Thursday, July 4, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Wasabe
Have you ever had wasabe? It's the green spicy stuff often served with sushi.
I snapped a picture of this license plate a while back, using my cell phone. It was dark out, so it was hard to get a good picture.
Indeed, the vehicle was the color of wasabe.
Suddenly, I felt the urge to find a good sushi bar...
I snapped a picture of this license plate a while back, using my cell phone. It was dark out, so it was hard to get a good picture.
Indeed, the vehicle was the color of wasabe.
Suddenly, I felt the urge to find a good sushi bar...
Friday, June 28, 2013
Friday Funnies (from Facebook)
A few punny puns for you, courtesy of Facebook. Apologies to those who already read them there (or elsewhere... they are pretty old)!
I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
She was only a whisky-maker, but he loved her still.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: "Keep off the Grass!"
I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
She was only a whisky-maker, but he loved her still.
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: "Keep off the Grass!"
Thursday, June 20, 2013
A Call for Common Sense and an Ability to See Shades of Gray
I am adamantly opposed to people sexually abusing children. The idea of some creepy 45 year old having sex with my 10 or 14 year old kid just gives me the willies.
That said, there are varying degrees of sexual "abuse," different types of abusers, and some people convicted of sexual offenses who, in my opinion, should not have been convicted at all.
For example, a 45 year old woman who engages in sexual conduct with a 10 year old child obviously deserves a big punishment. By contrast, a 20 year old woman who on one occasion kisses and fondles a 15 year old teen who is sexually promiscuous, appears to be older, told her he was 18, and was "coming on to her," deserves less punishment, if any at all. In many states, both types of "offenders" would be punished.
As another example, if teens have sex with their teen boyfriends / girlfriends, it seems to me that neither one should be convicted of a sexual offense. But in many states they can be, and are, convicted.
Granted we may not like the idea of our teens having sex, but in some cultures, teens routinely marry and become parents -- it's not exactly unnatural, and absent some evidence of coercion by one or the other, it seems really unfair to convict one and deem the other a "victim" (and based on what, exactly? A year or two age difference between them? Whichever one's parents called the cops first?) when it is most likely that they both were happy to engage in the act!
And in other circumstances, the alleged "abuser" may be the victim of other abuse, such as when a child who is sexually abused by his parent then sexually abuses a younger sibling. Perhaps treatment instead of incarceration might be a better idea.
The collateral consequences of a conviction follow a person for life, in many cases. People are required to register on those "sex offender lists" for the rest of their lives.
Registering causes all sorts of nightmares for the registrants. They can't live within certain distances of schools, day care centers, and other places where kids congregate, which severely limits their options for where to live. In many states, they are not even allowed to walk within a certain distance of these places, which severely limits their movements, affecting everything from how they get to work or the grocery store -- is there even a public bus stop they are allowed to wait at? Is there a route to that bus stop from their home that doesn't take them past the school? Can they even take a job at that place if it is too close to a school? -- to whether they can even attend church (do kids attend? Probably can't go, then).
Many landlords won't even rent to known sex offenders, again severely limiting their ability to find a place to live.
Many employers can't or won't hire known sex offenders, severely limiting their ability to find a job.
Moreover, the registries are public, which means anyone who wants to target a sex offender list registrant can easily find their photo and address online. Registrants are often subjected to harassment, thefts, vandalism, assaults, or worse - up to and including murder.
All of this might -- I said MIGHT, not would -- be acceptable if this were their only punishment. But it's not. This all occurs *after* the offender has been released from prison. In other words, they have supposedly served their time, and should be allowed to get on with their lives, but they can't.
All of this also might -- I said might, not would -- be acceptable if the list were reserved only for the worst offenders -- those who had actual sexual intercourse with young children, those who forcibly raped their victims, or who were substantially older than their victims and should have known better, or some other way of determining the relative "evil" of their crime.
But is this lifetime of punishment really merited for a 20 year old who touches a 16 year old's breast, after she told him she was 18? Or what about the 13 year old who is sexually abused by his mother or father and acts out by sexually abusing his 11 year old sister? Should he really be subjected to a lifetime of punishment? Or should we maybe, just maybe, try some sort of counseling and give him a second chance?
And should someone who is now 70 and has been married to his wife for 30 years and hasn't so much as looked askance at a teenager still be suffering the consequences of a conviction for having sex with his 16 year old girlfriend when he was 20? Isn't there some point at which we say, enough's enough, he's so totally not likely to reoffend, let's let him off the list?
In most states, though, once you're on the list, there is no way off the list. And that seems fundamentally awful to me, especially for those whose offenses might be considered relatively "minor." (Again, for the truly heinous offenses, I have no problem with the equivalent of a lifetime of punishment, and for really minor "non-offense" offenses, I think they shouldn't have to register at all... but for the offenses in between, it seems to me that a lifetime on the sex offender registry is often out of proportion to the crime alleged and to the likelihood of recidivism, and that there ought to be a way off the list.) Shades of gray, people.
Even worse, the lists are so overcrowded that they don't even help. They are supposed to allow people to be aware of the sex offenders in their neighborhood, town, or city, so that they can make sure their kids avoid them.
As a parent, I have looked at these lists. One problem with them is that the very limited description of the offense of conviction does not allow you to even determine whether the person was a 20 year old convicted of having sex with his 17 year old, very willing girlfriend (and thus probably not actually dangerous) or a 45 year old creep who forcibly raped a 12 year old. Another problem is that the sheer number of registrants makes it impossible to actually protect your kids from them. It would be impossible to memorize all of their names, photos, and addresses and would be ridiculous (and likely would cause more psychological harm than it would prevent) to try to make your kids memorize them all and avoid them... Especially when so many of the registrants are, in fact, extremely unlikely to reoffend and/or were convicted of offenses that should not, in my opinion, have been labeled criminal acts. If the lists were shorter, they MIGHT be more useful.
Here is an article that says it better than I could, because it comes from a first-hand perspective, rather than my more theoretical view as a lawyer.
Check it out. Then let me know what you think.
That said, there are varying degrees of sexual "abuse," different types of abusers, and some people convicted of sexual offenses who, in my opinion, should not have been convicted at all.
For example, a 45 year old woman who engages in sexual conduct with a 10 year old child obviously deserves a big punishment. By contrast, a 20 year old woman who on one occasion kisses and fondles a 15 year old teen who is sexually promiscuous, appears to be older, told her he was 18, and was "coming on to her," deserves less punishment, if any at all. In many states, both types of "offenders" would be punished.
As another example, if teens have sex with their teen boyfriends / girlfriends, it seems to me that neither one should be convicted of a sexual offense. But in many states they can be, and are, convicted.
Granted we may not like the idea of our teens having sex, but in some cultures, teens routinely marry and become parents -- it's not exactly unnatural, and absent some evidence of coercion by one or the other, it seems really unfair to convict one and deem the other a "victim" (and based on what, exactly? A year or two age difference between them? Whichever one's parents called the cops first?) when it is most likely that they both were happy to engage in the act!
And in other circumstances, the alleged "abuser" may be the victim of other abuse, such as when a child who is sexually abused by his parent then sexually abuses a younger sibling. Perhaps treatment instead of incarceration might be a better idea.
The collateral consequences of a conviction follow a person for life, in many cases. People are required to register on those "sex offender lists" for the rest of their lives.
Registering causes all sorts of nightmares for the registrants. They can't live within certain distances of schools, day care centers, and other places where kids congregate, which severely limits their options for where to live. In many states, they are not even allowed to walk within a certain distance of these places, which severely limits their movements, affecting everything from how they get to work or the grocery store -- is there even a public bus stop they are allowed to wait at? Is there a route to that bus stop from their home that doesn't take them past the school? Can they even take a job at that place if it is too close to a school? -- to whether they can even attend church (do kids attend? Probably can't go, then).
Many landlords won't even rent to known sex offenders, again severely limiting their ability to find a place to live.
Many employers can't or won't hire known sex offenders, severely limiting their ability to find a job.
Moreover, the registries are public, which means anyone who wants to target a sex offender list registrant can easily find their photo and address online. Registrants are often subjected to harassment, thefts, vandalism, assaults, or worse - up to and including murder.
All of this might -- I said MIGHT, not would -- be acceptable if this were their only punishment. But it's not. This all occurs *after* the offender has been released from prison. In other words, they have supposedly served their time, and should be allowed to get on with their lives, but they can't.
All of this also might -- I said might, not would -- be acceptable if the list were reserved only for the worst offenders -- those who had actual sexual intercourse with young children, those who forcibly raped their victims, or who were substantially older than their victims and should have known better, or some other way of determining the relative "evil" of their crime.
But is this lifetime of punishment really merited for a 20 year old who touches a 16 year old's breast, after she told him she was 18? Or what about the 13 year old who is sexually abused by his mother or father and acts out by sexually abusing his 11 year old sister? Should he really be subjected to a lifetime of punishment? Or should we maybe, just maybe, try some sort of counseling and give him a second chance?
And should someone who is now 70 and has been married to his wife for 30 years and hasn't so much as looked askance at a teenager still be suffering the consequences of a conviction for having sex with his 16 year old girlfriend when he was 20? Isn't there some point at which we say, enough's enough, he's so totally not likely to reoffend, let's let him off the list?
In most states, though, once you're on the list, there is no way off the list. And that seems fundamentally awful to me, especially for those whose offenses might be considered relatively "minor." (Again, for the truly heinous offenses, I have no problem with the equivalent of a lifetime of punishment, and for really minor "non-offense" offenses, I think they shouldn't have to register at all... but for the offenses in between, it seems to me that a lifetime on the sex offender registry is often out of proportion to the crime alleged and to the likelihood of recidivism, and that there ought to be a way off the list.) Shades of gray, people.
Even worse, the lists are so overcrowded that they don't even help. They are supposed to allow people to be aware of the sex offenders in their neighborhood, town, or city, so that they can make sure their kids avoid them.
As a parent, I have looked at these lists. One problem with them is that the very limited description of the offense of conviction does not allow you to even determine whether the person was a 20 year old convicted of having sex with his 17 year old, very willing girlfriend (and thus probably not actually dangerous) or a 45 year old creep who forcibly raped a 12 year old. Another problem is that the sheer number of registrants makes it impossible to actually protect your kids from them. It would be impossible to memorize all of their names, photos, and addresses and would be ridiculous (and likely would cause more psychological harm than it would prevent) to try to make your kids memorize them all and avoid them... Especially when so many of the registrants are, in fact, extremely unlikely to reoffend and/or were convicted of offenses that should not, in my opinion, have been labeled criminal acts. If the lists were shorter, they MIGHT be more useful.
Here is an article that says it better than I could, because it comes from a first-hand perspective, rather than my more theoretical view as a lawyer.
Check it out. Then let me know what you think.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Happy Father's Day!
To all the great Dads, Step-Dads, in loco parentis individuals who act like Dads even though you're not biologically or by-marriage related to a particular child, and anyone else who is simply a fantastic male role model or otherwise a good male presence in a kid's life out there in blogger-land:
I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!
And here, I want to give a shout-out to four bloggers who I think, from reading their blogs over the past several years, are shining examples of good fatherhood:
Scope
SkyDad
Johnny Yen
Kim Ayres (the Bearded One)
If you have time, check out their blogs!
*****
And please forgive me if you're in the "great dad" category and I didn't mention you specifically. This somewhat belated Happy Father's Day wish IS DEFINITELY for you, too. :)
I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!
And here, I want to give a shout-out to four bloggers who I think, from reading their blogs over the past several years, are shining examples of good fatherhood:
Scope
SkyDad
Johnny Yen
Kim Ayres (the Bearded One)
If you have time, check out their blogs!
*****
And please forgive me if you're in the "great dad" category and I didn't mention you specifically. This somewhat belated Happy Father's Day wish IS DEFINITELY for you, too. :)
Thursday, June 13, 2013
MKNMONEY
While driving my daughter to swim team practice last night, we stopped at a light behind a car with a license plate that said, simply:
MKNMONEY
I said to my daughter: "Seems to me that license plate ought to be on a Mercedes or a Lexus, not a Honda Civic."
Said she: "Well, it only says she's 'Making' money, not that she actually has any."
Good point, that.
MKNMONEY
I said to my daughter: "Seems to me that license plate ought to be on a Mercedes or a Lexus, not a Honda Civic."
Said she: "Well, it only says she's 'Making' money, not that she actually has any."
Good point, that.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
State Farm Is Awesome
Usually people complain about their insurance companies. I love mine.
I have had State Farm auto insurance since at least 1988. Possibly longer. When we bought our home, I insured our home through State Farm as well.
Yes, I am a lawyer, and I have read the "bad faith" insurance cases with State Farm as the defendant. But either they have learned their lesson, or they reserve their alleged "bad faith" for people other than me. State Farm has always treated me well. They have never denied a claim, and I have had my fair share of claims -- windshields that needed replacing, fender benders, vandalism, theft, lost a part of our roof in a storm once... State Farm always just pays the claim, quickly and generally without any hassle.
Recently I was in a fender-bender in my 1998 Lincoln Town Car, which I basically inherited when my grandmother died. It is a beautiful car, silver gray, with only about 45,000 miles on it (35,000 when I got it last year). It is truly a luxury vehicle, with all the "bells & whistles" including heated front seats and a sun roof; it is soooo comfortable with its smooth, cool, thick and soft leather seats; it is in near mint condition; and it handles very well, too. I love it.
(I got rid of my beloved Chrysler - my first new car ever! - last year when I got the (practically antique) Lincoln, because even though I loved the Chrysler, it seemed foolish to keep making car payments when I could drive the even-more-luxurious-if-somewhat-older Lincoln for free).
The fender-bender caused an estimated $3500 worth of damage to my beautiful car (estimates at three shops that I went to ranged from $2700 to $4000, with an average of $3500). It doesn't take much damage to total $3500.... a broken headlamp, dented hood, dented bumper, and dented front grille did the job....
The bluebook value on the car is somewhere around $4000. State Farm initially said they intended to "total out" the car because the cost to repair it was higher than the book value would justify. They explained that this meant they would give me the money for it and I could still keep the car (and repair it or not, my choice), but that I would then have a "salvage" title. So I could continue to drive the car, but likely would have trouble selling it if I ever wanted to, and they would provide liability insurance if I wanted them to, but no more collision or comprehensive coverage. Ick. I did not want a "salvage" title. I was starting to fear my first ever hassle and/or denied claim with State Farm. (I looked it up later, though, and this is pretty standard operating procedure for insurance companies, so they weren't doing anything unusual.)
I explained the car's sentimental value and the fact that it had only 45,000 miles on it -- years of usability! -- and the fact that it is a beautiful car with all the luxuries and I love it.
They said, "OK, take it to the repair shop of your choice, and let's see how much it actually takes to repair it. If it goes over about $2800 (70% of the value), the presumption is that we are supposed to total it out, but before we make that decision, we'll look at it more closely to determine value, and if the cost to repair is only a few hundred over the value we determine, we will consider your desires and the sentimental value of the car, instead of just setting an arbitrary "kill" number."
Well, the $3500 estimate was pretty accurate. It was $3600 to repair. But State Farm paid it and did not "total out" my car.
But wait! There's more!
While the car was being repaired, I was scheduled to go on vacation, so I took advantage of the rental car coverage I maintain on my policy, and took the rental car on vacation.
The car was ready on Monday.
I was not scheduled to return from vacation until late last night (Tuesday) / early this morning (Wednesday). In fact, I arrived home around 2 a.m.
State Farm initially had covered the rental car through Monday, which meant I would have had to pay for yesterday and today.
I called and asked if they would cover the extra two days for the rental car since I had been in California and unable to pick it up on Monday, and they said yes. Just like that. Not even a moment's hesitation.
I love State Farm. If you do not have State Farm insurance, you should!
I have had State Farm auto insurance since at least 1988. Possibly longer. When we bought our home, I insured our home through State Farm as well.
Yes, I am a lawyer, and I have read the "bad faith" insurance cases with State Farm as the defendant. But either they have learned their lesson, or they reserve their alleged "bad faith" for people other than me. State Farm has always treated me well. They have never denied a claim, and I have had my fair share of claims -- windshields that needed replacing, fender benders, vandalism, theft, lost a part of our roof in a storm once... State Farm always just pays the claim, quickly and generally without any hassle.
Recently I was in a fender-bender in my 1998 Lincoln Town Car, which I basically inherited when my grandmother died. It is a beautiful car, silver gray, with only about 45,000 miles on it (35,000 when I got it last year). It is truly a luxury vehicle, with all the "bells & whistles" including heated front seats and a sun roof; it is soooo comfortable with its smooth, cool, thick and soft leather seats; it is in near mint condition; and it handles very well, too. I love it.
(I got rid of my beloved Chrysler - my first new car ever! - last year when I got the (practically antique) Lincoln, because even though I loved the Chrysler, it seemed foolish to keep making car payments when I could drive the even-more-luxurious-if-somewhat-older Lincoln for free).
The fender-bender caused an estimated $3500 worth of damage to my beautiful car (estimates at three shops that I went to ranged from $2700 to $4000, with an average of $3500). It doesn't take much damage to total $3500.... a broken headlamp, dented hood, dented bumper, and dented front grille did the job....
The bluebook value on the car is somewhere around $4000. State Farm initially said they intended to "total out" the car because the cost to repair it was higher than the book value would justify. They explained that this meant they would give me the money for it and I could still keep the car (and repair it or not, my choice), but that I would then have a "salvage" title. So I could continue to drive the car, but likely would have trouble selling it if I ever wanted to, and they would provide liability insurance if I wanted them to, but no more collision or comprehensive coverage. Ick. I did not want a "salvage" title. I was starting to fear my first ever hassle and/or denied claim with State Farm. (I looked it up later, though, and this is pretty standard operating procedure for insurance companies, so they weren't doing anything unusual.)
I explained the car's sentimental value and the fact that it had only 45,000 miles on it -- years of usability! -- and the fact that it is a beautiful car with all the luxuries and I love it.
They said, "OK, take it to the repair shop of your choice, and let's see how much it actually takes to repair it. If it goes over about $2800 (70% of the value), the presumption is that we are supposed to total it out, but before we make that decision, we'll look at it more closely to determine value, and if the cost to repair is only a few hundred over the value we determine, we will consider your desires and the sentimental value of the car, instead of just setting an arbitrary "kill" number."
Well, the $3500 estimate was pretty accurate. It was $3600 to repair. But State Farm paid it and did not "total out" my car.
But wait! There's more!
While the car was being repaired, I was scheduled to go on vacation, so I took advantage of the rental car coverage I maintain on my policy, and took the rental car on vacation.
The car was ready on Monday.
I was not scheduled to return from vacation until late last night (Tuesday) / early this morning (Wednesday). In fact, I arrived home around 2 a.m.
State Farm initially had covered the rental car through Monday, which meant I would have had to pay for yesterday and today.
I called and asked if they would cover the extra two days for the rental car since I had been in California and unable to pick it up on Monday, and they said yes. Just like that. Not even a moment's hesitation.
I love State Farm. If you do not have State Farm insurance, you should!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Best. Friend. Ever!
The other day, I posted about my "bestest friend in the whole world" who sent me the wonderful Contigo travel mugs for Christmas. I have known her for over 40 years (yes, since preschool!), and she truly is an amazing woman. She has raised / is raising three wonderful boys, while running a successful bankruptcy law practice in South Carolina. She is smart and beautiful and kind and really just the BEST friend.
Today, I want to tell you that, in addition to my "bestest friend in the whole world," I also have a "best friend ever," whom I have known for over 30 years (since middle school) and who, on a whim and because we haven't seen each other for like 6 years, invited me to come visit her in Birmingham, Alabama, to see the band "Little House" (the musicians are friends of ours) play.
We are planning the trip to coincide with Do Dah Day, which is a fun annual music festival in Birmingham that has been around for 34 years (click the link above to check it out - it's awesome! - and click here for more information about the origins / history of this quirky and fun local event). It has the usual festival things -- music, food, art, kid activities, a parade (I love a parade!), and lots of fun. Little House is playing at the festival.
My best friend ever used to be heavily involved in organizing and promoting Do Dah Day. I think she has reduced her involvement in it more recently, but still attends every year. It is a great festival and raises money every year for deserving local charities that benefit homeless animals.
My friend even offered me free plane tickets (using frequent flier miles) and a bedroom in her house so that I would have no excuse to say "no"!
But here's the clincher, for me: The trip offers the opportunity for me to see my friend's older child, who was a newborn the last time I was there, and to meet her younger child, whose photos I have seen on Facebook but have never met, and who is totally adorable.
Needless to say, it is an offer that cannot be refused! So I am going to Alabama for Do Dah Day! I can't wait!
****
And I have to confess that I have at least four other "best friends" who I totally love for various reasons, not all of them having to do with receiving awesome travel mugs or free plane tickets to Do Dah Day in Birmingham.
I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends. :)
Today, I want to tell you that, in addition to my "bestest friend in the whole world," I also have a "best friend ever," whom I have known for over 30 years (since middle school) and who, on a whim and because we haven't seen each other for like 6 years, invited me to come visit her in Birmingham, Alabama, to see the band "Little House" (the musicians are friends of ours) play.
We are planning the trip to coincide with Do Dah Day, which is a fun annual music festival in Birmingham that has been around for 34 years (click the link above to check it out - it's awesome! - and click here for more information about the origins / history of this quirky and fun local event). It has the usual festival things -- music, food, art, kid activities, a parade (I love a parade!), and lots of fun. Little House is playing at the festival.
My best friend ever used to be heavily involved in organizing and promoting Do Dah Day. I think she has reduced her involvement in it more recently, but still attends every year. It is a great festival and raises money every year for deserving local charities that benefit homeless animals.
My friend even offered me free plane tickets (using frequent flier miles) and a bedroom in her house so that I would have no excuse to say "no"!
But here's the clincher, for me: The trip offers the opportunity for me to see my friend's older child, who was a newborn the last time I was there, and to meet her younger child, whose photos I have seen on Facebook but have never met, and who is totally adorable.
Needless to say, it is an offer that cannot be refused! So I am going to Alabama for Do Dah Day! I can't wait!
****
And I have to confess that I have at least four other "best friends" who I totally love for various reasons, not all of them having to do with receiving awesome travel mugs or free plane tickets to Do Dah Day in Birmingham.
I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends. :)
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
And The "Best Customer Service" Award Goes To....
...Wells Fargo Bank!
Friday afternoon, I was on my way to the bank. I stopped at the intersection in the double-left-turn lane behind several other cars, waiting to turn left.
The light changed and the cars in the other left-turn lane got to go, but my lane did not move. Ugh. A broken down car was two cars ahead of me. The turn arrow changed to red again. Ugh.
Some people were waiting to cross the street. They crossed to the middle of the intersection by the broken down car and began getting ready to push the broken down car through the intersection when the light changed.
And then I noticed who the people were: An elderly woman, who was getting into the car to steer it, and two younger gentlemen, probably mid-20's, wearing long-sleeve dress shirts, ties, and Wells Fargo name tags.
The Wells Fargo bank tellers had volunteered to help their customer move her car out of the busy intersection and into their parking lot.
I swear, this bank is soooo much nicer than Chase Bank!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Best. Gift. Ever!
A couple of years ago, I received from my very best friend what I thought (at the time) was sort of an odd Christmas gift: Two stainless steel travel mugs. One blue, one green.
Here are photos of them:
(As an aside, I have few technical skills and cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to get blogger to let me put these photos next to each other instead of way across the page or one on top of the other. Ugh.)
They are nice-looking mugs - elegant, even - but I didn't understand why my best friend in the whole world would send travel mugs across the country for a Christmas gift. It was nice of her to send them (and it's always nice to get a gift), but sort of an odd thing to bother mailing. After all, travel mugs are a dime a dozen, right?
Then I used them and discovered how very wrong I was...
These mugs are A M A Z I N G!!!
They do NOT leak. At all. Ever. You can hold them upside down, and not a drop escapes!
You have to push the little button that you can see there, on the "front" of the mug in the photos, to get the valve to open so you can drink your beverage. It's not difficult to push, but is firm enough that it doesn't accidentally open.
I can put these mugs sideways in my purse, filled with coffee, and not even worry that they will leak, so long as I put the button on the "up" side and don't put anything on top of it!! Even then, it would have to be something hard and heavy to make the button move and open the valve. Really, I hardly even worry about it. I just toss them in and carry them around, filled with coffee.
They keep your beverage hot, or cold, as the case may be, for HOURS.
Once, in the summer (here in Arizona, it is often 110 to 118 degrees on a July or August summer day, and gets way hotter than that inside a locked car), I forgot my mug filled with iced coffee (with a bit of cream) in the car while I went inside a store and shopped for two hours.
If I had used any other mug that day, I would have returned to the car to find hot coffee with curdled cream, disgusting and undrinkable. Not with these mugs! I returned and, although the ice had mostly (not completely!!) melted, the coffee was still very cold and very drinkable. Refreshing, even, on such a hot day.
When I put hot coffee in them, it stays hot for HOURS. I have to make sure it is a drinkable temperature before sealing it up because otherwise it will be too hot to drink for a very long time.
I LOVE these mugs.
Now you can see why she is my bestest friend in the whole world. She knows me better than I know myself! She knew EXACTLY what I wanted for Christmas, even when I did not know I wanted it!
If you like to carry beverages with you in the car, you should go directly to the Contigo web site (click here) and buy one (or more) of these mugs.
Sadly, my green Contigo mug met an untimely death a couple of days ago. It was destroyed by a softball while the pitcher and catcher were warming up before my daughter's softball game the other day. The ball smashed right into the mug and broke the lid apart. The stainless steel portion was unharmed, but the lid was FUBAR (as we used to say in the bus business... F--d Up Beyond All Repair). So I will have to buy a new one. Just trying to decide whether to stick with the lovely green I had before, or try a new color, like red or silver.
Please note: This is absolutely not a paid promotion. Contigo probably doesn't even know I exist. I just totally love these mugs and I know you will, too. My motive? I want to keep the Contigo company in business and producing these exact mugs so that when I need new ones I will be able to buy them. They seem to last pretty much forever, absent tragic accidents like the one my green one encountered, so I am a little afraid that they will go out of business because they won't get enough repeat customers.
(As an aside, I have few technical skills and cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to get blogger to let me put these photos next to each other instead of way across the page or one on top of the other. Ugh.)They are nice-looking mugs - elegant, even - but I didn't understand why my best friend in the whole world would send travel mugs across the country for a Christmas gift. It was nice of her to send them (and it's always nice to get a gift), but sort of an odd thing to bother mailing. After all, travel mugs are a dime a dozen, right?
Then I used them and discovered how very wrong I was...
These mugs are A M A Z I N G!!!
They do NOT leak. At all. Ever. You can hold them upside down, and not a drop escapes!
You have to push the little button that you can see there, on the "front" of the mug in the photos, to get the valve to open so you can drink your beverage. It's not difficult to push, but is firm enough that it doesn't accidentally open.
I can put these mugs sideways in my purse, filled with coffee, and not even worry that they will leak, so long as I put the button on the "up" side and don't put anything on top of it!! Even then, it would have to be something hard and heavy to make the button move and open the valve. Really, I hardly even worry about it. I just toss them in and carry them around, filled with coffee.
They keep your beverage hot, or cold, as the case may be, for HOURS.
Once, in the summer (here in Arizona, it is often 110 to 118 degrees on a July or August summer day, and gets way hotter than that inside a locked car), I forgot my mug filled with iced coffee (with a bit of cream) in the car while I went inside a store and shopped for two hours.
If I had used any other mug that day, I would have returned to the car to find hot coffee with curdled cream, disgusting and undrinkable. Not with these mugs! I returned and, although the ice had mostly (not completely!!) melted, the coffee was still very cold and very drinkable. Refreshing, even, on such a hot day.
When I put hot coffee in them, it stays hot for HOURS. I have to make sure it is a drinkable temperature before sealing it up because otherwise it will be too hot to drink for a very long time.
I LOVE these mugs.
Now you can see why she is my bestest friend in the whole world. She knows me better than I know myself! She knew EXACTLY what I wanted for Christmas, even when I did not know I wanted it!
If you like to carry beverages with you in the car, you should go directly to the Contigo web site (click here) and buy one (or more) of these mugs.
Sadly, my green Contigo mug met an untimely death a couple of days ago. It was destroyed by a softball while the pitcher and catcher were warming up before my daughter's softball game the other day. The ball smashed right into the mug and broke the lid apart. The stainless steel portion was unharmed, but the lid was FUBAR (as we used to say in the bus business... F--d Up Beyond All Repair). So I will have to buy a new one. Just trying to decide whether to stick with the lovely green I had before, or try a new color, like red or silver.
Please note: This is absolutely not a paid promotion. Contigo probably doesn't even know I exist. I just totally love these mugs and I know you will, too. My motive? I want to keep the Contigo company in business and producing these exact mugs so that when I need new ones I will be able to buy them. They seem to last pretty much forever, absent tragic accidents like the one my green one encountered, so I am a little afraid that they will go out of business because they won't get enough repeat customers.
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