Buying a Car When Sick

Last week I was sick, so couldn't write anything or produce videos. I also took a brief pause from working out to rest my body as well. But there were other things to worry about.

I was in the middle of a car-buying process. This translates to multiple trips to the dealership and the bank. Finalizing the loan, selecting the right variant, and all other bullshit was tedious. Collecting documents is a pain in the ass. 

The interesting part is that the car-buying process is still in progress. The next steps include getting my driver’s license and receiving the car. Only after that, my training sessions can begin.

First, let’s plan the process for obtaining my driver’s license.

Licensed to Drive

In my earlier debriefs about obtaining a driver’s license, I described a training program designed to improve my driving skills. The strategy was to head out at about 11:30 pm and drive through the empty streets for an hour.

There’s a chance that night patrols might pull me over for a ‘quick bribe’ since learner’s licenses require accompaniment by a licensed driver. And I would be alone during my test runs.

Hence, it’s better to preemptively deal with the situation by giving a quick bribe to the RTO people and getting my driver’s license the old-fashioned way.

On Tuesday, two days from now, I will head out at about 9:30 am to meet my dealer who will walk me through the process. He is already paid in full, so he knows my name. By the looks of it, as long as I put on my seatbelt and launch the car off the line, I am good to go.

However, I don’t know how the car might behave as I will be driving it for the first time. There is the option to get my car from the dealership for the driving test, but it’d be too much hassle.

The better plan is to pay some cash to the guy at the testing center to use their car for the examination. Again, I just need to put on my seatbelt and launch the car off the line. 

Yes, it is costing me money because I am bypassing the system, but it is much better than losing stacks to the patrolling policemen when I am legitimately just trying to learn. Life is all about optimizing your options.

Game is game.

How I Envision the Coming Week

Monday will be mostly spent doing office work. Maybe I will outline the video on Muhammed bin Sulayem ruining Formula 1 with his ego and stupidity and the fans are pissed off. It’d be hard to do any real content, text and otherwise, considering two key events are coming right up.

I will give the license test on Tuesday and receive the car on Wednesday. Then, I’d do my first training run on Wednesday night. This is to avoid any impending anxiety by dealing with the perceived complexity of taking your own car out for a drive.

If I postpone my first driving test run to Thursday night or later, I’d be thinking of it all day and night, which may mess up my sleep schedule. The best strategy is to just get on with it.

The critical element here is the driver’s license part. When my dealer confirms the slot, I have to direct all of my focus to the task at hand. I recall a salesman from the dealership who was initially rejected for not wearing his seatbelt—even though he eventually got his license, thanks to the dealer.

So, if I just put it on and drop the clutch nice and easy, I am over the hurdle. Of course, I will try to complete the test the honest way, knowing that there is a backup if I fail. It is quite likely that I will not pass the exam because I am a novice driver.

Until the first training session or night drive, there will be a bit of stress in the back of my head. It is not the first time I’ve dealt with a situation like this in that regard, so I will be fine.

I will be unable to work in the initial hours after punching in, but that’s alright because a few hours in the afternoon is enough to get everything done. The plan for each of those days is simple:

• Tuesday: Do some pull-ups, take the driving exam, and work in the afternoon

• Wednesday: Get some office work done, receive the car from the dealership, wrap up office work, go for the first training session, and conduct a quick session debrief

Wednesday seems like too much. But I will take things relatively easier on Thursday, plus the stress levels will be lower because the car-buying process will be completed.

I will finish the debrief in the remaining part of Thursday and write the FIA president-related video script on Friday.

As usual, the video will be produced through the weekend, but all things considered, I will take some time off on Saturday.

Looking Forward: The Chaos and Order

The next week will be filled with ups and downs. Even the Friday will end with a social function, meaning I may not have my usual outing with friends. At the same time, the stress of these days, the workload, and the importance of each of those events don’t bother me.

This is one of the few advantages I have in life. It’s nearly impossible to overwhelm me with tasks and responsibilities. Over the past few years, I’ve been developing my skillset to handle more pressure effortlessly, and it’s showing.

The only disappointing element here is that I have to pause my content creation efforts again.

It was paused in the past week because of the sickness and the initial action items related to car purchasing. In the coming week, there will be three more duds in that regard. Honestly, it is what it is. This is life and we must make concessions more often than not.

Regardless, my content creation skills, especially videography, have substantially improved in the past few months. So, whenever I do create videos, they will be good and I will be back in the rhythm.

Until next time,

Tara