MacBook Air: Real World Battery Usage

OK, I've been reading all those tests saying the MacBook Air has really crummy battery life. Yesterday, I got my Air. When I left the office at 6:30PM, I unplugged the Air and closed the lid, putting it to sleep. After dinner, I opened up the Air as American Idol began at 7:00 PM. I've been connected to wifi and running tax software in Windows XP under Parallels (not particularly memory friendly) and working in Excel. I've also been running go-to-my-pc to access some files at my office. It's now 10:29 (3:29 later). I have the read line on the battery but it says 0:24 remaining as I type this message. 

One thing I noticed was that Apple doesn't set the MacBook up to maximize battery life by default. On battery, the screen is set for maximum brightness and the power option is "normal", not the "longer battery life" setting.  In a well lit room at night, I can comfortably use the Air at the lowest screen setting, one click above dark.  I also reset the power saver option to "longer battery life."  Now, I'm not watching a DVD or rendering video, but I think some of these battery tests may be running using Apple's default battery settings.  

It's a good point that the sealed battery is an inconvenience for travelers and may be a non-starter for some "road warriors." On the other hand, I think people ought to give the computer a chance in real usage scenarios before declaring it a bust.  I'm quite happy with my computer, which I've named "Thin Air."

Your mileage may vary.  I don't own Apple stock. I am a fanboy.