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Having a little too much fun on a giant-sized Android phone! Tablets got nothing on this!

Thermostats help you keep cool.

The problem was, it was too cool! Ever since I had the Shitzuki, the temp gauge would always hover below the midline and took forever to warm up the engine. Then a week ago, it started barfing coolant into the reservoir tank - so much that it inched its way past the 'max' line and eventually started spitting out of the reservoir bottle altogether. There were fears of a blown head gasket pushing the coolant out of the radiator, but the coolant looked clean, so hopefully it was a thermostat issue which would be an easier fix than open top-end surgery. So I took the thermostat housing off at work and found the culprit, stuck in the wide open position. Fifteen minutes later, everything is good and well. So far. I'll know for sure when I make my way back home.

Keep it cool, kids.

Finally submitted my passport renewal application. The most important part of course is (trying) to look good on a government issued ID that's valid for 10 years. I was on the fence about cutting it but I decided to have big hair on the record until my passport expires when I turn 40.

Imagine? 40 with that smirk and a mop of hair. I wonder if I'll still look (and feel) the same after a decade.

So this is what it feels like to be 30.

I feel darn great. :)

One of my Carmageddon pictures got featured on the official Flickr Blog:

Found it very flattering. Although I really wish I had the huevotes to eschew my fair judgment and run into the middle of the freeway to take that shot.

I found an iPhone sitting in the gutter as I was parking the scooter across the street to take these photos. It's a really unsettling feeling when you are holding something that isn't yours, which someone is most definitely looking for. I tried to go through the address book and search for "Home", but figured my best bet was to contact the guy who mis-called it a few minutes before I found it. Apparently his wife dropped the phone and was getting very worried. They're lucky the phone wasn't ran over by a truck or fell into the depths of the LA sewer system. He's passing by in a few hours, and I can't wait to give this back to where it belongs.

I've been thinking a lot about why I haven't been writing as much lately. Let's see if I can try to change that. It's harder to keep an open mind and trying to hash out coherent thoughts that are worthy of posting, and I always feel like I need to put myself up to higher standards. That, and a lot of same old, put a damper on things. But on rare occasions, I actually feel like writing down what's been happening.

It was a very interesting day today. I started by replacing a leaky distributor housing o-ring of the Shitzuki, which was causing it to tinkle oil whenever it sat asleep. As expected with automotive matters and the fact that my mechanical knowledge pretty much just consists of being able to use a socket wrench, the projected time it took to complete the task at hand was tripled, but thankfully successful. So far. The o-ring was hard and flattened, and shattered once I took it out of the bugger. I just need to clean the oil spill after surgery, then I can see if it cures the drip.

Later in the afternoon Nickel and I decided to don my "Paul and Kat" hat, and hiked out to the Renegade Craft Fair to say hello to our crafter friends (and help Jon sell t-shirts). Thanks to Carmageddon, we tore through the 101 in 2 seconds. Apart from the usual awesome that accompanies attending these craft fairs, Jon pointed out something that I haven't thought much about, but quickly realized as a profound truth. We were exchanging stories about how our dogs came into our lives, and he mentioned that he believes you simply cannot 'choose' your dog, but they should somehow come into your life fortuitously on their own, however it happens. I could not agree more!

I type a lot when it's 4am.

I spent the rest of the night trying to take pictures of Carmaggedon, and met two random people on the bridge. One was a guy who makes videos on Youtube and took pictures of themselves planking on the median of the 405, and the other was a hobby photographer who traded some excellent photo tips.

I'm getting tired.

As it has come to be expected from this corner of the intarwebz, pictures soon to follow. :)

I really find my sweet spot of productivity in the wee hours of the morning. There's an energy that I seem to feed on when the world is asleep, and it's a lot easier to concentrate on the things you need to get done without the distractions of the day.

The only price to pay, is trying to wake up the next day. Ugh.

Explosion of winners at the 0:18 and 1:20 marks! Easily one of the greatest thrills of my life - getting closer to THE DREAM of winning lifetime Coachella tickets! But this year, we just got merch. HAHA!

Coachella for 7 years and counting. 4 years of Carpoolchella in the bus. And we're damn ready for 2012!!

Hula Hooping to Cut Copy. Kembot, kembot!

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Take yourself up to the higher standard, which is always one step up from where you currently stand. And spend the time to think about why you believe in certain things, quantify your reasons because you're worth more than a shrug off the shoulder. Own up to the decisions you make in your life, and offer no excuses for your shortcomings precisely because you acknowledge them as such. Belief should never be predicated on convenience, and life is too short to weave pretension as fact.

To whom it may concern, the letter can only be addressed to yourself. Dr. Seuss is a genius ahead of his time. "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

To whom, it may concern. To whom.

As the final months of my 20's draw to a close, the greatest revelations of my decade have decidedly turned towards the grace and tempered benevolence of nature. And although it is far easier to selfishly believe that the world revolves around yourself (which is true to an extent), I increasingly discover my own (ir)relevance outside the self perpetuating wheel of the modern world. F the system and everything else that tells you who you should be. The real world is not found in the jealousy of material goods and avarice. Listen instead to the winds of the desert, the rain of the forest, and believe in the whispers of your own heart.

Desert Dog expects you to know better than what you think you already know right now. Go out, and discover.

Congratulations, Noah and Jill :)