Isaac Garcia's Blog

Who has time for this?

I find it impossible to write consistently on this blog.

Mostly because there are about 1,000 other things that I should, could or need to be doing that are way, way, way more important.

Who has time for this?

Suddenly, Twitter starts to make sense......about all I have time to type out is one sentence of 140 characters before there is an interruption, distraction or disaster that occurs. 

[Consequences of being a father, a husband and a ceo]

Tough Week

Some weeks are better than others.  It was a good week - but a tough week with difficult decisions made.

Tough week.

Lack of Sleep - I'm Guilty of It or Is It DSPS?

I don't sleep enough.  I've often thought that I have a form of Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS).  DSPS is where people "tend to fall asleep well after midnight and also have difficulty waking up in the morning."

I did a little digging on this and its essentially a circadian rhythm disorder - but there is some suggestion that some people have a 27, 28 or 30 hour body clock instead of the "normal" 24 hour circadian rhythm.  This would fall under the "Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome" whereby:

In people with this disorder, the body essentially insists that the day is longer than 24 hours and refuses to adjust to the external light/dark cycle. This makes it impossible to sleep at normal times and also causes daily shifts in other aspects of the circadian rhythms such as peak time of alertness, body temperature minimum and hormone secretion. Left untreated, non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome causes a person's sleep-wake cycle to change every day, the degree determined by how much over 24 hours the cycle lasts. The cycle may go around the clock, eventually returning to "normal" for one or two days before going "off" again. This is known as free-running sleep.

Some studies have shown that people with this disorder have a 25.12 hour sleep/wake cycle.

My wife rolled her eyes when I mentioned this - but I think I'm on to something that explains something about my schedule and personality.  This explains so much to me!

Here is an interesting article about people not sleeping enough and wearing like a badge of honor.

I average ~6 hours per night.  Some days its 7-8...some its 5.   On average, though, its ~6 hours.

(the "Non 24 Hour Sleep/Wake Cycle" Theory would explain this!)

I can't stand sleeping.   

My 4 year old daughter takes after me in this realm.

Bedside Reading

I tend to read a lot.  I read, primarily, for pleasure - secondarily for business.  In short, it just means that I like to read.

Here is a picture of the stack next to my bedside right now.  Click on the image to get a closer look at the contents.

At any given time I'm reading 2-3 books at a time, scan through ~10-12 magazines that I receive each month, I print out articles that I find on the web throughout the day and I receive three daily newspapers (Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and the local Pasadena Star News). 

My nightly ritual is to read for about an hour, in bed. What usually ends up happening is that I get sucked into a long article, a book or can't sleep (because I'm reading) and end up reading an average of 1.5 hours per night (very often for 2 hours). 

This seems to happen no matter what time I go to bed and no matter how much I have to drink.

I think this is all a backlash from my college days.  I busted through college in 3 years with an English degree (I was also a couple of credits shy of a double major in Theology as well) and a minor in Psychology.  I took 18-20 credits every semester and worked ~25-30 hours per week.  Because of my school credit load, I would often be taking 2-3 literature classes at a time.  This would most often require that I read at least two thousand pages per week (novels, short stories, plays, poetry, criticism and research).  In college, ALL of my reading was for school - nothing was for pleasure, per se.  The difference was that I loved literature and criticism and I loved reading.  It was difficult, but hardly a burden.

The habits that I acquired in college and that continued with me through graduate school - to read massive amounts of information nightly and weekly and to then distill that broad swath of information into coherent essays, opinions and writings - became part of my personality and one of my greatest strengths.  The analytical skills and broad reading and analysis that I exercised through college and graduate school have contributed heavily to my business skills, success and future.   

Consuming massive quantities of information on a regular basis is a habit that I never want to break. (It is also a trait that I look for when evaluating resumes or hiring someone. "What is the last book you read?  And the one before?") 

The nightly ritual of reading, often leaving me exhausted in the morning from lack of sleep, is a ritual that I continue to enjoy and cherish.

On Living In California

I'm originally from Texas.  I was born and raised in the small city of Corpus Christi.  After attending undergrad in East Texas (eck!), then Graduate School in Colorado, got married, lived in Denver for a while and then migrated West back to my wife's original home town of Altadena, California. (We actually started in Pasadena and then moved up the hill to Altadena where we presently live).

I've always had mixed feelings about moving to and living in California.  Growing up, California stood for everything that I'm not - glam, glitz, money and granola.  I remember moving here and always saying how I hated it.  Looking back, I think I hated the idea of living in California more than actually living in California.  And, while there are many times that I do miss Texas, I've also grown to like it here on the West Coast. 

This morning, via Ben Casnocha's blog, I was reminded - very specifically - why I've come to enjoy and appreciate California.  As an avid reader of both The Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker (the only two magazines I subscribe to and pay for with real dollars every year; where the rest of the magazines in my house come from is anyone's guess) I failed to notice the following paragraph in an article by Virginia Postrel in the November issue of The Atlantic Monthly:

Los Angeles, like New York, was and is a “city of ambition,” the title of Alfred Stieglitz’s 1910 photo of a New York waterfront of towers and steam. But ambition takes a different form in California. West Coast ambition is not the upward thrust of a skyscraper, the drive to be the tallest in a small and crowded space. Californians like fame and money as much as anyone, of course. But (Hollywood agents aside) their dearest ambitions, like their architecture, are more horizontal, with room for everyone to erect an individual marker. This ambition may be less cutthroat, but it is, in its very openness, more universally demanding. Opting out of the quest for status or money is easy, even virtuous, compared with saying you don’t care whether your life leaves a mark. The things outsiders find absurd or threatening about California—the self-fashioned spiritual practices, the bodybuilder/action-star governor, the crazy diets, the junk bonds, the endless supply of new fictions, the UCLA- and Palo Alto–born Internet—do share a certain grandiosity, a ridiculous desire to change the world, or at least oneself. Better not to admit such ambitions, or so goes the fable easterners love to repeat: the story of the disillusioned California dreamer.

I was surprised at how this paragraph captures my feelings so specifically. As a two time business owner in Los Angeles via Texas and Colorado - I've truely become a California Dreamer.

I Bought a Hyundai Azera: A Layman's Review

Below is my story of how and why I bought a Hyundai Azera.

I was T-Boned on 666 earlier this year.  As a result, I had to go and buy a car.  It didn't have to be a new car, but I guess I was looking for an excuse. 

No Minivans
We had already decided that we didn't want a mini-van.  Having two kids, though, we really needed to look for a car that would accomodate two car seats in the back seat and still give the driver (me) plenty of comfort.  In other words, I didn't want my knees up in my chest while I was driving.  This was particularly challenging because our youngest, Rowan - six months old at the time of this writing, requires a rear-facing car seat because of his age.  This results in the driver's seat having to be crammed forward to accomodate the child's seat. 

So, this small detail ended up dictating where the starting point would be for our car search. 

Not Made In the USA
It had to be a large car.  We didn't really want to buy an American car.  As practical as we are, we still aren't comfortable driving a Buick LaSabre or any other car that only 50+ year olds drive.  Its a deliberate bias that we've purposefully adopted.  That being said, we did look at the Lincoln Towne Cars (Livery Edition) out of a desire to replicate the opulence of getting chauffered around town.  Although, that metaphor would make us the chauffer and the kids the masters.

No German Soccer
Anyways, we continued to research other large-sized mid sized cars.  We liked the German cars, but are either too expensive or Consumer Reports didn't like them.  Additionally, the Audi A4 and A6 backseats are really just too small.  We really liked Lexus, but we really havn't hit that stage in our lives yet.  Of the SUV lines we looked at and test drove the Highlander and the RAV4.  Both were nice, but seemed like overkill for our family.  We aren't quite at the "soccer" stage yet.  Neither of us were comfortable.

We then looked very hard at the Toyota Avalon (a Lexus without the Lexus name).  This car felt good.  Really good.  It seemed like the right mixture of luxury, practicality and space.  It accomodated our family very nicely and provided us adults with the luxury that we required.  (I know, required is such a strong word to use in this context...but its true).

We had further ruled out the Infiniti G-35 because the backseat wasn't quite big enough to accomodate our family.  Plus, the 298 horsepower was killer on gas and a bit too dangerous for my lead foot.  (I love that car).  We ruled out Acura's too because, well, the interiors still look and feel like Honda Civics...in spite of the Sport Shift and excellent handling.

Word of Mouth Marketing
As a result, we honed in on the Toyota Avalon Touring Edition as well as the XLS.  At the last minute, a friend asked if I had looked at the Hyundai Azera.  I laughed.....no way.  Hyundai?  Forget it.  He then proceeded to explain his dilemma when recently searching for a car and retold his Azera test drive experience.  He explained that he really enjoyed driving the car, etc.

I half-heartedly told him that I'd check it out.  I started reading up on the Azera and read reviews and reviews and reviews and learned that it was a "decent" car.  So, I lined up a few test drives. 

Next thing I know I've decided on the Azera over the Avalon and I got several quotes from dealers via the internet ranging from $25,945 - $27,500 for the top of the line Hyundai Azera Limited with Ultimate Trim Package (Black Exterior with Beige Leather Interior). I did all of the price searching at Edmunds.com and received multiple quotes via email.  Its the ONLY way to buy a car these days.

I did a very hard comparison between the Azera Ltd Ultimate with various trims on the Toyota Avalon. In the end, my gut still says that the Avalon is the better car (overall smoother ride (although the backseat of the Azera is comparably as smooth as the Avalon).  The Avalon had zero hesitation on acceleration.  I fell in love with the Avalon's reclining rear seats...but I ended up ignoring this feature since I remembered that my backseat will have 2 car seats.  The Toyota brand is stronger and will probably hold its value better than the Azera as well.

Hyundai It Is
BUT, in spite of that, I couldn't bring myself to spend the extra $4-$5k to get the Azera Equivalent. Azera is packed with great features at a great price. I don't need Navigation System so that made the comparison even easier. Also, the Toyota warranty was substantially less than the Hyundai warranty...and, the Toyota dealerships simply wouldn't deal with me as much. They only discount their demo cars. They didn't offer me any aggressive financing...which makes me feel like Toyota is saying, "Take it or leave it. We don't need you."

I ended up asking myself, is a 12-15% smoother ride worth $4 - $5k? My answer was no. Besides, my wife is short (vertically challenged) and the adjustable pedals in the Azera sealed the deal for her.  The Memory Seats eliminate the need for me to crunch my knees everytime I get in the driver's seat after my wife has been driving it. Plus, Hyundai backs this car up with a 10 Year / 100,000 Warranty.  We couldn't go wrong.

Handling
This car drives and handles very well.  It brakes very nicely and seems to brake in very close accordance with the amount of pressure on the pedals (I'm used to driving Hondas and Toyotas that never seem to quite get the brake thing right).  Tight steering (not sporty), Handles bumps well (Not as smooth as the Toyota Avalon...but the difference wasn't worth the extra $4k).  Accelerates very nicely and shifts very, very smoothly.  It also has E-Shift if I feel like doing a quick downshift to pass cars or just let my lead foot drop.

Comfort
Very comfortable leather (its summer right now, but can't wait to test out the heated seats).  Lots of cabin room (we needed lots of cabin room in the back seat with two kids and car seats).  The Azera has more cabin space than the Mercedes C Class and BMW 7 Series.  Lots of features on the dash....the illuminating lights could be appointed better (I think I counted 5 different colors of lights on the dashboard).  The biggest complaint we have in the interior is that the radio controls on the steering wheel do not allow you to change CD Tracks or Radio Stations.  This is a big drag.  It sounds minor, but its a drag.  Additionally, there is a little wind noise at high speeds, but around town this car is very quiet in the cabin. 

Additionally, this car is packed with amenities such as:  auto-retracting rear-shade screen, one-touch sunroof, Infiniti Sound system (with CD and Tape Deck!!), Auto-Regulated Dual Zone A/C, Rear A/C, Memory Seats, Adjustable Pedals, Rain-Sensing Windshield Wipers, Folding Side Mirrors, 17" wheels, Micheline Tires, 263 Horsepower, and more airbags and interior lights than you know what to do with.

Value
This is a great car.  It took us a while to get over the idea that we were actually buying a Hyundai...but in the end, we are 'value' shoppers and this is the best deal on the market.  Hands down.  The quality of ride, ameneties and value packed into the Azera make this the wisest choice for a value-minded person. 

Normally "value" implies "sacrifice."  Not with the Azera.  In this case, Value means that you are getting MORE than what you are paying for.

Our final decision on which quote and dealer to go with came down to color, availability and convenience. I don't think the dealer that quoted us the lower quote price had the car we wanted and we would have had to wait 2-3 days.  We didn't have the time to wait.  I think if we would have waited, we might have gotten a car for around $25,850, but I think that is about the floor............

Our final deal was:  (I'm in Southern California)
$26,200 + Tax Title and License
I paid $28,700 out the door.

Edmund's Review

Edmund's Discussion Threads (A Must Read for Shoppers)

Motor Trend Road Test (Compare Azera vs Avalon vs Passat)

JD Power Review

ForbesAuto Review

NCTD Review

Another Inconvenient Day

110.8 and climbing.........its the end of the world.  Armageddon is at hand.

UPDATE: So, we end the day with a high temp of 112.6.  It was still 92 degrees at 8:30pm.
This is worse than Las Vegas...b/c its not supposed to be like this here.  When I go to Vegas, I expect miserable heat.

 

Inconvenient High Temperatures in Los Angeles Today

Today was ridiculous. I have no sympathy for the European's who are enduring "record heat in the 90s Fahrenheit."

My neighbor about three houses down from me has a weather station.  Weather stations have come a long way from the plastic rain gauge that I had nailed to our termite-infested wooden fence back in South Texas growing up.

My neighbor's weather station publishes a weather feed every few minutes on the internet.

Check out the high temperature today in Altadena, California.  107.6!!!!!!!

Quick, somebody call Al Gore!  This heat is VERY INCONVENIENT!!!!!!!!

Los Angeles Seasons

I recently saw this as someone's email signature:

Of course SoCal has four seasons:
Earthquake, Mudslide, Brushfire, and Riot

I think we are overdue for a riot.

The Terrible Twos

So my wife had our second child almost three weeks ago.  His name is Rowan.  He is very calm, sleeps well, eats well, etc.  The exact opposite of our first born, Malena (she is two years old).

Over the past few weeks, Malena has been adjusting to the 'new intruder' in our home.  I talk to some friends about her behavior and they write it off as "oh, she is at the 'terrible twos' stage." 

(I hate speaking, writing and hearing cliches. For that, I've always ignored people when they say things like that.) 

But, I'm convinced, that the phrase, "the terrible twos" has nothing to do with the fact that your two year old child is at a stage of development. 

Instead, the "Terrible Twos" has to do with the fact that you have TWO Kids.