Toyota Prius

Beep Beep!

In November 2006, we had to replace our 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid (I have an unlicensed, uninsured driver to thank for that). At first, I was going to get another Civic Hybrid, but then I got ticked off because they stopped offering a manual transmission. Yes, that’s a silly reason to choose not to go with a particular brand, but it bugged me. Then again, I had other reasons to look at the Toyota Prius.

We’ve had Toyotas since 2000, and I couldn’t be happier with the reliability, although they have limited leg space if you’re not the driver. Our 2007 Prius is the same. At six-feet tall, I’m comfortable in the driver’s seat. The front passenger seat, scooted all the way back, is tight. My knees are close to the dash, which worries me in the event of a front-end collision. Don’t ask me to sit in back.

Performance-wise, the Prius has acceptable pick-up-and-go. It’s on par with most four-cylinder cars. It handles nicely, and the back-up camera has made it possible for me to parallel park (hey, it’s a talent I don’t have).

Yeah, yeah, I know: What about MPG?! It depends on a lot of factors. If my husband is driving to work on a normal day–”normal” defined as 30°F to 80°F and no major traffic snafus–he can rate from 55 to 62 MPG. He DOES NOT baby it. Although he drives more conservatively, he doesn’t believe in driving “like a granny.” He’s even had a speeding ticket with this car.

When I drive the Prius, I don’t do quite as well. I think this is because I don’t drive it every day like he does, and because I’m a little more of a lead foot. Still, under the same conditions, I tend to get 47-52 MPG. This is closer to the average of, I think, about 45 MPG. It takes time to relearn driving habits to conserve fuel. With this car, there is feedback on the Energy Consumption screen in the dash. This is the same monitor as the back-up camera, climate control, and audio controls.

One thing this car has done is help us get better mileage in our 2000 Toyota Sienna. Yes, you read that right! The new habits translate to better mileage in other vehicles. It comes down to common sense: Don’t charge ahead when the light turns green, don’t tailgate, don’t brake at the last second, and so on. How much you use the AC or heat also affects mileage.

Now the bad news. This car seems to be made of cheap plastic. The backseat cup holder is not to be trusted, as it keeps falling off the back of the storage compartment between the front seats. Another problem is where the hatchback door shuts on the floor of the rear trunk/storage area. The plastic by the latch has a big crack in it. My husband thinks something was in the way one time when he tried to shut the door, causing the crack. In my opinion, that still should not have caused this damage.

Overall, I can recommend this car if you don’t expect adults to ride in the back on a regular basis and gas prices stay over four dollars a gallon. The car’s sticker price is more than a Honda Civic Hybrid’s, but the Prius takes regular oil, whereas we had to pay double for the synthetic stuff the Civic took. The Prius’s oil changes run me around $25. The Civic’s, in 2005 and 2006, ran almost $50. I guess the price difference only matters if you’re going to have the car a long time.

If you’re planning to get a hybrid for environmental reasons, keep this in mind. While these cars have very, ultra-low emissions, they still have emissions. They still have to be made in a factory. And all Priuses are imported from Japan on massive ships that make semi-trucks look environmentally angelic.

Well, I hope this helps. I do like our Prius, but it could be better in a few ways. At least we only had to wait three weeks instead of nine months to get it!

7 Bags

Seventh Generation Diapers

My son suffered from severe diaper rash for the first few weeks of life. We’re doing several things to help, and trying these diapers was one of those things. When it cleared, I tried to go back to Huggies. His rash started to return, even though we were still using no more than wet cotton balls and triple paste on his little bottom. We went back to the SG diapers, and the rash hasn’t returned.

I like the “green” aspect to these diapers, as well. We try to do what we can to be less wasteful/environmentally destructive, and this is nice. (I tried cloth diapering with my first child. The less said, the better.)

I also appreciate that SG is comparable in price to the major brands. By using Amazon’s subscription service, we’ll be paying LESS than going to the store to buy those major brands.

Finally, I REALLY LOVE the, um, containment factor. Although it’s been close, my son hasn’t had a blow-out yet with SG (*knock on wood!*), whereas it can be a regular occurrence with Huggies.

I am so glad my friend turned me on to this brand. My son stays rash-free, his clothes are better protected, and there’s a little less pollution created in the process of making these diapers.

Also check out SG’s wipes: Seventh Gen Baby Wipes Tub. You can order their refill packs to save money and cut down on the plastic containers.

**Interesting note… In Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash, the author noted that dump operators find diapers are the least of their concerns. So when faced with disposable diapers versus washing cloth diapers with chlorine bleach, well, you can see what route I chose!**

10,000 B.C.

Go to Amazon.com for more information.

PG-13
Running Time: 1 hr, 49 min
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Steven Strait, Camilla Belle
Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures

(*NOTE* Some SPOILERS)

A simple tribe of prehistoric hunters finds its way of life threatened when attacked by “four-legged demons.” Homes are burned and people taken to lands unknown. The village’s best hunters take off in pursuit, becoming, as the narrator says, hunters no longer, but warriors.

D’Leh, the lead character played by Steven Strait, is determined to rescue Evolet, the love of his life, along with the other hunters who were taken from the tribe, and without whom the people will starve. Thrust into the unasked-for role of Hero, D’Leh leads an army of many tribes to liberate thousands of captives–now slaves.

Visually, this is a decent film. CG effects are well blended with the action, and the cast acted out their roles in an acceptable manner. That said, this movie left a lot to be desired. The plot is based on a tired storyline with predictable turns: Hero’s village is attacked; Hero must rescue people; Hero displays special ability or fits prophecy; Hero faces danger; Hero wins, with minimal losses.

One thing that annoyed me was that D’Leh seemed to care more about getting his girl back than anything else around him. He pulls it out in the end and even manages to care, but until that point, he is very one-dimensional.

Hollywood loves its beasties. The production team behind 10,000 B.C. is no exception, with massive prehistoric monstrosities, which was the most impressive part of the movie. Mastodons (“Mannak”), a saber-toothed tiger (“Spear Tooth”), and a herd of two-story carnivorous emu-like birds provide some action-oriented eye candy. Other than that, however, the entire movies comes off flat.

It’s not horrible, but it’s not great. If you have Netflix, go for it. Is it worth buying a copy? Not on my dime.

5 Bags (out of 10)

Appleseed Ex Machina

John Woo and Shinji Aramaki’s futuristic tale of cyborgs, bioroids, and humans spotlights the E.S.W.A.T. force of Olympus, a post-apocalyptic city.

Governments from around the world are about to join in a massive satellite-sharing operation. Terrorists attack from unexpected directions, causing turmoil in the city. The core of the E.S.W.A.T. team faces not only their biggest mission, but their most intimate challenge ever. Deunan, a hard-charging human, Briareos, her cyborg partner and love interest, and Tereus, the bioroid fashioned from Briareos’s DNA must overcome excruciating obstacles to ensure the peace and safety of not only Olympus, but the world.

The motion-capture technology used for this film is much improved from earlier incarnations. Characters’ body movements were the most natural I’ve seen so far. Unfortunately, the animation style felt far more appropriate to a gaming environment than a movie. My fingers got twitchy in expectation of game play that, of course, never happened. This blended animation style continually pulled me from the story so I could check out where they splurged or skimped on detail (ie: fine facial movements verses chunky locks of hair).

As to the story, I found the love triangle an interesting byplay to the larger situation. A conflicted Deunan deals with two versions of the same man. Set within the bigger frame of a terrifying social meltdown, this emotional situation adds tension to an already difficult day.

For the most part, the story was believable. Certain elements were predictable, but they were presented in a manner that will leave anime fans satisfied.

Hardcore fans might find this film a bit off the pace at times, but, overall, it’ll be a fun title to add to your collection.

One other note for people who use CC: The captions are severely lacking. They don’t