Miatatude

Went to Sam Goody this evening to return the M*A*S*H mistake. Since I have no receipt, I have to accept a gift card. Whilst the manager is helping others (he has to OK the form) I wander the store looking for stuff I might want. I find nothing, for three reasons; a) I’m particular (some might say peculiar) in my tastes, 2) I live in a small town so we have what amounts to a 3/4 scale store and III) it is 2 days after Christmas so everything is pretty well picked over (the shelves were full of empty patches like a cat with the mange.) Good news is that the gift card is good at SunCoast movie stores too, of which they have one in the Augusta Mall, so it seems like my Saturday has developed a plan. Almost as an afterthought the manager tells me that I can use the gift card online….wait a minute, I don’t have to drive to Augusta at all, I can shop for movies in my underwear! I burned up all but $2.04 of the card’s value by buying M*A*S*H and Ronin just a few minutes ago. 🙂

Started up, went down, still down.
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Picked up the Short Shifter kit today. Opened the box, looked at the parts and then closed the box back up. I may wait a while to put it in, as I think I need to change the upper shift boot again. When I replaced the original in September I didn’t push the boot far enough down the shifter shaft leaving it already stretched, with not enough left for the shifting movement, so I think it is torn. Plus, because I didn’t do it back then, I still need to change the turret oil.

Started down, went up, still up.
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One plan worked, the Miata hasn’t moved.

The other plan partially worked, as I only got one DVD for Christmas, Pulp Fiction. Donna also bought me another from the list, but accidentally purchased “M*A*S*H TV 1st Season” instead of M*A*S*H the movie. She couldn’t get 12 Angry Men so I got a card in my stocking telling me to order it off the net. Also on the list, but not purchased was The Exorcist, she didn’t want to get that for me because it was too scary (for her.) After watching Pulp Fiction just long enough to see the close-up of Uma Thurmond’s face after she accidentally snorts heroin thinking it was coke, she said she wished she had gotten the Exorcist instead….

Started down, still down.
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The Miata never left the garage today, kind of like a Sunday for it. I’m shooting for no movement tomorrow too. It will be Christmas day and I hope to be watching the DVDs that were on my Wish List. 🙂 Supposed to be cool and windy anyway. But if it turns sunny in mid-afternoon, you never know.

The Short Shifter kit is in. Unfortunately I had it shipped to my work address and the plant is shutdown for these 2 days for the holidays so it is still on a UPS truck. I’ll get it on Thursday.

Started down, still down.
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Put the top up for the drive to work because it was upper 30’s. The top went back down for the lunchtime drive to town for the annual Fabrication Engineering Department lunch at The West Side Bowery because by 11:45 it was in the upper 50’s and climbing.

It stayed down the rest of the day and Donna and I drove to our bi-annual dental cleaning. Every six months after Dolores is done I get to marvel at the fact that my bottom front teeth are actually 4 separate pieces of enamel.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
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Started out as a typical Sunday where the Miata would just spend the day in the garage, but at 3:30 PM when my wife returned from grocery shopping with her mom, she came inside and said, “It’s a beautiful day out, let’s go for a drive.” So we did. A little 30 mile drive in the low angle sunlight of a winter’s late afternoon. No heater required, but by drives end it was nice to get back inside the warm house.

Started down, still down.
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We went out for breakfast and to finish up the Christmas shopping. We left the house at 8 AM and we were done and heading home by 10:00. The sun was bright enough that we drove the half dozen miles home with the top down.

I put the Alley Gator teeth back on today.

Started up, went down, still down.
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