Jessica Esch: In My Head

day off:

A little reading, a little painting and a walk on the beach with my mom.

Now, that's a good way to spend a day.

hypermiling update:

We filled the gas tank yesterday after a week of hypermiling and tallied 42 miles per gallon. That's up from 35 mpg the week before from driving like we always have.

The science project continues this week as we ditch slipping it into neutral and see what happens when we just keep it to 61-62 on the highway and not gun it at takeoff.

Stay tuned...

smarty pants:

Bowdoin is shining this month's spotlight on former neighbor and uber friend Arielle Saiber. You can check it out here along with more photos by Kavi Montanaro.

Ari, GP and I had lunch on Saturday and I remembered once again how much I miss having a genius next door.

just like grown-ups:

At long last, I present to you our renovated kitchen.

Steve of Fiddlehead Designs did a fabulous job installing the Richlite counters. We highly recommend both.

And, the amazing T$ worked his magic yet again with the rubber-tile backsplash. Yes, we've taken commercial-grade rubber flooring to new heights. Good thing we didn't listen to the Call Specialist at Roppe.

For more photos, click here.

I want what he wants:

"

When asked what change he wants to bring to America as a whole in the July 10-24 issue of Rolling Stone, Obama replied:

"I want people to feel connected to their government again, and I want that government to respond to the voices of the people, and not just insiders and special interests. That's real change. I want us to think about the long term and not just the short term, whether it's climate change, energy policy, how we're educating our kids, what kind of investments we're making in our infrastructure, how we're dealing with the federal budget and national debt. I want us to think intergenerationally, something we used to do more of and we have lost. I want us to rediscover our bonds to each other and to get out of this constant petty bickering that's come to characterize our politics. That's not to say it's possible or even desirable to squash real policy arguments, but the tit-for-tat, 'gotcha' game that passes for politics right now doesn't solve problems. I want to get beyond that."

hey, kids:

Through TD Banknorth's Summer Reading Program, kids 18 and under can earn $10 by reading 10 books this summer. The money will be deposited into a new or existing Regular Savings Account. Bring this form to a branch near you by September 30.

Click here to find a branch near you.

T$'s new hobby:

After one week of commuting, T$ has found a way to turn the experience into a game. A co-worker told him about hypermiling and T$ is officially hooked. After filling up yesterday, he went 53 miles before our electronic fuel guage went down a notch (vs. 35 miles last time). And that's just by driving under the speed limit, remaining consistent and coasting. (Note: That first link includes some extreme things I hope T$ never considers.)

The whole idea is to stretch your miles per gallon by modifying the way you drive. Wayne Gerdes is considered the guru. He once recorded 127 miles-per-gallon in a Prius and 200 miles-per-gallon in a Honda Insight. However, a hybrid is optional. Anyone can adopt his techniques.

At $4.11 a gallon, I know I'm not arguing.

dance fever:

Matt Harding spent 14 months dancing his funky dance in 42 countries to create this short video. I defy you to watch it and not smile.

In a New York Times article yesterday, Matt warmed my heart with this response to whether or not there would be a sequel: 

“I wouldn’t want to make another video unless there was something to say that I hadn’t said,” he explained. “I’m going to see if there’s something more to be done, but if not, I’m happy with what there is. I don’t want to pop the bubble.”

super summer reads:

   

I ate these up. I was hesitant to read them but JOC persevered and now I'm a fan.

Be forewarned. Once you start reading, you won't want to do much else.

wow-e:

After a rave recommendation from PN on Friday, we checked out Pixar's WALL-E for ourselves yesterday. The movie quickly became my second favorite of all time. (Click here for the first.) 

Leave it to Disney, though, to use a disposable, blue plastic WALL-E watch to promote a movie based on the premise that we've trashed our world beyond repair.