Year: 2015

149,000 Possible Bracket Combinations

This year I decided not to run the office NCAA Basketball pool and for a while it looked like there would be no March Madness at the Valve Store(tm). But one of the guys on the shop floor stepped up, so no more cajoling folks to turn in their brackets, no more chasing folks to cough up the entry fee, this year I’m just playing.

I just got done filling out my bracket with the help of Bing who promised me a smarter bracket with their new fangled Bing Bracket Builder. My results can be seen HERE. You can’t tell from that link, but right about now I’m getting my first pick wrong, Manhattan is losing to Hampton. Good thing that game doesn’t really count.

By the way, there are a lot more than 149,000 possible NCAA Basketball Tourney bracket combinations, actually 9.2 quintillion, but 149,000 was what the Emperor’s odometer passed through on the way to work this morning.

Lick Fork Lake

This Sunday instead of doing a little hike in Hitchcock Woods like last week we decided that we might be able to kill two birds with one stone if we made a little trip to Edgefield County.

Back in the day (AKA the 90’s) Donna and I would slap the mountain bikes on the Miata and drive the 35 miles to the Lick Fork Lake Recreation Area in the Sumter National Forest. There is a 5-3/4 mile long trail there that was the closest spot to go trail riding back then. Since we gave up the off-road cycling we have been back a few time to hike and with spring finally here, it seemed like a nice destination.

One of the goals for this year’s Motoring Challenge is to find a dozen Lakes & Rivers to take pictures of that includes the sign in the frame along with the car. It has been awhile since we had been there, but Donna seemed to think there was a spot where this combination would be possible. We packed the trunk of the Emperor with our hiking boots, walking sticks and a picnic lunch.

When we turned the last corner towards to the parking area we were greeted with a padlocked gate. I guess we should of checked first, because somewhere in the intervening decade since we last hiked there they shortened the park’s operating days from year round to just the 6 months between May and November.

Started down, went up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1468

So Tired, So Tired Of Waiting

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMcA-HGVo6o

We like to ride the tandem bicycle to work on Fridays. It sets a nice president for the weekend, kicks it off right.

It has been too cold or rainy on every Friday so far this year to commute to via bicycle. Ten weeks. And it is forecast to rain this coming Friday. Today’s weather on the other hand was to be sunny and about 15-20 degrees warmer than the average morning low of 41° and afternoon high of 66°.

We rode the tandem to work today.

Priest’s Collar

A priest was invited to attend a house party. Naturally, he was properly dressed and wearing his priest’s collar.

A little boy kept staring at him the entire evening. Finally, the priest asked the little boy what he was staring at. The little boy pointed to the priest’s neck.

When the priest finally realized what the boy was pointing at, he asked him, “Do you know why I am wearing that?”

The boy nodded his head yes, and replied, “It kills fleas and ticks for up to three months.”

Prize Patrol Visits

Trunk Lid

When we commute to the Valve Store(TM) in the Miata I get to check the mail when we get home. When we drive the Sonata I just pull into the driveway and Donna gets out and walks back to the mailbox. The driver’s side mirror on the Purple Whale is the same height as the mailbox and I almost tried to force the two of them into sharing the same space at the same time when I checked the mail for the first time in the Sonata. The Miata on the other hand glides easily below the mailbox level.

Spring seems to be here, so the Emperor was our chariot of choice for today’s trip to and from work. When I pulled open the mailbox lid there was a big padded envelope in there. As I pulled it out, I remarked, “What’d I buy?” Donna answered back with mock seriousness, “You better tell me.” Probably thinking I bought another BlipShift T-shirt with a Miata on it. But then the light bulb went off over our heads, it was the prize package from Moss Motors. Inside was a T-shirt, a sticker and my $50 gift certificate. The shirt is in the wash (a small phobia of mine) and the sticker has already found a home on the trunk lid. The fifty bucks? Maybe I should buy my wife something nice, like a T-shirt with a Miata on it?

Weekend Wrap Up

Show Ring

Saturday, up late, and drove over to Augusta to go see the One Year Anniversary Edition of Cars & Coffee. We arrived just before 8:00 AM and the lot was already crowded. Having never been to one of these, I had this idea that it was one big happy car guy gathering, but in reality it turned out to be a Gathering of the Clans. All the like marquees bunched up to seemingly prevent any intermingling. The row of Mustangs ran 50 cars long from Washington Road to nearly the Pottery Barn store front. Finding no other Miatas to get next to, we parked one row over from the Fords and went into the Sunrise Grill for breakfast. When we came back out about 40 minutes later there was one pickup truck two spaces over, but nobody else was in the same row as us. Donna and I walked one circuit of the lot to look at the cars and then left to go get some Motoring Challenge points.

Sunday, up later than Saturday, and went to breakfast at Ridgecrest Coffee Bar. After, it was home to watch Sunday Morning and finish up the last 4 episodes of Season 3 of House of Cards. This afternoon we got off our lazy butts and went for a walk in Hitchcock Woods. Last time we were there is was in early January. Because it was probably the first really nice Sunday weather-wise this year, the woods were full of walkers, dogs and horseback riders. Our destination was the Horse Show Ring (see picture above) to eat a snack and then headed back out. Because we didn’t have a map, the walk turned out to be longer than first planned, so while never really lost, there were a few times where I wasn’t exactly sure where we were. Not that we complained any, because it was a beautiful day to take a 4 mile walk.

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1468

Motoring Challenge Points 4, Approx Miles Driven 60
Totals So Far: 34 points & 715 miles

Cars & Coffee

Daily DriverA little thing called Cars & Coffee, an informal car guy gathering, started out in California 7 or 8 years ago and has been spreading around the country. Mostly in big towns, but now some of the smaller places are picking up on it.

Turns out there has been one in Augusta, GA on the first Saturday morning of the month for a year now, but I never knew about it. Someone in the Miata Club brought it up at the yearly planning meeting and requested I put it on the MMC’s event calendar.

Shoot, I like cars and I like coffee, so Donna and I are going to go over there tomorrow to check it out. We also have an ulterior motive, it will count as a car show point in the Moss Motoring Challenge…

The 11-1/2 year-old, 149,000 mile Miata got a bath tonight. I even used a bit of some spray-on wax to gussy it up more gooder. When you get that close to the Emperor you can see it is starting to show its age in paint chips, scratches small dents, so I made up the little sign you see above to place on the dash.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1467