Well, in this case, less MPH = more MPG. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it till now, but I’ve discovered that if I drive slower, I get better gas mileage. I normally used to drive 75-80 mph, and that got me 27-28 miles per gallon. For one reason or another, last week I started driving between 65-70 mph, and that got me 29-30 mpg. That’s an exta 26 miles between fill ups. Gas prices aren’t getting any cheaper (yet), so I’ll take any kind of savings I can get.

So now I’m going to drive slower. Well, at least try to. It sounds easy, but I’m so accustomed to
driving faster since I’ve been doing it for so long, I'll slip into my lead foot ways if I’m not paying attention. It totally wouldn’t even be an issue if I had cruise control in the Mini, but I don’t (one of the options I regret not getting). I guess I’ll just speed when I need to, like if I’m running late for work or for an appointment or something.

in my 48 hours in Vallejo this weekend, I managed to do the following:

-Preventive maintenance on the Mini: I did an oil change, transmission fluid change, & tire rotation. I wanted to change out my spark plugs & fuel filter too, but I ran out of time. Maybe next weekend. I also helped Kev do oil change on his car.

-Installed front door camera: I mounted the camera outside the front door & mounted the lcd tv at the bottom of the staircase above the window. I ran all the video and power wires through the walls & stuff, which happened to be way harder and took longer than it should've. But it was worth it cause it totally works, better than I had hoped.

-Watched Bridesmaids with Jaymi, Jacqueline, Albert, Chris, & Kay Ann on Friday night, then Thor with Jaymi, Jacqueline, & Kev on Saturday night. If I could've, I would've watched Fast Five on Sunday, but I couldn't squeeze it in.

-Did the “bleach fix” on Jaymi’s iPhone. It was another thing that should've been really simple, but I ran into a minor complication (stupid power button), but it ended up not mattering cause she still got it replaced at the Apple Store, as originally planned. So that makes me 2-for-2 in doing "fixes" to otherwise voided-warranty iPhones and getting Apple to replace them under warranty.

-Attended Uncle Elcid’s bday party @ Auntie Minda’s Sunday evening. Good food, good times.

I also managed to get approximately 14 hours of (what I consider) good sleep. But the highlight of my weekend, of course, was Bud’s Burger. I don't know why, but it was exceptionally better than usual. They screwed up my order (cheese-less cheeseburger), but it didn't matter. It was still hella good. And they actually got the fries right this time: double-fried, crispy oily goodness.

Next weekend, it continues. The perfectionist in me tells me that I have to re-do one of the mounting screws on the camera, and then run the power & video cables nicely with the help of a staple gun. I should have enough time to do the Mini's spark plugs, but I don't know about the fuel filter, since I've never done it before. And I want to do some heat shielding in the engine bay, to try to keep the temps down. Some guy in the Mini forums has done it, and it looks easy, so I wanna give it a shot.

I have an extra day, too, since I'm taking Friday off. I'm going to the A's / Giants game (in SF) on Friday with Mel & Uncle Ernie. It also happens to be wearable blanket (aka snuggie) night. It's not the green A's "sluggie" that I missed out on last year, but it'll do (I guess).

Then on Sunday, I'm volunteering at Glide again. I'll also try to squeeze in some gym time. And then there's a GM driving event in Alameda on Saturday, but I haven't signed up for it yet. I'm not sure if I have the time to do it. And Tj wants me to check out this one car audio sale in El Cerrito, to check out stuff for his car.

So I got a lot on my plate for next weekend. I actually kinda like having a full schedule. It feels good to not waste my time.