For The Record- 17. May. 2025

Some thoughts on cigarettes, social media, and Subarus

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The more things change, the more they stay the same.

There is a joke that asks how you can tell if someone owns a Subaru or not, the punchline being: Just wait 10 seconds, and they’ll tell you. I’d love to say I’m above the fray, but I’m as bad as anyone. It’s a lifestyle, you know, and the only thing more insufferable than Subaru owners are vegans and CrossFit junkies. Of course, I own a Subaru. They’re the best car on the road today—just ask me.

Or I did until recently.

The truth is, I loved my Outback, a car that seemed to start every morning almost out of spite. It got me to work in countless storms, whisked us off on family trips, and bombed all over this state in search of one soccer field or another. Once an iceball punched a hole in the radiator (thanks, Wisconsin!), and I still managed to make it to the shop.

A couple of weeks ago, it took my son to Milwaukee, and brought him back…almost. It’s never fun when your car decides to commit hara-kiri, but doing so at 11 PM on I-94 is especially not awesome. Everyone but the car made it home safe. That meant a lot of time and energy deciding what was next for me, automobile-wise.

Similarly, there’s been a lot of chatter lately about moving away from social media towards analog and/or closer-knit communities. A lot of time and energy spent working through how we want to spend our time and what’s next content diet-wise.