Eating Out

Ouch

This afternoon while cutting through a department in the back to get up to my office I got an owee. There was a stack of palettes in the “aisle” and I dodged left to go around them. I moved a little too far left and scrapped my arm on the wall. After about 10 step further along I thought to myself that hurt. When I looked down I was bleeding pretty good from a silver dollar sized scrape on my left forearm. I stopped in the next restroom I passed and ran it under a faucet. Ooooh. Wet some paper towels and pressed hard for a while. Still bleeding, I guess I better go see the nurse.

She took a look, hmmm’d, donned the rubber gloves and spent the next 5 minutes spraying on some sort of “Stop Bleeding Powder” and did manage to get it down to just weeping. Covered the crater with a big gob of antibiotic cream and wrapped it in gauze, all held in place by a magenta piece of that crinkly stretch bandage. It took about 40 minutes before the red spot on the gauze stopped expanding.

Because it happened at work there were forms to be filled out and now because I admitted that I hadn’t had a tetanus shot since sometime in the 80’s I get to have her drive me to the “company” doctor tomorrow for said shot.

We went out to Chinese buffet for lunch today.

Meal Cost: $12.31
Tip: $1.69
Spent Today: $14.00
Year to Date: $1746.78
Meals out, 102 of a possible 654.

Finished my tenth Spenser book today, Playmates, and didn’t find any Crime Buster Rules. Although in chapter 13 there is a statement that might have been called one: When in doubt do something, and hope if you keep doing it you’ll come to understand what it is. Later in the book Spenser gets called into the Boston Police station where there are an assortment of agencies represented (a couple being reoccurring characters) and is asked if he knew why he was called in. To which he replies,”I assumed you were holding a crime stoppers seminar and wanted me to lecture.”

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 317

16 & 1

PaxvilleWe hunted loads of Post Offices today while coming back from Florence. Found all 17 locations we were looking for, but it turns out one place wasn’t a PO anymore. At the intersection of US15 and SC261, AKA Paxville, SC, there was a convenience store at the correct address with a really cool mural on the side, but the only remnants of postal activity was a faded Blue Mail Box out front squeezed between an empty newspaper box and an overflowing trash can. There was no outward signs proclaiming that is was a Post Office. I went inside and looked around, there were no internal signs either, not even a “Buy Stamps Here” sticker on the cash register. Other than that, we had quite the productive day. We traveled around 250 miles to go the 130 miles between Florence and Aiken because of all the zig-zagging around.

Even though it was only 11:30 we decided to eat lunch in Santee because it was probably the last civilization we would see until we got back to Aiken. We actually pulled into the Cracker Barrel parking lot before making a hasty retreat to a Maurice’s BBQ next door. Donna kind of wanted soup, but I didn’t really want to eat at the CB at all. I guess she took pity on me. I had a Little Joe Basket and she had a Garden Salad and a side of Chicken Tenders. She had water to drink while I sipped some southern nectar, Sweet Ice Tea.

Meal Cost: $17.36
Tip: $2.00
Spent Today: $19.36
Year to Date: $1732.78
Meals out, 101 of a possible 645.

We had breakfast out to, but it was free. Donna had Biscuits & Gravy with a couple of mini blueberry muffins and I had a bowl of Raisin Bran and a Cinnamon Bun for dessert. That’s right, we Stayed Smart©.

I’ve got Saturday’s four Post Offices up in the gallery, but it will probably take me a few days to get today’s online.

When I got home I gave the Emperor a well deserved bath.

Started up, went down, back up, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 312

The $64,000 Question

Alien ConfusionWhat the heck is this?

Another Carolina Car Trek car. This is one of two in the thriving megalopolis of Society Hill, SC.

Somewhere north of Chesterfield, SC the Emperor drove through the 64,000 mile mark. We have eaten out twice today, but I can’t talk about it because I just got through watching Feasting on Asphalt II. They spent two days around New Orleans and what they got to eat made anything I had today look and taste like soggy Ritz crackers.

Spent Today: $49.70
Year to Date: $1713.42
Meals out, 99 of a possible 642.

At Cousin Laurie’s house we meet up with some of the same cast of characters as you can see in this photo, AKA the Midlothian McGraths, who were visiting as well. I found out that I had mislabeled the oldest and middle daughters in the photo. I’m pretty sure I’ve got them correct now.

We snagged 4 Post Offices this morning on the way up to Chesterfield; Hopkins, Gadsden, Eastover and Horatio. The first three have been at the top of our Most Wanted List for a couple months now, but because of where they are located (in the middle of, and on the way to, nowhere) it took a concerted effort to get them photographed. We are planning on an even dozen for on the way home tomorrow because if we get that many our captured total would be a nice round 200.

Started down, went up, back down, up again, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 309

Rode the Bus to Work Today

No, not the 30 foot long diesel powered belching black smoke kind, but the tandem bicycle. The morning wasn’t half bad, but the fog had us riding through a cloud on a couple of occasions. The ride home was very warm, but not unbearable. We made a stop downtown for lunch at the Stoplight Deli. On our Friday afternoons off we like to hit the Deli first thing to beat the crowds, but today because of the time required to change into cycling attire and pedal there instead of drive, we hit it at peak lunch crowd. The line was at least 8 deep at the counter, but the food was fairly quick in arriving and, as always, tasty enough to make us forget the wait.

Meal Cost: $13.38
Tip: None
Spent Today: $13.38
Year to Date: $1664.72
Meals out, 97 of a possible 639.

The four shocks did only take four days to get here from California. I thought I was so smart to have them delivered to work, but the joke was on me as they showed up on the day I didn’t have a car. So when we got home I jumped in the Miata and drove right back where we came from to pick up my two boxes that weighed 30lbs and were too heavy and to large to fit in our panniers.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 306

Superlative Shrimp

Ultimate ShrimpTonight was the August MMC meeting and we met at a Chinese place in Augusta. The Club has met there before, but Donna and I must have missed that meeting because we have never eaten there before. It was a sit down place, not a buffet, but they had a separate room we could be in so as to not disturb the other patrons or vice versa. They/we needn’t have worried, there were like two other people in the whole restaurant, 4 when we left.

We each had a bowl of Won Ton Soup and split the Ultimate Shrimp which turned out to be just like sweet & sour shrimp, but with a bite.

Meal Cost: $17.65
Tip: $3.35
Desert: $4.90 (ice cream in Aiken)
Spent Today: $25.90
Year to Date: $1651.34
Meals out, 96 of a possible 636.

Donna ordered 2 egg rolls, but we never got them. Probably paid for them too, but realized it once we were in the car out in the parking lot. I talked her out of going back in and getting our four bucks back, because I didn’t feel like waiting around.

Started up, went down, back up, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 306

Four

I added 24 pictures to the 2007 Northeast Trips Gallery on page 3 (4-1=3)., but if you are a regular reader there is not too much new for you to see.

If you never got over to the Flickr! page where I posted the photos of my godson Gnorm’s visit to the Gnorthwest this year, I added a gallery here that consisted of 24 (4×6=24) images showing what a good time he had.

We had dinner at Maria’s Mexican Restaurant tonight. It was their 1st Anniversary and to celebrate we had Carnitas which came with 3 tortillas. (1+3=4)

Meal Cost: $9.98
Tip: $2.02
Spent Today: $12.00
Year to Date: $1625.44
Meals out, 95 of a possible 627.

My 4 tickets to my next Miata arrived today. I hope 13 is my lucky number (1+3=4) because I have tickets numbered 0311 through 0314.

My 4 new Koni Sport shocks shipped from California today. If they take four days to get here I’ll have them by this weekend.

Started down, wen up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 299

Don’t Get Technical With Me

We took the Miata back to the dealer on Tuesday for them to adjust the accessory belts to eliminate the squeal. They almost got it. We aren’t taking it back to Columbia for them to have another crack at it. When the service rep returned the car Donna questioned him on why it squealed and what did they do to fix it. He tried to explain that they had to adjust the belt by making it tighter so it wouldn’t slip. But that they had to be careful that they didn’t tighten it too much or they could ruin the bearing in the accessories. He said if it still does it, just bring it back (I guess he thinks we live around the corner.)

It still squeals, but only briefly when shifting while driving the car spiritedly. When you floor it with the A/C on, the A/C will cut out until you let up to shift, at which point the A/C clutch re-engages and chirps the belt. We didn’t notice it until later in the week and we for sure aren’t going to take it back to them. When I get Clunk & Thunk to help me with my shock installation we’ll try and tighten it up a bit more.

I wish I had thought of it at the time Mr. Lazywrench was explaining their belt adjustment period, because I should have asked, “So, what you are saying is that after making over 800,000 Miatas, Mazda’s service manual for car says that to adjust the accessory belt tension, You need to make the belt so tight that they don’t squeal, but not so tight that you ruin the bearings.

From a Miata Forum member red-in-la (I removed the metric stuff.)
Drive Belt Deflection Check
1. Verify the drive belt deflection when the engine is cold, or at least 30 min after the engine has stopped. Apply moderate pressure 22 ft/lb midway between the specified pulleys.

Drive belt New Used Limit
Generator 0.22?0.27 0.24?0.29 0.31
P/S+A/C 0.28?0.31 0.36?0.39 0.45

What do you think? The technician didn’t have the right tool so he just winged it? Or manual, who reads the manual?

We went to the New Moon for breakfast this morning instead of Sunday to beat the crowd. We had two muffins and a bottled water.

Meal Cost: $7.49
Tip: 51¢
Spent Today: $8.00
Year to Date: $1613.44
Meals out, 94 of a possible 624.

The above numbers reflect tomorrow’s meals as well because we two extra muffins for Sunday’s breakfast. If we eat out for lunch or supper tomorrow I’ll change the totals.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/07: 298