Miatatude

Man, my wife is cool. I don’t know how I got so lucky. Tonight was the night of the Master’s Miata Club’s 9th anniversary dinner over in Augusta. She got all dressed up, fixed her hair and face, but didn’t bat an eye my request to keep the top down for the ride over. Dinner was at 5:45-6:00 and the sun was still up, but it was probably only 50 degrees, no problem she just put on a coat. After dinner of the 8 Miatas in the lot (a few folks came in the MSV) there were only 2 tops down for the ride home in the near 40 degree temps at 9:00 PM. One was Rudy, Club President, who never puts his up and ours. Donna just said roll up the windows and turn on the heat. 🙂

Started up, now down.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 2

The top was down once more for the trip to work. This may be the last morning for a while though, they are predicting a return to normal winter temps again, 30’s in the AM and 50’s in the afternoon. Once at work the top was put up because there was a chance of rain during the afternoon. Still hadn’t rained at quitting time, but the threatening skies made us keep the top up for the trip home.

Started down, now up.
Top Transitions since 02/01/02: 1

Started with it down, way too warm for January, but upon arrival at work I removed the boot and put the top up. 20% chance of rain and zero chance of a wet interior.

Today was lunch date day, so I dropped the top for the ride to the restaurant de la semaine, McDonald’s. I had a Big Mac while Donna had the Big & Tasty. For something scary, check the nutritional info on these sandwiches. :-O I can recite the ingredients of a Big Mac from heart. For the record, they are: 2 all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. McDonald’s used to run commercials that featured the ingredients when Big Macs first came out and that has stuck in my head ever since. Sometime in the mid 70’s they ran a contest about reciting the ingredients backwards. I am proud to say that I mastered that trick as well. I am also proud to say that I can no longer do it, I only hope the memory space given up by forgetting that tidbit is in use for something a little more important.

Started down, went up, now down.

Top still down. No heater this morning, but I did turn the defroster on to heat up the windshield so I didn’t get a repeat of the window fogging of yesterday.

Went to the post office in town this evening to mail the Aiken Bicycle Club newsletter. Of course we didn’t take the direct route, we went about 30 miles to make the 4 mile trip. About half way through we pulled over to the side of the road and watched the moon rise. It is just past full, but was huge and orange in the sky as it came above the cotton field. After about 15 minutes it was up high enough that it looked like the plain old moon again, so we got back in the car and finished the journey.

Started Down, Still Down.

Top still down. The trip to work required the heater though, the back roads stay cooler than in town. So cool that we popped up the last 60′ hill by work and back into the warmer air that it was instant white out. The windows fogged up so quickly I had to come to a complete stop. Got the windshield wipers on but they only worked for a bit. Got the defroster on too and in a bit I could see using the bottom 3 inches of the windshield. Almost had to stick my head out the window like a dog to see.

Just got confirmation that my picture of me in the car fender was added to The Mirror Project. See it here.

Started Down, still Down.

Drove to work this morning with the top down. Heater was on though as it was mid 40’s. Had to put it up when we got there though as there was still a slight chance of rain in the morning. It was positively spring-like on the drive home – mid 70’s, so of course the top came back down.

Got tired of staring at the naked rear end of the car, so I put the one remaining white 5″ diameter sticker in the same place I used to have one.

Started Down, Up, Down.

Made a bagel run early this morning. Well, I think 9:00 PM is early on a weekend. The sun was out and it was somewhere in the 40’s, so before I backed out of the garage I put the top down. Really pleasant drive, didn’t even need the heater. As I slowly turned into my neighborhood on the return trip I startled a couple of birds in the magnolia tree in the median. Well, I think 30MPH is slow for a 90 degree turn. The second one misjudged my approach so that he ended up sort of scrambling up the windshield, I heard his feet scratching the glass. The blow was glancing enough that I don’t think I killed him. At least I wasn’t showered in feathers or anything. I know I scared the shit out of him, because he left that on the window.

Started Up, now Down.