Felix lives

Or the story of how he's become a money pit.

The latest in the saga of ensuring he is rally ready, the oil filter housing gasket decided it was time to give up the ghost.  Incredibly frustrating!

But here is what I learned:
1. If you don't have AAA Premiere service - get it!  Covers towing up to 200 miles for one tow and after that up to 100 miles on remaining tows.  (I had basic service and had to pay $180 for a 27+ mile trip).

2. Maintain your car.  And be demanding.  I've tried, but apparently, when I've been taking it in and saying please look at everything thoroughly - the thoroughly part isn't getting through someone's head.   From now on I bring a checklist.

3. Maybe I should be a mechanic.  I'm thorough - I think things through and I don't mind getting my hands dirty.

4. Even if it's boring as shit to hang out at the shop while your car is being worked on - do it.  You can see what's being worked on first hand.  And ask questions.  To the point of being a pain in the ass.

Girls gotta take care of themselves.  

Say it ain't so

30 days to MTTS and look where Felix is... Better now than on the rally.

Updates on his condition to follow - in the meantime, kindly cross your legs and fingers that this doesn't cost me body parts!

40 days

Forty.  Yep 4 - 0 left now before the gang here heads north to San Francisco for the launch of MTTS 2014.   This is worse then waiting for Christmas...

pas plus s'il vous plaît

I don't need a keychain thank you very much, so please MINI USA stop sending me this email.

Twice now I've received this invitation to go forth, spend more money and get this limited edition keychain.   Laugh.  A keychain does not make the outfit, and I'm pretty sure that everyone on board already looks fabulous.   Who wrote the copy for this ad?  

PS - gift with purchase is not free.  I plan on spending that $20 on the road for eating or drinking or here's an idea...gas for the Felix - I don't need more "stuff".

Memories collected here.

curses

OK, it’s time to admit that when I drive I cuss like a sailor. Although truthfully I’ve never heard sailor ever say a mean word.  I’ve just been told that my potty mouth sounds like one, which is probably yet another unfair generalization - I mean I have known some sailors and they all seemed pretty nice.  

Anyhow, the point is this is a very un-pretty habit. And not very MINI of me.

What's a girl to do?  Thank you for asking.  I hatched a plan...

Meet the &^%! you jar.  A fake Mason jar with a Ratatouille theme requiring donations of change every time a bad word flies from my mouth on the rally.   I may also carry it around at events to see if other participants are feeling generous (or foul mouthed), as the plan is to donate the contents to this years MTTS charity of choice: Best Friends Animal Society.

Hopefully it will help me talk pretty.   And it will help Best Friends save animals.   Read more about Best Friends here http://bestfriends.org  

meet suddy

My copilot.

What we know about her is here:

She is an Ugly Doll who likes to travel.  Without a passport. Or clothes. Or an iPad. Suddy has been to Paris.  She was born in China.  Given her impatient nature, she will never be allowed to drive.

She was given to me by my favorite soon-to-be-teenager Lily - Lily who worries that I will be alone in my travels.   (I like that someone besides my mother worries about me.)

Anyway, back to my copilot - today she checked out her seat.  Might need a booster or something, because staring at the dashboard is kind of boring.   But I suppose if I ply her with candy we'll be cool.

it's monday

47 days to launch, final groundwork is being laid for transport service selection.  Nothing else to report here.  

didn't see it

Part of life is being present.  This can be difficult when you're navigating crowded unfamiliar streets, managing the stick shift, watching out for pedestrians and the countless jacktards who make illegal turns or for some reason drive like they are part of a parade.

I was discussing this with someone who was listening to my story about the cross country traveling.

In the midst of the conversation, he asked if I had a co-pilot. And when I said no, I realized  I may very well miss out on some sights because I'm paying attention to the road.   So after sitting on a curb this morning bearing witness to a very whacky parade, I decided to make an effort to drive like I've got more time, to not be impatient to get to the end of the route, to fully pay attention.   And I might not miss stuff after all.

no post

For Friday and that is OK.

Arrived back to the tiny house well after midnight from a long happy day in Ventura. Ended up not driving myself - caught a ride with a fellow runner and one of his friends.  Traffic proved to be a disaster leaving LA, so it was fortuitous that I wasn't the pilot here.  Let's just say I can be an awful potty mouth with patience in the negative number territory when it comes to traffic jams.

We motored up Highway 1 to San Buenaventura State Beach to greet friends riding and volunteering with AIDSLifecycle.   This was day 6 of their journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles and what a sight to see.   Best way to describe it is as a moving camp of love.  These people all helped raise over 15 million dollars to continue funding education, research and assistance in the fight against HIV/AIDS.   Everyone is amazing, friendly, kind and albeit at this point a little tired and ready to be in Los Angeles.

I got to experience my first candlelight vigil on the beach where I snapped this photo.   It was super windy and cold.  My own candle kept being blown out, so I gave up and just took in the scene - a giant circle of candlelight, the sound of the wind and people in silent reflection.

fun & free

Today I finally looked up the serial number on a one dollar bill that I found stamped with the WHERESGEORGE.COM website info.  It says "log on it is fun & free".  Fun?  Free?  I'm in.

After first transposing a couple of the numbers on the bill, and getting no travel information, I discovered my error to learn this dollar George has traveled from Hayward, California which is a city in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I was just about to set ol' George free down here in Los Angeles... when a light bulb went on in my head! Since this dollar started from the Bay area which is where MINI Takes the States officially begins - what if I just tuck that dollar in Felix and take George all the way too?

Can't you feel a photo op coming on?  Felix and George selfies across the United States - San Francisco to Boston.

hey dipstick!

Ya you, the one who designed the worthless piece of orange plastic on a bendy long metal piece that MINI refers to as the oil dipstick.   What the F were you thinking?   This is not German design at it's best and even the British aren't that stupid.  I'm supposed to read the bumps?  Whaaaat????

I have just done a whirlwind tour of how to check your oil on YouTube and have found the following: an amazing array of people showing you how to check your oil without really showing you what might be considered low on that stupid orange piece of plastic!   Comedy and tragedy all rolled into one er dipstick.

There could many reasons for this.  One - no one knows for sure; two - no one really cares that much; three - this is why we pay mechanics the big bucks.

In any event, I know to pay close attention to my oil level at all times.  Now if I can just nail down what level that is I'll be golden.

fit as a fiddle

Felix got his pre-rally maintenance today.   Oil change, radiator flush and coolant replacement, new windshield cover installation and alternator belt replacement.  Oh and he got a bath.  Looking good.

It's going to be a great ride.

Taking a short road trip this weekend to see some friends who are riding back from San Francisco on gasp(!) BICYCLES... Crazy peeps with generous hearts, they are riding from San Fran to Los Angeles this week raising money and awareness in the battle against HIV/AIDS.   I plan on catching them on their way into Ventura - this should be quite a sight.

no suzie, this is not christmas

There is no excitement in MINI land.  None whatsoever.

Except maybe for the lady today who declares that MTTS 2014 is now a month away. I don't know, last I checked the math, 54 days does not a month make.   Kind of like declaring that Christmas is a month away when you're staring lovingly at the bowl of candy you just scored on Halloween night.

I get what she's trying to say though.    CAN. WE. PLEASE. MOTOR. yet?

i killed a clown

But first this announcement:   It's the first day of June!  55 days until rally time.

Following one of my fellow Alpha MINIs car club members this morning I spy this sticker in his window:
I KILLED
the clown &
took his car

Sorry, no texting or photo taking while driving.  The fact that I could have snapped a shot when we all arrived at our destination is now not worth discussing.

And yet another day where I forget to use my phone as a photo capturing device.   I swear my brain has left the building.