing. Next up, Tornado.

Boating through the famous Thousand Islands was a pleasure and something every mariner should do once in their life.  As we entered Lake Ontario via Kingston, you have a choice to go inland across the first quarter of the lake or jet out of Prince Edward and go around the wonderful Sandbanks Provincial Park.

The challenge is that it puts you in the middle of this great lake and weather can turn on a dime. We were reaching the furthest point of the outlet when the VHF radio started crackling - severe storm alerts, mariner alerts, you name it.

In the middle of the afternoon, the sky turned dark black in the North and rain started pelting down.

The waves started kicking up to 5 and 6 foot levels with many of them crashing into the boat. I had about 30 miles to reach the nearest shore and 40 miles to the nearest town - Colborne, Ontario.

We were now taking on water at a pace where the 4 bilge pumps couldn't stay ahead of it. The boat, already at 20,000 pounds, was getting heavier by the minute. A normal cruising speed of 20 mph was now about 14 and we were not able to get on plane.

Knowing that 30 to 40 miles at 14 mph (through a major storm) would take us into the night was top of mind. Having the engines die in the middle of the lake had me on the verge of panic. As captain, your first priority is the safety of your crew - and I was going to get us to safety.

Hell or high water.

Or both.

The girls were troopers and we found out when we landed in the dark in Colborne that a tornado had ripped through town causing extensive damage. The old salts at the marina couldn't believe that the Lucky Deux was on the water and made it in safely.

After that day, I had a new appreciation for preparation and safety.

The Carver ended up getting 2 new engines, new props, shafts and just about every other replaceable part in the next few years. It became the worst investment sinkhole I had ever been a part of.

The memories did take a turn for the positive in 2009 when I moved to Raleigh, N.C. and transported the boat to be moored at New Bern. I had my own ocean-front condo!

I invited my new girlfriend Michelle Ragusa and her two dogs to the boat in later 2010 and it was there in New Bern that our story really started.  Read more about our story here.

Next up was another move to Albany, NY and another transport of the boat. Mooring the boat on the Hudson was a bit of a challenge. With $4 gas prices and a limited cruising range up and down the river we felt we were missing out on the wealth of cruising opportunities through Upstate New York, NYC, Boston, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

It was time to make a change - and downsize.

The memories and love I had for the Bayliner came flooding back. What if we had a boat that we could trailer to awesome locations and start to explore the Northeast with Baby Brooklyn?

So the decision was set - in 2014 we sold the Carver and purchased a 2008 Bayliner 245 Ciera. Almost the same boat as the old Bayliner 2651 that I had, only 18 years newer!

We set off on some amazing adventures on the new Bayliner. From Boston (including Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard), New York, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and much more...we covered most of the Northeast!

Check out these trips:

More about our Bayliner story here.

When we moved to Florida in 2017 we quickly figured out this was not the right boat for a few reasons:

1. Hot temperatures and A/C only works at a marina with electricity (which we were never around)

2. The boat was stored in a lot 30 minutes away from our house because our HOA wouldn't allow a boat on the property. This meant I would have to tow it down to the house to charge the batteries and clean before each outing which was a huge undertaking.

3. We were not cruising as much or sleeping underneath. Any cruising would be to a hotel to tie up.

4. The internal engine with sterndrive wasn't the best with salt water. People run outboards in Florida for good reason.

So the decision was made in 2023 to buy a brand new Bayliner M17 bowrider. With a 10 year warranty on the hull and a 5 year warranty on a new Mercury 75hp outboard we were back into reliable (and cost efficient) boating. 

The best part is that the boat has a foldable tongue on the trailer allowing it to fit in our garage at home. When we want to hit the intracoastal it takes minutes to hook up and we are launched within 30 minutes. No cleaning or deterioration from the hot Florida sun as it is indoors.

What's further down the road?

The end goal, and major lifelong bucket list item is to sail the blue ocean. Upon retirement (or sooner) a trip from the Caribbean to the Rock of Gibraltar via the Atlantic Ocean will happen.

22 days of wide open spaces and no shores - a wonderful solitude of nature and a major adventure wrapped up into one.

Logistically, I will need to learn how to sail, get my captain's license and take every offshore course I can get my hands on. Unless advances in technology allow renewable power sources, we will be in the market for a new sailing catamaran at some point...

I will continue to update this blog over time.

________________________________________________________________________

Read some other stories from A Few Thoughts - Jay McBain:

________________________________________________________________________

My Life Story - Have you ever thought about the impact of big decisions that you made in your life? How about the small ones or the ones made for you? How would have your life turned out if things went the other way?

My Love Story - Michelle and met on October 15, 2010 in a serendipitous way. We were both part of a charity in Raleigh, NC and one night at a dinner struck up a conversation about many things - including our love of travel.

My Housing Story - After 13 moves and stops in three Canadian Provinces and three U.S. States, here is my journey in pictures from the Northwest to the Southeast of North America.

My Car Story - I have the dubious honor of getting speeding tickets on all 6 driveable continents - lucky that there are no cars in Antarctica! Did I ever tell you the time I passed the Polizia in Italy with my mom?

My Travel Story - The story started with a "Rollerblades and Red Bull" journey to 100 countries. It is now expanding in every direction after hitting 7 continents and the 7 wonders of the world (most with kids in tow).

My Crazy MBA Story - In the summer of 2017, while climbing Machu Picchu, Peru as part of my wife Michelle’s International MBA from Manhattan College, I thought – why not me?

My Hockey Story - As long as I can remember, I have been playing hockey. Over four and a half decades and thousands of games later, I still lace them up a couple times a week, year-round.

My Cycling Story - When the Covid-19 pandemic first took hold in March 2020 we responded quickly as a family - including strict stay at home orders and no outside contact until we could get a handle on the risks. My attention now turned to exercise - and biking across North America (virtually).

My Retirement Story - I have no interest in disconnecting fully from the work that makes me so fulfilled. I could never see myself  in bingo-playing retired life. I want to stay curious, engaged, and adding value past the (very specific) date in 2034 that I am aiming for.

My Christmas Story - Whether traveling to see family, or going to Disney or Hawaii, or simply staying home - the season is packed with memories of family and friends.

My Music Story - My favorite music can be best defined as sad / emotional / multi-level slow music. Oddly, it is opposite of my worldview - which is normally overly-positive and optimistic.

My Movie Story - Oddly enough, I think Pretty Woman made me very interested in business. I named my cat Austin Powers - oh, and yes, "Danger" is his middle name. Our current dog is named August Rush (Auggie Doggy). Movies such as Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Forrest Gump, & National Lampoon's Vacation have become soundtracks to my life.