Long Walks On Leafy Streets

11/28/2013 Tuckerman St NE, Washington, DC
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I have much to be grateful for, starting with my wonderful family and friends. I am grateful for their love and friendship. It is good to be reminded of our blessings because it is easy in today's world to be overwhelmed by all the problems. As you might have noticed my writing has been kind of serious and philosophical lately. Voltaire said, "He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise." To that I would add that one who only thinks and does not enjoy life is boring.
The sheer enjoyment of life was awakened in me when I test-drove the all-electric Tesla Model S last Saturday. It was a surprise birthday gift from Nicole. She knew how much I like driving and cars. We had often passed by the Tesla showroom downtown and I had talked about it glowingly. I like how this car has no emissions and it is replacing gasoline powered mid-level sports cars.
Although much energy is lost in the production of new cars, anything that reduces emissions is better. Moreover in the future they plan to produce family sedans that are more affordable, that use less resources in production than a sports car as well as causing zero emissions. Combined with solar panels electric cars can be really great for the planet. In fact on one of our walks around our neighborhood we have seen a home with solar panels on the roof and a Chevy Volt on their driveway, near the Fort Totten metro station. That is our dream too.
Nicole had told me to reserve the Saturday 23rd for a surprise event. I had no clue what it was. On Saturday morning when she told me that I should bring my driver’s license I figured it might be some sort of racing event. When we got off the train at metro center and started walking up 11th street I had a vague feeling we were headed to the Tesla showroom. But I still did not suspect it because I know how she liked to avoid shops selling luxury items to the very rich. Later she told me this was an exception because she knew how much I liked Tesla.
We had arrived a little early and spent some time taking pictures and talking to Nathan the salesman. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. You can see the pictures on my Flickr page. I was highly impressed with the bare-bones structure of the car. It does not need a gearbox, exhaust pipe, catalytic converter, engine oil, carburetor, gas tank and all the other accessories that go with an internal combustion engine. A small motor the size of a large cider bottle powers the entire 4000 lb. car at 460 hp, taking it from 0 to 60 in around 4 seconds. A significant part of the weight of the car comes from the battery pack, which is spread out along the base of the car lowering its center of gravity and providing more stability while taking turns. Batteries are getting better with more research, so in the future the Tesla could be lighter, more powerful and less expensive!
After we got on to the highway I pressed the accelerator and the car zoomed forward like a rocket. The electric motor provides instant torque and the car seems to just take off. It was thrilling and like a teenager I could scarcely contain myself. In the movie "Scent of a Woman" that got him his first Oscar, Al Pacino's character wants to eat in a fine restaurant, sleep with a beautiful woman and test drive a Ferrari before dying. Although those were not my goals or even wants I can now say I have done two of three :-)
Certainly one could enjoy life without such things as driving a sports car. The point is that sometimes we forget that we have to first live before we can love others. I think two basic aspects of all human beings, perhaps many animals as well, is the desire to live and the desire to love. We all want to live and to live well. We all also want to love and be loved. In fact I am not sure if either one would be possible without the other. I am not even sure if the two are different. They seem to come from the same part deep within our consciousness where the very roots of our identity and ego seem to reside.

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