Miatatude

Today the car got a much needed wash and vacuum, plus a shoeshine (some Meguiar’s Endurance Tire Goo.) It needs a waxing, but I didn’t have the time.

This afternoon was a Master’s Miata Club get-together. We hung at a Baskin-Robbins for a while before heading over to the Evans Dinner for chow. After that a few of us headed over to one couple’s house to chat some more. While we were there they said did I want to buy one of the die-cast Miatas that they found over at KB Toys. There were only three left @ $6.99 instead of $9.99 so they bought all 3 of them. John has a red so he kept that one, but he had 2 blue ones left over. Seeing as mine is blue I bought one from him. It is not the exact same blue, but it is still cool. The doors, hood & trunk opens and the steering wheel turns the front wheels. Now all I have to do is make up some 1/24 scale Alley Gator teeth.

After the Miata event we went over to the Augusta Mall as it was close by. The only store that was a possible was Sears, so that was the only place we checked and got the same negative results.

From there we returned to Aiken and hit our Target and Sears and received 2 more noes. In each of these places we shopped I looked at everything they had on display and then asked a sales person if they had the camera in the back, nothing. Including my negative answer from the local camera store when I called them on Friday, I have come up empty handed in 10 places locally.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, to the net we go. Because TheNerds.net is not a dedicated camera store, but a computer store that also sells electronic goodies I hope to avoid a repeat of Will’s digicam online shopping experience.

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1082.91
Started down went up, went down, up, down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 199

A while back I sold one of those ABIAs from the Barndoor Fan Club Store to a fellow in Maryland. After he got it installed it didn’t work, so I told him about the secret trick of swapping the in and out wires, sometimes it helps. For him it didn’t. So I sent him another one and $5 to have him mail me the defective one as the guy making them likes to test the failures. We he got the second one and installed it, it only flashes twice (not the advertised 5) before going steady. He has swapped the wires and he has more than 11 volts so I can’t figure out what the problem is. The odds of two of these things being bad is nearly astronomical as they are tested before shipping.

I spent about an hour in the garage this evening trying out several different units on my car. I’ve got one that worked good that I think I’ll just mail it to him. If this one doesn’t work I’ll just refund his money, he hasn’t asked for it, but I’ll feel better about it.

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1068.16
Started down, went up, back down, up again, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 190

Went over to Aiken Discount Tire this morning and had my new tire mounted and balanced, twelve-fifty, exactly 1/4 of what the charged me to do all 4 tires seven weeks ago.

I called the folks at Onlinetires.com last night and asked if they wanted their tire back. They did. They said they would let FedEx know to come pick it up at no charge to me. FedEx was a no-show today. I wonder how long this will be sitting in my garage?

Purchased Today: $12.50
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1068.16
Started down, went up, went down, back up, back down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 183

The cockpit cover saves the day again. With a 40% chance of afternoon thundershowers I expected to maybe have to raise the top later in the day. At 2:20 my wife came down to my cubical and asked had I put the top up. I said no, why? She replied that it had rained, didn’t I hear it? Nope. So at her insistence we went out into the lot and shook the puddles off the cockpit cover, folded it up, put it in the trunk and put up the top. I figured that the rain was done and didn’t really think it was necessary, but it is a good thing I listened. It rained hard twice more before quitting time and both times it was harder than the last. The cover probably wouldn’t have held back that much water.

Went out near sundown to take some pictures for tomorrow’s Theme Thursday challenge. I’ve got to do a little (well maybe a lot) of photoshopping to put something together for the theme. I’ll post something tomorrow when I’m done.

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1055.66
Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 177

The Miata stayed home in the garage today. It was embarrassed to be seen in public wearing that ugly little mini-spare. We took the MSV to work with the flat tire in the trunk. I went out at lunch and had the shiny metal object removed and a plug of sticky rubber shoved in the hole. Cost five bucks. The plug will get us by until the new tire arrives from California. I sure hope it is coming because I didn’t get a tracking number today. If I don’t get one by tomorrow AM I’ll give them a call.

Purchased Today: $5
Money spent since 03/03/03: $1055.66
Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 175

Donna and I drove over to visit Dave & Shirlene in Augusta this evening. Dave is the owner of a red 2001 Miata with the coveted Frenzy Spider style bar. We had to wait a bit in their living room while a passing shower, one of many I dodged today, went by. I measured from the back of the convertible well to my OEM cockpit brace and got 16-1/4 to 16-1/2 inches. When I measured Dave’s car I got 15-1/2 inches. This was not good news for me. I already had to give the top a serious push to get it to clear my bar, another 3/4 to 1″ more seems to make it way too much. I’m sure I could make do, but think it would really shorten the life span of the vinyl at the bottom of the glass window stressing it that much. Especially with the amount of times the top goes up and down around here. Even removing those windblocker tabs would not make it that much better because they only stick out about 3/8 of an inch.

Made Donna happy though, as she really didn’t want the shiny bar. Too bad, as it was really nice looking bar, even better in person than the photos. Guess I’ll have to figure something else to spend my disposable income on…

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $923.63
Started down, went up, went down, up, down, up, down again, up again, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 174