It's all about cars...

Excuses, excuses

2011-04-28T21:25:00.000+02:00

Hmmm, this blog has taken a bit of a back seat of late as I have been busy driving me Julie and blogging about it on Alfa Romeo's Real People site. I'm happy to report that having the Giulietta has been a great experience so far, leading to a few small, but thrilling, roadtrips around Munster and a much grander one on the cards for the June bank holiday weekend. More details to come closer to the date...

One of the stand out routes for me so far, was the Cork Screw in Co. Clare which I did with some members from the Irish side of the Alfa Owner's forum. You can read more about the day by following this link.

(photo courtesy of Caora Dubh Motorsport)

In the past couple of weeks I've been to Mondello Circuit twice, taking in various racing. I find it hard to believe that in my 29 years of car fanaticism, I've only gotten around to making the trip now. Saw some great racing last Sunday between a variety of classes and also caught this off from being in the right place at the right time.

There was a great noise coming from this Ginetta G50, seemed to be a nice bit quicker than the 911s too

Spotted these gorgeous 911s in the paddock, a 993 Turbo and a 996 GT2, nice...

Two minute road trip

2011-02-28T20:41:00.000+01:00

Irish Times Motor Show

2011-02-26T19:30:00.003+01:00

Arrived to RDS Simmonscourt early yesterday morning to see a sizeable amount of entrants in before me. The only other time I've been to a motor show in Ireland was in 1991, if I remember correctly, when the Orion Mk3 was Ford's main feature. The man at the Mercedes stand gave me a tie pin topped off with that three pointed star and on the Opel stand, I proudly told them that my parents drove a Corsa (300 JFI, I'd love to know if it is still on the road). I was nine years old by the way...

CR-Z

Fast forward to the main hall in 2011 where all the attending manufacturers were housed. BMW, Mercedes and Peugeot the noticeable exceptions. The "Electric Avenue" area featured ESB charging points and electric models from Renault, Mitsubishi, Fiat and Toyota. Audi's fantastic looking R8 E-tron was also there to spice things up. Lexus had two hybrids at their stand, the newly launched CT200h and the RX450h whilst Nissan had their own area solely for the impressive Leaf, which I got to test drive. Even though I haven't driven one, my favourite eco-leaning model at the show, had to be the Honda CR-Z. Firstly, I love the styling, and the fact that it's a spiritual successor to the CRX, gives it extra kudos in my opinion. Sitting into it, you get a great, legs-out, low driving position which is sadly lacking in many new cars today. The dash and instruments are very cool and the interior is bright and airy thanks to the panoramic roof.

GranTurismo S

The Feature Cars hall had some nice machinery on display, the Bentley Supersports looked very imposing, whilst the Maserati GranTurismo S just looked fantastic. The Audi R15+ TDi, yes the Le Mans winning one, was what drew most people's attention and to see it for real, was pretty cool. Other notable exotica were the 911 GT3, SLR, Gallardo, Vanquish. Oh, and a couple of Ferraris too... 612 Scaglietti and 430 Spider.

RS5

The RS5 was the main attraction on Audi's stand but the LWB A8 also had its fair share of admirers. Personally, I am not a fan of the styling, I think the previous two generations were better looking cars. This model seems to have gone down the aggressive, get-out-of-my-way look that a lot of manufacturers are keen on of late. The A7 Sportback, to my eyes, is a much more attractive car and not as needlessly shouty as it's bigger brother.

I took a look at Renault's new Irish Edition version of the Fluence, fear not, this does not mean it's the bog standard, steel wheeled, Paddy spec that buyers in the Emerald Isle have in the past been subjected to (mostly thanks to a ridiculous VRT system, but that's another post). In fact, it is the top of the range model in the Fluence line-up and very nice it is too. The exterior gets some extra clout with front and rear valances, 17" alloys and metallic paint whilst the interior boasts a very impressive spec list, great seats too.

As for Ford? Most of their current line-up was on show with the Kuga out front. No sign of any Orions though.

Nissan's Leaf, in brief!

2011-02-26T15:45:00.003+01:00

I attended the Irish Times Motor Show in Dublin yesterday, where Nissan had a dedicated stand for its new Leaf. The Leaf is the only fully electric passenger car for sale in Ireland, with deliveries taking place this St. Patrick's Day. Voted European Car of the Year in 2011, the Leaf is making a big impact and this was noticeable at the show yesterday with attendees showing a lot of interest in the car.

The Leaf runs solely on electricity, and as such, emits zero emissions. Some people argue that generating the electricity for the car offsets this, but with the ever increasing popularity of alternative, renewable energy, this line of reasoning is somewhat weakened. While I'm certainly not an eco-warrior, the benefits of releasing fewer burnt hydrocarbons in to the atmosphere, purely from driving, are plain to see.

But what appeals to me most about this method of propulsion, is the difference you'll see in your bank account on an annual basis. Nissan worked out the fees for charging your Leaf over a year, based on average mileage of 19,000km and using overnight low rate electricity. The figure they came up with? €232... To put that into context, I am currently driving a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel car which has a respectable fuel consumption figure of 5.7l/100km. With diesel currently hovering around the €1.40 mark, we'll use that as the average price for the year and work it out over the same mileage. The resulting figure of €1,516 in diesel bills shows the impressive savings in fuel costs . A Nissan representative told me that even if you charged the car on daytime full-fee rates, the cost over the 19,000km would still come in at under €500.

Leaving all the sensible stuff to the side, what is the car actually like? Well, the interior is spacious, bright and modern, gadget lovers and techies will almost certainly find it appealing, thanks to the touch screen display and various buttons and function switches. Sitting into the Leaf for the first time, an explanation of the various displays and information in front of you is necessary in order for the driver to understand what is being relayed at them. Instead of a rev counter, the instrument binnacle has a graphic representation which shows you how much power you are using while accelerating and how much power you are generating when braking. The latter is due to the regenerative brake-recharge system. Estimated range is displayed alongside current speed and various other bits of info.

Keyless entry is standard, meaning that when you sit into the car, the key stays in your pocket and all that's needed as a prod of the Start/Stop button to turn it on. When you do, all that happens is that the dash lights and sceens flicker to life. No noise, no movement, no physical indication at all that the car is switched on. This was the weirdest moment of the experience for me, because after many years of driving, my brain has developed a subconscious relationship between starting a car and registering sensations of noise and vibration. I had to ask the man from Nissan, if it was actually on or not...

To get going, there is a rounded joystick-type gear selector, which fits nicely into your left palm, and moves one way for reverse and the opposite for drive. The driver selects their desired direction whilst keeping their foot on the brake, and then releases the pedal slowly to start moving. In this regard, it is the exact same method as driving an automatic. Once the car starts rolling, the most striking characteristic of the experience, is once again the lack of engine noise. As your speed builds up, tyre and wind noise are the only aural intrusions, but they are muted and not an issue. In fact, whilst driving, I commented on the impressive NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels and was told that the car has the same ratings as an S-Class Mercedes.

Overall impressions whilst on the road are that the Leaf is very smooth and easy to drive. I happily pootled along the leafy suburbs of Ballsbridge, enjoying the ride quality, and fresh modernity of the car. Unfortunately, my time with the car was limited but I did emerge from it with what Brian from Nissan describes as "the Leaf smile", a new phenomenon which manifests itself during and after people's first encounters with this forward thinking car. Without spending more time with it, it is impossible to say if it is a realistic proposition for people driving on a daily basis and what cons using an electric car might have in real life. But from first impressions, this may just be the car to get motorists to turn over a new Leaf... (sorry had to get it in somewhere!)

White's All Right

2011-02-14T19:51:00.000+01:00

Haven't been near the blog in the past few days due to being in Dublin for the weekend and concentrating on the Alfa Romeo competition (which you can still vote in if you haven't already by clicking this :D)

So, since all the talk (here anyway) has been about the Giulietta lately, here is a news piece I did for www.CarEnthusiast.com on the 140bhp version of the 2.0-litre JTDm2 engine. Sounds like a nice version to go for with bags of torque and good claimed fuel economy figures.

Incidentally, on my way up to Dublin Saturday morning, a white '11 reg Julie (this is what I'm now calling them) passed me on the way into Mitchelstown. It must have only been washed because it was spotless and looked fantastic. I'm generally not a fan of white cars, suits some later model BMW's and Audi's, but I think it's the colour to go for if you're buying a Julie. You decide...

Track-orientated LFA package to be announced at Geneva

2011-02-11T00:13:00.002+01:00

And here's one on the new Nürburgring package Lexus are offering on the already awesome LFA.

http://www.completecar.ie/news/article/644/Even-rarer-Lexus-LFA-revealed

I know this car mightn't be a looker but the amount of technology and engineering gone into it is incredible. Ten years in the making, it's Lexus' (read Toyota's) ultimate expression of what they are capable of (given enough time and money). The sound of the V10 and the speed at which it revs up and drops down are, for me, the defining characteristics of the car.

Bond Brings Back Bentley

2011-02-10T23:50:00.002+01:00

To break up all the competition talk, here is a bit I wrote for CompleteCar.ie on James Bond's choice of car in the new novel Carte Blanche.

http://www.completecar.ie/news/article/642/New-Bond-book-features-Bentley

Alfa Romeo Real People Competition Part 2

2011-02-10T21:48:00.007+01:00

The competition has really started heating up in the past 36 hours, it's going to be a nail-biter to the finish I reckon.
When such a great prize is at stake, it's no surprise that people are pulling out all the stops in their efforts to win.
If you want to vote for me, just click on this link and hit the Like button under my name. I'm the one wearing the Red Hat!

Have to say, this competition has been great craic so far, it's really galvanised people to gather up the troops and drive people towards the Alfa FB page. It's opened up a lot of banter with friends, on my FB page, in work and amongst family members. It's certainly been a successful marketing and promotional effort for Alfa Romeo, with thousands of people visiting the page and creating a buzz around their newly released Giulietta.
Here's to an exciting week ahead that's sure to be a rollercoaster ride for the 40 finalists and their posses (is that the plural of posse?)

Alfa Romeo Real People Competition

2011-02-08T15:23:00.010+01:00

Hopefully the servers hosting this blog won't go into meltdown as the pageviews have increased by a massive 1500%!!! Yup, 15 views already today, heady stuff indeed.

All this new traffic is to be attributed to making the final of Alfa Romeo's Real People competition on Facebook. Click here and you can view and hopefully vote for my entry (I'm wearing the Alfa, eh, "branded" t-shirt, it wasn't photoshopped honest...). Alfa will give 1.6-litre Giulietta Turismos to eight of the finalists with the most votes, for a year, and in return the eight must then report, blog, and tweet on life with the car over the following 12 months. That is my idea of fun, because as a long-time wannabe car journo, any car I've ever driven has turned into a road-test, in my mind at least. I have been waiting for a competition like this all my life!

It's even better that it's A.R. running the competition because if you are into cars, then you will surely have hankered after an Alfa at some stage. I know it's widely quoted, and I'm not one to usually quote him, but Jeremy Clarkson reckons you're not a true petrolhead until you've owned an Alfa Romeo and I do think there's something in that. I still remember the impact a friend's father's black Alfa 33 made on me as a kid back in the early '90's, it was a great looking car and a lot sportier than any of it's contemporary rivals at the time. Only car I've ever come across (easy now) that could make three-spoke alloys look cool. A few years on from that, in my teens, my father took me for a spin in a borrowed 3.0-litre V6 164 and we still talk about the sound from that engine and the lines of the car to this day, it was a cracking machine. These lingering memories have put Alfa Romeo on a bit of a pedestal for me I suppose, it's a very evocative brand with some legendary models in its history, so to drive one, even if only for the year, would be fantastic.

FF for JT

2011-01-21T22:42:00.008+01:00

Ok, I've made up my mind. My long-term favourite, the Jag XJ220, just isn't practical enough and with the wet, cold and badly scarred roads we have in Ireland, the Carrera GT is ruled out as I fear both the car and I would spend more time going backwards than in the intended direction. So, when I do finally win the Lotto or land a job presenting Top Gear (whichever comes first), I am going to get on the blower to Maranello and place an order for the new Ferrari FF.

The FF is a bold move by Ferrari as not only is it their first mass produced shooting-brake, but it also features four wheel drive (a Ferrari first) and has been brought in to replace the traditionally laid out 612 Scaglietti grand tourer. That was a car whose styling divided opinion more than any other recent Ferrari, but the FF is sure to usurp it as its unconventional looks are not what people expect from the Italian manufacturer. Personally, I think it looks fantastic. The front takes styling cues from the 458 Italia, but looks a lot beefier than its low and lean stable mate. From the side, you could be forgiven for thinking that someone had stretched a BMW Z3M Coupé in Photoshop, such are the similarities, but to my eye, this is no bad thing as I have always had a hankering for the Beemer Breadvan. The rear is, in my opinion, the finest on any current Fezza, with clean, unfussy lines and nice concave sculpting which the light lenses protrude from.

The fact that it is a proper four seater, with room for luggage, all weather secure 4wd and 651 bhp surely make it the most desirable practical car on the market. Watch this YouTube clip of development mules sliding and powering through the snow, listen to the engine note and should you have any petrol in your veins, it will surely leave you longing for more.

I'll have mine in this colour please

WD-40 2000+ uses. Fact!

2011-01-10T14:50:00.011+01:00

Driving home on New Year's Eve, I indicated left before exiting a roundabout in the usual manner. Upon straightening the wheel, the stalk popped back into its central position but the indicating light on the dash kept flashing and clicking away. So, I carried on for a while, fiddling with the stalk as I was driving and discovered that by putting a small bit of upward pressure against it, the lights would cancel. This led me to believe that it was a case of a loose contact or something along those lines (I am mechanically challenged at the best of times) and with garages and scrappies closed for the holidays, I resigned myself to using this method when necessary.

Let me tell you, driving with a wayward indicator is stressful stuff. Firstly there's the repetitive tick-click noise which grates hugely as does the repeated blinking of the dash bulb. However, the most irritating thing is the constant awareness that people in following cars think you're an inept idiot who shouldn't be on the road. I became conscious of this when people would begin flashing me after tailing me for more than a minute or so. The simple solution to combat this would be to drive faster than them and pull away... This, however, was not possible with the snow and ice that bombarded the country over the holidays, so what I ended up doing was trying to balance the indicator stalk on a hairline of tolerance, whilst steering, to get it to cancel or, drive even more slowly than I usually would to allow these most gracious road-users the opportunity to overtake. More often than not, the latter act would just lead to severe tailgating and more strenuous headlight flashing by the following vehicles which just built up the stress levels even further. Not good...

Anyway, when the scrappies opened back up after the holidays I rang around and tracked down a replacement unit from a local yard. So the day before I was to collect it, I checked online to see if many other people had had this problem and it turned out that it was a common enough issue on my model car (Xsara VTS). One quick visit to www.cxoc.net (Citroen Xsara Owners Club) and I came away with the information that detaching the indicator unit from the steering hub and spraying liberally with WD-40 can sometimes do the trick. And you know what? It did! Problem solved just like that and I didn't need to buy a replacement unit after all. If I had only researched the fault when it originally manifested, it would have prevented a few unnecessary grey hairs over the holidays

Irish Car Sales up 54.7% in 2010 with Ford the biggest winner

2011-01-10T14:33:00.007+01:00

2010 was a much improved year for the automotive industry in Ireland after the dismal sales in 2009. Total sales in 2010 stand at 88,373, a massive 54.7% rise over the figure of 57,118 in 2009. There is no doubt that the scrappage scheme introduced by the government has played a significant part in this with many buyers taking the opportunity to trade their old vehicles in for new, more efficient models. All in all, 17,000 cars were bought using the scheme, meaning one out of every five new cars sold last year.

The top five players in 2010 were companies who offer smaller, cheaper models which are well suited to initiatives such as the scrappage scheme. It might be a while before we once again see BMW making it to the top five as it did in the heady days of the boom! In reverse order the breakdown of the top selling manufacturers looks like this; Opel fifth, followed by Renault and Volkswagen with Toyota taking the podium in second place just pipped to the post by Ford who topped Irelands charts for the third consecutive year in a row. Fords own sales rose by 38% to 11,273 with the Focus and Fiesta its top selling models.

Car Sales

January - December 2010

Ford
11,273 (12.76%)

Toyota
11,129 (12.59%)

Volkswagen
10,392 (11.76%)

Renault
9,771 (11.06%)

Opel
6,614 (7.48%)

Total industry
88,373

“Encouraged by a combination of scrappage and attractive offers, 30,000 more people bought new cars last year than in 2009,” said Eddie Murphy, Chairman and Managing Director, Ford Ireland. “This was a much needed fillip to the industry after a catastrophic previous year.”
“Despite the gloomy outlook, I foresee similar sales, of ca. 85,000, for 2011, as more people need to change their aging cars and great deals continue.“

The commercial van market which is looked at as a good indication of economic recovery also grew in 2010 though at the lesser rate of 10%. Ford was also top of the sellers in this market taking 18% of commercial sales.

Car-Art and DigIllustrations

2010-12-20T13:33:00.006+01:00

I have started uploading some of my car DigIllustrations to Redbubble where high quality prints, posters, greeting cards and postcards can be ordered of the various images.

I have also created a 2011 calendar featuring some of these images and this can also be ordered from the site.

I have used photographs that I've taken myself in order to create these images featuring exotica such as an Enzo, 911 Carrera, Bugattis, Maserati, Buick, XJ220 and there are more yet to come.

I hope you enjoy them

iF Design awards for Kia Sportage and Kia Optima

2010-12-13T17:24:00.001+01:00

More info on the award and the cars at Gmotors.ie

Lexus Packs It In

2010-12-13T17:18:00.003+01:00

I have a post up about the Lexus LFA and it's high-tech clothes containment units (suitcases) on Gmotors.ie

Volkswagen Reveals Bluemotion Scirocco and Passat CC

2010-12-07T13:34:00.006+01:00

I recently contributed this piece to www.gmotors.ie

Volkswagen are really striving to cut emissions across their range. It's nice to see that they are not just focusing on the humdrum models but paying attention to the spicier motors too. In an age where performance cars sales are being heavily battered by emission charges and annual road taxes, this can only be a good thing.

http://www.gmotors.ie/blog/volkswagen-reveals-bluemotion-scirocco-and-passat-cc/

4 door rocket

2010-08-26T17:55:00.010+02:00

Not too long ago, a friend who I hadn't seen for a while phoned and just said "listen and tell me what this is." Then came a brief pause followed by the throaty, distant sound of a grunty engine accelerating hard. First thought that came to mind was an E92 M3 doing a Top Gun style fly-by so I said as much and he just replied "nah, it's an M5." Anyway, he left it at that and we chatted for a minute before coming to the decision that we'd meet at mine for a cup of tea and an overdue chinwag. Ten minutes later, I pull up outside the house and see an idling Monaco Blue E60 M5 there to welcome me home and my mate smiling his head off. After jumping out of my car and gushing over it for a few minutes, the words I hoped to hear came: "Do you want to drive it?" Hmmm...

Now, I know enough about BMW's M-Division cars to know the important bits. So the first thing I did when I jumped into the hot-seat was to ask if we could put it in full-fat 507bhp mode. "It already is" was the suave response I got. Ok so, afterburners set to ignition, check. Head up display, check. 4...3...2...1... We have lift off. Wow, the off-the-line acceleration is astounding for such a large luxury machine, I really wasn't expecting it. I found myself flying through the paddle shift gears, a little violently perhaps, but there is no denying the speed and effectiveness of the shift. Then all too suddenly I had to back off, the rate this thing was gaining speed was just relentless. First impressions; it's a rocketship in drag as a 530d. However, even though the sheer acceleration was what first struck me, the very well judged damping and body control over the badly scarred roads where I live was what stuck out most. Remember this is a V10 engined, 19" low profile shod manic machine riding as well as the everyday humdrum models in the 5 series range.

So, taking the state of the roads into account, we decided to find somewhere more suitable for the M5 to stretch its legs where it wouldn't run the risk of being swallowed up by the post-winter crevasses that seem to have appeared on every non-motorway in Ireland this year. Luckily enough, there is a nice, smooth and flat ring-road not too far from where I live so the game was on. Now, I am in no way condoning speeding or going hells bells on public roads but if I was that way inclined, the M5 would certainly be the car to do it in. The in-gear acceleration is like nothing else I have experienced, it just pulls and pulls all the time pushing you back into your seat. In fact, the manner in which the speed was piling on made me a little uneasy as I realised that this is a car that could get you locked up very quickly.

The E60 M5 is a car with a double personality. When the auto box is left to its own devices and you're easy on the trouble-pedal, the car is an effortless cruiser with comfort and space aplenty. But, when you decide to go a little banzai, it will lift up its skirt and bludgeon you towards the horizon with the awesome soundtrack of the V10 enveloping you. It's by far the fastest and most impressive car I have driven in terms of all round ability. But would I buy one (if I could afford it...)? If I lived in Germany and travelled an autobahn regularly, then yes, this is the ultimate saloon to have and you could exploit the explosive power without worrying about ending up in a cell with a guy named Frankie Fingers. However, in Ireland I feel it would be somewhat of a bitter-sweet experience as you run the risk of incarceration by fully enjoying this amazing machine. Plus, when you add in the heavy running costs and extortionate annual tax costs (currently €1,566), you really need to be enjoying it to justify the outlay. All in all though, it makes me happy that people are still buying cars like this as it is testament to the enjoyment and pleasure they get from driving exceptional machines.

"Driving to a greener future"

2008-12-19T14:06:00.001+01:00

Interesting piece written by BBC's Europe Editor, Mark Mardell.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2008/12/driving_to_a_greener_future.html

Showing off or sharing?

2008-12-17T11:15:00.002+01:00

Had a real treat yesterday! Whilst waiting at a zebra crossing, a black Gallardo LP-560 sidled stealthily to the lights, humming like an F1 racer turned down just a notch. It was my first time seeing the revised model in the flesh and all I can say is bravo Lambo design team! The new styling tweaks manage to update and reinvent the stance and visual character of the baby bull (bullock?). The front is now more aggressive and angular and you can easily see how the Reventon has influenced its design. The greatest triumph though is the beautifully resolved rear end. I always found the back of the original Gallardo to be its weakest feature. It had a fussy, unfinished look to it that didn’t fit in with its stylised nature. The new rear however, looks clean and unfettered and lends the design a more functional appearance thanks to sleeker lights, a body width mesh vent and venturi-style diffuser.
But, what made my day was the sound and the engine note as the driver eagerly broke away from the crossing. For the 4 to 5 seconds it took him to get to the next set of lights, the whole street was treated to the goosebump-inducing howl of that sweet, sweet V10. People stopped in their tracks and suddenly took notice of the low, lithe black car. Sure, it’s a show-offy thing to do but I’m certainly ok with it……

Introduction...

2008-11-26T15:00:00.001+01:00

Well, I've finally sat down to start writing a blog. After reading many and contributing to few, I feel the time is now right to take the plunge. I will not be offering my world view from here or even contemplating current events but will instead take the route of jotting down some of the car-related ramblings and musings which inevitably fill my day. If anyone out there picks up on these, please jump on my metaphorical flat bed and come along for the ride!

This blog, like most I’d imagine, is a way of venting my thoughts and opinions on what I am most passionate about and interested in, which in my case happens to be cars. Out of my friends, there are only a couple who share my enthusiasm which can sometimes be frustrating. A recent example of this happened last week whilst walking around town with a friend from work during lunch. Taking a shortcut by one of the many canals in Copenhagen, we came across a silver 550 Maranello. Super car, I'm sure you'll agree... So, stopping to take a snap with my camera phone (as I usually do when I spot an oddity or rarity), my friend asked “what type of car is that” and then most disturbingly "what are you going to do with the photo, take it to bed?" First I had to come to grips with the fact that she did not recognise it as a Ferrari and secondly I began to question my motives for taking the picture. The thoughts “am I a nerd,” “is this sad” and “what am I actually going to do with this photo” pelted themselves at my subconscious. Then I pulled myself together and responded in a strange internal dialogue; “yes,” “maybe” and “I don’t know yet but I’d prefer to have it than not.” It was a strange situation because I never really before questioned why I take these photos. Anywhere I’ve been where there have been nice cars on the streets has always resulted in lots of picture-taking. And when I look back at these photos, they usually mean more to me than just a picture of a car. Like the photo taken in Paris of the first Maybach I had ever encountered, reminds me of the day a mate and I decided to get out of the dull little town in Normandy where we were studying and made a break for the capital. Or the one of a red 355 Berlinetta in an old estate I used live in reminds me of how surprised and excited I was to have seen it in such ordinary surroundings and how I waited by the kitchen window in the hope of hearing the V8 fired up. Spotting a rare or pleasing car can redefine a whole day for me and make it stand out in my memory. If you’re a car enthusiast/aficionado/fanatic, well then maybe this is making sense to you also… I hope so for my own sake…