I Test Drove a Tesla and It Was Interesting, All Things Considered

I went to a Tesla showroom yesterday and drove a Tesla Model Y with Clarkson. It was mainly for fun and to give him something to do during his Spring Break. This came about as we would often play around on the Tesla display at a Mall Clarkson enjoys visiting. One time, they asked if we wanted to do a test drive from the showroom location (in Chesterfield, Missouri), and I said, "Sure." Having now driven a Tesla Model Y, I can say they are nice cars, but I doubt I'd own one as they are quite expensive (way out of my price range) and have a weird mix of politics around the brand from the good like the importance of conservation and saving energy (they're electric and don't waste fossil fuel) to the bad like having the face of the company (Elon Mush) who is...problematic.

Tesla vehicles are snazzy. Elon Musk is a terrible person to have as the CEO due to how divisive he is. Both of these things can be true. Having a car with a bunch of sensors and cameras capable of driving itself to a degree and parking for you is impressive. Having your CEO spend hours on Twitter/X posting weird political opinions or outright lies/propaganda is less-than-optimal. Still, I enjoyed tooling around in a Tesla Model Y, and Clarkson had fun too--he was especially intrigued by the unique car handles.

Clarkson examining a Model Y in the showroom.
He has Christmas pants on in March, yes.

The person who assisted us with our test drive was very nice (and not pushy at all about buying the car once I made it clear I lacked the moolah to ever consider that). Frankly, everyone was pleasant and eager to answer questions at the Tesla shop/showroom/service center. It wasn't high-pressure or awkward like some car stores; it felt more like a computer shop or Apple store than anything else. The focus was on all the tech in the cars and in the displays, and it got me thinking about something. These aren't exactly cars being sold, but extremely fancy computers that can transport people, in a sense. You don't use a key; you sync it to your phone. There is no gas, oil, or combustion, but there are monitors with touchscreens that you use to handle a lot of attributes. It's all fascinating, and other companies have taken note and made their own fully electric or electric-focused cars, seeing the success Tesla has had. It's a popular product, and a snazzy one, with a literal front trunk called a, "Frunk," which I find hilarious and clever. Yet, still, he's involved.

Not to harp on Elon Musk, but it matters. I mean, if you were asked to name the CEO of Ford, Toyota, or the like, could you? Perhaps that relative lack of public presence helps those brands more than it hinders them, as Musk is Tesla at this point in time, for better or worse. Eventually, he may leave the company, and it will remove the shadow he casts over everything there to a degree. For now, even if you have the funds to purchase a Tesla, Musk's involvement complicates things, to put it in a polite manner. His love-hate relationship with Trump, messy politics, and the like is alarming ot think about, no matter how fun a test drive can be. 

The wild thing at the end of the day is how Musk is known for making outlandish claims (we ain't going to Mars anytime soon) and screwing things up (he did a number on the US Government with his short-lived DOGE), but this company, which started in 2003, that he joined way back in 2004, has kept chugging along. Perhaps if the Musk of the early 2000's (he was actually somewhat liked back then) were similar to the Musk of today, we'd all have a very different opinion on the public image of Tesla and therefore Musk. That's a big hypothetical, however, and when people with a Tesla need to slap a, "I bought this before Elon went crazy," sticker on their car...well, that says a lot. Some day, Musk will depart Tesla, and on that day, many in the company will breathe a sigh of relief as he takes off for retirement or a trip to his colony on Mars. For now, however, we're all stuck here on Earth with the planet's richest man trolling everybody on Twitter/X as if that's his true passion. Just slap a, "I was on Twitter before Musk changed its name and ruined it," on your iPhone, and we'll be alright.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day 2026

It is Saint Patrick's Day! Wear green if you feel festive and remember that pinching people just because they didn't wear green is a good way to get in trouble (or get a date if you pinch them just right)! Have some corned beef and cabbage (if you're not allergic like me) and some Irish soda bread--which I do recommend as it is quite a tasty item. Just take it easy on the green beer if you're a drinker, as that will definitely look even stranger coming up than it did going down. Have a good one, ya'll!

There Are Two Uncle Bill's Locations Again

Uncle Bill's is a superb restaurant mini-chain. There is a location on a road known as Kingshighway and another on Manchester Road (which opened second). The original spot, in fact, closed for a bit, and was sold to a new owner (the Garcia Brothers), who is now engaged in a soft launch as of today with limited weekday hours. The intent is to keep the original vibe/style/feel for restaurant-goers. Both Uncle Bill's restaurants have been superb anytime I visit them, so I'm happy there will be two spots once more!

The Inexplicably Magnetic Toxicity of Colt from, "90 Day Fiance," on TLC

Colt Johnson has been on various iterations of, "90 Day Fiance," for years now. It started out as a show focused on people who had a potential spouse coming over from another country on a K-1 visa so they could get married and start their future spouse on a path to citizenship. Things quickly expanded to create an entire universe of 90-day shows focused on everything from a couples first meeting in person, to people moving to a foreign country, checking on couples and how they're doing, and following up on individuals whose relationships did not work out and are now looking for love again. What started out as a single idea turned into a multi-tentacled octopus of entertainment. Some of the spin-off shows are better than others, and some, "Cast members," are quite intriguing, while other folks are a bore who vanish after a single season. Colt first appeared in 2018 on the, "OG," franchise with Larissa. He almost comes across as sympathetic there, as Larissa was portrayed in an unflattering light when she came over from Brazil to become engaged to and then marry Colt. Colt often had his mother, Debbie, around and meddling in his life, which caused immense friction with Larissa. He and Larissa divorced within a year. Then things get weird.

Before I go down the rabbit hole of Colt's romantic life, let's discuss the man himself. He's a bit nerdy, known as a horndog, and doesn't seem that special, but he keeps drawing in women who he then does terribly wrong. When you watch him on television, you want to hate him, but he's just self-aware and funny enough that it's like the, "Heel," in a wrestling match or Jason in, "Friday the 13th." They're clearly villains, but they're just so fun to watch as they wreak havoc, and Colt has given us plenty of mayhem.

Once Colt was single, he started seeing another Brazilian woman named Jessica. She was a sweet redhead who really liked him, it appeared. He proceeded to cheat on her with a friend he knew locally, Vanessa. Eventually, he and Vanessa got married, had tons of relationship issues (mainly, his infidelity) and divorced. In 2025, we watched as Colt appeared on, "90 Day Fiance: The Hunt for Love," which put a bunch of people who had been on different iterations of the show in a resort to hook up with random folks or each other. Colt and someone else who had been on the show long ago and reappeared only recently-ish, Cortney, fell in love. He also got horribly injured on a slippery step and broke his leg. He moved in with Cortney, and as the latest season of, "The Single Life," has shown us, engaged in remote cheating by using his cellphone to engage in sexting other women--all while struggling to have sex with her and blaming his injury.

On the March 9th episode of, "The Single Life," we saw as Cortney confirmed Colt was lying to her and she kicked him out of her house--where he was currently living. When they met later to discuss how batshit insane everything has been, she pointed out how he is:

1. Injured/can't walk.

2. Homeless (she's letting him crash with her at her parents' house).

3. Jobless (besides this show, of course).

4. Has erectile dysfunction (at least with her) and can't get it up to even have sex...

...yet he is still cheating on her. Then the episode ends with her hesitating to actually leave him and maybe, just maybe, forgive this man and stay? Say what? How does Colt do this to all these women, or as a cast member named Tim once said during a show where they watch 90-day programs with us, "How does Colt get so much ass?"

Perhaps it is a case where Colt gives off an energy where women are like, "I can fix him!" Maybe it is how he is affable, intelligent, and smart enough with that intelligence to hide his slimy tendencies. After two failed marriages, no job, no home, and supposedly having a micropenis as some exes claim, you'd think a person such as Cortney would know better than to set a single foot near Colt...and yet, here we are in 2025 (when the show was filmed), and Colt is somehow irresistible to the ladies. He has some kind of magnetic toxicity, and despite being aware that he should know better than to act how he does...Colt always screws things up. Colt excels at making any bad situation he is in worse. He says he feels shame anytime he gets caught for his behavior, but he keeps doing it--and yes, us the audience, keep watching.

This brings up the age-old debate about reality shows and whether they do little more than encourage bad behavior. The worst individuals/villains/heels get all the airtime, and the fans gobble it up. Can you remember a boring lady from a, "Real Housewives," show, or when you think if castmembers do names such as Nene Leakes, Jen Shah, and so forth pop into your noggin? If you're not a diehard fan of, "Vanderpump Rules," name someone besides Tom Sandoval--Hell, even if you never watch the show or anywhere else he has appeared, you might know that name due to the usual news and jokes of popular culture! We've got an admittedly fun show all about the baddies of reality television called, "House of Villains," and I've seen zero desire online for a house of heroes. Are we enabling Colt by tuning in to his shenanigans? I, personally, think he would behave the way he does regardless of cameras being present sometimes in his life, but as long as the cameras are there, I want to witness what he gets up to! Oh no, does his magnetic toxicity affect us television viewers as well?

Since reality television became popular, those who scheme, backstab, cheat, and otherwise are deceptive are the people who get the most attention. From, "The Real World," and Puck to, "Survivor," and Richard Hatch in the, "Old," days to more recent stuff such as Plane Jane on the 16th season of, "RuPaul's Drag Race," and Monica Garcia in the fourth season of, "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City." I mean, one of my favorite reality television shows ever would be, "Big Brother," and Dan Gheeseling is generally thought of as being one of the best players ever because of how good a job he did outright lying and plotting how to screw others over (he struggled a bit on, "The Traitors," though, proving just becuase you excel at one game doesn't mean you will always be good at every single competition). 

We don't necessarily root for the bad guy/gal in reality television, scripted T.V., movies, games, or whatever, but we can all probably admit the scoundrel is fun to watch. Hence, Colt remains a presence of many, "90 Day," shows, and we find ourselves glued to our screens asking, "Jeez, what will he do next?" Tune into the latest episodes of, "90 Day Fiance: The Single Life," if you feel like you need to find out. Don't worry, I won't judge, I'll be right there with you (symbolically, that is, I will be on my own couch) watching too.

Happy Pi/314 Day!

Around the World, we acknowledge Pi day as its first three digits are 3.14, and then it seems to never end after that. This is also a special day locally, however, as 314 is an area code for Saint Louis, and as it is March 14th, that means we've got Pi day and 314 day too! Enjoy some pie, get a handful of toasted ravs on the side, and wash it all down with some $3.14 beer if you're a drinker!

Flashback Friday: "Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic," is an Example of How to Revisit the Past With Modern Updates

If you've been reading my blog for quite a long time, you may recall how, back in 2011, I wrote about my fondness for, "Rollercoaster Tycoon." All these years later, I still love the series, and I was intrigued to learn about, "Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic." Playable on a computer or iOS back in 2017 and on the Nintendo Switch (and now Switch 2) as of 2024, it combines a variety of elements from, "Rollercoaster Tycoon," and, "Rollercoaster Tycoon 2," to make something that counts as new but is totally familiar and fun.

When I started playing a copy of, "Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic," I got from the library, I found doing certain things came back to me almost like muscle memory despite the many years since I've actually played one of these games. I guess I spent so many hours as a kiddo crafting the perfect rollercoaster routes or best decor for my little self-made food court that some stuff is just ingrained deep in my brain. I still suck at keeping my park's budget balanced (I'm sorry, but a park that can't afford my epic wooden coaster that takes up half the space and costs thousands a month to keep functioning is a park I refuse to associate with), but I love making wild little setups of food kiosks, decorations, rides, and so forth. Even if my monthly income calls for more red ink than black, at least my guests are pleased with how I set up my footpaths and the free restrooms (I've never had the heart to charge folks even ten cents just to pee).

Whether you're an older gamer who remembers the OG, "Rollercoaster Tycoon," or a young'un eager to build a fun park in a retro-ish (and quite fun) game, "Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic," does an expert job of updating things for the present but keeping 100% of the vintage charm. 

Advance Review: "Oracles," by Olivia Sullivan

"Oracles," is an upcoming original graphic novel by Olivia Sullivan and set to be released by Avery Hill Publishing this Spring. I had the chance to read an advance copy and found it a superb and fascinating book! It features a minimalist prose that invites us to read between metaphorical lines as we witness a heartbroken individual head to the countryside in the hopes of exploration, meditation, and peace. Things get a bit supernatural, as well, between our protagonist, growing tree limbs out of their body at one point, and encountering strange creatures across varying landscapes.

"Oracles," is a bit of a visual poem, lush and imaginative as our hero/heroine (their gender is never made explicitly clear) traverses various places in the hope of finding...something. We are all searching, after all. for answers, community, clarity, or anything else. Maybe it can be found out in the wilderness, maybe not, but our, "Main character," has dreams of making a life out there (at one point literally dreaming of a perfect woodland life and then realizing they're ravenous as even these dreams of a busy life in the wilderness make one hungry). The mix of quiet sadness and an element of hope in, "Oracles," gives it a nice, vaguely optimistic vibe even when the unnamed narrator/protagonist is in harm's way--such as a boat capsizing.

I greatly adored, "Oracles," and found Sullivan's way of telling the story in bits and pieces of prose to work perfectly at giving us a contemplative (and beautifully drawn) tale. I would encourage you to preorder a copy directly from Avery Hill or ask your comic-shop/bookstore/library to secure a copy. I excitedly rate this comic/graphic novel...

5 out of 5 Stars.

I've Got a New Article in, "Undie Comix," #4

You may recall I wrote an article for the 'zine that combines underground and indie comix to become, "Undie Comix." It appeared in the third issue. Well, in exciting news (in my opinion) I wrote another article, and it appears in the latest/fourth issue!

My article is about Avatar Press/Boundless Comics, and, "Sneaking the Underground into the Mainstream." Plus, there are other awesome articles, comics, and for very little cash ($5), you get a great read! If you want a copy, you can always buy it from their store or support their Patreon.

Mar10/Mario Day, 2026!

It is March 10th, and if you note it down just right, it looks like Mar10. Hence, it is Mario Day! Nintendo is doing various promotions, and should you go to Gamestop dressed as Mario (I'm bringing a paper mask and have a fun Mario-themed shirt), you can get a $5 store credit. It's a fun little day and if all I have to do for a free five bucks at Gamestop is stop by in my little getup and perhaps do an awful Mario impression, you know I'm gonna do it!

Tom Brevoort Wants to Make Me Angry--and I Kind of Understand Why

Tom Brevoort works at Marvel, and he wants to make me angry. Not specifically me, however, that would be upsetting. He Marvel Executive Editor, SVP, and Senior X-Men Editor, and he discussed recently how he basically believes that it is better for fans to be furious/angry/otherwise perturbed about a storyline than simply indifferent. If Marvel can stir passions in fans--even objectively, "Bad," ones, that's better than folks shrugging and being bored. I see what he's getting at. I mean, "Secret Empire," was an awful comic, but it had an interesting--albeit odd--idea to have reality-warping powers make Captain America a secret sleeper agent for Hydra. Many fans were angry, but we checked the comic out to see what happened, didn't we?

This reminds me of when I'm watching, "Saturday Night Live," and a really weird sketch comes on. Even if it isn't hilarious, I always say, "I'll take weird over boring." A sketch that is simply dull won't garner laughs or discussion, but if you get really strange with it, that can keep my focus (and if I laugh, too, it is a win-win). Having a comic that makes me angry, piques my interest by being weird, or otherwise stirs some kind of emotion/thought is better than a book I pick up, read, and can barely remember due to how uninteresting it was. If you do something purely for shock value and don't have much substance to what happens, it can backfire. Sometimes doing something utterly shocking can have a remarkable payoff, however. I mean, to stay on the subject of Captain America, a lot of fans were beside themselves when Bucky was brought back from seemingly being dead decades later  (in our real time, not comic-book time) as the Winter Soldier, but that is now regarded as one of the better storylines ever told within a, "Captain America," comic! Even if Hyrda-Cap was a swing-and-a-miss, that earlier storyline was a homerun (and you can't win them all, clearly).

Tom Brevoort wants me to be angry, because at least if I'm angry, I'm not bored. It makes sense, but people can eventually just burn out if you keep simply trying to get their attention with a dumb gimmick. "Spider-Man and Mary Jane aren't married now! She has kids with another guy named Paul...and the kids are metaphysical creations who disappeared, but she's sticking with Paul! Oh, and she's Venom now! Plus, she is leaving Paul, but not getting with Spidey!" and so forth for anyone who has followed the latest (main continuity) Spider-Man. I don't really care about Paul and the, "All-New Venom," comic with Mary Jane is decent, but a lot of people just got whiplash from how rapidly things shifted in a manner that seemed simply designed to constantly infuriate readers. Again, at least the Venom stuff has been fun, but all the stuff leading up to it was insanely off-putting...as Brevoort perhaps wanted, regardless of if it got a bit exhausting.

I'm not personally upset with Tom Brevoort and know he isn't trying to bait me or anyone directly (anyone who sent him death threats about various comics, as he recounts, is taking things way too far). He wants to keep fans engaged, though, and if doing a storyline that ruffles feathers helps accomplish that, then yeah, he's maybe doing something right. I'll take a rage-inducing and/or weird Marvel over a boring one. If anything, the company needs to do something a bit strange or upsetting right now to get more attention in the comic-book market. Go ahead, Tom, make me mad!