Saturday, August 06, 2005

The first in a series of answers to questions posed by readers. The question(s) from Lee Anne Millinger.

You write often about your daily commute, but I don’t remember any posts specifically about the car you drive. What kind of car do you drive?

I drive a 2003 Toyota Corolla LE. Silver with gray interior and wood trim. Power everything, no sunroof. CD/cassette stereo. I love it and I call it Silverado.

Why did you buy/lease it?

I bought it because I needed a new car. I wanted a super reliable car that would get excellent gas mileage since I knew I would have a long commute. All but one of my cars have been Toyotas (and the one had a Toyota engine) and I never had a serious problem with any of them (except for one that I killed, but that’s a long, embarrassing story). The one minor repair all Toyotas need after a while is to have the exhaust system worked on, but it’s not a huge problem and doesn’t impact the running of the car.

As for the gas mileage, it’s great. I get about 30 miles to the gallon most of the time. However, when I take a long road trip, I get closer to 40 mpg. Very nice.

What do you like/don’t like about it?

I have no complaints really. The one thing that took a while to get used to was the narrower well for the driver’s legs. The console between the seats is wider than in older models.

What kind of car would you want if money were no object?

Hummer H2. Not really.

OK, really.

No, not really. Much.

Actually, I’d like to have a Toyota Highlander.

What does Beau drive?

Beau drives a 1993 Ford Mustang. He’s laughing because it’s sort of a funny thing - it’s two-toned aqua/teal blue because he was in an accident a while back and never got it repainted after the repairs.

Will your car needs change after you marry?

Not immediately, but at some point we’ll replace his car with an SUV (he’s saying minivan) if we have children.

Thanks for your question(s), Lee Anne.

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

So I was saying good-bye to Beau when my mother comvinved convinced him to stay with the promise of freshly baked oatmeal cookies. Oven is on and he has gone out to enjoy the nice day on the back porch.

He can’t take it down here anymore in what he calls “TV Land.” He’s so anti-TV, but he’s a good sport about my TV habit. And that’s a whole post on it’s own.

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

I had to pause in some smooching with Beau to post something. My duty is done.

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

So I mentioned the Oatmeal Cookie coffee - good but a little too sweet this early in the day. It’s probably better as a dessert coffee.

Anywhoo - we get our flavored coffees from Java Haven - a local business here in northern Virginia. She does sell online, so check out her stuff. My personal favorite is Coffee Cake.

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

For those who have pledged, I thank you. Don’t forget to email me (jenspeaks at gmail dot com) with your mailing address and the variety of tea you want from Tea For All Reasons. Check out the Product List for your options - black, decaf, green, and Rooibos teas only.

It’s not too late to make a pledge, too. Pledges will be accepted through August 9th. Thanks for your support!

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

I’m sure it’ll smooth out, but I’m finding that the 30 minutes passes very quickly and it’s not really enough time to do other things. And the multi-tasking of trying to make breakfast, monitor the IM, manage the timer (yes, I’m using a timer), and tending to the people in the house is hard.

Sheesh!

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

I am going to pause to make some breakfast (scrambled eggs).

In the meantime, I just went up to buy some tea from Mom - to replenish the teas of mine that got packed with ECD’s stuff inadvertently. Don’t forget that I’m giving away tea to sponsors!

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

Wow, 30 minutes passes quickly.

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

I’ll have Yahoo Messenger open most of the next 24 hours. My ID is jen_speaks if you want to chat.

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

So we’re blogging for charity today - I and a few hundred of my blogger friends.

The charity I have chosen is International Justice Mission.

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery, and oppression.

IJM’s Four Fold Purpose:
* Victim Relief - Relieve the victim of the abuse currently being committed.

* Perpetrator Accountability - Bring accountability and just consequences under the law to the specific perpetrator(s) of abuse.

* Structural Prevention - Prevent the abuse from being committed against others who are also at risk by strengthening community factors that are likely to deter potential oppressors, reduce the vulnerability of at-risk populations and empower local authorities to stop such abuses.

* Victim Aftercare - Provide access to services to help victims transition to their new lives and to encourage long-term success.

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

Are you ready?

Because I’m ready - I have a full pot of Oatmeal Cookie coffee brewed. Snacks. DVDs. Books. Topics.

Let’s raise some money for charity…

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

Friday, August 05, 2005

Money Pledged as of 8/5/05 - $325.00

See the Doing Good section in the sidebar for additional information
about IJM and how to make a pledge.

Incentives!!! Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.

So I’m thisclose to hitting the $300 mark in pledges. Who will help to push me over that edge? You can pledge anonymously or using a pseudonym at the official Blogathon website (although you will need to provide a valid email address for notification upon completion of the event). If you would like to contribute and don’t feel comfortable signing up over there, then send me an email (jenspeaks at gmail dot com) and I will take care of registering your pledge for you.

We’re just two days away from the big day - I’m looking forward to answering your questions. Click to that post to leave your inquiries if you haven’t already - there are some good questions and I will answer them throughout the 24 hours.

To stay awake, I plan to have IM set up for occasional conversations with anyone who’s so inclined. I’ll post that contact info later. I also plan to watch some Netflix DVDs - all TV shows: The Shield season 1/disc 1, Danger UXB disc 2; Sharpe’s… disc 5, and The Ultimate Carson Collection disc 1. I have TAR3 set up to record on GSN - so I’ll watch those episodes. I also plan to read - I’m currently reading the new Harry Potter and I’m still working on the Love/Respect book. I’d like to get that one done so that I can pass it on to Beau.

On the free tea - you can choose from any of the teas my mother offers. Check out this page for a list of all of her varieties. Off limits are any items that are not a black, green, white, (white tea is uber-expensive and therefore off the table for the freebie - sorry!) or Rooibos tea. Her special blends are available for your choosing as well. I will need a good mailing address to send it to you. Please email me with that if you want the tea and also tell me which one you want. Once I get confirmation that you have made your donation to IJM, Once the Blogathon is over, I will mail out your thank you gift.

Thanks to all who have already made your pledges. I greatly appreciate your support and I know that every dime will help International Justice Mission to fulfull their mission.

LATER: Come on, people! I’m still hovering under $300. Sponsor me, please…

Friday, 8/5: Thanks to the three people who made pledges overnight - I’m now firmly over $300 in pledges and I am very pleased for IJM.

Beau is here and I have taken today off. We plan to laze about this morning and then go see Charlie and Chocolate Factory this afternoon. Light posting for today, most likely, and then the Blogathon tomorrow.

Speaking of which, thanks to the three people who made pledges last night to take me over the $300 mark. Of course, that doesn’t mean the pledging can stop - if you’re still thinking about pledging, head over the do it.

- Please sign up to sponsor me!

Thursday, August 04, 2005

I just inadvertently hung up on a deputy from another district. I didn’t pay attention to where he said he was calling from to know where to call him back. So I’m hoping he’ll call back in a second when he realizes he was disconnected.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve done my auntly duty and gratuitiously posted about the Cutest Kids in All the Land™.

First up, CootieBoy, who is getting way too handsome as he approaches his 1st birthday in a couple of weeks.

Second is CootieGirl, she of the precocious twos and lovely to boot.

We head north for Little D’s 1st birthday and this will be Beau’s first meeting with Jaynee and Denis and the kids. That trek will follow a family engagement party the weekend before where Beau will meet my extended family. He’s in for quite a treat.