Life of Brian

A Proud Part of the 90%

  •  
  • Miatatude
    • Buckie’s
      Modification List

    • Masters Miata Club Calendars
      • 2005 Calendar
      • 2006 Calendar
      • 2007 Calendar
      • 2008 Calendar
    • Brian Buys A Miata
    • Brian Goes To College
    • Brian Fights Breast Cancer
    • Brian In A Ditch
    • Brian Buys Tires & Wheels
    • Miata Ipsum
  • Miata Photos
    • Miata #6: 2001 NB2 (2025 – Present)
    • Miata #5: 2024 ND3 (2024 – 2025)
    • Miata #4: 2002 NB2 (2016 – 2023)
    • Miata #3: 2003 NB2 (2003 – 2016)
    • Miata #2: 1995 NA2 (1995-2003)
    • Miata #1: 1990 NA1 (1989-1995)
  • Other Cars
    • 2020 VW Golf GTI S (2025 – Present)
    • Mini #2: 2016 Cooper (2022 – 2025)
    • Mini #1: 2012 Cooper (2017 – 2022)
    • 2011 Hyundai Sonata (2011 – 2017)
  • Photos
    • Oregon
      • 2020 Klamath Basin Scavenger Hunt
      • #revchallenge
      • Traffic Signal Box Art
    • Moss Motoring Challenges
      • 2020 Moss Motoring Challenge
      • 2019 Moss Motoring Challenge
      • 2018 Moss Motoring Challenge
      • 2017 Moss Motoring Challenge
      • 2016 Moss Motoring Challenge II
      • 2016 Moss Motoring Challenge
      • 2015 Moss Motoring Challenge
      • 2014 Moss Motoring Challenge
    • Travel
      • 2025 Jumbo Road Trip
      • 2022 Santa Fe Trip
      • 2018 Way Out West Wedding Trip
      • 2012 Northeast Trip
      • 2009 Western States Trip
      • 2007 Northeast Trip #2
      • 2007 Northwest Trip
      • 2007 Northeast Trip #1
      • 2006 Northwest Trip
      • 2006 Florida Trip
      • 2005 Washington DC Trip
      • Gnorthwest Gnome
      • Travels With Brian
    • Memes
      • Phototime Tuesday
      • Tuesday Challenge
      • Lensday Wednesday
      • Theme Thursday
      • Photo Friday
      • Enchanted Ceiling
    • BMW Susan Komen Ultimate Drives
      • BMW Susan Komen Ultimate Drive 2006
      • BMW Susan Komen Ultimate Drive 2007
      • BMW Susan Komen Ultimate Drive 2008
    • Hot Air Balloon Festivals
      • Aiken 2007
      • Aiken 2008
    • Hitchcock Woods
      • Monthly Photo 2006
      • Mr Fletcher’s Ride
      • Signs
    • Various
      • USS Midway
      • Papercraft
      • Action Figures
      • Radio Paradise HD
      • Aiken’s 2010 Snow Day
      • MMC’s Trip to the South Carolina Train Museum
      • NASA Firecracker Run
      • Saluda County Memorial Day Tribute
      • Stuart’s Wedding
  • Post Offices
    • Oregon Post Offices
      • Adams to Cannon Beach
      • Canyon City to Durkee
      • Eagle Creek to Hermiston
      • Hillsboro to Marylhurst
      • Maupin to Phoenix
      • Pilot Rock to Saint Paul
      • Salem to Tiller
      • Toledo to Yoncalla
    • South Carolina Post Offices
      • Abbeville to Cassatt
      • Catawba to Cross Hill
      • Dalzell to Gilbert
      • Glendale to Iva
      • Jackson to Lynchburg
      • Manning to Norway
      • Olanta to Russellville
      • Saint George to Sycamore
      • Tamassee to York
    • Miscellaneous Post Offices
  • Misc
    • Geocaching
      • GA County Challenge
      • GA DeLorme Challenge
      • GA State Park Challenge
      • SC County Geocaching Challenge
      • SC DeLorme Geocaching Challenge
    • Spenser’s Crime Buster Rules
    • Contact Form
  • Shop
A Proud Part of the 90%

Miatatude

School Girl Crush

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Because the deal was done and the car wasn’t to be delivered to Boardman Road1 until Tuesday evening, I spent yesterday afternoon at work like a school girl with a crush on a boy who was going to ask her to the senior prom. But instead of idly writing my first name with his last name in the margin of my Biology II book, I recolored my windows login picture from maroon to silver and added a roll bar to it…

Windows 10 Profile Pictures

 

1. Seriously, how good a deal was this? When was the last time you bought a used car and they delivered it to you?
Tagged: CTBNL, Miatatude

The Emperor’s Reign Ends

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

The King

Sunday night at 8:00 PM fellow MMC member David Adcock spammed the Club with an email that he needed garage space and was selling his 2002 Miata. Twenty minutes later I noticed it in my inbox. Two minutes later after conferring with Donna, I made an offer. Fifteen minutes later David countered somewhere in the middle. Ten seconds later I agreed.

David’s car rolled off the assembly line in February 2002 and the Emperor followed in August of the same year, so although different model year cars, they were actually built only a half a year apart.

David (who now I really have to mention in the will) bought the car with a mere 43,000 miles on it a year and a half ago. When he bought the car he did a bunch of updates that practically paralleled what we have done to the Emperor in the last year or so – shocks, springs, clutch & brakes. The differences were he replaced the radiator and hoses (which was on our short list) and the Emperor has a year old top while the car-to-be-named-later still has the original (and it is still in great shape.)

Because I have driven this car before recently, I really didn’t need to test drive it, but he insisted and rightly so because Donna hadn’t ridden it yet. We took it for a quick neighborhood spin, but because it was misting I didn’t do anything stupid. Donna said the same thing I did after a drive in it, “Boy, it’s nice to be in a quieter car again.” This car is exactly what Dr. Kildare prescribed for us, its just like the Emperor only 120,000 miles newer.

Tagged: CTBNL, Miatatude

I Was Right, I Jinxed It

Monday, August 1, 2016

From the previous (Saturday) post:

And at the risk of jinxing something, we are now in the middle of the second round of high detergent Rotella T6 oil and it has been almost 4 weeks since the last check engine light.

Half a mile from home on the way to work this morning, the CEL illuminated. This thing must be set to come on at a certain amount of starts and then a certain amount of time from the triggering start because this is the exact same spot on the trip where it lit up the time before last.

Unlike that time, Donna didn’t tell me to turn around and get the Sonata, she asked, so I kept right on driving. Checked at lunch, it was my old friend P0012, so just reset the light.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 206
Tagged: Miata Service, Miatatude, Rants

27 Years Ago – Part II

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Here’s what convinced me to go test drive a Miata. All of the July issues of the mainstream auto magazines in 1989 had a cover article on it. After thumbing through every one that I found on the shelf of the local Food Lion, I chose the Motor Trend to take home and read. I still have it.

Cover – July 1989 Motor Trend
Page 38 – July 1989 Motor Trend
Page 39 – July 1989 Motor Trend
Page 40 – July 1989 Motor Trend

Page 41 – July 1989 Motor Trend
Page 42 – July 1989 Motor Trend
Page 43 – July 1989 Motor Trend
Page 44 – July 1989 Motor Trend

I’ve included the add for the BMG Compact Disc Club for an additional bit of nostalgia. At one time I was a member (probably in tandem right along with the Columbia House one as well.)

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 205
Tagged: Miatatude

27 Years Ago

Friday, July 22, 2016

1/4 NPT Adapter Plate

I’ve written a page with the story of how long it took to buy my first Miata (Brian Buys A Miata) and it took 108 days from first test drive to driving it home. I’ve even written a blog post showing the Birth Announcement of its arrival on the 7th of November. Earlier this week, knowing it was around this time of year, I wondered just what day it was when I put that deposit down. Backing up 108 days from the November pick up date and you come up with today, July 22nd which was a Saturday that year.

Tagged: Miatatude

Bonus Time

Friday, June 24, 2016

Sneak Peek 2a - Valve Train Issues

Walked by the neglected Moss Motoring Challenge list on the desk yesterday and noticed that the cutoff date for the second sneak peek photos was fast approaching. July 1st was just next Friday and because of the timing and exhaust issues on the Emperor we really haven’t been very active Challenge-wise. Right now the Miata is sitting in the garage with the valve cover off so I can change the cover gasket which is leaking (from the last time I had it off.) The perfect opportunity at least for the first one of the possible two sneak peeks was just waiting for us in the garage.

Fingers crossed I’ve got the VVT timing issue solved, but now I have to figure out the ugly exhaust sound. Almost 2 months ago Rudy brought me his Borla muffler and a spare stock muffler along with a stock mid-pipe from John. I picked the Borla, but it turns out that was the wrong choice. So guess what Donna and I did Tuesday evening? Right, drove the Sonata to John’s house and re-borrowed the stock mid-pipe and muffler.

Plan for tomorrow is to put the valve cover back on, with a new gasket this time and on Sunday maybe start on the exhaust issues. The muffler should be no real problem, while the mid-pipe is a whole ‘nother story, as it has about a four undercarriage braces that need to come off first. Then the two bolts on the mid-pipe upstream near the header (and higher temperatures) that haven’t yet been removed, so they probably will be harder to break loose and require more hammering that ones at the muffler a few weeks ago.

Motoring Challenge Points 1, Approx Miles Driven 0
Totals So Far: 58 points & 970 miles
Tagged: Miata Service, Miatatude, Motoring Challenge

White Is Alright

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Tonight we put a new bit of carpet in the dining room. To do this we needed to move the sideboard and so while we were at it, it was time to dust off all the photo albums (kids, go ask your parents what photo album means to them) that sit on the middle shelf. Whenever we do this, it always leads to several hours of traipsing down memory lane.

One of the albums was from stuff that happened in 1989, which included us moving to SC from NJ, buying a house and most importantly, buying a Miata

The purchase of the 1990 “Smurf” Blue Miata happened on November 7, 1989. We traded that car in 6 years later on a 1995 Lauguna Blue in November of 1995. The ’95 was traded in on the Garnet Red colored Emperor in November 2003. As you you can see, there is a pattern here, so any talk of buying a new Miata now is premature. So this will be the last post you see here that includes any 2016 ND Miata discussion.

The new Miatas are available in the the three levels, the Sport (AKA: the base model), the Club (AKA: the boy racer) and the Grand Touring (AKA: the Luxo Version.) All I want is the Sport model because I don’t need any of the geegaws on the upper models and I don’t want to spent the three to five thousand dollars more. The Sport is available in 4 colors. I wanted black so I could vinyl wrap it in a non-standard color and be the envy of all those driving just regular color Miatas. Donna didn’t like the black color and she didn’t like spending $25k on a new car and then spending an additional 10% more just to get a different color (hard to argue logic with desire.) Donna looked at the stock colors and offered up the red which I said no to for un-understood psychological reasons, so that left white and something called ceramic (a satin metallic very light gray.)

Right now, white is the winner, but come back in November to see what happens.

Started up, went down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 188
Tagged: Miatatude
« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 … 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 … 137 138 139 140 141 Next »

sturgeon’s law

"Ninety Percent Of Everything Is Crap"
Derived from a quote by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, who once said, "Sure, 90% of science fiction is crud. That's because 90% of everything is crud." Oddly, when Sturgeon's Law is cited, the final word is almost invariably changed to 'crap'.

site search

the best of

2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022
2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017
2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012
2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007
2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002

the rest of

  • 2026: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2025: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2024: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2023: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2022: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2021: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2020: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2019: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2018: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2017: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2016: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2015: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2014: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2013: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2012: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2011: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2010: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2009: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2008: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2007: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2006: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2005: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2004: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2003: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
  • 2002: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

fuelly

Fuelly Fuelly

meta

  • Log in

Copyright © 2026 Life of Brian.

Lifestyle WordPress Theme by themehit.com