Walking around the block for exercise last night, no workouts. Also last night we met Son #2's girlfriend, which was a surprise. It was a surprise because I didn't know he even had a girlfriend. One epiphany after another, I guess. The kid can be closed-mouthed, that's for sure. Anyway she's a pleasant young lady, suitably nerdy to appeal to not just him but the rest of us, too. We surprised her with a quickly-made dinner, then they hung out by the fire outside for a while. When it got dark, he popped back inside.
"Hey, dad...to run her home, could I take the Honda?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I have a really good average going on this tank and I really really really want to set a new high."
"I can do that."
"Don't be offended, but I don't think you can." I hold my own hypermiling skills in some regard and so far have the very best mileage performance of anyone in the family. When you're beating the EPA's estimate for your car by 20% or more, you must be doing something very right. I'm currently the #11 truck on the trucks leader board, and the #21 hybrid car, and the competition is tough.
Getting 20% over EPA also makes me think all those people who wanted their money back from Honda for "overstated" fuel mileage estimates weren't trying. Again, like my revelation regarding my own health, they're abdicating responsibility to entities outside themselves, another instance of the pop-a-pill mentality, that there is a quick, painless solution to every little ill and you don't need to invest time or energy on your own part to keep things performing at some arbitrary level.
I work at my mileage numbers. My truck is currently below 30mpg and that just galls me. Am I working at dragging that back up, you'd better believe it. It has held a moving average over 32mpg in the past, and I want it back up there, pronto. The tough part is that sometimes Son #2 - the only other one in the family with an interest in hypermiling - works a mere three miles away. Right about the time the engine is getting warm and starting to deliver good economy, he's parked.
Breakfast this morning: some backsliding. But the Panera cinnamon rolls are soooo good. Ye gods, look at all those calories. Well, I guess that's enough of that.
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