So it’s time to get my PA license replaced with my CA license. As we pull up to the DMV we are greeted with this:

Yes, that’s a line outside of the DMV 15 minutes after the DMV’s opening hour.

Valuable Lesson #1: Schedule an appointment online at the DMV’s website to avoid the lines.

After waiting one hour, I was finally able to take my written test, so here are the facts:
1) CA DMV Written tests are actually written. That’s right, pencil and paper (not computerized like the ones in PA).
2) There are a total of 36 Questions on the written exam (not 15 like PA).
3) First time applicants of a CA License are allowed 6 incorrect answers to pass.
4) You are required to pass a written exam every time you renew your CA Driver License at which you are allowed only 3 incorrect answers to pass.
5) Your CA Driver License will arrive in the mail (unlike PA, which is made and given to you right then and there).

Oh, and I passed! Woo hoo! ^__~

The route:

Last night at home:

Goodbye Pittsburgh (4 AM):

Gas stop in West Virginia:

Indiana:

A huge cross in Illinois:

PoPo in the truck with me, awwwm. He eventually got use to the ride:

Entering St. Louis, Missouri:

First rest stop in Missouri at Comfort Inn, which was a beautiful inn:

Exiting Missouri and entering Oklahoma!:

Oh Oklahoma!:

Refueling in Oklahoma:

Welcome to the flat lands…:

Excuse the bug guts on the windshield… poor bugs =(

Refueling in Texas, yeehaw:

The exact same cross from Illinois seen here in Texas! I wonder who the architect is?:

Rest stop at a Quality Inn in New Mexico:

Awesome theme-park-like bridges in Albuquerque, New Mexico:

Refueling in Arizona:

Headed towards beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona:

A lone crow at our refueling stop in Flagstaff Arizona:

Yours truly, thank God for laptops and youtube on long road trips:

Crossing over the Colorado River:

Refueling right at the border of sunny California at a ridiculous $5.60 per gallon for Diesel!:

The most dangerous leg of the trip in the Mohave dessert. Extremely hot weather with rest-stops being further apart:

Glad we’re not the only ones in the dessert!:

Last rest stop at the California Inn in Barstow, California:

Barstow in the morning:

Refueling in Barstow:

FINALLY here in CALIFORNIA baby =D Where dreams come true and the price of gas is a nightmare:

Well, it’s time to get packing folks. Here’s the first photo of a series of photos to come, documenting my cross country move. If you’re moving to the Pittsburgh area and want to buy our house, please contact me =D. We’re traveling across the United States of America from Pennsylvania to California… in 4 days? Let’s begin… loading!

My newest mamegoma charm, Awwwm!

           Today I received my long awaited Koji Eye Talk, airmailed from Hong Kong. Took about twelve days from the actual date it was shipped, paid $7.98 06/26/2008. It’s my first time trying out Koji’s Eye Talk; considered to be Japan’s number one eye glue, and the very first.

Quick overview: Eye glue is used to glue a higher (or lower - though this is not the norm) crease on the eye for aesthetic reasons.

I bought this product because my eyes change according to how I sleep. One morning I could wake up with high creases, the next day wake up with low creases, and in the worst case wake up with a high crease on one eye and a low crease on the other. Yeah, imagine that.

When Koji’s Eye Talk first came online several years ago, prices were a ridiculous 20-40$ for an 8ml tube of this stuff. There were a few cheaper generic versions available at the time, and I decided to buy “DoubleEye” around 2ml ($9.48 01/03/2007) . Thanks to supply and demand, prices for Koji’s Eye Talk have dropped dramatically on EBay wiping out the competition from generic brands.

I love Eye Talk. I’ve used a generic brand that could not compare. My previous eye glue experience was messy. The glue would be stringy if you did not pull the handle out fast enough. After a few minutes drying, the product would get crusty and hard. If you scratched or pressed your lids the glue would flake (don’t want glue-flakes getting in your eye!) and even with opened eyes it was noticeable that something was on your lids. Just way too apparent in an unflattering way.

However, Koji’s Eye Talk is a new experience. Eye Talk has a viscosity of thickened water. There is no stringy effect pulling the handle out at a normal pace. Dry time is fairly quick, about a minute. Even while dry, the glue does not crust or harden, it is nice and soft. You can press your lids with no flakes. Scratching an itch won’t cause flakes either; don’t scratch too hard though, you don’t want to scrape the glue off. It’s not apparent that you have glue on your lids with Koji’s Eye Talk (eyes opened of course). Overall I’m really impressed. Highly recommended.

[Edit 7/14/2008: After using Eye Talk for a few days, I’ve noticed that the glue is somewhat difficult to wash off. Makeup removers do not work thoroughly on this product.]

You can get Koji’s Eye Talk 8ml (cheapest price $8.00) on EBay: