Happiness in a cup....

When the lease to my old car (Subaru Forester) was about to expire, I began the search for a new set of wheels. Being I had a friend in at Toyota who promised me that I would get a good deal, I focussed my energies there. Originally I was going to go with a Scion Xb - AKA the breadbox on wheels. The price was right, seemed to have a roomy enough back seat for my budding basketball player of a son who is setting his sights on a 6' 4" frame...and the MPG were good. My goals are simple when it comes to cars, and I confess, very girlie. I want a pretty colour. There must be some cute little compartment for my sunglasses and the MOST important... a cup holder to hold my ever-present java. Simple. On test drive, the Scion simply could not accomodate my own nearly 6' frame...so I began to search the lot. I liked a lot of the smaller cars - but with three kids to stuff in the back - all in boosters (my own critter, and my BF's 2 rats)...I knew I was going to have a problem. Again, that whole "size does matter" thing comes into play.

My good friend suggested the RAV4. Hmmmmm...pretty, (blue), sunglass holder, and deep looking cup holders. SOLD.

It wasn't until I got home and headed to Starbucks to have a celebratory Venti with a double shot that I realized I had made a FATAL mistake. I never actually put a cup in the holder and just eyeballed them to make sure they were fine. They weren't. Obviously, the makers of Toyota are not coffee drinkers. They have designed, in my humble opinion, the absolute WORST cupholders I have EVER encoutered. USELESS. Much too wide to fit a normal cardboard cup from 7-11, Starbucks, McD's (but who in their right mind would drink THEIR coffee anyway) and way too shallow up the sides. The result? - You hit a curve and the entire cup tips at a 30-40 degree angle spilling your beverage. Not good.

For the past 6 months my BF and I have been on a quest to find a cup that would actually work. I have whined and complained about this SOOO much to my family, friends, coworkers and clients..that they have actually been buyimg me cups...a)to make sure I get my coffee, cuz I am a grump without it and b) to shut me the hell up. One of my clients even found a converter thingy to put in the holder to make it more like a vice....no workie.

At last.... December 23, 2006... on my morning run to Starbucks, (In case you are wondering, the most effective way for me to have a cup of coffee is get a bunch of napkins and squeeze the cup between my legs...or ask my kid to hold it whilst I drive) while ordering a triple venti mocha cap, I saw the Holy Grail of travel mugs. It was a very wide base - high handle and it ceramic. On a non-caffinated induced splurge (and I figured it might make a nice to-me-from-me Xmas Pressie anyway) I bought it.

IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!! Although not the huge size that I normally get in a coffee cup...IT WORKS. *happy dance*

The roads are now once safe again...Kir has coffee, will travel. Bottoms up.