Tagged!

Now that we've been tagged, you get to find out 6 unimpressive, quirky things about both Brian and I. As for me:

1. I've never had a filling at the dentist's office.

2. I only like chocolate in its solid form. That means no chocolate syrup, chocolate milk, chocolate ice cream, hot chocolate, or melted chocolate. Chocolate flavored things are also no good (like chocolate chapstick, chocolate graham crackers, or chocolate licorice.) Frosting is on the border, and brownie batter is a complete exception.

3. I really don't like scary movies, especially if they have vampires or orcs in them.

4. Currently, my three favorite snacks are ice cream, watermelon, and popcorn.

5. I don't like any kind of salad dressing.

6. I highly prefer to eat breakfast and brush my teeth before I take a shower.


Here are Brian's

1. I like to study grammar and etymology. It doesn't mean I use it correctly all the time, but I just think it's fascinating.

2. I hate it when people say bubye or m'bye on the phone.

3. I love electronics. Computers, phones, CD players, MP3 players, TVs, etc. Just setting them up is therapeutic.

4. I like to have power tools. I don't have to use them, but I like to have them. Someday, I'll have a huge garage with tons of tools in it.

5. I love fall. I always associated the feeling of fall with starting school. But then when I didn't go to school for a few years, I realized that it is fall that makes me feel this way.

6. My hands. I hate it when my hands are dirty. My whole life I've had problems petting animals because I feel like I need to go wash my hands. I'm not scared that I'll get sick or anything. I just don't like having stuff on my hands. It feels weird.


There you have it. Now you know more about us than you really want to know.

School and such

Well, I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into. I apologize for not posting very much, but this stinkin' school thing is keeping me really busy. I have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays (and Saturdays for the last few weeks, but those are done for now), and I meet with my PMBA team on Mondays, Wednesdays, and, if necessary, Fridays. Saturdays (when I don't have class from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM) are used for homework. In fact, I shouldn't even be posting right now, but I'm procrastinating my homework.
I have a different class on Tuesdays than I do on Thursdays. At the beginning of the semester my Tuesday teacher told the class that he couldn't talk for 4 hours (the classes are scheduled from 6 to 10 PM), so we would have a lecture for 2 hours and then he would stick around if we wanted to work on the homework and answer any questions. I've never had to continue his homework beyond Tuesday night. I thought that was great, and I had heard rumors that a lot of the program would be like that.
Thursday, we walked into the class room and saw the US government time projected on the screen, counting down until 6:00. The very second it turned to 6:00, the professor told us all to look at the wall clock and said, "I've been teaching in this classroom for four years, and that clock has always been 5 minutes fast (it said 6:05). So, when that clock says 10:00, I don't want anyone looking at me like I'm supposed to be done, because I still have 5 minutes left." So much for that rumor!
Anyway, it's really interesting stuff, but its just hard to focus on it for four hours at a time. Basically, I'm writing this as a present and future excuse for the lack of blogs you might see. Please try not to get too angry, and I'll try to post as much as I can. Who knows, maybe you'll see a lot more posts because of my mad skills in procrastination.

The Barrier is Broken!

Well folks, there you have it. I broke the 40 mpg barrier in my car! Up to this point, the best I've been able to get was 37.5. I was really shooting for 38 when last time I ended up with 32. I was so disappointed that I decided to really focus in on it. I normally go about 400 miles on a tank, but this time I went 440. I could have gone farther, but I wasn't going to have time to go to the gas station until well after I thought I would run out, so I had to cave and fill up. Here's how I did it, just in case you want to give it a shot. One of the key factors to my success is in the fact that I have books on tape to listen to in my car. It helps me be more patient, which you will see why that's necessary in a minute. Here are some more keys to my success:

• 90% of my driving is freeway driving. I realize that's just not realistic for most people, but we live just a few blocks from the freeway and my work is just a few blocks from the freeway too.


• I use cruise control as much as possible.


• I drive about 63-64 mph. This is where the books on tape come in handy. I just move over to the right lane like all slow people should, get involved in my book, and let everyone pass me. Don't worry though, I'm a great slow driver. I always move over to let people around me, and let people merge. This also helps me not to yell as much while I'm driving.


• I watch the tachometer (measures RPMs), and try not to ever go over 3000 RPMs. This is impossible sometimes if I have to speed up to enter the freeway (which you should always do at freeway speeds), or move over to pass people, but for the most part I follow this. Sometimes this even involves turning off the cruise control if I'm going up a hill (I commute around point of the mountain every day) and letting myself slow down a couple miles an hour. Once I start down the other side it's easy to get back up to speed without ever letting the car downshift.

These are the main points of my success. I recommend getting a library card and checking out books on tape (or CD if you please). It's not easy to change my driving habits, but I always felt like I was too angry in the car before I slowed down. It's good for me, but it may not be your cup of tea. Maybe just give a couple of points a try. You may not be able to get 40 mpg, but I bet you can get better.