[Fallen Angel]

Hi, all. I've been in Memphis, TN for five years and I'm looking to move out to the Pacific Northwest. I'm a senior software engineer and team lead with experience as an IT Manager and CIO for a 90's startup. It's been a pretty amazing ride overall and when I took a vacation to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, well, John Denver said it best: "He was born in the summer of his 27th [sic] year, coming home to a place he'd never been before."

With a move to the PNW now considered inevitable, one month ago I bought a 2004 Subaru Outback with a manual transmission. I've been stuck driving automatics for the last 8 years or so, so it's been great having a stick again. I LOVE THIS CAR! I think it's just slightly TARDISlike, being a few dozen cubic inches bigger on the inside than the outside.

I wanted a car with better fuel economy than the 21 MPG the EPA gives the Outback, but I also knew I usually got about 10% better than the old estimates so when I found one I jumped on it. My 3-tank average is 27.97, 33% better than EPA. The third tank was 28.65. I'm delighted with these results and looking forward to breaking the 30 MPG mark!