$7.62 per Gallon at Wawa!

... for bottled water. Over $8.00 for coffee there... don't get me started with the price at Starbucks.

Oh, gas was just $2.69.

Your Mileage May Vary...

The red 2005 mustang rental is long gone, but that doesn't mean that I am back to "000" on the coolness meter, we recently purchased a hybrid SUV. We have the 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

I've read about the "break in period" for hybrids which say that you will not see the best gas mileage out of the box, but rather after 3000-5000 miles or more.

The EPA suggests 31 mpg city and 28 mpg highway with this vechicle. My first stop at the gas station was after 318 miles and required 14.7 gallons. So, I am starting off at 21.7 mpg. But 2/3 through that first tank of gas, I was averaging 18-19 mpg, so either my driving habits changed or I already started to see better mileage. Time will tell.

But regardless of the mileage (which is still MUCH better than that on my 2001 Pathfinder), the Highlander Hybrid is a SULEV, which of course stands for a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. This cuts down at least 80% of the emissions of a regular SUV.

Yes, I know that a smaller hybrid would get better gas mileage, throw out fewer emissions, and be a better green vehicle. But have you seen the size of our dog recently?

While not quite the vehicle of the future, it is really the vehicle of the now! America thinks it needs big, roomy, and fast vehicles. Did I mention that I have 268 horses under the hood? ... and 0-60 in just 7.5 seconds, quicker than the gas-powered 2005 270 hp Patherfinder . As far as roomy, have you seen the size of my ass recently (sorry, no link here)?

Move Over Rob and Amber...

Almost 13 months since my last blog entry... something interesting must have actually happened to me today.!

I recently saw an ad on TV for a casting call for 'The Amazing Race' at the Morgantown Furniture Outlet in Morgantown, PA for 11:00 AM today. So last weekend, we filmed a 3-minute tape to submit with our application. Actually, we filmed 60 minutes of tape and it took me until about 4am this morning to get the correct 3 minutes in the correct order and onto a VHS tape to submit with our application. You might find the video here! (Special thanks to Dan for helping with the video and for being 'the voice')

In typical Bob and Jeannine fashion, we got up later than we wanted this morning and still had to get to a Post Office to get our Passport applications in motion. We found one that opened at 8:00 and got there promptly at 8:25. $230 later, we had the proof that we needed that our passport submission process was in order.

Around 9:00, we finally start driving out to Morgantown in a Torrential Downpour. Hydroplaning on the PA Turnpike in a sweeeeet 2005 red Ford Mustang isn't my idea of a good time... I take that back... it actually IS my definition of a good time.

Anyway, the casting call was publicized on local Philly TV, but the date/time for the Philly Casting Call was not published on T.A.R's web site with the 20+ other casting calls. This worked greatly to our advantage since only about 30 couples showed up. Getting there at 10:00 AM, I was afraid that we wouldn't be in the first 250 couples that KYW/CBS promised to interview. We were actually couple #7. But that only gave me an hour or so to fill out the game's multi-page application form, which I had been dutifully carrying around for a week and a half.

One of the 2 Casting Directors walked around and gave us a little advice for the two to two-and-a-half minute video they were going to film on us. We were to sell the casting directors on why we would make good TV, why we feel we are competitive ... what separates us from the pack.

Our "competition" was mainly young heterosexual white couples -- any one could have been interchanged with another, or switched in mid-show and no one would have noticed the difference. Well, truth be told, there was one exception - one young woman who decided to wear her Wonderbra on, coincidentally, the same day that her low-cut sweater was her only clean top. But I wasn't allowed to notice her.

Also, most of the competition were just picking up their application... most didn't have a passport or proof of applying for one, nor did many (any?) have a previously made video of themselves. Yes, we were actually the organized ones.

The first 6 couples go up... check in.. .and record their ~2 minute banter about why they are wonderful. From 50 feet away, the first group of couples looked like stiffs (except for Ms. Wonderbra... who looked like a stiff with boobs).

Finally, we get called to the table and Jeannine hits it off with one of the women taking our information. Why waste your charm there -- save it for the casting directors! We were given #66 as our group number. Any Pittsburgh sports fan would realize that this was a good omen. In addition to our own video, we were also allowed to film an "intro" for our video too. Cool... the more info they have on us, the better... right?

About 4 1/2- 5 minutes later... we finish up the intro. We were awesome... bantering back and forth... building off each other. The casting directors just let us go.. .and go.... and go. They proded us one or two times and then just let us keep on talking. Jeannine was talking a mile a minute... and we still filled up double the time of the previous couples.

We both made the casting directors laugh out loud a few times. When we finished they both thanked us and said the obligatory 'good job' -- but one commented (almost in a 'thanking us' tone) that we were so lively and fun.

I don't know how soon they will make any decisions, but the next step would be going to NYC for a second round of interviews. After that, the 3rd and final round is in LA in October.

I know it's a huge numbers game... and I didn't want to be optimistic about getting to the 2nd round. But after our performance today, I really will be disappointed if we don't get a call back for round 2. They now have 7-8 minutes of us on tape 'performing' pretty well. Hopefully they already have their allotment of hot, but annoying, young couples and are looking for someone that middle America can root for.

To be continued... hopefully.