Ok, it’s been a while and it hasn’t been because I haven’t been trying to continue the Love Dare. I have. I’m just stuck.
I can’t complete this task?
Why? Well, my husband isn’t into the dare and honestly, I know that this dare will be futile with my husband’s current temperament.
The dare is to have a dinner with your spouse and focus on him. Learn something new about him. Bring up questions you wouldn’t dare to ask or haven’t thought to ask.
Ok, I can use the we have an infant excuse and dinner consists of cramming something fast into my gut while trying to feed her. I can use the excuse that I work fulltime and by the time I get home, I’ve got my second hat on getting my child ready to settle down and get ready for bed.
The fact is, I feel this exercise would be futile as my husband isn’t the type of guy to open up and if he were to open up, it’s about something that he stewed in his head for a while (a day in his head is a while).
So I’ve been trying to complete this task but I have not been successful. I’m trying to find a good time where we’re both not being parents and not total inundated with ‘to-dos’ that dominate our thoughts.
Maybe I’ll skip this one and try again in a few weeks. I’ll move on to the next one and see what happens.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
It's not easy going green, at least going EZ Pass Green
It took forever but I finally received my Green EZ Pass. For those who drive a low emission vehicle (hybrids), you may be eligible for a discounted EZ Pass.
Essentially, there are two green plans. Quotes from the NY EZ-Pass website:
Port Authority Green Pass Discount Plan**: Eligible vehicles receive a 50% discount off the cash toll rate during off-peak hours at all Port Authority crossings. A special green tag is issued to qualified vehicles that meet the specific emissions standards as outlined on the Port Authority's website at www.panynj.info. Plan Code: (PAGRN)
Thruway Green Pass Discount Plan**: Receive a special 10% discount on all Thruway facilities for Hybrid vehicles that get at least 45 miles to the gallon and meet specific emissions standards as outlined on the Authority’s website www.nysthruway.gov. Cannot be combined with commuter plans. Plan Code: (GREEN)
It’s not a lot but it’s something.
I started the process in October. Why did it take so long? Several things happened but the main wait was due to EZ-Pass moving their facilities and losing my paperwork.
To apply, you will need to fax/mail a completed EZ-Pass form (even if you have an existing EZ Pass) and your vehicle’s registration.
Here are some notes to help you out, depending on where you live, you are given an EZ-Pass managed by a specific authority (NYS/NJ/Port Authority/MTA). This will effect which plan(s) you are eligible for. FYI, here are the common tag prefixes and their associated owners:
005 = Port Authority of NY/NJ
004 = NYS Thruway
008 = MTA
022 = NJ
In my case, I had a NJ pass. I had applied for EZ-Pass before it was in NY and still had my NJ pass. Long short, I had to cancel that pass and apply for a NY pass. However, due to my location in Manhattan, they gave me an MTA pass which wasn’t eligible for either NYS Thruway or PANYNJ pass. So I had to write copious letters and send everyone my registration and one of those purple forms (not electronic but paper copy – how antiquated) to resolve the issue before they could even accept my request for a green pass.
I was getting so frustrated, I was ready to call Susan Jhun at NY1 because the amount of paperwork I was sending to EZ-Pass was killing a small forest in South Jersey. The process isn’t very green, NY EZPass. Kermit the Frog would be ashamed. {Honestly, I couldn’t think of a green animal mascot that would be like Smokey the Bear so I used Kermit. Is there a ‘go green’ mascot?}
Honestly, they didn’t make it easy for me and I got learn customer service reps at the Staten Island facilities through my dealings but I am now a proud owner of a green EZ-Pass.
Essentially, there are two green plans. Quotes from the NY EZ-Pass website:
Port Authority Green Pass Discount Plan**: Eligible vehicles receive a 50% discount off the cash toll rate during off-peak hours at all Port Authority crossings. A special green tag is issued to qualified vehicles that meet the specific emissions standards as outlined on the Port Authority's website at www.panynj.info. Plan Code: (PAGRN)
Thruway Green Pass Discount Plan**: Receive a special 10% discount on all Thruway facilities for Hybrid vehicles that get at least 45 miles to the gallon and meet specific emissions standards as outlined on the Authority’s website www.nysthruway.gov. Cannot be combined with commuter plans. Plan Code: (GREEN)
It’s not a lot but it’s something.
I started the process in October. Why did it take so long? Several things happened but the main wait was due to EZ-Pass moving their facilities and losing my paperwork.
To apply, you will need to fax/mail a completed EZ-Pass form (even if you have an existing EZ Pass) and your vehicle’s registration.
Here are some notes to help you out, depending on where you live, you are given an EZ-Pass managed by a specific authority (NYS/NJ/Port Authority/MTA). This will effect which plan(s) you are eligible for. FYI, here are the common tag prefixes and their associated owners:
005 = Port Authority of NY/NJ
004 = NYS Thruway
008 = MTA
022 = NJ
In my case, I had a NJ pass. I had applied for EZ-Pass before it was in NY and still had my NJ pass. Long short, I had to cancel that pass and apply for a NY pass. However, due to my location in Manhattan, they gave me an MTA pass which wasn’t eligible for either NYS Thruway or PANYNJ pass. So I had to write copious letters and send everyone my registration and one of those purple forms (not electronic but paper copy – how antiquated) to resolve the issue before they could even accept my request for a green pass.
I was getting so frustrated, I was ready to call Susan Jhun at NY1 because the amount of paperwork I was sending to EZ-Pass was killing a small forest in South Jersey. The process isn’t very green, NY EZPass. Kermit the Frog would be ashamed. {Honestly, I couldn’t think of a green animal mascot that would be like Smokey the Bear so I used Kermit. Is there a ‘go green’ mascot?}
Honestly, they didn’t make it easy for me and I got learn customer service reps at the Staten Island facilities through my dealings but I am now a proud owner of a green EZ-Pass.
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