Top Down season is F-I-N-A-L-L-Y here!!!
Now don't let the title of this post fool you. It's still a little cold yet to be tops down BUT the car is out & about!!That's right!!! My 5 month wait is over. The Miata is now out of the garage and on the road. We took it out last night for a spin to make sure everything was OK.We're getting ready for a Miata car club cruise that I'm leading at the end of May. The route has been picked. We have to run it a few times to get the amount of time the cruise will take AND to make sure I don't get the whole bunch of us lost.Last night was a challenge because 1 of the roads we were looking for was NOT marked so we were driving around blind looking for the road. We gave up after and hour and settled for a frozen treat as a consolation. When we got home, I googled the area and I think I know what road we need to be on. We'll try it again this weekend. My wife, HRH, and I had a nice time cruising around despite not finding that road.Labels: Cars, Miata
How do people do it?
How do people drive with a headlight burnt out and NOT use turn signals?I had to take my wife's car to the garage today because it was having all kinds of electrical problems. Starting with the turn signals not working. And the radio and interior lights acting weird. Then when I was driving it this morning, I noticed 1 of the headlights was out.How do people drive with a headlight burnt out and NOT use turn signals?I was constantly paranoid on the drive over to the garage I was going to get in an accident because people didn't know I intended to shift lanes or to turn. And since it was early, I felt like I was driving blind with 1 headlight out. It made driving very uncomfortable this morning. And yet there are plenty of people who don't use turn signals. In fact if they come on in their car it's because the turn signal stalk got bumped...The garage was able to fix the loose ground wire. So my wife's car is up & running properly again.Labels: Cars, Darwin award candidate, inconsiderate people, Random things.., Rant, riddle me this, stupid people, things I don't understand
Winter is officially here
December 21, the Winter Solstice. Officially the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The end of Fall. The beginning of Winter. I can't wait until Spring & Miata driving season starts again. Yesterday was nice so I started it up & took it out of the garage. I let it run for 30 minutes to make sure the battery was in good shape and charged up. And to get the moisture out of the engine and exhaust system. I know I really don't need to run it but I wanted to sit in it, fire it up, work a few of the gears. I really miss driving it. Don't get me wrong, the Audi's a nice, quiet, roomy, comfortable car. Full of amenities and luxury gizmos. It is a capable car. It's nice to drive. It's great on long trips and the AWD is a nice feature when the roads are uncertain. It can be fun to drive. But the Miata is all about fun: small, maneuverable, manual transmission, convertible.Wonderful driver to road feel.
I find I take the long way to places so I can spend more time in the car. I'll find the twisty windy roads. I love the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. It's a great stress reliever for me. I concentrate on the moment and forget everything else. Whatever may be bothering me is set aside for a brief time.
Roughly 3 months to go...
Labels: Cars, Miata
Musings at 3:00 am
A couple of nights ago I couldn't get back to sleep. I hate that. Sometimes I'm able to get right back to sleep. Other times I'm up for hours. And then I'm useless the next day...Here's what rattles though a Chowder's head at 3:00....- Ideas to fix problems at work. E-mails I need to send out. Call I need to make.
- Things to try on the new laptop to get it to print to the F'ing printer. I've wasted countless hours on such a basic task. Piece of sh!t. I can't belive it's being such a pain in the ass. I know it'll be something simple...
- Try to relax & get back to sleep.
- Things I want to get for the Miata. Shiny good!! Must pimp my ride....
- Holy Sh!t I'm going to be 43 soon.
- Turn on the satellite radio and surf for something to listen to. That'll do it!!
- Money. No I can't pimp my ride this year. I've spent so much on cars this year. My desire to pimp my ride must wait until next year. It's nice to have NOT need to have kind of stuff.
- How about breathing exercises? That'll help me relax & get to sleep.
- House projects: patio, front walkway, roof.
- Worry about where we're going to get the money for these projects.
- I've got 7 more vacation days to burn by the end of the year. Where to go. Where to go...
Labels: Birthday, Cars, ChowderHead 101, frustrations, house, jobs, Miata, Random things..
What's been going on?
Sorry I haven't posted recently. Here's what's been going on...Work: Hasn't let up. It's kept me running around like a chicken without a head. They have no idea what they want but they want it ASAP, yesterday if not sooner. And they don't tell me what they need and then get on conference calls and complain!?!? How can I help you when you don't let me know your needs? I've been trying to remember to do my breathing exercises to keep my stress at a manageable level. (It's helped a little) I've been walking HRH after work. That's helped too.Miata: Finally all fixed up. New clutch & glove box lock. I'm tops down again!! Oh I forgot to mention the new glove box latch was needed because someone tried to break into the Miata when we went up to Morraine State Park a while back. They stole a pair of $5 sunglasses from the center console and broke the lock on the glove box. You know whoever they are are really hard up when they need to steal $5 sunglasses. I hope they enjoy the cheap sunglasses as much as I did. I'm glad they didn't get into the glove box though since I had a 12 CD holder in there...HC: She's doing well. Busy with work and getting sporadic painting jobs here & there. HRH: Unsatisfied with the amount of food & toys his peeps give him. Always planning his next escape attempt in search of the land of food-&-toys-a-plenty.The Daddy-o: Doing well. He's been going on his daily walks. He's in good spirits. He had me took into a trip to Montreal for him last week. (I've stopped telling him it's cheaper if you plan your trip at least 14 days in advance.) It's his money and he can spend it however he chooses. I'm not used to him being this way. All my life he's been very frugal with money. So to have him pass up the opportunity to save some money for the same service/item is strange to me. But I guess it does add to the spontaneity AND besides he's not getting any younger so you never know...Me: Still frazzled & burned out. I need to get motivated to find my "What's next?" HC's been very supportive but I need to get motivated to read my "What Color is your Parachute" book and do the exercises. Most days I'm so tired at the end of the work day all I want to do is go home & hide. Thinking is T-H-E L-A-S-T thing I want to do. But I need to do it. I'll know when the time is right. I've noticed in my life things do happen for a reason. If I can see & learn the lesson I'm supposed to, I'll move on to the next phase/step in my life. Oh yeah. It was my birthday last Tuesday. HC took me to Whisper's Pub for dinner. The food, service, and atmospere were very nice. We'll be going back!Kids: We're back to going back & forth. Concerns about risks to HC's health. Concerns about having the time, energy, and money to raise a child. Concerns about how it will change our lives. We like our life together now. What's a child going to do to the mix?!?! Concerns about how good a parent I'd be. After all, I'm not the most patient person....Labels: Birthday, Cars, ChowderHead 101, Colored Parachutes, Family, frustrations, HC, HRH, jobs, Miata, Parents, Time to get on with my life, Update
Weekend update
As predicted: Busy weekend. But fun!!!Saturday afternoon's Miata club cook-out was nice. We got to meet & hang out with more of our fellow club memebers. 1 thing we noticed: We're the youngest ones in the club. A lot of the members are in their 50's. (I'm sure many are in their late 50's to early 60's.) They're nice people but it's like hanging out with a parent... We were looking for people with similar interests when we joined... BUT could they be closer to our age? Is that asking too much? I guess most people our age are busy raising kids or into other things... Nice people none the less. And very interested in cars and driving around.
Saturday evening's cook-out was great!! All people we knew. All people we really liked spending time with. Awesome food. Great drinks. What more could you ask for?!?! HRH was invited and he had a blast. Food, people, food, puppy to play with, and food.
Sunday I spent more time working on chores than relaxing. But you'll have that with me. 1 thing though. I did my chores & misc at a slower pace. Not my usual super-sonic pace. I did make time to excersice which was needed after Saturday's food & drink overindulgence.
Labels: Cars, food, house, Miata, Weekend Update
Busy weekend coming up
Yeah. This weekend is going to be busy..Tonight: Dinner & grocery shopping.Tomorrow: Miata Club picnic. I've volunteered to help work the grill. It'll be nice to actually sit around and talk to these folks. When we're on a cruise, we're all in separate cars flying along so there's no chance to talk. Even when we break for lunch, there are only so many people you can talk to AND just enough time to eat before we're back on the road. Tomorrow evening another cook-out. HC's going to make a white bean dip. I'll make the crostini to go with it.Sunday: Chores & r-e-s-t.Yes. I said it r-e-s-t. I'm going to try to rest. Do nothing but exercise, watch TV, play on the PC & hang out.Labels: Cars, food, Miata, Update, Weekend Update
Weekend update
Busy, busy, busy
Friday night we had dinner at J’s and I installed his new wireless network and laptop.
Saturday we ran some errands, took a nice long walk, prepped food for a wine party we were going to that night, and attended the party. We made sherried mushroom empanadas for the party. The party was a lot of fun. We were invited to this party last year by a friend of a friend. The hosts have a bunch of people over and everyone brings wine & appetizers. We hang out & drink wine. You can even vote for your favorite bottle of wine. It’s a good time. This year we got the invitation ourselves so we’re moving up the list!
Sunday we took HRH for a hike. Yes, a hike in the rain. He was going to get a bath anyways so we figured since he needed exercise…. Why not?!?! So Sunday morning we met up with C and her 2 dogs and went for a nice hike in the muddy woods. We saw the Harry Potter movie that afternoon. It was entertaining. A bit darker than the earlier films but enjoyable none the less.Since then, I've been busy with work, doctors, and mechanics.Labels: Cars, HRH, Miata, Update, Weekend Update
Miata Update
Last week I said the Miata refused to go in or out of gear. And I needed to push it to the side of the road into a parking spot.- Lovely parking ticket since I was parked on the side of the road that gets cleaned that day: $15
- Cost to have the clutch replaced: $1000.
- The amount of stress and aggravation added to my life: Priceless!
Labels: Cars, frustrations, Miata
I'm a bit stressy
I
feel like I'm in a pressure cooker:- Work has been frantic. They want it ASAP. It doesn't matter if I tell them it's not reasonable/possible. They want it ASAP! Yesterday! Immediately if not sooner! Sometimes they don't know what they want but it still needs to be there ASAP. I've been telling my boss about some of their demands and all she can do is shake her head... Will it ever come into fashion to tell the customer the truth? (That they're on crack! And need to take off the rose colored glasses)
- Health: I had a doctor's appointment today. More check-ups related to age & children. Fun stuff. I wonder: Would I be a good father? Where will I find the time? Where will I find the money? Am I too set in my ways? I know I've got a temper, will I ever take it out on the child?
- Cars: The Miata's clutch gave out on me today on the way to work. That added to the fun & stress of getting to work early to get a few things done before seeing the Doc. The Audi needed tires, brakes, and suspension components to pass inspection. The Honda needed a tire & a wheel bearing.
- Finances: We've been spending money like it's going out of style. The cars have eaten up the lion's share. HC saw some cool artwork we needed to have. The AC needed work. The trees need to be pruned/trimmed. The patio and front walkway are pulling away from the house & cracking.
- The Dad: Is driving up to Toronto!!! I'm glad he's feeling better. Well enough to want to go on a drive. But it's been years (over 15) since he's driven for that l-o-n-g. His driving around town scares the bejesus out of me & HC. He drives the speed limit. Let's face it, no one drives the speed limit. He's sloppy when he makes turns. He's never hit any cars but I don't understand the need to cut the corners so tight OR wide. No. He's not one of those elderly people that get into accidents all the time. In fact, his driving record is pretty clean except he did hit an ice patch a few years back that crumpled up the front bumper & fenders real nice. But I still have my concerns. Toronto is 6 hours away. I'll need to remind him to take a break if he's feeling tired. I'm worried
Labels: Cars, Family, Health, house, Miata, Parents, Update
A driving observation
Now that I've been on 2 Miata Cruises I've made an observation: Lousy drivers are lousy drivers. - It doesn't matter what they're driving. I used to think the reason people in SUV's were all over the road was because it's an SUV. (High center of gravity, blind spots galore, heavy, mushy truck suspension, etc...) I hate SUV's for many reasons but 1 of them is the way they're all over the road. But on these cruises, I saw people driving Miata's all over the road too! There's no excuse for it. It's a small, highly maneuverable car. It'll do exactly what you make it to do. So that's 1 less thing I can say about the machine versus the driver.
Labels: Cars, Miata, Random things.., Rant
Quote
"Look at the baby Corvettes Mommy!"
A little boy's comment when he saw all the Miata's driving through his town.
Labels: Cars, Miata, Quotes
Still here
Sorry for not writing in a while. Been busy.Here's a quick update on what's been going on:Our 4th of July was nice. I had one of my hair brained ideas the Friday before the 4th of July. “Hey. I don’t think we have any plans for the 4th. We should have a cookout and have some people over.” I checked with HC to verify that we indeed did not have any plans and that she was OK with a cookout. So we had a few people over for a cookout. Buffalo burgers and chicken chorizo sausage. It was good to see everybody and share some laughs and food with them.
Last weekend was really nice too:
Friday night we had Michelle, Kat, and Neil over for a cookout. (Burgers and hot dogs.) It was more about the company and dessert!!! Awesome cheesecake!!!!
Saturday we went on a car cruise. I joined a Miata club a few weeks back but have not been able to join them in any of their activities until now. We had a great time meeting the members and going out on a nice L-O-N-G cruise. The 20 Miata’s drove on the back, back, back roads of Greene County. We were on some really great twisty windy roads. It was a lot of fun and I got in some really good driving practice. Not the usual city or highway driving but some good DRIVING. Quick steering /shifting/braking response required type action. HC was nervous on a few bends but it was a blast. The cruise stopped for a late lunch ( 3:00 pm) at this back roads bar & grille were they made massive 1 pound burgers. I of course finished mine. HC made a valiant effort. After lunch, we headed for home. We had to get cleaned up and go to a cookout. I would have been OK missing it but HC wanted to go. Sunday we lazed around the house. It was too damn hot to do much of anything! So I watched some videos and drank beer. It was a nice Work has been keeping me busy, busy. There's always something to do.Labels: Cars, food, Miata, Update, Weekend Update
