This stretch of highway has a posted speed limit of 85 miles per hour, so the eighty mile trip takes less than an hour. The southern part had few cars, but the closer I got to Austin, the busier it was.

I did shoot video through the windshield, but it was not usable. Sorry, but that gives me an excuse to make another trip on this piece of road

The Michelin HydroEdge tires have survived the road for about 100,000 miles so it is time for a change. Since the HydroEdge tire is discontinued (replaced is probably more accurate), I decided to return to the P4s from Pirelli.

The price is better than the replacement Michelin and I don’t live on the road like I once did.

If you have followed this website for any time, you know I first ran the Pirelli P4s, then when I had to replace them, I had the Michelin HydroEdge tires installed. I wrote several reviews about each tire and I would recommend both tires.

Here is a picture of the odometer a few miles after the tire installation. Inara is about to turn 218,000 miles old, which she did a few hours after this shot was taken.

Inara has a big smile on her face. She likes her new shoes..

This is a test of my new bluetooth keyboard. After researching my options, I decided to go with the Verbatim Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard. It was easy to pair with my Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and with a little adjustment to the keyboard, I think this will work great.

The alignment is a bit different than the other full-size keyboards I spend most of my time on, but the keys are large, if not in slightly adjusted locations to fit on a small folding keyboard.

The keys feel much like the ones on my HP netbook, and give plenty of responsiveness. I can easily tell when I’m missing a key or completing the action. I must say, after only a few minutes, it feels okay.

Now, only time will tell.

It’s that time again. I would think since coming in off the road, changing the oil & filter would get less frequent, and however, my commute still adds up to 1600 miles each month plus errands and lunch. That means this errand still rolls around every few months.

I’m trying a new service center this time. The local oil change business shut down some time ago, but a new one has opened up a mile from the house. It will be nice if they do a good job because of convenience.

I had to quit using the previous business in this location because they were careless. They changed the oil and filter but didn’t have a quality check process in place and I drove off with a loose drain plug.

I was 400 miles from home when the oil light came on. Yep, when I pulled the dipstick it was dry. No oil… It had all blown out leaving me broke down in Hale Center, Texas. Don’t know where that is? You really need to check a map to grasp the circumstances. Oh, and there are no shops in Hale Center. And after hours is worse. The nearest wrecker was 75 miles away.

I’ll save the rest of the story for later. I think they are about done.

It might even thin out the number of cars legally on the roads by removing a huge group of people who obviously don’t understand merge, yield, stop, lane markings, and checking traffic before changing lanes.

My car brand has been appropriate these past few weeks. It’s a Dodge, and that is exactly what I’ve done lately. Dodging drivers who obviously don’t have time to be careful. They’re late for class and heaven help any who get in their way.

I’m still intact, and wish to stay that way, but complete attention is needed while behind the wheel.

Oh, and if you must talk or text on your phone, move over a few lanes so you can scare someone else. I’m growing weary of the game.

How’s you commute been?

Number 32, Stone Oak Parkway and Hwy 281 is one I must deal with every day on my commute into and out of downtown San Antonio. I knew it was bad, but to make this list confirms it.

Which problem area do you have to contend with on a daily basis? Is it in the top 50 or languishing in the bottom 50?

That’s right, it only works as well as you are smart. It’s the old, GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) problem.

That is sure good to know.

Is this the antique and the modern, the old and the new, the inefficient and the efficient?

To me it seems more like the sterile and the natural.

What do you think?

This month at the WordPress Meetup we are enjoying a presentation on I themes. There is much more than meets the eye.

I laugh … ha ha ha ha ha …

Inara, my 2007 Dodge Magnum has 203,346 miles, as of Friday, so I’m not very sympathetic toward their cause. In fact, they are shocked when I tell them Inara has over 200,000 miles and that I am not planning on getting rid of her any time soon.

I jokingly tell them she is just getting broke in good and is running like a champ. Last month (July 2012) she averaged 23.073 mpg on my commute and 24.224 average for the last three months. I believe last month’s drop was due to the severely hot temperatures, which significantly affects a cars mileage. (That’s why they make cold-air induction systems)

How is your car doing? Is he/she new or just slightly broke in? Let me know in the comments …