Sad Songs Say So Much

Amazing what music evokes certain emotions in people. How a certain song reminds you of something from the past because it was playing in the background at the event. Why do some folks like a song and others dislike it?

Got my SAD CD Mix from Andrea yesterday. I popped it in the CD player in the car. At first I didn’t think it sounded sad at all, it was a nice mix of songs, but I didn’t get the emotion. I think this is the fault in the manner in which I listen to music. Most of the time the voice is treated like an instrument in my head, I don’t hear the words, I hear the tone. The songs on my mix to her sounded sad to me, I know a few of them are about being sad, but possibly not all have anything to do with sad. Because I have done a bit of driving today, I am about halfway through the 3rd listen. I’m starting to catch some of the lyrics and there are some sad tunes there. Nicely done Andrea.

The Emperor’s New Clothes

Thanks to Dave Harp I now have exorcised the brushed aluminum interior tidbits and replaced them with black. Dave’s 2001 red base model has an all black interior and it really benefited from the silver vent rings, radio surround, shifter surround and interior door handles. Really nice when that happens, two people made happy at no cost (but a little sweat equity.)

While the dash was apart swapping aluminum for black, I pulled out the passenger airbag switch and popped in a nifty little pocket that goes there in the Japanese Miata. Not sure if anything will ever go in there, but it looks better than the switch. The switch is tucked up under and behind the glove box for now. I’ll have to secure it somehow, maybe tomorrow.

The new muffler is on with only one slight injury to me and none to the car.boo-booThe title of this post has to do with the sound of the new muffler. After all the subjects of Miata.netland had been effervescing over it, it just didn’t live up to my expectations of what it should have sounded like. Right now it doesn’t sound much louder than stock. At idle and cruise it is just as quiet with only a slightly louder tone under acceleration, I guess I expected it to be about two notches up instead of just barely different. So I hate to be the one to point this out, but the Emperor’s new clothes are nothing. (Get it, clothes, muffler?)

The first two Miatas never acquired names like so many of the Miatas out there. It was always “Our Car” or just plain “The Miata.” Occasionally it was “His Car” when it needed something done. The wisdom was you never forced a name on the car, it would always name itself. Well, that never happened. I think somehow that today this new car just got it’s name. Since the beginning with it we have treated it differently because of the color combo and it’s quieter, smoother ride, treated it a little like royalty. Henceforth the new Miata will be known as The Emperor, long may he reign.

Still No Mats

As a mat-ter of fact the last known scan was – 3/5/04, 8:01 am, Processed at Sort Facility, Wilmington, OH – so much for the estimated delivery of 3/4/04. I’ll be lucky If I see them on Monday.

I’ll be getting my muffler installed tomorrow by hook or crook. It is Master’s Miata Club Tech Day and if we don’t get it on there, I’m stopping at a muffler shop and paying somebody. I hope it doesn’t rain (Weather Channel says 50%) and scare off some people, especially not Dave Harp, as he is supposed to swap my OEM brushed aluminum interior bits for his black.

1077 / 155

Cable guy got here at 3:00 and left at 6:30. 99% of that time was setting up the wiring. He had to go under the house in our (quite literally a) crawl space 3 separate times. Dirty work. So here is the results, minutes ago 1077 dn, 155 up compared to DSL’s 604/218 on Saturday. It does seem quicker, about like going from 33 to 56K was (only in hyperdrive.) But for nearly twice the speed I think I can manage to spent twenty bucks less a month. 🙂

Speaking Of Mat

I got an email yesterday letting me know my cocomats shipped. They hopefully will arrive tomorrow. I say hopefully as that is what the email said. The email also said that I could click on a link and track my shipment with DHL, but when I click on the link DHL says that number doesn’t exist. I even got a second email today, same as yesterday, tried the link again, still doesn’t exist.

Update: clicked on the tracking link just now and ta-da, there is info. Although if I’m reading it right it is coming by ground from Danbury, CT to me here in Aiken, SC via truck and expected delivery is tomorrow, but it didn’t get picked up until this afternoon at 4:30. According to Yahoo Maps that is an 833.5 mile trip and it should take 12 hours, 49 minutes. He must be coming door to door.

I Got Framed

Went down to Michael’s to get the caricature framed. They keep better records than I do, because the clerk was able to pop up my order from a year ago when I framed the first CarArtz custom creation. Frame, check. Mat, check. Glass, check. Cha-ching.

I got an 11×17 print framed in a simple black rounded frame, about 3-1/2 inches of gray mat all around and a piece of non-glare glass, total cost $91. That was with the 1/2 off coupon. Do they double their prices for the weeks they run the coupons?

Quick Updates…

…in lieu of actual original thought post content.

I screwed the pooch when I made up the voting page for the Water Photo Contest. When I got the three last minute entries I copied and pasted the info from the then last photo. I changed the title, but neglected to change the number assigned each photo, oops. If anyone voted for any of the last 4 photos all the votes went to one. So when I got home from work I reset everything. If you voted yesterday or early today your chad got swept into the bit bucket, go vote again.

Cable guy comes Wednesday after work to hook up my cable internet.

No comment spam as of yet (not unusual though.)

Printed out the labels for the SAD CD, thank you Microsoft Clip Gallery Online. Goes in the mail tomorrow.

To buy said labels I had to go to Staples, just 5 days after swearing I’d never go back after last Wednesday’s incident. Not that I didn’t try to avoid it, I went to Wal-Mart looking first and I absolutely hate Wal-Mart.