That's right, Mama wants to buy American!

And I'm not talking about American Cheese either! (That's just my diet talking...)

I can't remember the last time I was this excited about an American Car. Well, unfortunately I can. I was really excited about the Dodge Neon, I bought one the first year it came out when no other car looked quite like it. Back when it was in the same price range as a Honda Civic but I really really really wanted to buy American so I got the Neon. While I loved the heck out of that thing, I didn't like that the price dropped 10K the next year, the nicer options were dropped and my nice car became the cheapo rental car. Ok, so obviously I still have a little grudge. I've learned the lesson to never buy a product it's first year out. And I've gotten a bit of a chip towards the American Car market.

But ALL of that could come to a crashing halt if GM actually brings their Volt to the market in the next few years!!! I may have to dump the change from my "Pennies for Prius" jar into a "Mama wants a Volt" jar.

Speaking it's praises for just a moment. This is NOT just an electric car, but it's not a hybrid either. It's better than both worlds. The engine completely runs via the electric motor AND the electric motor is powered by either electricity, gas, E85 or biodiesel. How cool is that? At first you may say, but isn't that a hybrid? But no. Ya see, from it's initial charge it can go 40 miles without needing to use any other source to draw in energy. So, say you live 15 miles from work so you have a 30 mile commute each day. And maybe you pick up the kids and grab some groceries on the way home. How much gas did you use? None. Yea, that's right, mister. None.

Plug it in when you get home and by the time the baby sitter gets there that night you and your special someone can make it a night on the town in the same car. Say you go 50 miles that night painting the town red? You've used a couple ounces of liquid energy to go a total of 90 miles that day. How much gas would that be even in a Prius? Now you see the genius of my baby the Volt.

Well, I know it's not coming out any time soon. And I know when it does the fact that it's sporty and can go 100 miles an hour will mean that it will be WAY above my price range but still... If they can make this technology work - how long before it's picked up to use in other cars? How a bout in a minivan - even if the "free" miles drop down to 20-30 because of the extra weight? That could work when taking the kids to school 3 blocks away and the soccer game down the street.

Yes GM. You got me. My ears are perked. I can't wait to see more. BUT - if you don't come to market with this puppy, I don't know if my faithful Buy American spirit will ever be the same again.

Ok, it will. But please, PLEASE bring this baby to market. Mama wants a Volt.

Micro-eco steps

Lately I'm obsessing over little things.

Example One: Which is better - a small paper towel, a paper plate, or wasting water to wash a dish when in a drought. Answer - I go dish, unless I'm feeling unbelievably lazy - which happens. Then paper towel.

Example Two: Is it ecologically better to drive to the music store to purchase a new CD or to download the album - when I know I'll end up burning it to a CD anyhow. I mean, the energy to Internet search and burn + disc (and possibly trashed disc if first one doesn't work perfectly as happens sometimes) + Jewel case I'll end up using + paper I'll end up writing names of songs on or using the gas to buy something that already exists? Answer. I buy the cd. From a local independently owned music store like Stinkweeds. I feel like that somehow balances things. Though considering the nearest one to me is 20 min away, I'm not sure it's quite an even trade.

Example Three: I start debating about which way to drive to work in the morning. Fairly straight path on regular surface roads (lots of lights) that gets me here in about 25-30 min, 45MPH with exception of 4 school zones that take it to 15. OR do I take the freeway which is actually a farther in miles driven, takes 20-25 min on a good day, 30-35 on a bad day - but is almost completely non-stop so I'm theoretically using less gas. But then you have to factor in that you use more gas going faster. Answer - I take the streets. But I wrestle with this one often. [And yes - I know it would be better to take the bus, and I would LOVE to do it, but that just doesn't work well in my city. Not would I have to walk more than a mile each way to and from the stops, but also it would take an hour an a half of just driving time. So, that plus 20 min of walking on each side would make for an approximate 2 hour and 15 minute commute. And no one wants to be walking 40 minutes in Phoenix heat before walking into a professional office. Just doesn't work.]

Yes - these are helplessly small things. But if I put a nickel a day in a piggy bank from the time I was 5 until now it would be almost $550. Is that huge? No. But it adds up. And it wouldn't have hurt much to give it either. Just like these little things I do, or try to do. They may be small decisions, but if each one of those were an ecological "nickel", and I found 10 of those tiny things to do, then 25 years from now I will have added almost $2300 to the ecological economy. Not too bad.... not bad at all.

Besides, wouldn't you rather be paying INTO it, than to get that as a bill in a few years?

Green Drinking - Trend sweeping the nation!

I think we should call the practice of having a Designated Driver - "Green Drinking" because after all - it means you are going to carpool. And doesn't it sound more fun? Designated driver sounds so... clinical. Or something your mom would say. But if a group of friends said they were going to go out for a round of Green Drinking that sounds fun! Ideally, they drive the car with the best MPG that fits them all. Less gas, more fun, more laughing with your friends, less risk. Who doesn't love this?

You see, I'm generally the Designated Driver - like to call it the "Double D". I'm happy to be the DD at any time. But others aren't so fond of it. I wonder how much is the "not drinking" part and how much is that awful name.

Green Drinking is the trend of the future. I think I'll start using it tonight.

Bad, bad, less bad, and good

Bad #1. A few days ago, at the end of a period I will refer to as my fast food binge against responsible eating, I went to Carl's Jr. I ate a $6 Burger Combo meal. It was darn tasty. The fries were surprisingly good. I didn't even bother with the diet drink. I was THAT bad. That said - I kind of which I'd discovered it before I was trying to be healthy because it was all quite tasty.

Bad #2. The day after the $6 burger, for some bizarre reason I decided to get on the scale. 234. My binge had not gone unnoticed by my hips. Crap. I so rarely get on the scale that I've never seen that clear cause/effect before. Knowing it would happen in the long term is a very different thing that seeing that eating crap for two weeks immediately gave me two extra "bonus" pounds. It was a reality check for me.

Less Bad. Actually kinda good. On the box of the Carl's Jr. Fries, I learned that they re-use their fry oil to fill the tanks of their fleet of vehicles. What? What?? I did some looking online and found out that this isn't a national thing - but something being done by the owner of 52 locations in AZ. I have to say, while this didn't make me feel less bad for eating the food, I felt a bit better in supporting the cause. One article mentioned that they aren't getting any govt kick back or assistance for that either. How great could it be to offer even a .001/cent per gallon tax rebate for any vehicle running on frier oil! Isn't there a fast food spot on almost every major corner? Even if companies just had their own vehicles running on it - that would be a big difference. Might make the town smell more like french fries - but I'm ok with that.

Good. For 2 days now it's been healthy food only. I haven't been to the gym in about 3 weeks I think?? I wonder why I'm even paying the $50/month for the two of us to go. But I am. Because I'm hopeful. And when I get back from camp (where I will be from this Saturday through next Wednesday) I definitely want to get back in the swing of things. But for now, focusing on what I can control, I am at least eating better again. No more falling off the wagon.

Hunting for the gas saving carrot

One of the reasons I accepted my current position was the ability to work from home. When first having conversations with them it was going to be 100% at home, but with a few occasional client trips. Works for me. Then about 2 weeks before my start date it became, 2 days a week in the office and the rest of the time from home. I think it was 2 days before I began that it became 100% in the office for the first month or two of training - then it will go to the 2 days in 3 days out model. Fine. Makes sense to me.

I'm on month 7 and I'm still driving 5 days a week. The carrot of working from home is firmly in place, but just when I think that it's almost in reach, they get a longer stick.

Making this change would be great for my time management, great for the company (in ways I can't describe here for risk of leaking my super-secret identity), an extra income benefit (Which would officially be my first benefit as the company does not provide any others. Of ANY kind.), and oh so importantly - would be a major check mark for me on my living healthy mental checklist.

So for this reason, the whole benefits thing, and a host of other issues, I believe I'm going to start up my job hunt again. But I have an interesting quandary. How soon can I ask about telecommuting? I don't want to work at home 100% of the time. 1-2 days a week at home would be absolutely ideal. In for meetings, for team building, to develop relationships - all great things. I've seen a few employers totally turned off by asking about working from home though I've never understood it. Every job where I've worked from home I was actually more productive than when in the office - at least 95% of the time. The other 5% is for when I'd work from home while sick. So yea, less productive than normal - but more productivity than if I'd just taken the day off for sure! I've seen some articles that show it's gaining in favor, but not quite enough to make me confident bringing it up in a 1st interview.

I'll keep looking for input here - and I'll keep hoping the perfect job will come along. With tons of benefits, a corporate recycling program, parking spots for carpoolers and a bold telecommuting policy. Fingers crossed.

Ease on down the road

So today I see an article that a small company in India has developed a car that runs on air. On AIR! True - compressed air. But this thing is inexpensive and can either fill up at an official compressed air refilling station for $2 or be plugged into electricity for 4 hours. Um... hello? Are you serious?? That is awesome!

But here's the catch. It will never sell here. Why? Well, there aren't any airbags. Yup. And no side restraints. Or crumple zones. All the things that make us "safe". And here is where I'm torn. Mama wants her ABS and side air bags, but at the same time I feel that in a freaking free-will market economy I should be able to legally choose between roll over safety and zero emissions. Right now I can choose to spend $40K on a Prius with all the bells and whistles, or I can pay $2K for some crap car that was built in the 70's with no safety features and sucks gas like it's like the Quick Bunny downing chocolate milk. Why, as a red-blooded American consumer, why can't I choose my own features? Sure - charge me more for insurance. Fine. But the fact that it can't even legally be a choice just kinda bugs me. Obviously.

And then there is the electric Reva which actually does have lots of safety features (side impact beams, dent proof body panels, steel frame) and is being driven all over Europe. I read somewhere that it costs about $5K! True, the EU said it's not a car, it's a quadricycle. But folks can still drive it on open roads! Are we in the US just missing out on these opportunities because we don't have a real category for something with 3 or 4 wheels that is somewhere between a bike and a car?

Well, at least we have Phoenix Motorcars. They had the smart idea of buying a "car" made on the cheap in Korea - but told them to hold the whole engine thing. Then they just stick in their nifty battery & electric engine. Presto! Instant electric car! And get this - this California based company is starting out w/ trucks and SUVs! The big buyers initially are big companies who are replacing their fleets. As much as it kinda bugs me that we can't immediately get our hands on them, this really is the best ecological solution as these fleets are on the roads FAR more than someone like me.

Sigh... I think it's time to put another dollar in my "I want a Prius" jar.

Weighting for change

I weighed myself today. I don't know why I did it. I hadn't even noticed that the scale was sitting there in the bathroom. Last time I weighed myself it was at K's insistence as she had just realized that she'd lost some weight and was sure that I had too. That was about a month ago. Prior to that it had been... ???? 6 months to a year? Who knows? It would have been last time I "found" the scale and wanted to see if the batteries still worked.

K is going to go back and check - but she thinks I lost a pound. I really though I'd gained a pound or two. Neither result would surprise me. Neither result will mean much to me. Because either way - it's proof that I haven't been doing enough. K's job has her moving around all day. My daily strain is walking 10 feet for a printer - and I maybe do that once a day. She was an athlete for much of her life is much more "in shape" than I am in what she's able to do at the gym even though our weight is similar. Let's just say that my fat has had more time to get comfortable. My biggest sport is bowling and even that is only done a few times a year.

I am going to have to work 2-3 times harder than K to get similar results. But at the same time, I'm going to have to accept that we'll never really have similar results. I'm not a competitive person in sports and games, but if I feel like I'm "losing" it's not hard for me to lose my motivation completely. This is going to be hard.

This blog is my motivation. I need to be aware of what I'm doing. I need to be honest with myself. And I need to be able to remember that the same person who wrote with such hope about the future is the same person who later writes about how hard things are and how the future looks dim. It's then my job to decide which road to follow.

I'm contemplating posting before and after pictures (Before I was socially fat and after Taco Bell had her way with me), height/weight stats, and possibly even pulling out the measuring tape. It may not be pretty - but if there is a chance that it can help me, or anyone else that happens to read it, it could be worth it. At the same time - that's a big band-aid to rip off and expose to the world.

In an effort to be completely full circle, I tried to find a calculator out there that would measure how much gas I would save at a more ideal weight. Don't we all know that having less weight in the car saves gas (For that and other gas saving tips...)! I didn't find a calculator, but I did find this. It brought me a bit of comfort and a bit of humor - which were both exactly what I needed.