Miatatude

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

I’ve got my wife to let me buy the Frenzy Evil Spider Bar, but it cost me. She doesn’t like it because it is chrome, she liked the more subdued black of the other bar (truth be told, so do I.) I haven’t ordered it yet though. I have a minor clearance concern. When lowering, my glass window top just clears the OEM cockpit brace, but requires a little push to do so. The Frenzy bar has a couple of tabs that stick out towards the back to support it’s windblocker and if it extends any further back than the OEM piece it won’t work for me. Turns out that there is a fellow here in the area that has one on his 2001 Red. We’ve exchanged emails and I hope to go visit sometime this weekend. I’m going to bring a tape measure.

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $923.63
Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 167

After asking my wife for years about getting a style bar for the car and having her deny all requests, I have successfully worn her down. Today she said yes. She said yes to this bar. I like its looks from the top picture’s angle, but I’m not sure about the straight on from the rear view. Plus the other pictures I have found on the web of them shows it finished in gloss black. I like the matte finish that shows on the page.

I really like the Evil Spider bar, but it is a bit more than is in my budget.

The Moss Motors bar is worth investigating too. It also promises no seat travel restrictions and no cutting.

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $923.63
Started up, went down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 167

Did a little sprucing up anound here, very little, but I feel better.
1) This site is now a proud member of the Blogging Brians, so I added a link to the left.
2) I got rid of a stale weblog that hadn’t been updated since like March from the Mortal Blog list and added Blogumentary, go check it out.
3) This page’s extention is now PHP instead of HTML. I snagged a script that allows me to keep a constantly updated set of stats in my search for ET and installed it on the left. Thanks Sam Ley.

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $923.63
Started up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 166

Mailed off 6 home made CDs today. Three to Texas and one to Canada as part of the Burn It – Summer Edition. (Wonder if I need to make a little page with the song list and such like I had for Josh’s CDMOM?) One to the state of Washington for the People’s Choice Award winner in the Barndoor Fan Club Flag Photo Contest and one to Merry Ol’ Scotland and Sinclair as a payback for sending me a CD of the Scooter’s latest.

Purchased Today: $15.00 in gas
Money spent since 03/03/03: $923.63
Started down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 166