Year: 2002

Tax Holiday Taxing On Travel

The cockpit cover Does not need waterproofing, I think. It is made of Technalon and it is supposedly fairly water resistant already. No straps to adjust, just elastic with rubber coated hooks. When I first put it on it appeared too small, but after futzing with it, it seems OK. Got to put the front on first, roll it out and put the tabs under the trunk last. Right now it is rolled up and tucked under the boot to preserve the trunk space.

Made a trip to Augusta to drop off Bike Club newsletters at the three big bike stores over there. The 2 in downtown were a cinch, but getting to the one in Martinez proved problematic. Friday and Saturday are what they call a tax holiday in Georgia. In order to boost sales or cut parents a break, school type items are tax free. Traffic was such a mess around the shopping centers that after trying a couple of ways to get around it, I bailed and came home. We will be out that way next Thursday and will drop the stuff off then.

Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 69

Miata Spam

Got an email addressed to the Master’s Miata Club from someone offering us a discount on a group buy of roll/style bars. Minimum order of 20. We have 37 cars in the club, I know of 4 that already have a bar, that means we need 61% of the remaining cars to buy one to qualify for the discount. That’ll happen. Maybe they should have taken the time to look at our website. I passed it along to everyone in the Club, just in case mass hysteria takes place.

Not only that I just checked his web site, Frenzy, and the group buy price is $10 off for the chrome style bar. WOW, what a deal. đŸ˜‰

Cockpit Cover Arrives

Top up for the ride to work, top down for the ride home. Big news is my cockpit cover from Rspeed came in today. Going to spray it with some Scotchgard waterproofing tomorrow for insurance (supposed to already be weather resistant.) Then, put it on so I can get the straps adjusted. We’ll see if using this thing turns into a hassle, I hope not. I hope that using it in combination with the boot I can slow the climb of the number at the bottom each post, thereby increasing the life of the top.

Started down, went up, went down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 69

5 Down, 2 Up

Didn’t put the top down until the trip home. So in honor of an absolute perfect spring day we took the 25 mile long cut home. After, I ran right back out to go to Mailboxes, Etc. to make copies of the Aiken Bicycle Club’s newsletter for distribution. On the short 3 mile trip there I saw 3 newish Chrysler Sebrings with their tops down (I told you it was a perfect spring day) I also saw a 3-series BMW with their top down. Also a red M1 & silver M2 Miatas with their top up and a silver M1 with it down.

Started up, went down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 67

Buick Rendezvous

They have changed to ad for the Buick Rendezvous over to a New Orleans flavored ad as opposed to the last version with the old black & white 1930’s feel. The earlier one had the Edgar Winter Group’s, “Frankenstein” playing in the background and to me it was just a little too true. While the Pontiac Aztec is the actual Frankenstein’s monster, the Rendezvous is pretty much the Bride of Frankenstein. It looks a little nicer, but still seems to be tossed together from bits that fit together, although oddly.

Bifocals

I got progressive lens bifocals about a year ago. Kept misplacing the $15 drugstore reading glasses. But now I find I have become lazy, I look through the magnifying portion all the time. Now everything seems fuzzy without the glasses. Have my eyes just deteriorated over the last year or have they gotten lazy only because they can look through the magnifying portion?

New Club Sponsor

Made it to work with the top down, but up it went as rain was in the forecast. Lightly rained a couple of times during the day and we ran right through a heavy line of thunderstorms on our way to Augusta to run the Miata Club newsletters through the postage meter.

Big news is it is a different postage meter. For the first time in nearly four years of Miata Club newsletter producing we have a different sponsor. Ever since the last GM at Andy Jones was hired our relationship has soured. I hope the guy is selling cars for Andy, because he sure wasn’t nice to us. Let me put my Nostradamus hat on and say this is probably cyclic and we will be back at Andy Jones in another 10 years. Right now the new guys are interested, the GM and a salesman at Rader are Miata owners and are in the club, but life is fluid….

Started down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 66