Year: 2006

Nice Day in Someone Else’s Paradise

Nice Day in Someone Else's ParadiseStated out doing a little shopping in a used book store/gift shop. We did a little driving around enjoying the sunshine and warm temps on some of the very few roads on Hilton Head that aren’t part of some “plantation.” We then took a breif respite by walking through the Newhall Audubon Nature Preserve. We then stopped at Gruby’s New York Deli to pick up a couple of sandwiches so we could have a picnic on the condo’s balcony. Plus a couple of bagels for tomorrow’s brekfast

The afternoon consisted of a brief nap on the couch, followed by a couple episodes of the X-Files in a mini SciFi Channel marathon (including one of my all time favorites Post Modern Prometheus Man.) Before dinner we took a big ol’ long walk on the great beach just outside the door of the condo. It was low tide so the beach was about 50 yards wide and was scattered with families and joggers and cyclists and dogs and a kite flyer or fisherman or two.

While Hilton Head Island is not our idea of paradise it sure is a damn fine place to spend a weekend in the off season.

Started up, went down, back up, back down, up again, down again, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 47

The 3 B’s

Tonight we (Donna) decided on a whim to head on down to HHI early, so we quick like a bunny packed the car and heaed southeast. We were already going to go down for the weekend anyway, but plan was to eat a breakfast of oversized muffins at the New Moon before driving down. With the tempuratures in the low 70’s at quiting time it seemed a waste to not start the trip with the top down, besides traveling two lane blacktop under a clear sky and moss draped trees is awesome.

A quick trip downtown to get cash from the magic wall and a loop around the busy part of town lead us to New Ellenton for dinner. Pickings are slim in this small bump in the road between Aiken and the bomb plant, heck even the Huddle House closed due to lack of business, which meant the only choices we had were hot dogs at a quick stop or Popeyes. We chose Popeyes hoping that the service here would be better than the one we have in Aiken. Nope.

I had a Catfish Deluxe sandwhich which was not realy as deluxe as the picture on the menu board would have you beleive and Donna had the Butterfly Shrimp Dinner. We split her french fries, bicuit and drink. After we finished she proclaimed, that was too much fried food. So told her for the rest of the weekend we wouldn’t have any more fried food, we would be sticking to the 3 B’s. Baked, broiled and….I didn’t have three. We both paused trying to come up with the third B but couldn’t do it. So I restated my position, “The 3 B’s, baked and broiled!”

A couple miles down the road I thought of the third, boiled.

Started down, went up, back down, up again, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 41

Astray

“Lost” starts in about 20 minutes and I’m going to try and watch it. I’m afraid though that I’m not going to like it, that I really should wait for the DVDs. I think the commercials are going to give me time ponder and…

…Donna said it best last week after she did what I did, went back and read the synopsis of the first 12 episodes of season two, “Reading these makes me wonder why we are even watching this crap.”

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 38

Harbinger Of Spring

For the first time in a week and a half the top on the Miata went down. Today it was in the low 60s, tomorrow the upper 60s and Thursday & Friday will be mid 70s. There was a hint of pine pollen, like yellow fingerprint powder, outlining where our greasy hands were when closing the trunk the past couple of times…

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 36

I’m Sorry

Yesterday I accused Netflix of throttling me because my latest movie was going to take three days to get to me. The movie arrived today and now I realize the delay was my fault. By picking such an obscure movie it had to come from Netflix’s mountain vault in Reno, NV.

I rented “Written in the Wind” at the suggestion of my soon to be retired manager who said he saw it in college. He couldn’t exactly remember what the movie was about, but he thought is was pretty good. What he did remember vividly was the opening sequence where Robert Stark is bombing around the deserted street of a western town in a flashy two seat Allard J2.

It was a little over the top, which apparently all the critics love, but we hated, so we turned it off after about 10 minutes…

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 35

Throttled Already

Since rejoining Netflix on New Years’ weekend I have viewed and returned 6 discs. Every time I have mailed one back it has been received the very next day. The same day they have received a returned disc they have mailed one back to me. Four of the six have arrived in my mail box the very next day. The other 2 spanned a weekend, one of which was a 3-day holiday, which made the disc’s arrival a little late.

Movie #7 is another story, the sixth disc got back them the next day, a Wednesday, but the email informing me my next selection was shipped didn’t come until the next day, Thursday. The email informed me that I should expect my movie on or about Monday, not the expected Friday. So has Netflix started throttling me already?

In my quick research tonight on the subject, it seems that most people are experiencing this “smoothing” in relation to New Releases. That is definitely not the case with my next selection, Written on the Wind from 1956. But I also read that Netflix was aiming at keeping it’s subscribers cost to rent at around $2 a disc. The throttling is well documented, with the internet publishing of a customer service rep’s reply to a subscriber and the class action suit settlement. The $2 limit is hearsay for now, but seeing as I’m on the $10 a month plan, it appears that this slowdown for disc#7 is about right to keep me at that magic number.

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 35

Win a 2006 MX-5 II

Here is another chance to win a new 2006 MX-5 and this one won’t cost you anything. Road & Track have teamed up with Mazda to give away a car and a weekend at Laguna Seca raceway to watch the U.S. Sports Car Invitational May 5-7th.

One entry per customer: Enter Here

Can’t wait until then, here is link to a free 2006 MX-5, some assembly required…

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/06: 35