I bought my leaf in 2024 used from Smart Cars Weiland in Pittsboro. It had 17k miles on the odometer and I paid 18k with some financing.
Highlights of the LEAF
The Nissan LEAF, launched in 2010, pioneered the mass-market electric vehicle (EV) segment, becoming one of the world’s best-selling EVs by offering affordable, zero-emission transport.
It evolved through two main generations, starting with modest range (around 100 miles) and basic tech, then adding larger batteries (up to 60 kWh), longer range (over 200 miles with LEAF PLUS), e-Pedal, and ProPilot Assist for improved driving and safety, solidifying its role in daily commuting worldwide.
My Spidey-sense hasn’t been the best gauge for decision making in the past. I’ve come to second guess my immediate feelings and mull things over before taking a plunge.
So, no, I’m not really that trusting of my instincts.
From bad timing in stock market to poor sourcing choices for products to sell, I’ve had my blunders. What instinctively felt to be a sure thing often turned out to be the height of the market right before a plunge.
I have bags on top of bags, filled with swimsuits filling my closet, apparel that will likely never sell.
I’ve also fallen for my share of crypto scams and ponzi schemes. Hard lessons that have shaped, in part, my present predicament.
My best advice, which I take myself, is to get a second opinion whenever and where ever possible.
I don’t feel much older than last year, but there is a distinctive sense that comes with the big four-oh.
I awoke earlier than expected. After lazing in bed for a bit I decided that I would take advantage of the early start. I drove to the Treasure Hunt store, stopping by Starbucks for my free birthday treat along the way.
I ordered the Tomato Mozzarella Panini. I had gotten in the driveway and then realized I had mistakenly hit “in-store pickup,” so I had to maneuver out of the line and find a parking space.
Once I got inside, it was incredibly loud. The seats were packed with customers and the space behind the counter was abuzz with activity.
The pickup didn’t take long at all. I was soon back outside and walking to me waiting car. Upon my first bite of the sandwich, the spinach sort of flopped out. It was wet and soggy and sort of bland. The rest of the meal tasted good though. I paired the sandwich with a pear and that was my breakfast.
I stood in line at the Treasure for around 10 minutes before they opened the doors and everyone began filing in. I had brought my own bag, so I didn’t bother grabbing one of the big blue ones the store provides.
I went straight to the clothes bin and got some nice picks.
Amazon Basics Men’s Pajama Pants Size XL
Dickies Men’s Blue 4XLT Long Sleeve Shirt, sealed in bag.
6 Licensed NHL New Jersey Devils Tee Shirts, 5 Large and 1 XL.
There were two items I picked out too hastily and didn’t notice large stains and other damage. Not a big loss, just 2 bucks.
I think maybe they were short staffed because the manager was running the register and he’s usually at the back counter on the PA system the other times I’ve gone inside.
My father scheduled a pickup by the SeaTac Rocket Shuttle at around 10:30 this morning (PST). The drive was around 2 hours, no ferries, just bridges.
We stopped for a break at a McDonald’s restaurant and I went inside and ordered a McCrispy Sandwich. I haven’t eaten at McDonald’s for maybe 5 years. It tasted delicious.
The McCrispyI spent $6.11
At the airport, I printed my boarding pass. This time it didn’t ask me to volunteer my carry on, so that meant I couldn’t skip the line at the gate.
I did see some folks with roll-on luggage that had the volunteer tags. I don’t know how they got them. Lucky folks.
My flight being at 3:50pm, I wandered about the terminal and took photos of the planes arriving and departing.
Papa gave me his old Olympus camera. It’s the same one he had from my 2019 trip to NYC to see my uncle Rupert, come over from England.
This camera is around 7 years newer than the one I have at home. A true DSLR with 2 different lenses and a filter. It includes WiFi for wireless transfer of photos to a smartphone. Quite fancy. I am looking forward to how it performs photographing apparel for my eBay shop.
Around 2:30, I sat down and did some blogging. By chance I gave up my seat to a family of three. I made the excuse of being at the wrong gate, which was true, but after I got to the right gate, I noticed the sign was wrong.
It turned out my flight had not only changed gates but was boarding already. I had to rush a bit to get to the actual correct gate. Once there I was able to relax a bit. I was in Zone 8 at the back of the plane, so I had some time before my group got called.
The flight was okay. I listened to music and edited the blog posts to remove broken links and redundant files. I got some shots of the Rockies from the plane using the Olympus and also filmed the entire taxiing and take-off sequence on my phone.
It got dark fast since the sun was setting behind us. I played some games and kept editing until we landed. I ordered 2 coffees and got 2 Biscoff wagers. I didn’t spend any money on my return flight.
I got a bit lost after landing and mistakenly told the driver I was at terminal 1, which is what it said on the sign next to me. I was actually at terminal 2.
After some back and forth with the uber reserve driver, I got to the awaiting car. It was a quick ride home, (somebody was speeding in the rain). While I appreciated getting home fast, I think 40 in a 25 is probably not a great idea.
Mama was up late waiting for my return. It was about 1 am when I walked through the front door. Maybe 45 minutes later I realized I wasn’t wearing my watch. I’m not sure when it came off, but I’ve messaged Uber for assistance.
I had switched the shoulder I was carrying my pack over, it possible I dislodged it either in airport, when I entered the car, or while exiting the car. Although, the strap was new, so I think I would have noticed it getting tugged on.
So, one dark spot at the end of a wonderful trip to my hometown and a touching reunion with my father.
I may have some additional posts to make. I’ll have to check the photos to see what I may have missed.
As I mentioned in, Grilled Cheese and Pears, Tuesday’s at Rosewind are potluck dinner days. I didn’t join I the festivities being tired from the trip.
Dinner that evening was a two part repast of Potato leak soup followed with a cut of poached Black Cod with a side of fried potatoes. A garden salad rounded out the meal and added some needed fiber and vitamins.
The first coursePotato leak soupFresh garden saladPoached Black Cod with fried taters
To drink, my father provided a Guinness Extra Stout and a Lemon San Pellegrino. The Stout was nice and bitter and paired perfectly with the Black Cod.
Guinness Extra StoutLimonata San Pellegrino
The ingredients were all sourced, other than the fish, from the local community garden here at Rosewind.
During my walk on Thursday I came across and spoke with some community members. Cathy, Oma, and Dan.
Actually, when I was still a child, my mother rented a blue house from Oma on the corner of F & Fir. That was while I was still attending OPEPO at Mt View, before our brief relocation to Everett.
The pilot let us know it’s a busy morning, their just waiting to be assigned a parking space. It shouldn’t take terribly long though.
This gives me a chance to photograph some planes on the flat and steady earth. I realized as I was shooting planes, I don’t know what my own plane looks like. It was still dark when we boarded.
DeltaTaxiing Approaching SeaTac Southwest
I am at the back of the plane, and this time, I won’t get to skip ahead. So I’ll just relax till the line peters out.
My father is waiting at the Cell Parking lot while I disembark. After I get my bag from the claim area, we can rendezvous somewhere nearby.
It looks like I’ve got just an hour and twenty minutes left in the flight. Time for another snack!
I decided to open the packet of Biscoff wafer and Ghirardelli chocolate from the earlier snack cart. I still have most of the vodka left over. It was too strong for me.
Left over snacks
I think that body of water is Warm Springs, but it’s difficult to tell from the flight map. When I zoom in I don’t see any lakes, only rivers.
The refreshments came by again and I asked for more Biscoff, I happily received two packets. I also got a second cup of the Pike Place coffee. Two creams no sugar, just right for my tummy.
Maybe the coffee is free because they didn’t ask for my card the second time. Or maybe the last call on snacks is free. I don’t know. My receipts have not arrived yet.
East of SpokaneSouth of Mount CannonBig Cedar SchoolImnaha River
Usually digital receipts are instantaneous so I am a little confused. I spent $14 on the chicken sandwich and the first round of drinks was $11 (coffee, tonic, and spirits).
I should be getting a 20% statement credit on the in-flight purchases. That’s one of the perks available with the Delta Blue card.
I should mention, since I booked the cheapest airfare with Delta Air, my flight did not qualify for earning Miles. It is a bummer that I spaced out applying my saved points to this trip. I could saved $200 on my $300 tickets.
Well we did the taxiing down the runway and then with a roar we took off. I recorded the ascent but it’s too big a file to upload on this slow in-flight wifi. The connection says 200 mbps, but the upload was crawling by.
The above video is a trimmed 30-second clip.
Leaving the GateIn-Flight InfoTaxiing Lake with cloudsSunrise skyline
The Seatback “experience” Delta offers does not include any international titles or content. I’ll be sticking to my phone for the remainder of the flight.
Unfortunately, my charging cable is in my pack, which got checked earlier at the gate. I remembered to grab my headphones but I forgot the charge cable.
Chicken Sandwich on a Croissant
For snacks, I’ll be getting the Biscoff wafers. The little screen is telling me they also have pink lemonade for breast cancer, which is the same event they were running on my last flight in 2019. I suspect it isn’t really a special but a standard offer.
I might try the Du Nord Foundation vodka and Fever-Tree tonic water. I like quinine and it says it has bitter orange in it too. Might as well get everything since I rarely travel.
Croissant Chicken Sandwich Sliced Apples, Granny Smith and something sweetGhirardelli 72% Dark Chocolate It’s like tuna salad insideStarbucks Pike Place roast coffeeBiscoff wafersDu Nord Foundation Vodka (40%)Fever-Tree Tonic Water with bitter orange
I’m not sure if my bladder could handle also ordering a cup of Starbucks Pike Place. That’s the other item on offer in the menu. I am supposed to get double stars on flight days but I’m not sure if I have it set up properly to get credit.
The drive to the terminal was pleasantly quick despite the early morning commuter traffic. Going through the airport queues took considerably longer.
I am now sitting outside Gate D1 awaiting the pre-flight boarding announcement heading to the Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SeaTac).
Gate D1
Apparently something I hit at the checking kiosk meant that I was volunteering to check my one free carry on bag. Because I had a white tag on my pack, I got to go to the head of the line for boarding.
So, I am now sitting at the very back of the plane in seat 31F near the bathrooms and the staff area. We still have about 20 minutes before the flight occurs.
There is background music playing in the plane. It’s like classic elevator muzak. Not my taste, but I’ve really only listened to kpop since 2009. I’m not exactly open to new experiences.
Thankfully, flight is not a new experience. I quite enjoy flying actually. Like many children, I wanted to be an astronaut. Plane rides are about as close as I can get to space.
I am getting ready to fly out tomorrow morning for a trip to visit my father in Port Townsend, Washington. I will be flying out from RDU in the wee hours of the morning and touching down around second breakfast (10AM).
I’ll be flying on Delta Airlines. I booked the flight on my American Express Delta Blue. Unfortunately, I forgot to use my accrued miles for the booking. I tried asking a phone rep if they could apply a credit using my points, but they wouldn’t allow it. I’ll just have to keep saving my miles for now.
It’s about a 6 hour flight, so I will be needing to grab a bite to eat before I ship out. I am thinking I’ll swing by the Starbucks in the terminal for something to nosh on before boarding. The last time I flew, they gave us crackers and liquor. I probably can’t count on similar amenities.
I’ll just be packing my phone, watch, and their chargers for electronics. I had planned on bringing my DSLR, but my mother needs it for recording, so I’ll stick to the phone for my photography.
That should actually be easier for uploading, I won’t need to fumble around with memory cards. I can only imagine losing a MicroSD card in-between the seats mid-flight. It might be something like that one time I lost an SD card down the A/C vent in my Nissan LEAF.
I expect to be away for about a week, so I won’t be playing games much. Sadly I think the first Landmark contesting period for the second season of Rome will be while I am airborne.
I have paused all of my eBay shops and this afternoon I swung by the post to ship the out the last few parcels. I am looking forward to finishing out this 4th quarters sales on a high note and beating last years totals.
Fat Wallet Refugee 