Last Monday, the electrician arrived at my home to do the Wall Box Inspection and the news wasn’t good. In order to have enough juice flowing to our detached garage, he said we’d need to dig a trench from the basement of our house through our backyard to our garage and lay a 40 amp line. Heavy machinery would have to be involved. Price tag? He wouldn’t say, but told me that MINI would get back to me.
After consulting with a few friends who’ve had some electrical work done, I got the sense that at a minimum the cost would be five thousand dollars. That is no where near what I’d been expecting to pay. In addition, the idea of digging a big trench through our backyard, upending the swing set and landscaping (that we’d probably have to pay to replace) just seemed like too much to take on. Honestly, even if MINI paid for everything needed, I still don’t think I’d go through with it. Too much disruption for a line that I’d only use for one year.
It will come as no surprise that I decided to pull out of the MINI E Field Trial. I’m saddened by my decision, but think it’s the right thing for me and my family. I am eager to hear about how the trial progresses, MINI’s findings, and the experiences of the field trial participants.
To end on a positive note, I purchased my first MINI after I made my decision to pull out of the field trial. It’s the convertible 2008 MINI Cooper S you see on this post and I absolutely love it. I wish MINI and all of the MINI E Field Trial Participants all the best.
There’s been a lot of MINI E activity for me over the last 24 hours.
1. Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Clean Fuel Connection, Inc. to request my availability for conducting the initial inspection for the Wall Box. The e-mail had three attachments:
- Process flow diagram of how the Wall box installation process will work. It was very straightforward and easy to read. No Earth shattering revelations.
- FAQ document that answered some basic questions. Good to know more about the potential lower EV rate for electricity I might get from the local utility. We’ll see.
- Clipper Creek CS Brochure which was a high level specification pamphlet on the wall charger. It confirms that we’ll need to upgrade the service out to the garage. Thankfully, we have plenty of juice available.
I e-mailed my availability for the inspections and hopefully I’ll get a call soon to schedule the actual time.
2. I received two tickets via snail mail to the New York International Auto Show being held April 10-19. They are exhibitor passess that MINI sent me so that I can go and see the MINI E live. The dates fall smack dab in the middle of my vacation, but I’m negotiating to adjust my schedule a bit so I can go to the show. It would be such a great opportunity to get a preview of my MINI E.
3. This morning I received another edition of Plugged In, the MINI E newsletter. It was briefer than the last one and provided updates on the inspections and also let us know that the actual cars are all on the West Coast waiting to be shipped out to their respective dealers.
That’s all for now. As always, I can’t wait to receive my MINI E and get motoring.
Yesterday I received via e-mail the first of what will be a weekly MINI E Field Trial newsletter called PLUGGED-IN. Kudos to Mini for keeping us field trial participants informed and engaged.
Key points shared in the newsletter:
- that there is a newsletter and we’ll now be getting it weekly
- wall box inspections have started on the West coast and will start on the East coast shortly
- there’s been a delay in the production of the cable for the wall box but they’ll still be installing the boxes and will then come back to install the cable once it’s available
- due to the cable production delay, the cars won’t be available until May at the earliest
- final tidbit was that the pictures in the media of the MINI E with the decals (side graphics) on the side are the auto show cars. The MINI E’s in the field trial will not have those side graphics
My reactions:
- Was glad to hear from MINI and get the update
- Was not surprised about the pushing back of the delivery date because it aligns well with what my contact at Morristown MINI told me last week
- Thinking that my electrical service will need to be upgraded because I think we run 110v to the garage and the charging stations requires 240v
I’m very much looking forward to the arrival of my MINI E!
Caught up with my contact at Morristown Mini last week who gave me a call.
A few key points:
- No taxes will be assessed with the inception fee – love it!
- I should be hearing from the charging box installation inspectors in the next 2 weeks – haven’t heard yet
- He asked me to talk to Liberty Mutual to get an insurance quote and send it to him. They have a special line just for MINI E Field Trial Participants. Got a good deal because we already have our insurance with Liberty Mutual.
- It seems that that late April/Early May is turning into May/June. Bummed but totally understand that they need to do this right.
Will post again when I hear from the charging box installation inspector.
I just received an e-mail from the MINI E program folks letting me know next steps regarding the wall box charger. They have hired Clean Fuel Connection, Inc. to do the assessment and implementation work involved for installing the infrastructure needed for the wall box charger. They will do all of the permit requests and manage all the work required to ensure the wall box charger is installed correctly.
Apparently, the wall box chargers are almost all ready to go. For now, the waiting game continues and my anticipation grows.
Kudos to Mini for getting a communication out so that we’re all informed about where we are in the process.
This was another very well regarded recipe from the party. The flavors were awesome!
From Beth DeCicco:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups chopped yellow onions
2 tbsp mild curry powder
5 lbs butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks)
1 1/2 lbs sweet apples (such as mcintosh) (peeled, cored, and cut into chunks)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups apple cider
Warm the butter and olive oil in a large stockpot over low heat. Add the onions and curry powder and cook, uncovered, for 15 to 20 min (until onions are tender). Stir occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot.
Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper and 2 cups water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 30-40 min, until the apples and squash are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill or puree in a blender.
Pour soup back into the pot. Add apple cider and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like.
From Lori Kretten:
2 Tbls. extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 1/2 pound chicken tenders
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1/2 tbls ground cumin
1Tbls ground coriander
2 cups yellow corn tortilla chips (about 4 handfuls)
2 tsp. hot sauce
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup sour cream for garnish
zest and juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 can yellow corn
1 can of black beans
shredded cheese
Prehead a medium soup pot over medium-high heat and add the EVOO (twice around the pan). Chop the chicken tenders into bite-size pieces. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the hot soup pot. Lightly brown the chicken, 3-4 inutes, then add the garlic, bell peppers, onions, jalapenos, celery, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
While that is cooking, place the tortilla chips in a food processor and process until well ground. You can also place the chips in a sealable storage bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add the ground tortilla chips to the soup pot and stir to combine. Add the chicken stock, tabasco sauce, corn and black beans (I added another can of chicken broth and a little bit of water). Simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice right before serving.
Ladle soups in bowls add sour cream, shredded cheese and chips, serve and Enjoy!
From Krista Fuller:
This is a very quick and tasty soup, different from the ones I usually make (vegetable, potato, chicken), I borrowed from a friend who found it in a Country Inn cookbook. The recipe’s suggested garnish is grated cheddar. The optional items and other garnishes are my additions. (I love to cook so I have a habit of taking creative license with recipes.)
Number Of Servings: Four
Preparation Time: 20 minutes or less
Ingredients:
1 T. olive or vegetable oil
1/2 c. diced celery (*small dice on all vegetables)
1/3 c. diced onion
1/2 c. diced red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. oregano
Black pepper and salt to taste
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream style corn
1 small can green chilies
1 c. milk
*optional – add 1 cup or so chopped/shredded roasted chicken or any leftover chicken)
*optional – I also added a handful of chopped cilantro right before serving.)
Garnish:
Grated cheddar cheese
*Sour cream
*Chopped Cilantro
Directions:
Saute vegetables in oil until tender. Add spices and garlic. Saute a minute more. Add broth, corn, chiles and milk (and chicken if you are adding it). Heat through. (I also added a little slurry of cornstarch & milk to thicken the soup slightly)
Serve with grated cheddar and a dollop of sour cream in the bowl. Great with cornbread, hot biscuits or garlic bread.
Last weekend we had our First Annual Soup Party. Every family brought some kind of soup/chili, etc. I will be posting the recipes that people provided in posts here. I hope you all try to make some of the other soups. That’s part of the point!
Lobster Bisque - Jennifer and Dennis Newman
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Ready In: 35 Minutes
Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
4 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons minced onion
3 cups cooked lobster meat, shredded
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup light cream
DIRECTIONS:
1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the flour,
salt, pepper and celery salt until well blended. Gradually stir in the milk
so that no lumps form, and then stir in the chicken stock. Cook over low
heat, stirring constantly, until the soup begins to thicken. Add the onion
and lobster; season with paprika. Cook and stir for 10 more minutes. Stir in
the cream, heat through and serve.
Note: We added 1 can of tomato paste to thicken
I’ve been attending yoga classes regularly for more than a year now. I’d studied it before, but not with the same regularity or dedication as I do now. There’s something about that one hour of not thinking about anything other than doing the poses that is such a welcome relief from the busy life I lead. It’s like a mental vacation. Having toned arms is a nice side benefit, I will admit.
An unexpected benefit is that it’s helped me see the value of taking risks and reaching for what I want. Never really the risk taker (hey, I’m a Project Manager by trade, we control risk, we don’t seek it), I think I missed out on a lot of opportunities because of my risk aversion. What’s interesting is in looking back on my life, many risks I’ve taken have led to amazing things.
In yoga, just when you think you’ve mastered a pose there’s always more you can do to take it to the next level. But you’ll never get to the next level if you don’t try, if you don’t take the risk. You have to stretch, to move a little farther, to exert a little more strength in a muscle you might not have used like that before. You may even fall if you don’t get it right.
But I take that back. Falling is getting it right. Isn’t it better to fall reaching for your dreams than to never have tried? The other key, of course, is to not let that fall stop you. Get back up, and reach again.
I’ve taken some risks lately that have paid off. But when they don’t, I will re-read this post and remind myself of how my life is better thanks to the risks I’ve taken.
