Seventh Generation's paper towel

They have this paper towel that's made fully from recycled material and processed with no harmful chemical. My wife thinks it's too dark and doesn't work as well as the regular ones do. I'm OK with it but just wish they could make it thicker. It's less absorbent than the virgin ones I guess, so having thicker layer would probably help, albeit the cost will be even higher.

Up to 38.7 MPG now!

As the temperature slowly rises, so does the tank average reported by my Camry. I guess it's probably because it no longer needs to start the engine just to keep the car warm. It's 34 something during winter but I've seen around 37.4 lately. When I checked today, it's 38.7 MPG! Very nice, my friend, esp. when gas is close to $4 per gallon now.

Turning off the "Maint Reqd" message

It's been flashing the message for a while, but the trouble is I already had the maintenance, even before the message started. So I did a little quick search and found this tip here:
http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f49/how-turn-off-maintenance-required-light-16363/
It worked fine for me.

Google was probably faster than waiting for a dealer technician to talk to me. :-) BTW, in the process I also found Toyota's online manual site, www.toyotaiguide.com, which is easy to use.

Al Gore's speech

I was listening to his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize and it moved me to tears. It's kinda unusual for a dry topic like climate change but he really made it personal. And it oughta be if you really think about it. When millions suffer from the dire consequences of climate change, the pain will be very personal, not only for those who suffer, but for everyone else who's qualified as a human being with at least some basic form of empathy.

Science has probably never been so sure about complex topics as it is now with climate change. To doubt the conclusion in a wholesale way is virtually equivalent to having no understanding of scientific methodology at all. For those who are in that camp I just can't help but having only contempt for them. It's as close to being my enemy as bringing a habitual pedophile near my kids, because it jeopardizes their wellbeing, current or future, in the same gross way.

Off to a good start

I drove about 508 miles for the first tank of gas (full to fueling light on) on my Camry Hybrid 2008. Not to shabby. It's probably about 3/4 highway and 1/4 local.

Don't know if it's true for other hybrid owners, but it often becomes a game on tailoring the driving style to make being in "E-mode" as much as possible. It's fun!