[elhigh]

Wow, man. Crazy times. Sounds like you've got your head more or less screwed on straight though, which is more than a lot of guys in your position could say. It's stressful but you'll get through it.

If you feel the need to move into a Civic Hybrid, I can tell you my mileage starts at about what you've worked up to in your Escort. Apply some of your tricks to an HCH and God knows what you can achieve. Probably better than I'm doing. And first-gen HCHs are getting pretty cheap, so that's a plus too.