wind whistle

Charlotte to Atlanta

It’s Tax-Free weekend in Atlanta, and Bubba and I are gonna do some shopping. On my drive down I have noticed the windows aren’t quite right. It seems to be very loud inside the car. I can feel air coming through one window. Damn it. Back to the dealer I’ll have to go. 4 hours with your window whistling is just flat out annoying. No other words for it. I’ve noticed that anytime I’ve taken Mr. Q in for service, it’s never been taken care of in one trip. Is this a BMW thing or an English car thing? I have to wonder. Course the Corvette has been in the shop now for 2 months (I told them to take their time).

Window Service

Hendrick Mini

My MSA (Mini Service Advisor) seems like quite a nice guy. In the short time it took to set my car up for an appointment I learned he was a local, and could pretty much tell me how to get to anywhere I needed to in town. I just couldn’t break it to him that I had the navigation lady; he just seemed so nice (bless his heart).

The service was as expected. It took exactly the amount of time they said it would, and they gave Mr. Q a bath. Though they missed a big spot by the badge on the boot. Anyway, both windows go up n down now, and neither of them squeals. Yay. Time for a trip Uptown to look at the last 3 places on my list.’

Apartments are scare in Uptown. They rent quickly. Parking is also at a premium. Most of the places I looked at in Charlotte either had a carport or (GASP) on street parking. Oh that so would not do. Not only for Mr. Q, but eventually my Corvette will be joining me here. Although it looks like a piece o crap right now (flat gray paint for stealth mode), it still the car of my dreams. Q and the Vette definitely need covered parking. Because I am one person with 2 cars, I find it limits my housing choices in Uptown.

Weary, and about to head down to Atlanta for some tax-free shopping, I reluctantly go to the absolute last place on my list. And … that’s where I now live. I wanted two bedrooms in a townhouse configuration so Q would have a garage. I ended up with a huge loft overlooking South End. Mr. Q is happily parked in the underground parking garage each night.

Moving Day!

Knoxville to Charlotte

One of Mr. Q’s windows quit working. Fortunately there is a Mini dealer in Charlotte, so he’s scheduled for service tomorrow. Since I’ve got to take him in, I’ll have the other window taken care of. It has the infamous Mini Window Squeal. It’s been squealing for a while, but when you have to drive 4 hours to get to a dealer, it’s not so bad.

Today I’ve got Mr. Q packed up with as much as I can fit into him (which is quite a bit) and will be heading to Pineville for a stint in temporary corporate housing. I still haven’t found a place to live in charlotte. Granted, I also haven’t been back to look.

Stars n Stripes Forever

Atlanta

Yes, another Q-centric holiday. :) It’s raining. Q is muddy and it’s too soggy to be out all day watching the ribs on the grill. Instead we’ve headed to Williamson Brothers for some BBQ, and will watch the fireworks on TV. (Now that’s being ultra lazy since we live right down the road from a big fireworks show & party.

Today seems like a good day to talk about the words Grill and BBQ. Where I come from, Southern California, BBQ is what you cook foods on outdoors. Here, in the south, grill is what you cook on, and BBQ is what you eat. Oh yeah, and if it’s BBQ it’s pig.

I’m not one who grew up eating BBQ (that is BBQ in the southern sense). Shortly after I moved to Atlanta I became very sick and underwent some surgery for “wimmens stuff”. (That phrase usually prevents people from asking for details.) This was serious stuff. I had to have a blood transfusion. As Bubba as my witness, not long after I was recovered I was craving BBQ. We figure I it must have been that does of southern blood I received. No word of a lie, BBQ cravings. I also started saying stuff like “no word of a lie”, “fixin ta”, and “mightshould”.