Noelle Talmon

Noelle Talmon is a freelance writer with a passion for martial arts, vintage cars and motorcycles. She co-owns Moonlit Path Martial Arts on the Connecticut shoreline and has been running a successful Tang Soo Do program at an inner-city charter school since 2005. When not writing or teaching self-defense, she loves traveling to Iceland and other faraway places, tinkering with her 1976 Porsche 911S, and hopping on her Harley Davidson for an impromptu adventure.

Articles by Noelle Talmon

• Estimating the value of a Porsche from one of the ‘maligned’ generations

  Monday, April 02, 2018

  ​I am occasionally asked how much my 1976 Porsche 911S is worth. I have a hard time answering for a couple of reasons. If the person is merely an acquaintance, the value of my possessions is something I prefer not to disclose. But if I do choose to respond, it's a bit of an estimate.

• Would you park your Porsche in the living room?

  Monday, March 05, 2018

  I only just heard about the Porsche Design Tower in Miami. Since I'm not a millionaire, the brand-new, luxury high-rise apartment building escaped my attention.

• Bomb cyclones, mice and other winter obstacles

  Monday, January 15, 2018

  As another winter storm bears down on the U.S., I find myself thinking about my cold, lonely Porsche. You may have heard about the "bomb cyclone" that hit the East Coast earlier this month. Meteorologists also called it a bombogenesis. The use of the word "bomb" refers to the incredible intensity of these types of megastorms. It's an apt description — the storm caused massive flooding and freezing in Boston and over 16 inches of snow in Connecticut.

• 5 reasons why you should drive your Porsche to Thanksgiving dinner

  Monday, November 20, 2017

  ​Nearly 49 million people will travel 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving this year, according to AAA. Nearly 90 percent of people will be driving to their destinations. So why not take your Porsche?

• A Porsche’s perfect flaw

  Monday, October 16, 2017

  ​My 1976 911S is not a concourse car. Nothing makes that more evident than when I wash it. Every scratch, dent and imperfection is like a beacon, especially when I spot one I haven't seen before. And there's a twinge of guilt that accompanies it. What could I or should I have done to prevent it?

• The serious dangers of overexercise

  Monday, August 14, 2017

  As people are increasingly kicking up the level of intensity and frequency of their workouts, they are encountering more problems, and not necessarily the results that they seek. Rare conditions are becoming more common, including the syndrome known as rhabdomyolysis, or "rhabdo" for short. Untrained athletes are more susceptible to rhabdomyolysis, although professional athletes can also experience extreme muscle strain, according to WebMD.

• 7 terrible exercises for people over 40

  Thursday, July 20, 2017

  ​Even if you've been active and a frequent exerciser most of your adult life, your workout should reflect your age as well as your experience. If you're in your 40s, you shouldn't be doing the exact same routines you did in your 20s. Nagging injuries can prevent you from executing proper form, and your body is more susceptible to problems associated with age. Here is a look at seven exercises people over 40 should avoid.

• What would you do for the perfect Porsche?

  Monday, July 17, 2017

  A New York auto body shop owner was recently indicted for stealing a 1978 Porsche 911 from a dead man. Patrick Torpey, 53, was repairing the vehicle when the customer died unexpectedly. After the deceased man's wife started looking for the car, the shop owner made a great effort to hide it and falsified paperwork by creating a new title for the 911. Torpey was indicted recently on a dozen felony counts, including third-degree grand larceny.

• Cut your chances of cancer and heart disease by biking to work

  Thursday, May 04, 2017

  ​The League of American Bicyclists notes that 40 percent of all trips in the United States are less than two miles, and cycling is a fun and easy way to run errands and go to the office. Bicycle commuting in the United States is on the rise. In bicycle-friendly communities, commuting rates increased 105 percent from 2000 to 2013, much larger than the national average of 62 percent.

• 10 Porsche Instagram accounts you have to follow

  Tuesday, May 02, 2017

  ​There are hundreds of great Porsche pages to follow on Instagram, so it's difficult to narrow down the best of the best. Here are just a few favorites based on the number of followers, their incredible images and the soul held within.

• Are fitness trackers doing more harm than good?

  Tuesday, March 07, 2017

  Fitness trackers from Fitbit, Garmin, and other manufacturers are big business. Millions of the devices are sold each year to help people monitor their physical activities and their number of calories burned. But how effective are they in actually improving an individual's health? According to Dr. Greg Hager, an expert in computer science at Johns Hopkins University, users should be particularly aware of devices that track people’s steps and advise them to walk 10,000 steps a day, which equals about five miles.

• How long will you keep your Porsche?

  Monday, March 06, 2017

  In 2015, people owned their new cars an average of six-and-a-half years, a full two years longer than in 2006. The average age of cars currently on the road is about 11.5 years old, IHS Automotive reported. By 2020, that number is expected to increase 15 percent. People are holding on to their cars longer because they are much more reliable than they were in the past. So, are Porsche owners also keeping their cars longer?

• The health benefits of martial arts training for all ages

  Wednesday, January 18, 2017

  Many believe the martial arts are only for the very young and very fit — but, as research shows, that's simply not true. With the proliferation of mixed martial arts (MMA) featuring super-toned competitors as well as the abundance of "Little Dragon" karate programs for small children, many traditional schools have seen a drop in adult attendance. People think they're too old or too out of shape to perform many of the exercises in a typical karate program.

• Even grown-ups like Porsche toys

  Tuesday, January 03, 2017

  ​A couple of months ago, one of my karate students surprised me with a delightful gift. He had purchased a 3-D printer, and his first project was a model of a Porsche. Out of all the things he could have created, he chose a Porsche. While it doesn’t look exactly like my 1976 911 S, it's awesome. The white resin car is about 3 inches long and 1 inch high. It features a few clever details, including tiny side mirrors and spoked wheels.

• Which Porsche makes your head turn?

  Monday, October 17, 2016

  When you get a new car, you suddenly notice similar vehicles everywhere you go — coming toward you on the road, behind you at a stoplight or next to you in a parking lot. While some of today's cars blend into the landscape, others are much more noticeable — like Porsches.

• Confessions of a vintage Porsche 911 owner

  Monday, August 15, 2016

  ​As the driver of a 1976 911S, I find Porsche ownership quite fulfilling. I love driving to work on crisp fall mornings or sunny spring afternoons. I enjoy chatting with other car lovers who admire my German-engineered ride and have their own stories to tell about their vintage vehicles.

• Limping, not sprinting, to Porsche Parade in my vintage 911S

  Friday, June 03, 2016

  "Sometimes you need to know your car's limitations," my co-worker said last week as he proceeded to look up trailer options for my 1976 911S. It's only a couple weeks away until the 61st Annual Porsche Parade 2016 in Jay Peak, Vermont, and I've been planning to drive "Smoky" to the destination, just south of the Canadian border. It's only a five-hour drive from Connecticut, but my co-workers are skeptical that I can make it without breaking down. My boyfriend has suggested alternative vehicles to drive. I'm still hopeful.

• Overheard while driving an ‘old’ Porsche

  Monday, April 11, 2016

  While easing my 1976 911S into a spot at Starbucks last week, a pair of women in their 60s walked by and noticed my car. "Wow, that’s a tiny little Porsche," remarked one of the ladies. "It's an old one," the other replied wisely.

• Porsche and the manual driving experience

  Friday, February 19, 2016

  ​There's a meme circulating on social media featuring a six-speed shift knob and the caption "millennial anti-theft device," suggesting people between the ages of 21 and 35 have no idea how to drive standard-shift cars. Less than 4 percent of new cars sold in 2013 were stick shift, according to Edmunds. And just 10 percent of cars made in North America have manual transmissions, according to IHS Automotive.

• The perfect Porsche driving day

  Tuesday, December 01, 2015

  As I write this, it's an uncharacteristically balmy 60 degrees during the last weekend of November on the Connecticut shoreline. It's partly sunny, and the roads are dry — the perfect Porsche driving day. Days like these are to be savored like Thanksgiving leftovers.

• The simple gratification of driving solo — Porsche style

  Friday, September 18, 2015

  ​One of the great things about owning a Porsche is you don't need an excuse to drive it. Who wouldn't want to take it for a spin for no particular reason? No justification is needed — any superfluous reason will do. And if you're by yourself, the ride can be even more fulfilling.

• Risky driving behavior in a vintage 911

  Friday, June 26, 2015

  ​There is a certain protocol when it comes to driving a vintage car. One of the rules is: "Thou shall not drive a dirty classic car." Yet, I found myself doing just that this spring after waking my 1976 Porsche 911S from its winter hibernation. It's risky to drive a dusty, pollen-covered vintage Porsche because it’s such an attention-getter. No one wants to be extolling the great virtues of one’s vehicle to a bystander if it clearly needs more love from its owner.

• Follow this checklist as Porsche driving season arrives

  Monday, March 30, 2015

  It was a particularly brutal winter for those of us in New England, with Boston receiving a record amount of snowfall — a whopping 110.6 inches. As a result, Porsche sightings have been slim in the Northeast in the past couple of months, with the exception of models such as the Cayenne navigating the weather-beaten streets.

• Defying the Porsche owner stereotype

  Monday, December 15, 2014

  ​I met a German several years ago who told me that only dentists rode Harley Davidsons in his country. I laughed, knowing full well that everyone from outlaw bikers to weekend warriors rides them in the United States.

• Driving a vintage 911 is a real conversation starter

  Monday, September 29, 2014

  ​While cruising down the highway on the Connecticut shoreline this summer, a teenage boy in a souped-up Honda drove up next to me in my 1976 911S and blew me a kiss. I smiled, knowing it was the car, not me, who was the object of his desire. Quirky things like that happen often when I get behind the wheel of my nearly 40-year-old Porsche, whom I affectionately call "Smokey."

• Porsche Zen: Find your inner peace behind the wheel

  Monday, July 28, 2014

  People decompress in many different ways — playing 18 holes of golf, sailing or going for a run. For me, Porsche is my Zen. When I get into the driver's seat of my 1976 911S, my mood automatically changes.

• Smiles are contagious — and so is Porsche ownership

  Monday, May 19, 2014

  ​Has this happened to you? You buy/inherit/restore a Porsche that you love dearly, but you realize you could love a second one just as much. Or a third. Smiles are contagious and so is Porsche ownership.

• Spring fever strikes for snowed-in Porsche owner

  Monday, March 17, 2014

  As I write this, there are flurries in Connecticut, and a blizzard warning has been issued in parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and upstate New York. Winter has shown little indication that it's losing its grip to spring in the Northeast.

• A day in the life of a vintage Porsche owner

  Friday, January 24, 2014

  I affectionately call my black 1976 911S "Smoky," because the first week I owned him smoke billowed out of the engine compartment while I was driving around my neighborhood. Fearing my skills behind a Volkswagen didn't translate into the more difficult Porsche clutch, I was relieved to discover it was just the heat exchange hose that had popped off and needed adjustment. But the name Smoky stuck.

• 5 reasons to buy a vintage Porsche

  Thursday, November 21, 2013

  ​Vintage vehicles evoke a bygone era. When you hop into an older car, the smell, the old-fashioned gauges and the overall look transport you back to a simpler time. Classic cars also give you sense of freedom. There are plenty of advantages to owning a vintage Porsche.