My New Car

To prove to Joe that I am not the wet blanket he makes me out to be, I've provided a link to a survey any of you car lovers out there can take to choose the design direction of the Venture One production vehicle. (That didn't sound as fun as it did in my head.) If I haven't hipped you to my future commuter car, here's a little taste:


It's half-auto, half-cycle and tilts when you corner. Beyond that, it gets 100 mpg, can go 100 mph, and hits 0-60 in about 6 seconds. Seats two and can accommodate a car seat. All that for between $20K and $25K. Expect it in discriminating dealer showrooms in about 2 years. There are a lot of these enviro-vehicles, but usually they're butt-ugly, look just a little too Jetsons, or will never in a million years reach production. This one seems to balance these attributes nicely and promises an exhilarating ride to boot.

Anywho, if you're interested, click on the picture and fill out a quick survey. It's mostly designed to school you more about the vehicle, but at the end you can choose which version you like best. I won't say which one I chose, but it's the one on the right.

The New Job

Well, my first week is behind me at the new job, and it was a doozy. I'm not going to make a habit of blogging about the job, but it's pretty amazing, so I'm compelled to share. Especially since, by contrast, my last job blew so hard.

So far, my colleagues seem very nice and have made me feel right at home. The office itself sits on top of a hill offering 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondacks. From my cubicle, which faces northeast, I can see Mount Mansfield in the distance, watch storms roll in, and see sunsets color the snow-capped peaks pink. I'll try to post pictures at some point, but my cell phone camera just doesn't do it justice.

After a day of orientation, I was on my way to dinner with a local client - Green Mountain Coffee - at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. They put us up there overnight to start an all-day strategy workshop the next morning. The lodge was created by the von Trapps of Sound of Music fame and features some of the best cross-country skiing in the east, if you're so inclined (I'm not, but aspire to be). I can say with all honesty that I've never before met in a conference room with a fire crackling away in the fireplace, and probably never will again.

Not bad for a first week, and this on the heels of a great weekend visit from Hope, George and Riley. We went sled riding on Saturday at a great hill at the Burlington Golf Course and then skiing at Bolton Valley. (Actually, George skied and I alternated between falling, swearing like a truck driver, and sliding downhill.) It's just been a crazy week to reflect back on, but when people wonder why we made this move to Vermont, this post pretty much sums it up for me. Once we find a more permanent living situation, the master plan will have come together.

Test Your Skill

Jeff keeps pressing the point that his intention for this blog is one of family photos, updates, connectedness, and I accept that. However, I sometimes like to share items that I find intriguing, elevating, or just plain fun!

As a lover of geography, I challenge you to take the traveler's IQ challenge and let me know how you did.

Traveler IQ Challenge