Title Block

Finally feel like writing something, but I can’t think of title…

We drove the Miata to work on Thursday because we *could* ride home with the top down. But we didn’t drive it today even though it was warmer than yesterday. We rode the tandem.

I found a fool proof method on how to get your wife to agree to let you buy a new computer: While she is in the middle of shuffling the contents around in the kitchen cabinets (for who knows what reason other than to confuse me) just walk in and ask if you can spend $425. Well, that and the fact that I have been moaning about it’s slowness for a couple years (it was purchased just shy of 9 years ago.)

Like the plethora of fragrance commercials that show up on TV before Christmas, you can tell it is January because of all the ads for diet plans and gym memberships.

Which leads us to: “A gym is not designed to make you feel instantly better about yourself. If a gym wanted to make you feel instantly better about yourself, it would be a bar.” which is Rule #1 for Conquering the Gym, go read the other 26.

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Tran?si?tions since 10/24/08: 1098

Trophy

We have driven the Miata to work the last couple of days and it is all because of the weather. No, it has not been warm enough to ride with the top down, just the opposite, it has been in the 20’s for morning lows. We took the Emperor because he spent the night in the heated garage so it was nice and warm inside to start the drive, unlike the Purple Popsicle would have been.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Tran?si?tions since 10/24/08: 1097

Welcome to South Carolina

US 301, before I-95, was a pretty main north/south route, but since, not so much. But if you do decide to get off the Interstate and travel 301 through South Carolina into Georgia when you get across the Savannah River there you will find one of the last remaining state Welcome Centers not on an Interstate. Coming north from Georgia, you will be welcomed to the Palmetto State by this odd little representation of the South Carolina flag and 50 yards later our abandoned counterpart to the remaining Georgia Welcome Center.

— my favorite comment spam from the last week or so —
My brother rec?om?mended I would sim?i?lar to this web site. He was appro?pri?ate. This truly built my day. You are able to not con?sider just how much time I had spent want?ing for this.

Started down, went up, back down, up again, still up.
Miata Top Tran?si?tions since 10/24/08: 1097

Best of 2011

January

Ice Day

Tuesday the 11th

February

J. Strom Thurmond Dam

Sunday the 27th

March

Watson Mill Bridge

Saturday the 12th

April

Laurel Ridge Interpretative Trail

Saturday the 23rd

May

Quiet Savannah River

Sunday the 22nd

June

Aiken Railroad Depot

Saturday the 4th

July

I-20 Bridge Fishing

Saturday the 2nd

August

Lost Flip Flops

Sunday the 28th

September

Seattle Skyline

Monday the 5th

October

Back in the Mountains

Saturday the 1st

November

Colorful Walk

Sunday the 13th

December

Old US 301

Friday the 23rd

Adios 2011

Published this year’s “Best Of” page tonight. You can find it over on the left under Highlight Reels.

In the beginning, ten years ago, this was two different and separate blogs, The Miata Diaries with stories about the car and how it fit into my life and the other, called Brian’s Daily Rant, was a place for me to bitch about what got stuck in my craw each day. There was so much stuff written during the year that I had a hard time weaning out all the quality posts to get it down to just one best per each month.

Somewhere around 5 or 6 years ago I merged the two into this one. The total posts diminished and soon after the caliber of content did too. For the last couple of years I have wished I could have cheated and used a second post from one month to use in the place of another month with nothing that I felt qualified.

And as I look back on this year I don’t see very many posts that qualify either, mostly they were just just recaps of geocaching adventures or pictures of papercraft projects. In an effort to at least post something when I didn’t feel like writing I would often upload a photo. So for the Best Of 2011 I have used no words, just my best picture from each month.