I got the time....taking it slow

Avoiding the highway. I rarely have to be anywhere quickly. This came across my mind a few weeks ago.

So I started taking side roads. Driving a Prius....I get better mileage this way.

My mileage has increased from 44MPG average to a solid 49MPG average. This is due to the lower speeds while on side roads and the increased stop and go driving.

Driving a Prius is like a video game. The object is to get as many miles per gallon as possible.

In addition to side roads I have a few other "techniques":

1- I never accelerate toward a red light if possible. No matter how far away the light is, if no one is behind me I coast

2 - I drive as smoothly as possible. I drive like I fly, smooth and slow turns (Kelli corners like she is on a mission sometimes).

3- I turn off the A/C and crack the windows on nice days. I do miss my sunroof....

4 - Tire pressure is checked regularly. Like weekly

5 - Leave extra crap at home . I take out any excess cargo

That's about it. As much as I enjoy getting great mileage. I am eagerly looking forward to my next car in 4 years and 2 months.

I think about it often. I was intrigued that Lexus Certified Preowned cars now have a 3 year from date YOU buy it or 100,000 miles...whichever comes first. This is better than a new car warranty on a Prius. Not too shabby as one could buy a 3 year old Lexus with 30K miles leaving 3 years or 70K miles of bumper to bumper warranty left. That's just one line of cars. I'm also interested in a VW TDI (Passat most likely), Kia Optima, Dodge Charger, Mercedes C series, Toyota FJ Cruiser and of course the Ford Flex.

For now...taking it slow.

My new HP Android Touchpad

So my touchpad that I ordered August 21st arrived two days ago. The delay was due to HP running out during the fire sale.

I played with Web OS (the default operating system) for a day. I planned on installing Android ASAP. Lucky for me that day was today!

The install process was extremely easy. The Android ROM flavor (Gingerbread) was made possible by a team known as Cyanogenmod.

I've been using Cyanogenmod ROMS for years.

My first experience with Cyanogenmod was with my T-Mobile G1. I later installed Cyanogenmod on my Nexus One and am patiently waiting to install it on my Thunderbolt.

Android on the Touchpad isn't perfect....but it's pretty good and I am happier using it over Web OS.

The main reason for getting the Touchpad (aside from it being super cheap) was for Natali.

She's been using touch screens since she was 3 months old. She is used to them.

Natali's new game is from Baby First called Peek-A-Boo I See You!

A little baby comes on the screen then hides behind one of three objects. The baby sticks out a hand or foot to give a hint as too where he is. Natali is very good at it.

I truly think when Natali goes to school she will be issued a tablet over a book. Lucky for her she will be used to touch screen and tablets by then.

Buying a used house

Tomorrow we are buying a used house. It's about 7 years old. One family lived in it. Three dogs. EH.

We are closing on our refinancing. Final rate is 3.25%....15 year fixed. Total money out of pocket at closing ? -$175. Yep we are getting money back . We then won't owe a payment till December 1st. Not too shabby.

Odd rules about refinancing in Euless. The occupants are not allowed to have their belongings in the house if refinancing. So we are hiring a moving company to put all our stuff in a truck for a few hours while we sign paperwork.

I might need to upgrade the hard drive in my Macbook Pro. Currently running a 128GB SSD and a 500 GB 7200 RPM drive. The 500 is almost full.

My Macbook Pro is my "main" computer. I'm going to debate going through the heartburn of moving off all the stuff I don't need....or just popping in a terabyte hard drive and moving stuff over. Eh.

Kidding about putting our stuff in a truck by the way.

Family Photos

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