It really irks me when people double-park badly in the parking garage at work. By badly, I mean “inapporpriately”. If you are going to double-park, at least be considerate, and do it in the not-so-crowded part of the garage. I see people double-park their brand new rides out in the boonies of the supermarket lot, and that’s fine. But don’t take up two of the nicer spaces in the garage. And if you are going to double park your Lexus SUV or Ford F-250, please don’t do it in the compact car spaces. There’s a frickin’ sign up above that says ”<--Compact | Full-size -->“, for goodness sakes. When I see cars double-park badly, I secretly wish someone would go key their doors. But I, personally, am not that mean.

I am crazy about Sriracha sauce. In addition to adding it to Vietnamese noodles, I use it on sandwiches and hot dogs! Last night I ate some shu-mai with it.

So last night I went to see Star Wars again. I love that movie. My friends Ryan and Mikey both saw it again this weekend. Yoda is so awesome in the movie, he has the best scenes. Obi-wan also has some great lines, especially the one after they “land” that huge spaceship on Coruscant.

Last night a bunch of us went to see the midnight showing of Star Wars : Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and it was awesome! The movie is definitely the best of the prequels. I can’t really compare it to any of the original trilogy, since I saw those when I was a kid, and it was a completely different experience. But this latest movie really ties in with Episode IV so well, and explains a lot of things you might be wondering about, such as how Anakin became Darth Vader, what drove him to the dark side, and how the Emperor’s face got so messed up. Of course the special effects were the best of any movie to date, and the dialog and acting was much, much better than in the previous two prequels. There were actually only a couple parts that I found really cheesy, and they came right at the end. Yoda was fantastic again, as is Senator/Emperor Palpatine. I was surprised that I was really rooting for Obi-wan and Yoda in this movie, because in the original trilogy, I was rooting for Vader and the Empire. Anyways, I definitely give this one a thumbs up. I am planning on seeing it a couple more times in the theater in the coming weeks, it’s so good!

Wells Fargo added in images of the checks you write in their online banking. It’s very cool. Before, it would just say “Check #116” for $25.00, and I wouldn’t be able to remember what it was for, without breaking out my checkbook. Now I can click on the “View” link next to the check # and see a scanned image of the check. (Just like above, but enlarged and without the mosaic effect) It’s very nice! By the way, I hate writing checks… the only checks I write regularly is the water bill to the City of Austin and our Old Navy credit card. I wish they had an online service! 

I have been slowly working on the body of the C70 lately. I removed the Texas A&M parking stickers, and also the Honda C70 stickers that were just below the seat. It’s running really nicely now, but I am still waiting for the new tires, which are backordered. I have been looking into taking a motorcycle class, which looks good. It’s one night, plus Saturday and Sunday riding. Once you pass, you can get your motorcycle license without taking the state riding test.

I used to have this on my old website, and just recently found it again. It’s a quick Honda commercial featuring the Supercub. Speaking of the little Honda motorbike, I was riding around the neighborhood at lunch, and it was totally fun. But the carb needs adjustment because the engine is not getting enough fuel at high rpm’s. I am waiting for a kit that will replace all the parts in the carb that I suspect are a little clogged. I also got a new battery and it is charged up. Next I will put in the headlight, since putting in a headlight without a charged battery will blow the bulb…

I sent our 7D in to get the focusing recalibrated… I want it back! But when it does come back, it will hopefully be focusing perfectly. The Konica Minolta service here in the US has been awesome. They sent me UPS packing slip, and have been in email contact with me constantly. That is one of the reasons I like Minolta (Konica Minolta). They have great service, plus a really helpful and friendly user community.

This past weekend, I put together a 10’x10’ gazebo from Target. It’s pretty cool, but I am not sure how long it will last in the Texas sun. It came with tie-downs, but I wanted to secure it a bit better by fastening it directly to our patio. So, I went to Home Depot and bought some screws that are supposed to be for concrete, and also bought the drill bit that is specially made for it. It had a carbide tip and was the correct size for the screws. In fact, they sell the bit and screws as a set. Well, that drill bit lasted for just a little over one single hole in our patio. What a piece of crap. Maybe our patio is partially made out of diamond… I don’t know. I was planning on putting in 16 screws to hold down the gazebo, but only managed one hole with that drill bit. I figured that I would just put the one screw in, and then see about getting a different “better” bit. But when I was driving that screw in that was specifically designed for concrete, the screw broke, leaving a sharp metal stub exposed about 1/4”, perfect for mangling feet. Luckily, my vise-grip pliers were strong enough to get it out. I was so mad. I don’t recommend using Tapcon equipment. It’s crap.