Robbinsville

Fun drive up. We stopped a couple times and took short walks. Once at Whitewater Falls which we have visited before and once in Gorges State Park which we hadn’t. Took our usual Wyah Bald Road from Franklin to Nantahala. Instead of fighting the expected crowd at the NOC restaurants, we stopped at a roadside place and had a pretty darn good BBQ sandwich and some nachos.

By the time we got to Robbinsville we were pretty worn out, so we did a little shopping at Ingles and headed up to the Inn. The Blue Boar now has wireless internet, so I could blog and listen to the FRS beat up on the Marlins. I took a few pictures today and about the only thing missing in my mobile office now is a way to transfer images from the camera to the laptop. Kodak had an Easy Share camera similar to the one I bought with wireless connectivity, but it lacked a couple things I really wanted, so I didn’t get it. While looking around on the net for a sort of multifunction USB thumb drive and SD card reader I found the perfect solution. Behold, the transforming SD card that folds to reveal a USB connection – Sandisk 1 GB Ultra II SD Plus.

Later tonight we plan on a quick trip up to the Cherohala Skyway for some star gazing. We get up to almost 5000′ and far enough from any lights that, weather permitting, we can see the milky way. Breakfast at the Inn is from 8 to 9AM, so tomorrow morning we plan on an early rise to get in a out and back run through the Gap and then get breakfast.

Started up, went down, went up, back down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 239

42,000 Feet Outside of Anderson

About 42,000 feet outside of Anderson,SC the odometer clicked over 42,000 miles. We are on our way to a mini-vacation getaway to western NC and the destination of choice or both of us. For her a two night stay in her favorite B & B, the Blue Boar Inn, and for me a couple days of twisty roads, including the king of curves, Deal’s Gap.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 235

Land Yacht

Next door to ASCO is a little place called Bobby’s Clean Up that, while I’m not exactly sure what, has a lot to do with cars. Every now and again there is something unusual parked over there. This week it is a 1959 Cadillac Sixty Two Convertible. It showed up on Tuesday and has been inside the shop since then. Today I noticed it parked out front as I came back from taking Donna home.

I pulled in and poked my head inside the building to ask if it was alright if I took a closer look at it. The fellow inside said that it belonged to a local home builder and he had spent about $35k for it. It was there getting it all nicely detailed for this coming Sunday’s downtown Aiken cruise-in.

The car is absolutely beautiful. Every panel is faultless and the interior is in nicer shape that mine. It has either been hermetically sealed in a mayonnaise jar on the porch of Funk & Wagnalls or been recently fully restored.

I really wanted to get a picture of it with the Miata parked behind it, so it looked like it was the big cars dinghy. It was high noon with the sun extremely bright and with the Caddy backed in under the awning, the contrast was so intense taking a good picture was nearly impossible. Here is one that came out OK:

'59 Caddy

Started up, went down, back up, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 234

All About Adam

Every couple of years I get a college student as a summer helper. It is both good and bad. The good is that as a self taught AutoCAD user they usually teach me some stuff I didn’t know about the program and the bad is that they are kids which means they can’t sit still. This year it is Adam Kitchings who is the son of Tim our Plant Engineer and Controller of the Air Conditioning.

Adam, like all those hip kids these days, has a page on MySpace.com. I was going to leave a comment on his page, but I couldn’t because I’m not a MySpace member. I figured what the heck I join up too. I feel like such a novice though, I can’t even figure out how to change my background over there. Brian’s MySpace & Adam’s MySpace.

Here, for your further entertainment, is Adam’s Top Ten Peeves:
#10 – Microsoft (would be higher if not for the X-box & Halo)
#9 – Illegal Aliens expecting all the same rights as citizens
#8 – The world’s right-handed bias
#7 – Sugar free energy drinks
#6 – Qwiky Mart customers who buy a half dozen Twinkies & a Diet Coke
#5 – People who drive 95 MPH in the 55 MPH zone
#4 – People who drive 45 MPH in the 55 MPH zone
#3 – Snapping Turtles
#2 – Gar
and Adam’s #1 Pet Peeve
Jet Skis

Started down, went up, back down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 231

I Forgive You Bill Buckner

Tonight at Fenway Park the Mets are in town for an interleague game against the FRS. Before the game they will have a small ceremony “celebrating” the World Series of 20 years ago. If you are a Mets fan you remember the final out of the 7th game with your team mobbing each other in victory, but if you are Red Sox fan you remember Mookie Wilson’s ground ball towards first base in the 10th inning of game 6.

I Forgive You Bill Buckner

Started up, went down, back up, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 228

It Sounds Like Shit & It Doesn’t Do A Damn Bit Of Good

A 6 year old and a 4 year old are upstairs in their bedroom. “You know what?” says the 6 year old. “I think it’s about time we started cussing.” The 4 year old nods his head in approval. The 6 year old continues, “When we go downstairs for breakfast, I’m gonna say something with hell and you say something with ass.” The 4 year old agrees with enthusiasm.

When their mother walks into the kitchen and asks the 6 year old what he wants for breakfast, he replies, “Aw, hell, Mom, I guess I’ll have some Cheerios.” WHACK! He flies out of his chair, tumbles across the kitchen floor, gets up, and runs upstairs crying his eyes out, with his mother in hot pursuit, slapping his rear with every step. His mom locks him in his room and shouts, “You can just stay there until I let you out!”

She then comes backs downstairs, looks at the 4 year old and asks with a stern voice, “And what do YOU want for breakfast, young man?” “I don’t know,” he blubbers, “but you can bet your fat ass it won’t be Cheerios.”

I Spanked The Monkey

Your Final Quiz Score: 35 right out of a possible 60
The Monkey’s Final Score: 15 right out of 60

You asserted your intellectual superiority brilliantly! The monkey is now left contemplating his own inferiority. Where others have failed to claim the mantel of unequivocal dominance over lesser species, you have truly succeeded! Congratulations on besting the ape and reaffirming the capabilities of the human mind. You have done mankind proud.

You scored in the 84th percentile.
(84% of quiz takers scored worse than you)

Geography
Your score: 10
Monkey’s score: 4
— Quite a sufficient job.
History
Your score: 8
Monkey’s score: 6
— You might have done better.
Science/Technology
Your score: 9
Monkey’s score: 2
— Well done.
Random Trivia
Your score: 8
Monkey’s score: 3
— Good but not great.

Link: Take the Quiz at MonkeyQuiz.com