An original Oppositelock alumnus and chemical engineer by education, I'm a former MotorBiscuit staff writer and producer. Currently, I'm a research editor for Car and Driver magazine. And when I'm not writing, driving my Abarth, or riding my Moto Guzzi, I like cycling, hiking, and reading sci-fi, fantasy, and manga.
Hi Oppo,
It feels awkward asking this, but I need your help. I'm taking part in this year's AIDS/LifeCycle event, a 545-mile bicycle ride from San Francisco to LA in June that benefits the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Los Angeles' LGBT Center. The training I can handle, but I'd like to ask anyone who's comfortable to donate to help me help those living with HIV and AIDS: https://giving.aidslifecycle.org/participant/Skwarczek2023
Thank you very much!
Are you a fan of classic British cars and/or motorcycles? Do you live somewhere in the vicinity of Detroit? If so, the Battle of the Brits is today, 9/11/2022, from 10 am - 5 pm EST, at Camp Dearborn, 1700 General Motors Rd, Milford, MI 48380.
Hope to see the Oppo fam there!
Hello fellow Oppos,
If anyone in and around Chicago has time this weekend, a buddy of mine is organizing a car show on Saturday, May 7th. The details are in the image. 
@CarsOfFortLangley I genuinely get paid to write about cars and motorcycles over at MotorBiscuit, for which I am eternally grateful to the Oppo community.
@xsnowpig
Thanks for the heads up! I absolutely did not expect to enjoy Maverick as much as I did. That shot of the plane on its hypersonic flight, framed against space...gorgeous.
@HFV_Junkyardin
Nothing says classy like a Jag XK120: 
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1953-jaguar-xk120-roadster-29/
@Urambo-Tauro God, I hated my dad's Sentra's CVT. But the one in the current Civic is way better--no drone, just a light hum
@KITT222
Count me DEFINITELY in
@HFV_Junkyardin
Nice! Yeah, if I was going to buy a G-Shock, I'd buy something brighter so I could still read the button labels even in the dark. And now I'm browsing G-Shocks to accompany my two Seikos...
@Tripper
No shame in taking multiple tries to get through a book, it happened to me with "Dune". And I still haven't read the main Lord of the Rings books--though I loved "The Hobbit"--because I simply couldn't get through them.
As for recommendations, Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere books are at the top of my list. Especially the Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series. I'm also a fan of Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series, Tracy Deon's Legendborn books, and Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow. For non-fiction stuff, Mary Roach's books are hilarious and educational.
Also, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" is what helped cement my desire to start riding. Finished the MSF about 4-5 years ago, haven't looked back since.
@Superdave847
Oh, that is BRILLIANT, and the interior is rad!
@annoying_salman
As someone who dreamed for years of learning how to ride, I say, if you have the money to spare and time to properly learn, go for it.
I've made so many friends and memories from riding, and gained a new perspective about driving as well as myself from it.
As they say, if you never try, you'll never know.
@Wrong-Wheel-Drive
I'm doing the San Francisco to LA AIDS/LifeCycle ride, not sure which parts we'll be going through exactly, I need to check the route again.
@Wrong-Wheel-Drive
These shots--and the bikes--are gorgeous! Hopefully I'll see some similar vistas when I'm in Cali in a few weeks.
If I wasn't so busy this summer I'd ride out on a motorcycle and run support
@Nibby
They're getting harder to find, but maybe a decent Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Spec.B? Or a Mazdaspeed 6?
They're decently modern, offer AWD shenangian opportunities, and the Spec.B is basically an adultier WRX from what I've heard.
You can actually get W212 wagons in the $15-$20K range (though you'd be bumping close to or above 100k miles), they've got above-average reliability from what Consumer Reports says. You could also get a 2008-2009 W211--they avoid some of the quality issues the early W211s had.
@MUSASHI66
Hallelujah! My dad went through surgery and chemo for colorectal cancer, glad both our dads are cancer free!
@Scary
Hell yeah, winter Miata! I remember ripping snownuts in my NB--fun times
@CB
The "it" that can be named is not the Eternal "it"
@HFV_Junkyardin
Nothing says classy like a Jag XK120:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1953-jaguar-xk120-roadster-29/