What are the Starbuck’s people thinking about?
Or, who designed those flimsy hot cups that pose a real and present danger to drivers?

Start of an 8 hour road trip back to Boston.
Stop for a large coffee. A grande?
At the car, I pour some coffee out.
It is filled to the brim.
Set the cup in the well and access the highway.
Hot cup.
The way I like it.

One hand on the wheel, the other reaches for the exposed part of the cup.
Hot.
And yielding.
Release the cup to the well before I drop the hot coffee on my leg.

To procure the cup, I must hold the wheel with my leg and use two hands to pull the cup out of the well.
I position the cup in my right hand (I’m left-handed) and take a nice hot sip.
Think of returning the cup to the well.
UUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Tilt.
No can do.
How am I going to get it out again?
Legs are not designed to steer.

Must hold the cup for the duration; or at least until it is half-empty and no longer dangerously hot.
Hence a travel tip.
Bring a solid cup designed to hold the coffee hot; to not crumble at the touch.

But really, so many Starbuck’s on the highway.
So many chances for accidents.

What are the Starbuck’s people thinking about?
Or, who designed those flimsy hot cups that pose a real and present danger to drivers?

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Today is Monday, September 3
This is my 146th consecutive daily posting.
Time is 5.13am and the weather is very hot.
As is my wont, I will go on my 45minute walk to the café earlier than usual, returning by noon, so avoiding the extreme heat.

Today’s dinner is…out. Have not decided yet. 

Note that for the duration of the trip some of the posts may be made the night before.

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Here’s a comment from Tommie Toner remembering her own daughter, Leigh, my daughter-in-law, moving into school.

Love the photos of Kat's room - a nice room, by the way. Leigh's rooms at Harvard reminded me of jail cells. Kat's room reminds me of the rooms I ventured through and lived in in college - and all of the "stuff."😎

As time passed, the stuff got less and less. I fully appreciate her yoga work and writing. Would love to take a class from her - but doubt I could keep up. I do gentle yoga with all of the old people who have had back surgery, knee surgery, foot surgery! Smiles! 

You are going to have a magnificent adventure! I am looking forward to photos and reading about your experiences. 

Web Meister responds: Pretty amazing that the excitement of my friends adds to the building excitement.
Thank you, all.

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I know I will be seeing beautiful vistas and lovely sites, but I must remember that we have such in Boston.
Will try to upload two videos as illustrations of this idea.
 

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Using my four day trip as a trial, most of my ideas seemed to work.
Toiletries provided a revelation.

I discovered that the generic ‘toiletries’ should be considered as ‘toiletries for morning’ and toiletries for night,’ and packed in two separate bags. Then I put the two bags in a box with whatever else goes with those toiletries, fluffy towels, hair blower, brush, etc.

I am particularly enthralled with the idea of being fully packed 48 hours before departure.
The last two days at home should be treated as a hotel room, working out of our boxes or suitcases exactly as we will do on the road.
I adjusted at least a dozen items that will make my trip easier.

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After a summer of paying a lot of attention to my weight, the day before I leave I can say that I am at the weight I wanted to be.
For me, a successful diet had to be self-taught; the rules, self-perpetrated.
Of course, the motivation had to come from within.


 

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