Fan Duel

Because I’ve somehow really been sucked down into the rabbit hole that is televised NFL football. Thursday night from 8 until 11:30, then Sunday from noon until 11:00PM and then again Monday night from 8:00 until whenever. All the time the tube is on football the laptop is open on the coffee table with ESPN’s FantasyCast in front of the league’s scoreboard on the internet.

Consequentially I see a lot of TV commercials and the award for the Rookie of the Year in NFL advertising goes to Fan Duel. Seems like every time you turn around there are those Joe Schmoes who have won thousands, and in some cases millions, by clicking on a couple things on their web page. Well, it turns out it averages about once an hour. I know because I wrote down every promo code they threw at me on Sunday:

Punt, Wind, Clip, Uniform, Watch, Agile, Yards, Triumph & Dual

Their disclaimers say they comply with some acronym and is therefore not gambling, but the gambling world centered in Nevada think they are. So much so that they have made them illegal. Along with several other states. I’m betting (see what I did there)that by next season, even if those types of sites are still in business, they won’t be advertising on NFL broadcasts.

Started down, went up, went down, back up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 99

First in the Model NB Class

Car Show - Model T's To Olar Festival

We took a drive this morning to get a couple of photos for the Moss Motoring Challenge. Our second stop was the little town of Olar for the 13th Annual Model T’s To Olar Festival which includes a car show which would get us one point. The show has several classes, of course the Model T, but also the Model A, Antique Tractor and this year, the Model NB. 🙂

Bonus 2 - Sign With Car Year On It

Our first stop was Silver Bluff High School just south of Aiken in Jackson, SC. The Bulldogs always field excellent athletic teams, but we were interested in just two of them, Softball and Basketball from 2003. Those teams won the AA State Championships that year meaning their signs in front of the High School were worth 2 points to us in the bonus category of “Sign With The Model Year of Your Car On It.”

Started down, went up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 99

Motoring Challenge Points 3, Approx Miles Driven 105
Totals So Far: 146 points & 7745 miles

More Mixed Emotions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R1WiuzIQbM
defunct link to a X-Files promo for Season 10

A different look promo, perhaps trying to capture a younger hipper graphic novel reading audience as opposed to us old-timers who were X-Fans from the beginning.

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 97

Living In Denial

They1 were calling for rain for Saturday and when we got up and checked the radar, it was, thirty miles north of us. We ran the futurecast and it looked like the rain would hold out until between 9 and 10 at the site of Cars & Coffee. All we needed was a few minutes to get the “Car Show Photo” for the Motoring Challenge and then, for all we cared, it could pour. We left home with the top down.

There was a very slight mist in the air. We sat by the window while we ate breakfast to keep an eye out. As we were ready to leave Hardee’s a car pulled in and it was quite wet. Donna asked the woman where she came from and where was it raining. Her reply both relieved us a little and scared us some too. We started for downtown and about halfway there it started to sprinkle a bit. I asked if we should put up the top before I got out of the car to take some cash out of the ATM. Donna said no, but hurry up.

Flush with twenties, we headed west towards Augusta. A couple blocks later larger drops started to fall. When those large drops started to come a little quicker, I asked again and this time Donna said yes. The rain wasn’t too bad so we continued on hoping that it might break and it would even be sprinkling when we got to Augusta. Ha. Less than a mile later it really started raining. The further we got out of downtown the harder it came down. When it got to the point that I could no longer drive the posted speed limit safely, I hung a left and drove back home.

They1 we calling for a cloudy morning today and when we got up it was, so we proceeded with our usual Sunday morning bike ride for breakfast. As we pedaled through the neighborhood we could feel some moisture in the air, but that was to be expected with yesterday’s rain and this morning’s lingering clouds. A few miles into the ride the mist thickened and with the cool northerly breeze it was not real pleasant. Donna offhandedly mentioned turning around, going home and getting in the car. I said, no, its not that much further.

Ha. Should have listened. The further we rode, the heavier the mist got and glasses were getting hard to see through. It was too late by this time to turn around, so we rode the last mile grumbling to ourselves getting very damp.

We enjoyed a nice leisurely meal inside of Ridgecrest sharing a Breakfast Panini and reading the local paper while sipping hot morning drinks. When we went back outside to get on our bikes for the ride home, the clouds were still low and thick, but the mist was completely gone. The ride home was a lot drier.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 96

1. When I say “They” in this case, I mean the finely trained expert meteorologists at the Weather Channel.

Track 17 – Moondance

Because I really have nothing, I’ll just toss out another music video from my Quintessential Burn series. This time it is Van Morrison sharing the vocals with a backup singer from a live 1979 performance in Belfast:

159,000 Platelets

The Emperor has been back from the Doctor’s Office about a week now and tonight I finally got around to washing off all the dirt and stuff from his 5 nights outside at Panic. I’m hoping that it won’t rain on Saturday so we can do Augusta’s Car & Coffee.

The Miata’s initial diagnosis from the professionals was a leaking exhaust cam seal because of the oil splattering pattern. And of the two cam seals this is the more likely to fail because of the heat factor. They changed exhaust seal and went for a test drive. Unfortunately, turned out that really wasn’t the problem, the crank seal was the big leaker, so they actually did the work twice. But unlike some other shops might have might have, they only charged me labor once.

Yesterday the Emperor eased past the 159,000 mile mark while on my way to get some blood drawn for my doctor’s appointment next week. Lots of top transitions because I missed one the other week, then the day before’s trip up & down and then again today for washing.

Started up, went down, back up, down again, up again, down, up, down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 95

Did You Have a Fight?

Friday I had to be at Aiken City Court, my number was up, I’d been summoned to be a juror. I had to report at 9:00 AM and while technically I didn’t have to go to work, what else was I going to do, watch the Today Show? So I went in to work. Because I didn’t know if I would be selected to actually serve on a jury or not, Donna drove in in the Sonata and I drove the Miata. We parked next to each other in the usual far corner of the parking lot.

Not long into the day, a co-worker comes up to Donna and asks, “Did you have a fight?” Her perplexed look back signaled further explanation was required. He said, “You came in separate cars.” She replied derisively, “No”, turned around and returned to work.

When she told me the story later, my first thought was, if we did have a fight, would we have still parked next to each other?