• Loving the new Starbucks iPhone apps. I’m going out of my way to hit stores that use the barcode-scan-my-iPhone-screen payment method. #
• Spent an hour at the gym, paying Austin to torture me in ways the Geneva Convention never dreamed of. #
• Drinking gin vespers and scanning old family photos from the 20’s. #
• Day two for the puddle of urine on the office bathroom floor. Did the cleaners get laid off, too? Also, who is missing the bowl by 6 feet? #
• I was having a good hair day until I put my helmet on. #
• Staying up late playing Tomb Raider, creeping myself out. #
• I have an award-winning car and an award-winning sunburn. #
• DNBC 2009 Best In Show, baby! #
• Hit me up if you’re at Fremont Oktoberfest – look for the Viking hat :) #
• Walking to my car on a street covered in leaves. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it’s fall. #
• Watching Kevin Ryan from Webvisible give a tedious, awkward, inappropriate presentation. His attempt to suck up to the audience is painful. #
• Making time in a busy day to come up with an awesome Oktoberfest hat for tonight; I have my priorities. #

I spent the weekend in British Columbia, and an amazing sunny day in Waterfront Park in Vancouver BC with a lot of really pristine Nissans and sweet vintage Datsuns, and somehow out of all of them, I was awarded Best of Show (!!). That means I bested some truly rare Japanese imported models, some immaculately-restored classic Z cars, and even Skylines and a new 370Z.

I’m especially flattered by this award as the Best of Show judge is a guy named Art that’s been involved in car shows for 30+ years and has been to over 175 of them. He’s a Concours-certified car show judge and evaluated my Z on Concours rules, meaning he placed a lot of value in preservation and restoration work in addition to aftermarket mods. Receiving this award means my car displayed the best balance of restoration to its original glory against tasteful modern upgrades that don’t degrade the look or purpose of the car, and also that my presentation of the car – things like cleanliness, my efforts to showcase points of interest by propping things open, the full-color modlist packet I printed up for display – was thorough, appropriate and impressive. Being recognized for my effort (and expense) has only motivated me to push even harder next season, to maintain and improve the state and presentation of my car. While not every show will be judged by Concours rules and I certainly won’t be Best of Show every time, making that jump from “clean, well-modded Z” to “award-winning Z” this year has given me a new respect and appreciation for my car and a new enthusiasm for this aspect of my hobby. :)

Gallery slideshow here.

• Moving tents and hauling beer, volunteering to set up the Fremont Oktoberfest. #
• Making a very long detour because I left my laptop cord on the wrong side of the lake. I’m ready to go solar… or nuclear. #
• Raced home on my bike hoping to beat the rain and succeeded. #
• Hurt someone’s feelings? Try the Kanye Apology Generator: http://tinyurl.com/phepvv #
• RT @dBFestival 2009 Decibel Festival Events – some good stuff coming up. http://is.gd/2E0Oh #
• Traffic ticket dismissed! Jeannie Mucklestone, P.S., you are the shizzle. #
• Loving the sunshine and another day of two-wheeled commuting. #
• Falling asleep to Pzizz, not sure how I ever functioned without it. #
• How did I end up getting so deep into a mess like this? I should know better by now. #
• Hitting the bed hard after wearing myself out wrestling with the jetski and then a giant BBQ combo plate. I’m sure going to miss summer… #
• Overheard at the zoo: “I’m not here to see flamingos. If I wanted to see flamingos I’d watch Miami Vice.” #

I spent a day at Woodland Park Zoo with Mom and Danielle, and while I did see a lot of interesting animals with my own eyes, I saw even more through my camera lens. It was my first experience shooting captive animals, and really my first experience shooting wildlife to such a large degree, as previously it’s been limited to birds, spiders, and other around-the-house creatures. It created a lot of new challenges – especially with the uneven lighting in many of the zoo exhibits – but the subjects were surprisingly willing and definitely compelling.

Gallery slideshow here.

• Listening to Abba and making waffles, at Mom’s request. #
• Lunch on the patio, getting my tan on and my mohito on. #
• Made some extra money today but spent it all shopping online for underwear. #
• Being Mom’s kitchen assistant while she makes tiramisu. #
• “If you would prefer to hold without music, press pound now.” GoDaddy, you guys are brilliant. #
• It’s so nice to deal with a truly legit craigslist buyer. There are so few people that are honorable anymore. #
• Woefully behind schedule today but it’s sunny like summer again so I don’t care. #