I don’t care what I used to say, 100? is too hot for driving around in a convertible. It was 101 according to the Weather Channel this afternoon at 4:30, so after work we put the top up for the drive home. That is OK because the Miata has a small cockpit and it cools off pretty quickly inside. The humidity was way down, 27%, so it was a dry heat, but I don’t care what that old saying is, today it was the heat.
Finally went out measured the shift knob heights, they are the same, 4-1/32 high. I used a level and placed it on top of the installed knob, I then dropped a steel ruler down from the bottom of the level, ’til it hit the top of the center console and they came out identical. Must be an optical illusion. Feels taller too though, kinda makes me want to get a short shifter kit now. 🙂
Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/02: 178
I was one of them today. Didn’t sleep at all last night with a stomach ache and didn’t have the energy to go to work. Laid around on the couch and watched TV a lot. There sure must be a lot of sick people watching TV during the day, about every other ad was for some prescription for something or other that would make you a healthier person. None of them were for anything that ailed me, so I switched to PIP and surfed other channels while waiting for what I was watching to come back on.
The medical insurance plan at work has it where if you have your lab work done by a company called LabOne it costs you nothing out of pocket. There is a local lab (Mullins) that acts as a drop off point, they forward the samples off to who knows where for LabOne processing.
A couple of month’s ago I went in to my primary physician (and again, it costs nothing to see him) to have an ugly little mole-like thing on my forehead looked at. He removed it and said he would send it off to the lab for analysis. Unfortunately he didn’t label the sample as LabOne and the local lab ran the sample.
In case you care it was nothing, but that is not why I writing this.
Mullins Lab is not in our circle of friends, so when Mullins billed my insurance, my insurance said no money for you. I have a $200 yearly deductible normally, but for out of service work it is $400, so it denied the claim. Now I owe Mullins Lab $160 for the work. Well I figured the doctor messed up he should pay.
Last week I mailed him a letter outlining what had happened and since it was his error he should pay me the $160. Got a certified letter from the doctor today for the $160. The contents of the letter told me that I was no longer welcome as a patient any more. He would treat emergencies for the next 10 days, but after that, too bad. Just tell him where to send my records.
Did he object to the word error? Oh, well, got to start hunting a new primary doc tomorrow.
Well, the heat finally broke me. We went out to lunch to Burger King and it was hot, really hot. We made the trip with it down and even just used the cockpit cover for the afternoon. After work we had to run an errand so we put the top up and rode in air conditioned comfort. Had a busy afternoon and evening, so I didn’t check shift knob height and at quick glance I may just leave the vent rings off. I’ve got enough silver in the center of the dash (with radio, toggles switches & AWD heater panel) that it breaks up the all black nice enough.
Started down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/02: 176
I swear that the new polished Voodoo knob is taller than the spun on I had. It may be just the way the new leather boot fits. Tomorrow I’ll measure it. Bead blasted the dull finish off my vent rings and chucked them up on a lathe. Using some 200 grit sandpaper I reapplied the former spun finish back on. Then I put a couple coats of clear gloss paint to try and match the pearl. Not exactly, but I’ll reserve my final judgement until I see them in the sunlight.
Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/02: 175
God bless my mother-in-law. Really nice lady and great to have around, but she comes up with the weirdest things. We were sitting on the screened porch last night eating supper. We were watching the birds chase each other around the back yard and out of the blue she tells us that when she cuts her toe nails, she saves the clippings and throws them into the back yard in the belief that the birds use them for nest building. WHAT?!? She then suffixed that statement with, “I don’t know how they find them ( the clippings.)” Do they really want to?