As the father of three children, one of whom has special needs, my daily break is often the morning commute. To make the most of this time, I need good music, the right seat position, and coffee - lots of it.

Obviously, drinking coffee in the car, while actively pursuing the fastest lane has its challenges. Over the years of searching for the right cup that doesn't spill, fits in the cup holder, and is large enough to satisfy even the most cafeine addicted, I have come up with the solution.

You might think that a fancy metal mug would be best - wrong. While they look sharp, and have a solid feel, they just don't have enough practical advantages to justify the cost. At $25 each, I could only afford one metal cup. That means I have to remember to take my sole cup home each day and wash it. After a while, the cup can seem to be another body appendage. Plus, sixteen ounces of coffee just doesn't work for me. I need more.

So what's the solution? Dollar stores. Trust me, I don't own stock in any dollar store chain. At one buck each, I can afford to purchase a cup for every day of the week. Granted, they don't look great, or have a solid feel, but that's not the point. The point is to get the maximum amount of coffee into your body, without spilling, as you maneuver through traffic. I've found too that bringing two coffee cups works well. One for the actual commute and one to take into the office. This isn't a problem at a buck a piece.

Lastly, I customize my cups by enlarging the small hole at the top of the cup. By enlarging this hole, I'm able to get a better flow of air, and therefore more coffee into my system.

As for the stickshift, I haven't found a great solution to address that, and I refuse to trade down to an automatic.

Safe Driving.