I’m sorry! I’m so sorry for all the miserable things I’ve done. I’m deeply flawed – this isn’t news to anyone – but this is that day of the year when I really need to quit pretending it’s not true and just, you know, accept it. Yes, it’s Yom Kippur again, the Day of Atonement, and oy do I have some atoning to do.
That also means I’m not going to be on the site today; I’ll be fasting and trying to explain to people I’ve wronged how I see what I’ve done and am sorry about the damage it caused and will, really, really try not to do it again. Sure, they may not be swayed because this is an annual event, but I promise I’m trying.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve done anything all that horrific, but it never hurts to really take a look and think about things. I know I’ve worked too much and not given as much time as I could to the fam, I know I’ve been short with people – verbally, I mean, the physical way I really can’t do anything about.
And for you, my wonderful Autopians, I should perhaps apologize for my pretty cavalier attitude towards copy editing and all the times I’ve had to rush through something, because, let’s be honest, you deserve better. Oh, and for you members, I should apologize for procrastinating about birthday drawings. I’m still so behind.
Should I apologize to my cofounders, David and Beau? I’ve definitely argued with David plenty. And Matt, our publisher, maybe I should apologize to him. I tend to bring up Martin Luther’s book, The Jews and Their Lies, when he mentions his Lutheran Church, and I do it just in the hopes of making him a little uncomfortable, which I find funny. But that’s not cool.
I should apologize to the automakers that have loaned me press cars that I have yet to get around to writing reviews of. Why do I procrastinate review writing so much! I have like six or so to catch up on. That’s ridiculous. Okay, starting this week, I’m going to try and write up some of these reviews! Ugh.
I’m not apologizing to Bugatti, though. Screw ’em. I stand by my take here:
Point is, I’m a flawed person, I realize it, and before hashem will write me into the Book of Life – the benefits of which I’m honestly pretty unclear about – I need to make right with the people I may have wronged. So, I’ll try.
And, even better, it’s a good reason to re-use this GIF I made like 20 years ago:
I hope you all have a fantastic day and enjoy the many wonderful stories on this site I’m so thankful for, and if you’re observing the holiday, too, I hope you have an easy and meaningful fast!
Top graphic image: RM Sotheby’s
You take that back Jason Torchinsky! You did my member drawing and IT IS AWESOME.
Jason, I’m not even an especially observant Jew, but everytime you drop some Yiddish or mention a Jewish holiday, I feel so seen. All the stuff people say about representation matters hits me so damn hard with you. And I just wanted to share that.
Thanks, dude.
Well now you’ve got something for next year: thou shall not (as a progressive Jew) rely on orthodox websites! Myjewishlearning.com
Is that a Champion or a Maico in the picture?
Tzom kal
It has the Maico badge, so it’s a late one.
Maico was in dire need of anything with four wheels. When everybody else had chosen the path to glorified scooters that looked vaguely like cars, they had presented the Maicomobil, which was basically a car that looked like a scooter.
So they bought the tools for the Champion, a microcar that had already bankrupted two other companies. What could go wrong?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maico_Mobil
Is this where we get to do our hot takes and not have to be judged by them?!
Thought this post was about the time you touched the car at the car show.
Torch, if you were perfect you’d be boring. Love you just the way you are, please never change. 😉
I am fundamentally incapable of understanding religions of any kind.
I can only speak to Judaism. YK is a day of (among other things) reciting lists of all the possible ways of missing the mark when it comes to other ppl or our own discipline. You don’t have to be Jewish or a theist to benefit from having to consider the universe of possible transgressions. (And yes, you could still do this free of religion, but it’s hard to have that commitment without a scheduled day on the calendar)
L’shanah tovah!
Toss us a reminder on the Chapel Hill doo-dah this weekend please.
As a Catholic, I occasionally bring up Martin Luther’s book to my Lutheran wife. It never goes well, but it really intensifies our marriage. And what the Hell’s wrong with indulgences?
Just tell those companies that you’re waiting for the embargo date. “What? That date was three months ago?? Hey, just making sure.”
Also, when someone (or some “B”ook written by a person) tells you to do something, and you ask why, and they say, “Because I said so” (without a gun to your head, I mean), you don’t have to do it. That’s code for “I want to revel in my control over you; now give me all your money.”
Shit. When I joined I thought they said feast not fast. Also I’m pretty sure my kids want to know if there was a special
Prayer of not hearing them atonement.
You’ve stocked up a hoard of good will. Not much to atone for. This website is a treasure. It’s a mitzvah!
Still waiting on my Jasonia passport, but paperwork’s always a bitch.
Thanks Jason! Apology accepted for dissing Peugeots for being un-American when a 504 appeared the JCM video. Hope you and your family have a peaceful day.
Nevermind the Catholicism, the 15 years of listening to “A Prairie Home Companion” in my parents’ kitchen taught me that you can’t make a Lutheran uncomfortable because that would presuppose that a Lutheran was comfortable to begin with.
+1 for reminding me of Prairie Home Companion.
This post brought to you by:
“Powdermilk biscuits: Heavens, they’re tasty and expeditious! They’re made from whole wheat, to give shy persons the strength to get up and do what needs to be done.”
The stains on the bag indicate freshness.
It’s those horrible ’80s Ford seats with the negative lumbar support that kept the Lutherans of Lake Wobegon uncomfortable.
I just put this image in so we have some car stuff and it has a “looking within” feeling to it
Putting a picture of a DKW Schnelllaster into a text about atonement is a really good idea. After all, “Laster” can also translate to “vice” (as in moral failing, not as in heavy tool to hold stuff spelled the British way). So if you want to atone for your quick vices, the F89L is the vehicle for you!
What’s the American way of spelling “vice?” The tool kind, or otherwise?
The US-ian spelling of the bench-mount-stuff-holding-tool is vise.
People get confused about that one. We have Vise Grip (the company), Vise Grips (their handheld locking pliers), and Vice Grip Garage – an excellent YT channel the founder of which (I assume) didn’t want to catch any grief from the tool company so he used an alternative spelling.
Thank you. Today I learned. I realize that, I may never have seen it written out.
If there was a show called Miami Vise, I’d definitely watch it.
I assume the YT was also aiming in the direction of “it’s a pun, so satire, so no suing me”.
If there is a god then I intend to leave all the atoning to Israel because I reckon they need all the atoning bandwidth they can get.
As for you, Torch – we’re good. Keep it weird, keep it enthused and you’re okay in my book. Don’t start dragging religion into these pages though – it’s plenty strange enough without Large Format Cults taking up screen space too.
I’m just waiting for your collab with Alec at Tech Connections. You two would get along like a house on fire.
Exactly like a house. Exactly on fire.
I dunno, Alec is really more about refrigerating things than burning things. 😉
And refrigerating them for like, hours. Which isn’t a long time in terms of quiescence but as far as YouTube videos go, it’s forever. My digital-media-addled brain gets fuzzy after about 25 minutes. I love that dude but wish he’d give shorter segments a shot.
Don’t forget the toaster though!
True, but his toaster makes perfect toast every time. It never burns the toast. 😉
Judaism is a religion. Israel is a political entity, albeit populated by a lot of Jews. Regardless, being Jewish does not presuppose any particular stance on Israel. If someone mentions Judaism, it’s (in my book) inappropriate to respond with “well I have what to say about Israel.”
Exactly!
There are some conservative sects of Jews who are adamantly anti Israel, a lot of reform Jews too, and it’s been like that going on a hundred years.
Some, both ultra conservitive and liberal, because a religious state is anathema. Some, mostly conservitive because they think a religious state is fine, but think it should be located in New York’s Hudson Valley. Also, you have a lot of disillusioned Jews who liked Israel when it was a secular socialist state, and are appalled by what it has become. Oh, and there are some Christian and Arab Israelis caught in the middle.
Then you have some Christians fanning the flames because they want a strong Israel so that it can be attacked, bringing on the end times, Google Red Heifers, and how some Texans are breeding them and taking them to Israel as a prerequisite for a political leader or false messiah (the Antichrist) to make a peace deal, allow the third temple to be rebuilt, and later turn against God by sitting in the temple and claiming to be God. Note that JD Vance claims that the antichrist may be walking among us, but as yet doesn’t claim to be working for him.
So that’s kind of screwed up.
The fact that the prime minister’s only hope for staying out of jail is to hang onto power by siding with the extremists, and Hamas exploited that, believing that if they attacked, the retaliation would destroy Israel, also seriously messed things up.
There’s a joke about how if you put 5 Jews in a room talking about politics long enough, you end up with 120 political parties ( five factorial ), plus another party that none is a member of. The point is that Judaism is radically unhierarchical, almost as much so as Quakers and Buddhists.
Amen! Oft overlooked is there are tens of millions of fundamentalist Christians who have strong (right wing) support for Israel and the current government. Christians United for Israel alone has 10+ million. Compared to 5-7.5 million American Jews (which have diverse views).
Interesting that when a Jew mentions they’re Jewish, at least some folks think it appropriate to make them talk about Israel. Doesn’t seem to happen much to ppl in these other groups…
Yeah, someone who supports you so that you can be destroyed in Armageddon and bring about the end of life on earth, because that’s a good thing? Who needs “friends” like that. F those crazies.
Btw, Judaism isn’t really a religion precisely, there are plenty of Jewish Atheists.
As one said, a promise is a promise even if you are making it to yourself. Some would say that promising something to yourself is the most serious promise of all.
Okay Torch… I forgive you. I grant you atonement.