The Porsche badge is essentially the coat of arms of the city of Stuttgart, which was built on the site of a stud farm – hence the horse. The antlers and red-and-black stripes are part of the arms of the Kingdom of Wurttemberg.

15. “They told me at the blood bank this might happen.”
14. “This is just a 15 minute power-nap like they raved about in the last time management course you sent me to.”
13. “Whew! Guess I left the top off the liquid paper”
12. “I wasn’t sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm!”
11. “This is one of the seven habits of highly effective people!”
10. “I was testing the keyboard for drool resistance”
9. “Actually I’m doing a “Stress Level Elimination Exercise Plan” (SLEEP) I learned it at the last mandatory seminar you made me attend.
8. “I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work related stress.”
7. “Darn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem.”
6. “The coffee machine is broken….”
5. “Someone must’ve put decaf in the wrong pot.”
4. “Boy, that cold medicine I took last night just won’t wear off!”
3. “Ah, the unique and unpredictable circadian rhythms of the workaholic!”
2. “I wasn’t sleeping, I was trying to pick up contact lens without hands.”
AND THE #1 BEST THING TO SAY IF YOU GET CAUGHT SLEEPING AT YOUR DESK:
“Amen”

I found the Prius’ most enamoring trait to be its power monitoring display, and found myself actually trying to get better gas mileage. Being conscious of the fuel-friendly image Prius drivers have, though, I did try to counter that by flooring it leaving one stop light, and found that the Prius will easily beat most cars off the line. Well, as long as they’re not actually trying to race, that is. The Prius’ gas pedal seems to have just two positions, cruise mode and subtle acceleration. I kept wondering (hoping?) if perhaps the pedal was blocked, and I just couldn’t press it far enough to get full power. Toyota did a good job of providing adequate power, but really no more than that. As for its handling, the car’s harsh ride (probably due to its tires) leads one to expect some level of sportiness, but those expectations are quickly dashed. The electronic key took some getting used to (leave pocket in key, press ‘power’ button), as did the stereo, providing a mix of traditional panel-mounted controls, and controls accessed via the touchscreen display located a healthy distance away.

Also tested over the weekend was a Chrysler Sebring convertible, a few years old. I was pleasantly surprised by this car, not expecting much out of Chrysler. What I found was a car with decent acceleration and a healthy growl emanating from the engine compartment. It cruised comfortably on the Colorado freeways, though its soft handling really made itself apparent once you encountered a corner. Definitely more of a cruiser than a sports car.