Miatatude

Today was our half day off Friday and we had no real plans, but ended up having a nice ol’ time. Originally we intended to go to lunch at Ferando’s for a calzone in downtown, but once we stepped out in to the parking lot at 11:30 a course of action was set. With the temps in the low 80’s with probably 60% humidity and the sun shining in a bright blue sky, we knew the weather called for a drive.

In true synchronicity, we both thought Maurice’s BBQ. So we drove 50 miles of two lane back roads one way to eat lunch instead of the original 3 miles. $2.67 a gallon gas be damned.

At our lunchtime walk around the company parking lot, my wife suggested putting the top up. I thought for a minute, trying to rationalize a no answer, because after all it was only a 40% chance, but decided to take off the cockpit cover and raise the roof.

Even under the opaque cockpit cover, the interior bits I had to touch to put the top up would blister skin if held too long. They would be literally red hot at 4:00 PM if the top went up and it didn’t rain.

I’m glad I listened, the thunder started by 1:30 and the skies opened at 2 o’clock. And while the intensity had waned, it was still raining at quitting time. If I hadn’t put up the top I would have had to bail out the interior.

And I didn’t have to worry about the interior temperature, to keep the windows from fogging I turned on the AC and actually had to turn the knob halfway to hot, so as not to get it too cold in the car. The bank sign on the way home said 76 or about 25 degrees cooler than it did last Friday at the same time.

The budget has been announced for Glorification Of The Annivesary Of My Nascency.

Barbossa: There be a lot of long words in there, mister. We’re naught but humble pirates. What is it that you mean?

Donna has allowed me to spend $200 as I see fit for my birthday.

I have a couple of ideas that I’d like, but I’m not sure I want them bad enough to pull the trigger.

Item 1) Bronze tint on the Miata’s windows. Upside – keeps the interior cooler on sunny days. Downside – On 99.9% of all sunny days the top is down thereby negating any tinting. The top is only up a lot in the winter when the tinting isn’t needed.

Item 2) Rear lip spoiler. Upside – generates increased downforce at triple digit speeds and being non-OEM ensures some individuality. Downside – not so sure it won’t enhance the very thing I’m trying to disguise, the little duck tail hump on the trunklid.

I’m open for suggestions.

For those of you who would to get me a little something, but can’t afford either of the above two items, more cost friendly items can be found on my Amazon Wishlist.

I don’t remember where I came across these, Miata.net Forums no doubt, but I downloaded a whole bunch of these cute little Miata icons. Here is a 4 to 1 look at the the Garnet Red ones:

I’m not sure what for, maybe changing the Miata Club’s member page icons, maybe decorating my desktop, but for now I’ve added the above ones to this page down on the right in the Emperor section.

There is just about one of each style for each color of Miata. I did have to tweak them some as the originals all had yellow headlights, must be a Japanese thing. If you would like your very own selection of these icons, get them here: 90-97 Miata Icons and 99-05 Miata Icons.

The Miata is our daily driver, which is both a blessing and a curse. The really good part is that a fun car makes the most mundane drive enjoyable, even the one to work. The curse part occurs after spending the weekend, like we did this last one, driving the windy, twisty roads in the mountains, because when you return home it makes those mundane drives mundane again.

When driving in the mountains you spend a lot of time in 2nd and 3rd gear, winding the engine out close to the redline as the g-forces through you from side to side in the car. As you turn the wheel, the engine is singing and the car goes right where it is aimed. Occasionally you approach the limits of adhesion and the tires start to complain, but then you ease off the wheel and give it bit more gas and you swoop through the curve. Barely time to enjoy your accomplishment when you see which way the road bends next and set up for it.

Then you are home. Shifting gears returns to a more sedate 4,000 RPM level. All the curves are 90 degree bends on city streets taken at 20 MPH so as to not land in the back seat of the minivan in front of you. Sigh. I have said it before (I could have sworn I’ve said it here, but a search turns up nothing) this must be how women feel after giving birth, a sort of post partum depression.

I saw a commercial the other day on TV for Celebrity Cruise Lines. This older couple return from their cruise and all they can do is remember their “celebrity” treatment. “My butler knew just how I took my tea,” he says. “I had fresh cut flowers everyday,” says she. My favorite part is the man is obviously back in his office and is trying to open some vertical blinds that aren’t acting right, “I like to think of this as a temporary exile,” he moans. That is what it is like for me to come back from a weekend driving in the mountains…