It seems the first three months of 2012 were full of uncertainty, but things have really settled down into some normalcy. Looks like I won't be moving again this year (thank GOD!) and really, the only thing out there is whether or not I will be able to stay in my current position at work past September. Fortunately, I have a lot to do before then, so I can't really focus on that.

The 17th birthday of Club Josh the web site is this June, and I FINALLY have a new site design. I think if I start working on it a bit every day, I can actually get something done. My problem is I get distracted at home and as I have mentioned, end up doing stuff not related to the web site.

My latest distraction/time waster is Instagram. I joined way back at the end of 2010, but only recently have I really started posting on a regular basis. I am now also archiving the best ones on my Flickr page, so those who don't have an iPhone or Android Smartphone can see my handiwork. I don't think I am Instagallery worthy yet, but we shall see!

At any rate, with new design in hand, I am hoping to get the new site up on the new server (sitting unused since September 2011) soon. Again, the biggest stumbling blocks are the Gorn and Trip Diary pages, so overcoming those obstacles will take the lion share of time. The good news is that I finally added the Gorn photos from Puerto Rico to the site, and if I actually get a chance to go somewhere this year, I will post them as well.

Well it has been over a month driving the Prius v, and I have to say that I really enjoy it. Once I got over some sticker shock involving the car insurance, I have really settled down with the car.

The first road trip was last week to Phoenix, and it handled my lead foot and still managed 40 MPG. When we drove in Daniel's classic Prius last year, it averaged 48MPG, so I was pretty pleased with the v's performance. If there is anything to frown upon in the vehicle, it is the acceleration onto the freeway and going up mountains. The v seems to struggle a bit due to the CVT, but once you are up to freeway speeds, it goes like a champ. I'm also glad I chose silver, as it has received some great compliments from onlookers.

On the inside, no complaints about my seat in the vehicle. I made a minor tweak to the lumbar support, but overall it has been very comfortable, even on the long trip.

I'm still waiting for the chance to drive the relatives down to San Diego. They all really enjoyed riding in the CR-V, so that for me, will be the validation of the car.

I've already driven 1800 miles in a month - where will I end up next??

I've finally hunkered down and traded in my 2008 CRV for a 2012 Prius. My lease was coming to the end and with the issues I have had with my CR-V, I decided to take the plunge and get a Prius to save on gas mileage. The upgrade is from 18/28 on the CRV to 40/44 on the Prius. I opted for the larger Prius v (essentially a station wagon) because it had the same cargo space as a CR-V and the seating felt more plush than the other Prius I was looking at, the compact Prius c.

Driving the two Prii models, I certainly liked the ride and the legroom on the v as well as the center console. When I drove the c, it felt like I was almost on top of the passenger. So in the end I decided to treat myself.

I'll be back soon with a better daylight photo and some First Drive impressions..