Year: 2004

Travel Plans

Donna and I are driving up north to Connecticut for my Mom’s birthday starting the 27th. Our itinerary (so far) is as follows:Thursday, Aiken, SC to Brevard, NCFriday, Brevard, NC to Lexington, VASaturday, Lexington, VA to Cumberland, MDSunday, Cumberland, MD to Williamsport, PAMonday, Williamsport, PA to New Britain, CTTuesday, Wednesday, New Britain, CTThursday, New Britain, CT to ???Friday, ??? to ???Saturday, ??? to Aiken, SC. So if you live anywhere near these places and you see a Garnet Red Miata zip by, it is probably us.

Burglar Note: Donna’s Mom is not traveling with us and she keeps a shotgun near her bed (with the safety off.)

Size Does Matter

If it didn’t, would they have made Tic-Tacs 30% larger?

High Topped Sneakers

I think it is just me, but the new Miata with 16″ wheels and OEM height looks like it is wearing high topped sneakers. I’d really like to lower the car an inch or so, but the easy and perfectly acceptable way it was accomplished on the earlier version car, Koni adjustable shocks, is not available for this car. Lowering springs or adjustable coilovers are the only way to lower this generation Miata and shocks will change the ride characteristics and the coilovers are expensive…

I’ve been eyeballing different 15″ wheels thinking that might change the appearance to something better. This method has its shortcomings as well because only certain wheels will fit over the larger brakes. The only way this fly is when I’ve worn out the stock tires and can sell the new wheels by pointing out that the new 15″tire wheels will only be a little more expensive than just the 16″ tires.

50% Off Coupon

There was a 50% off coupon in today’s paper from Goody’s. I thought goody, I need a new pair of jeans and we were going shopping tonight. Uh, oh, it is only good on Saturday morning from 9AM until 1PM. No problem I can wait. What’s this in the fine print? Good on almost anything in the store! Cool. Excludes clearance, cosmetics, electronics, denim, Dockers, athletic shoes, Goody’s Giftcard purchases, Y.E.S. value items, fine jewelry, fragrances, tuxedos rentals. Shouldn’t that have read “Good on almost nothing in the store!”? Into the trash that coupon goes.

Cockpit Cover Saves The Day

All this week the Weather Channel has told us there is a 30% chance of afternoon thundershowers. Yesterday we put the top up and it worked merely to ward off the rain. Today I used the cockpit cover and it acted as a rain magnet.

Not too long after our lunchtime walk the skies opened up big time. It didn’t look too bad during the walk, so I was surprised by the intensity that I heard on the roof over my head at my desk. It rained hard for at least 30 minutes. The cover has saved the Miata interior on several occasions in the past, but it has always been on the old car. It fits the new one alright, but because the seats stick up a little higher (Surfboard Fan Club maybe?) there is a slight gap left near the windows. I was worried that this might lead to less protection for the interior.

While it was raining lightly I borrowed an umbrella and made my way out to the north forty to see what I could see. When I peeked under the edge at the inside it looked perfectly dry. Instead of just walking away I decided to put the top up. During the brief seconds the inside was unprotected, between tossing off the cover and raising the roof, a little water managed to get in, but it was dry by the time we walked out to go home at 4:00.

When we got home I stuck the cockpit cover in the dryer on low and dried it out. It shrunk a little, but I have it stretched over the car now to help it get back to normal. I just hope that spinning experience hasn’t diminished the water repellency…

I Am Brian’s Colon

Yesterday I had a colonoscopy boys and girls. You don’t need to look that up in any medical dictionary, colon + scope, means they were looking at my innards from the inside. The worse part is the prep. If you have had it done, you know what I’m talking about and if you haven’t, I don’t want to spoil the fun.

During the actual procedure they sedate you and depending on who you talk to who has had it done, that means anything from knocked out to partly aware. When the nurse put the needle full of fuzzy juice into the IV she said to me, “Now think of someplace pleasant you would like to be.” I started to decide which place I thought I would like when the next thing I knew I was coming to in the recovery area. And when I say coming to, I really mean just peeking my head above the fog.

The next few hours I was in and out. I remember my wife feeding me cookies and a Diet Dr. Pepper. My next memory is of being helped out of the wheelchair into the Miata. There is a brief window into lucidity at the CVS where I picked out a book to read. I remember reading some of it during my doctor prescribed bath. I read a little more on the couch before putting it down to go take a 2 hour nap. I was “sedated” at around 1:30 and it wasn’t until around 7:30 that continuous memory was regained. When I went in tonight to get the book I kind of figured that I would have to start all over reading it again, I did, but I didn’t have far to go, the dog eared page marking where I stopped last night was page number two.

Mmm…Pain Pills

Had a minor outpatient procedure done at the hospital today. After driving myself there, Donna had to drive me home and as a special treat she put the top down for me. I love driving the Miata, but it sure was fun over in the right seat too. You get to see so much more and until they start making those George Jetson bubble roof cars you poor suckers in your SUVs will have to lead much shallower lives.

With apologies to Brian Damage:
[x] I’ve been banded
[ ] I’ve not been banded

I hope it doesn’t take three weeks to recover again, but I know that is wishful thinking because I am just a slow healer.