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Alright! I went to Las Vegas with my friends last week (Jun. 19-22) we had such an amazing time!! I was sad to come back to my lame reality; but I really didn’t have any choice

I flew there on Thursday and met up with Vivian and Kristal; who were flying in from Washington state… We waited for more friends who were driving from Utah and as soon as they got here, we got dressed and headed to Club Krave. Being a Thursday night it was expected to be a little slow but it was a nice place to hang out. We got back from the club a little early and still wanted to party, so we went to the pool (luckily for us, it was open 24hrs) the water was kinda cold… too cold for my taste so we spent most our time in the hot tub… ahhh, that was nice!

On Friday we went to the Bodies and Titanic Expo… both were REALLY awesome, I thought I was gonna be bored after being at Bodies for a few minutes but we ended up spending more than 2hrs. After both Expos we got some dinner and headed back to the hotel to get changed and go clubbing again. Some of our friends stayed at the hotel, others went to check out Fremont street.

Vivian and I went to Club LAX. Alright, let me tell you… the club is AMAZING. Las Vegas’ hottest guys and girls are there. We met some guys while finding our way to the club and one of them got us in as VIP so we enjoyed it since the very beginning. We partied non-stop until well into the morning, our feet were aching really bad when we got back to the hotel.

Saturday we got up (late) we were all really tired, we headed to the pool because there was a Pool Party with live music and bbq. Again, we had a great time relaxing and meeting new people. We headed to our room to get dressed because we wanted to go see Zumanity. I really have no words to describe it… it’s unbelievable amazing, funny, sensual, sexy, something you have to go and see for yourself to know what I’m talking about.

After Zumanity we went to Club Tao, it was frustrating trying to get in, when we were about to give up some random man came up to us and gave us passes so we finally got in. We spent some time at the Tao Beach (on the roof, by the pool) but it closed early so we went downstairs to the main dance floor and stayed until 5am or so. It was a wild night.

On Sunday we were all too exhausted so we just walked around and checked out the Forum Shops at the Caesar Palace and later gambled some at MGM. I was driving back to Utah with my friends so we didn’t do much. Oh yeah, before we left Las Vegas I had to get some In-n-Out burgers… it would really be a sin to be so close to one and not have one

Today is Friday and I’m going to Seattle, WA to visit my friend V and again, to have another crazy weekend. I can’t believe I’m gonna see her for 2 weekends in a row :mrgreen: I’ll be back on Monday… I can’t promise pictures this time because I sold my old camera (I want a Nikon CoolPix S52 soooo bad)

So I couldn’t sleep tonight and I started listening to music (like I always do) nothing special… I started feeling kinda nostalgic; of course.. and set up an “Old School Rock” playlist. Of course, I’m talking about 70’s, 80’s rock.. the best there ever was. Where did all that go?!? What has become of it?! Right now I’m obsessed with Nirvana they can kick the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ asses for all I care. There’s no doubt that our best inspiration comes from pain and suffering. It is our great motivation to write music, poetry, lyrics.

I can’t stop listening to a song by Nirvana called “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” now, I’m not sure if that song is by them (I heard someone else wrote it and they made a cover of it) and I can’t get enough of “She’s Mine” by Fito Paez, I wish we had more people like him… or Andres Calamaro; man these guys know what good music is. Too bad most people don’t even bother listening to them ’cause they don’t have as much publicity or aren’t as “hot” looking as the other guys out there.. as if looks were really important when listening to music.

Thanks goodness for that Juno movie, I’m starting to get into Indie Rock music *yay me* it’s pretty mellow and something I wish I’d discovered earlier. If you’re in the mood for expanding your musical tastes download “Loose Lips” by Kimya Dawson. (All the links suggested open in new windows)

Well, it seemed like all I needed to start feeling sleepy was to start doing something If this post is all messed up please bear with me. I’m using my MacBook and its Safari browser is kind of incompatible with WordPress *rolls eyes* Alright, I’m gonna go to the RSL vs. Wizards soccer match later today so I need some rest to recharge my batteries and a night out with the girls tonight too… I’ll post pictures as soon as I come back *wink* take care!

Rules of the road

You can achieve similar results by following these nine commandments of hypermiling. “It’s not brain science,” Gerdes says.

• Brake sparingly. Coast up to red lights instead of braking (though you might want to watch your rearview mirror). Timed correctly, you’ll hit the green while still moving forward and expend less fuel accelerating again. A commuter should be able to pick up the timing sequence of lights along a route in three to four days, Gerdes asserts.
• To idle is to sin. Cars of recent vintage have fuel-injection systems that make starting an engine more efficient than idling. So if you’re going to be at a standstill for 10 seconds or more, cut off the engine. And if the drive-through line at McDonald’s is a long one, park and buy your food inside.
• Speed kills. “My Honda Accord, with good tire pressure and synthetic oil (see below), driven at 50 to 55 miles per hour, will get an average of 50 miles per gallon. It’s EPA rated at 24/34.” So just follow the speed limit, or go at a slightly slower speed. To make himself and his slower speed conspicuous to faster drivers behind, Gerdes “ridge rides,” meaning he keeps his right tires on the white line that defines the far right side of the slow lane.
• Avoid the big chill. Today’s cars can’t kick into their most efficient mode — called “closed-loop operation” — until the engine is sufficiently warm. There are ways to speed the process even if you don’t want to invest in an engine-block heater. If you’re on a round of errands, for example, always go the farthest destination first to bring up the engine temperature. If you make a series of short trips, the engine stays cold and never achieves maximum efficiency.
• Beware of drag. Car racks and other automotive appendages — even those flags honoring favorite sports teams — reduce mpg by creating drag. The problem gets worse with speed. “Think of trying to stand up in a 75 mph hurricane,” Gerdes says. So if there’s something that can be taken off the car without compromising its operation or aesthetics, get rid of it. Driving with open windows is generally held to be better than using the air conditioning, but closed windows and no A/C are best.
• Lose the weight. For every 30 pounds of extra weight your vehicle carries, mpg decreases by anywhere from one-tenth to one-hundredth of a percent. That may not seem like much, but mile and mile it adds up. Jettison what’s not essential. If it’s summer and your trunk still contains a bag of sand to help you negotiate icy, winter roads, get rid of it.
• Pay attention to load. When you’re driving up a hill, keep a steady load on the engine. Gerdes recommends accelerating to a target speed and then locking your foot in position so the gas pedal is held steady. That will keep gas consumption at a constant level. Maintaining a constant speed, on the other hand, requires increasing the fuel burn rate as the hill is climbed. Do that and a vehicle that registers 40 mpg on a level road can see fuel efficiency decline to as low as 15 mpg, Gerdes says.
• Be not a hare. Jackrabbit starts might enable you to win the race to the next traffic light, but they’re murder on fuel economy. Gerdes explains that the best mpg is had at relatively low rpm levels. It may seem like you’re crawling if you try to accelerate at 1,900 rpm, he says, “but if there’s nobody behind you, what’s the point of going faster? You’re just throwing fuel away.” And if you let the other guy beat you to the next light, his presence might just cause it to change to green, enabling you to keep going without braking.
• Set up for success. How a car is set up, particularly in the areas of tire pressure and engine lubrication, is critical. Gerdes recommends inflating tires to their maximum allowable pressure, a specification you’ll find printed on the outside of the tire. Higher pressure means less rolling resistance, allowing you to coast a greater distance. As for synthetic oil, it breaks down more slowly than regular oil and thus promotes efficient operation of the engine for a longer period.

Follow these basics and you’ll get your 25% increase in mpg. You can boost it even further if you’re willing to try a couple of more-involved tactics, such as avoiding left turns (and the braking that goes with them). Also, if you select parking spaces that allow you to leave by moving forward, you don’t waste fuel and motion backing up.

Some techniques to avoid

Fuel economy improves most drastically when hypermiling techniques are wed with highway driving. Simply by driving at or slightly below the speed limit while faster vehicles pass and pull you along in their wakes can result in mpg 50% higher than the EPA ratings. This passive drafting is entirely legal, as is a practice called “distant drafting,” where the goal is to stay 10 or more car lengths behind a tractor-trailer.

More problematic, not to mention less legal, is the “close-in drafting” that involves staying as little as three-quarters of a car length behind the lead vehicle (usually an 18-wheeler). Though the resulting fuel economy numbers are “stupid high,” Gerdes says, “this is like NASCAR and I would not recommend it to anybody.”

I bumped into this article today on MSN.com. These tips are very useful for the average driver (us) so use them, forward them, do whatever you want as long as it’s done safely have a great weekend!