Miata Magazine

When Mazda introduced the car there was already a national Club in the works. The crown jewel benefit of belonging to the national Club has always been a glossy full-color magazine published quarterly and now bi-monthly. When I bought my first Miata in November 1989 I received Issue #2 free as an enticement to join the Club. The magazine was chock full of stories and letters dealing with how-tos and best of all ads for all kinds of geegaws to make your Miata faster, prettier or just different. I ordered Issue #1 and the collection started.

It has been a tumultuous last couple of years with the magazine changing hands and the first Club folding because the “President” and founder were cooking the books. They almost took the Magazine with them, but the Miata community got behind the publisher and saved the day. And now with Mazda behind it, we have a new Club and it’s members get the magazine.

My membership expired in March, and I don’t plan on renewing it. I’ve gotten the last 2 magazines anyway, but I don’t enjoy it or need it anymore. The informative letters have been replaced by the internet, the ads with cool products have been replaced by bookmarks to websites and the stories are no longer a mix of fiction and product reviews, but seem to be just quasi-ads to upgrade to high performance turbos or $2000 big brake kits. I’m sure there is a market and clamor for this stuff, but it is not me.

I guess in the 13 years I’ve owned a Miata, I have changed and the magazine has changed, so it is not for me anymore. I just hate to see the Magazine collection stop.

Didn’t Fool Around Today

Just put it up while at work and left it up for the ride home. Tomorrow will be the same as it is supposed to be in the upper 90’s.

Started up, went down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/02: 208

I Panicked

The streak is over at 10 days and all because I panicked. Had a doctor’s appointment this afternoon and he was wrapping up the visit I could hear the thunder outside. After redressing I hurried outside to put the top up, even before the nurse had finished my paperwork. Looked pretty bad in a couple of directions. After coming back form the office a second time, I headed home and didn’t encounter a single rain drop.

Started down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/02: 206

Small Town Living

Possibly the only real negative thing about living in a small town is the inability to get a slightly off-beat item on short notice. The stores are like 3/4 scale models of the ones elsewhere, so they don’t stock a real wide variety of merchandise. I had a idea (I know what you are thinking, keep it to yourself please) about a prize for a little contest I’m running for the Miata Club. Well, you get it in this town. Fortunately I have a couple weeks, allowing me to order it over the net and get it on time. If I needed by this Friday like I first thought I would have been shit out of luck.

J.C. Whitney II

My package from J.C. Whitney arrived today. I opened the box and dug down into the sea of foam peanuts and pulled out a small box with a window tinting strip. Huh!?! Must be a free gift or something, so I start digging again. I find nothing else. This sucks, I check the packing slip and it lists what I ordered, 7″ Round Chrome Headlight Protectors. I call “Customer Service” and after the usual 5 minute wait on hold the rep tells me to just fill out the RMA conveniently located right on the back of my invoice and send the part back. I guess this happens a lot. Now I’ve got probably another month before I get a 2nd try at getting what I ordered. The only marginally good thing out of all this is that they are really going to earn that $9.95 shipping & handling charge. They have to ship me my parts twice plus they are going to reimburse me to mail the incorrect part back.

Finalized The Route

Didn’t make the post office so the mix will get mailed on the deadline date of Monday, sigh. Speaking of post office, they delivered my J. C. Whitney package today, at work, it should be waiting for me on Monday.

The evening was spent on a drive to finalize the route for this coming Friday’s full moon rally with the Miata Club. Got it down to 47 from 60 making it a 10 minutes shorter ride. Hopefully it won’t rain. It hasn’t all this week, as you can tell from the top transition count being stuck at the same number.

Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/02: 205

I Smell Dead Things

Thursday evening while hooking up the new DVD player I thought I smelt a dead animal smell. Again on Friday when I passed thru the living room on the way out the front door to get the paper I caught another whiff. When I got to work I called the pest control folks and asked them to come out and check under the house for carcasses. We have had trouble with possums before and I thought maybe we had a dead one under there. The fellow came out and looked all under the house but could not find anything. He did say he could see where a possum or something was under there. He spotted some fleas so along with the smell killer he sprayed under the house for fleas. Friday I swear the smell was still there faintly. Saturday as well, but Donna nor her mom, who spend more time in the living room than I, have said anything, so I ain’t saying anything until they do.