I'm a Believer

My dad got me into "hypermiling". This is a strategy for driving that aims to increase your miles per gallon. Let me tell you - IT WORKS! I tried a few techniques on my last tank of gas and was blown away by the results. I normally get 26 in town and 30 on the highway. This last tank of gas was half in-town driving and half highway only (drove down to L.A. for our friend's memorial - more on that later). So, you might guess that I'd get about 28 MPG for this tank. Okay, so....wait for it.....I got 34 MPGs!!! Woo hoo! So cool. This is what I did:

I drive a stick shift, so that makes some of this easier.

1. Accelerated slowly
2. Short shifted
3. Approached red or yellow lights slowly (downshifting when necessary) so that I used my brakes as little as possible
4. Coasted down hills when possible (slightly scary, but fun, too)
5. Went the speed limit on the highway (this was hardest to do - everyone speeds here in Cali)

I didn't think these actions would make that much of a difference, but apparently, they do! I did the math twice just to make sure I really did get 34 MPGs. So cool.

If you're interested, here is a site that I found very useful:

http://epistolary.org/6337.html

I must say that many of those ideas I think are pretty freaking crazy, like turning your car off to coast or drafting off of a big rig. No thanks. I'm not that nuts, just a bit.

Oh, one more thing - I love how these gas saving techniques have made me drive more slowly and calmly. It's nice not to feel like I'm in a rush. I just cruise along, comforted by the thought that I'm saving gas ($$$$).

Big Ben chillin' at Figueroa Mountain

Summer Vacation on Cape Cod! Ooooh la la!

Looking for something to do this summer? Rent our beautiful, brand new home in Eastham, MA on gorgeous Cape Cod!!! Go here for more details: capecodvacationhome.blogspot.com

Contact us for rates and rental info.

It'll be lovely, I promise!!!!

Thanks to Donna, Maria and Dan now shower with a bucket

Who else will join the Bucket Brigade??

Thanks to Donna, we shower with a bucket

To lower our water usage, Eric and I now shower with a bucket. Sounds funny, but it's actually pretty cool. We got a nice blue 10 qt. bucket and stuck it in the shower. Since our shower takes forever to warm up in the morning, the bucket catches the 5 or so quarts the shower spits out before the water gets warm. Then, we leave the bucket in there and stand in front of it so it catches any residual water bouncing off our rock hard muscles. It is usually full by the end of the shower. Then, we use it to flush the toilet or water the plants outside.

Ta da! Saving at least 20 quarts a day! That's at least 7,300 quarts a year.

My Eating Life is Changed Forever

I'm currently reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. It's truly an amazing book and will open your eyes and mind to what goes on before the food you eat reaches the grocery store or your local farmstand. Today, I went to Vons for the first time since starting the book and I realized how much it has affected how I think about food. I had wondered (and worried) if I would never be able to shop the same again after reading the book. My fears were confirmed after wandering through Vons thinking, "What the hell am I going to be able to buy and eat with a clear conscience???" I felt like I was letting my body and the animals down by buying the shredded mozzarella and ricotta in a plastic container for the manicotti I plan to make later this week. And, that was just dairy products!!! What about the chicken we bought? How can I eat it??? But, I know I will. There aren't any options for locally raised chicken, so I'm stuck with the store bought birds. Even "free-range" means nothing really. Yikes...what to do, what to do. Luckily, our neighbors have a turkey and a chicken, so we get eggs from them. I'm going to have to start raising chickens, growing my own garden, milling my own wheat. Shit...I better get going....I have a lot to do.

Seriously, though - how do you find a balance? Obviously, due to time, space and monetary restraints, I can't be fully sustainable so that I can eat with a clear conscience. Maybe Michael Pollan will give me some suggestions at the end of the book.

This is an amazing book that will make you take a serious look at what you eat and where it comes from. Your eating life will never be the same. So, read it, and let me know if you come up with any solutions.

Travelin' Jones

Eric and I have been doing lots of traveling lately. After our Maui trip (more on that in a bit) we headed out to Miami for five days. Eric had a conference to go to and I tagged along. Miami was very bright. Quite a gaudy city, actually. I heard a quote that I think is very appropriate: "Miami is where Neon goes to die". This seems to be most true in the Art Deco district in South Beach. We spent three of our four nights there exploring South Beach. We didn't join the kids at the multitude of crazy clubs, but we did spend our evenings strolling up and down Lincoln Road, which is a wonderful promenade with lots of shops, fabulous restaurants and even more fabulous people watching. Pooches were everywhere and welcome in the outdoor dining areas. Made us miss Rosie :-) After one night out, I decided that I don't fit too well into the Miami lifestyle for three reasons: 1. I haven't had plastic surgery (although I do have silicone implants in my eyes!), 2. I don't wear heels every day, and 3. my clothes cover more than just my tits and ass. I spent an afternoon at Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne. It was a beautiful beach with awesome swimming. I kept my eyes out for sharks - yikes! Downtown Miami is basically one big skyscraper with more and more additions being built on every month. The city just approved another 93 storey building with two more impending approvals. It's really unbelievable. Not a place I'd move to any time soon, but apparently there are many people who think otherwise!

On to my Maui review:

The places we stayed were awesome. We ate breakfast and lunch in using the full kitchens in the places we rented. We were shocked at the prices for food at the grocery store - $7.99/half gallon for Organic milk, same for OJ. Amazing! We spent every morning exploring some part of the island and spent the afternoons on the beach. The most incredible part of our trip was when we went kayaking with humpback whales! We joined a small tour group and spent an entire morning cruising around the waters off of the southern side of Maui in kayaks. Eric and I shared a kayak and actually did very well. We no longer call them "divorce boats" :-) The whales swam right near our boats. I knew they were huge, but until you're next to one, you don't realize how big they actually are. We didn't bring our camera on the kayaks, but there are some shots on Flickr taken by folks who've done similar trips click here to see.

I'll upload a few pictures from the rest of our trip:

We drove 1.5 hours to the top of Mt. Haleakala at 4:00am to watch the sunrise. It was awesome and well worth the early morning.

This is the NeNe bird. There are only 250 left in Hawaii. We saw three of them!

The Iao Needle in the middle of West Maui.

Some beach near Ka'anapali in West Maui.

The blowhole created by a hole in the roof of a sea cave. The waves splash in and poof up through the hole.

A field of cairns in West Maui.

A pretty bay, also in West Maui.

Aloha! We're off to Hawaii!!

Eric and I are leaving on Thursday (Valentine's Day!) for Maui! I'm super excited because 1. I've never been, 2. we're using frequent flyer miles so our tickets were only $10, and 3. I don't believe that turquoise water really exists, so I'm ready to be proven wrong. We chose Maui because we're going in the winter and that island is supposed to have the driest, warmest winter weather. Then, we chose to stay in Kihei for the same reason. We rented a little cottage on vrbo.com. It looks perfect for us - check it out. The owner has been really great to deal with and he cut me a deal, eliminating the cleaning fee in exchange for my proofreading services (I pointed out that no cleaning fee was listed on the site). That saved us $100! Then, we're heading to the northern part of the island to stay one night at Mama's Fish House and Inn, a famous place in a funky little town called Pa'ia. We'll post next week with pictures!

Our friends, Donna and Jon will stay and share Rosie duty with our duplexmates, Lara and William. Thanks guys!

I hope we see sunsets like this!!