Miatatude

Excuse Me, That’s My Book

I brought a partially finished paperback with me from home, The Arraignment by Steve Martini. I never read at home any more, the only time I do read is when we are away (and away from a computer.) When I do read, I read mostly crime fiction stuff, tough talking P.I.s, lawyers put in positions they should never be in or get out of, but do, underdog homicide cops, etc. Before this 5 days of relaxing is up I will finish nearly one book a day. Here is the rest of the list:
The Jury by Steve Martini
The Crush by Sandra Brown
Dust To Dust by Tami Hoag

Went grocery shopping and because it was going to be a rainy day today I bought a paperback book to read. As we were checking out a nice young man was bagging our groceries for us. The book was The Crush by Sandra Brown and when he picked it up instead of plopping into the bag he started reading the back cover. Maybe it was the picture of the author on the back that caught his eye or something, but I found it very unsettling that this kid was “reading” my book.

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1727.12
Started up, went down, went up, back down, back up, down again, up again, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 240

Pizza

We had breakfast on the balcony overlooking the ocean. Followed it up by a walk along the beach. Lunch was a trip to a place we read about, but it was so crowded we walked across the shopping center lot and ate somewhere else. Dinner consisted of pork chops and baked potato that we had brought with us and was followed by another walk on the beach.

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1727.12
Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 234

Busy Day

We got up about the same time as our usual workday. Started off by having a quick breakfast snack and then finished loading the trunk. We didn’t have room for the plastic trash bags or work gloves so they were piled on behind the seats. We had about a half dozen or more pictures to finish taking for the Drive By Photo Contest.

After the last shot was taken, we had just enough time to get to Best Bagels to meet the Bicycle Club for real breakfast and then pick-up trash for our Adopt-A-Highway duties.

Four blocks and four bags of trash later we zipped home to change and then make a bee-line to the SC Welcome Center to meet the Miata Club to lead them to a Mennonite restaurant, Miller’s Breadbasket, in Blackville, SC. Six cars followed Donna and I on mostly back roads to get to our destination. Another car was waiting on us there, as well as about 2 dozen Harleys. Fortunately they we about finishing up, so our wait wasn’t too long and the big table in the back was free for the 16 of us.

Donna and I continued east to Hilton Head and everyone else headed west to go back home. When we arrived we unpacked the car and headed right back out to find a place for dinner. The choices on the island are staggering, but we just went to a Wendys to get a salad as we will still somewhat full from our big lunch. We had just enough time after eating to get in a short beach walk before the sunset. We were in bed not too long after.

Purchased Today: $14.25 in gas
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1727.12
Started down, went up, went down, back up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 232

That Sucka Is Full

The car is packed and nearly ready to go. Tomorrow we head to Hilton Head Island for 6 six days of fun at the beach. Would have been 8, but a slight miscalculation of our vacation time requires us to go back to work next Friday, oops. We have taken 2 week vacations and taken less. I think the addition to our travel baggage this time is the DVD player. It is a full size unit so it eats up pretty much all of the small well in the center of the trunk and it has to come as the condo only has a VCR and all our movies are on DVD.

Called my buddies at Rspeed this morning and ordered up 1 quart of Redline 75w90 synthetic oil for the differential and 2 quarts of Redline MTL synthetic for the transmission. I’ll swap out these fluids next weekend with a little help from a friend. That should complete the 120k mileage maintenance.

Purchased Today: $38.95
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1712.87
Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 229

Oowww! Part II

Tonight we took a little evening drive get some ice cream and then refuel the car as well. While driving along on Powderhouse Road minding our own business, Donna suddenly goes, “Ooww!” She got bopped on the top of her head by something small and solid. Best we can figure out is a squirrel in one of trees we were passing under must have dropped his or her acorn. Now there is speculation as to whether it was on purpose or not, after all we did manage to run a squirrel over in North Carolina this past weekend….

Purchased Today: $14.75 in gas
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1674.92
Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 229

Oh, You Cynical You

Drove the Miata home tonight and the timing belt transplant surgery seems a success. They had me worried for a minute there too. When I called at 3:30 to see if it was ready, I got a “Let me call you back.” When I didn’t get a call back in about 45 minutes, I called back again. This time I got a “I’ll check with the technician, hold on.” When the service advisor returned she said, it’ll be ready before the end of the day (their day or 6:00 PM.) We got there at 5:30 and the paperwork was just arriving at the cashier as we were.

This is the Master’s Miata Club sponsoring dealer so club members get 20% off on parts. I had not mentioned this when I dropped the car off for service for fear that they would jack up the list price of the parts on the invoice and then “give” me 20% off. I know, very cynical.

The cashier hands me the invoice it says $652.80, I slap my forehead and say, “I forgot to mention I’m in the Miata Club and I should get 20% off the parts.” No problem the invoice goes through the window into the parts area for recalculation. Now the invoice says $584.56, which is still higher than expected. Then I notice that the labor charge is $432, not the $360 is was quoted on the phone last week. A call is put into Kellie the service advisor. She arrives and I tell her that the price is higher than I was quoted. She says, “Let me check” and wanders off. Comes back a few minutes later and says that they must have charged me for an extra hour labor by mistake, the charge should be $360. Invoice is adjusted again and this time it comes to $514.58, which I pay.

Now the cynical side of me is wondering was the extra hour really a mistake. Or is it routinely added on to bills in that price range hoping that the customer won’t notice and just pay it?

Purchased Today: $514.58
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1663.17
Started up, went down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 229

Clark for President

Just found out who I’m voting for in the next Presidential election…retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark. That is if he gets the Democratic nomination. And here is why: read the first line in the 7th from the last paragraph of this article. (the article is long gone, but it mentioned he owned a Miata)

The Miata is spending the night at a sleep-over. It is parked behind Rader Mazda in Augusta, awaiting a timing belt/water pump transplant surgery. Tune in tomorrow to see the money spent figure increase by 50%.

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1148.59
Started up, went down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 228