A Novice

Okay.  So Jonathan and I are finally ready for a new car.  Our 11 year old Saab is dying.  I’m sure I’ll cry a few tears when it comes time to actually part with the green monster, but for now, I’m caught up in the hype and promises of new car smells.

After much online research, I’ve learned some very interesting things.  I was super set on getting a Prius, until I worked out the monthly payment calculations…wowza.  And then I found an interesting article on  Actual Costs at Edmunds.com.  Can’t find the direct link now…sorry!  Anyway, it used current gas prices and then gas prices at $5/gallon to calculate which cars are actually cheaper for the consumer.  Turns out the Prius is really low on the list, once you calculate actual price of car, maintenance, etc.  The Chevy Aveo is number 1, and the car that we’re considering - the Honda Fit is number 3.

Fuel efficiency is very, very important, and it seems that this car does the trick, at 35mpg highway.  And I hear that over 40 can be reached with hypermiling .  The price is about right too, at just under $18K for the top-o-the-line Sport trim.  Apparently, it’s a very popular car and sells quickly, so it may be a trick to get just the one we want…if indeed, it’s what we want after the test drive.

One thing that’s become so clear to me throughout the research process is that Americans are clamoring for more fuel efficiency, and the automakers can’t give it to us fast enough - nor at the efficiency rate that we’re wanting!  Laws put into place tie the hands of automakers to take off the lid of fuel efficiency and really have it go to work for us.  So, while 35mpg seems pretty cool (especially compared to what we’re getting now!), I yearn for a day when we’re no longer using gas at all to fuel our rides.  Hopefully, the demand of the public creates that day sooner rather than later.

I’m reading another interesting book on the subject of 2012 called “The Mayan Code” by Barbara Hand Clow.  It’s pretty technical and goes into great detail about the mechanics of the Mayan calendar, but the over-arching themes are pretty clear.  I’d like to do several posts covering various topics that come up in this book.

One very important thing that I’m getting from this book is the need for balance.  We Americans tend to spend a lot of time in front of the computer, or in our heads, analyzing this and analyzing that.  The importance of exercising our right brain, opening our hearts, and getting back to nature is becoming super clear to me.  There’s a consciousness shift afoot - I’m sure you’ve noticed! - and it’s requiring us to live from our bodies instead of our heads.

I’m starting a new job at UCLA after Labor Day (yay!).  It will involve a lot of programming and design, which is fun for me, but it most certainly keeps me in my head, especially the left brain side.  I spend most of my days there as it is with my web programming work, and I’m noticing an intense pressure behind my eyes by end of day, despite glasses.

As I embark on this new phase of my life, I have to wonder what it is that I can do to bring back balance.  It seems to be a question that many of us are asking.  I asked my friend Tom; he gave me a meditation that he created to ground myself to the planet.  He may be posting it on his website soon (I’m building him a new site - be sure to check it out!), so check there for it.

Other than that, I suppose trying out healing modalities that resonate to us as individuals is the way to go.   Some that come to mind for myself: kundalini yoga, any kind of yoga, camping, hiking, swimming, meditation, bodywork, singing and dancing, going to the spa, spiritual journeys to sacred sites, Pleidian activation, Native American ceremonies, communing with friends.

Please let me know of what it is that YOU are doing to gain balance in your life.  We can all learn from each other.