Welcome to the Quirky World of Mr. Q (and BSQ)

2005 to 2009

2009-02-14T00:07:00.002-05:00

Five years ago today I walked into an Atlanta Mini dealer and ordered Mr. Q.

Wow. Has it really been that long? Mr. Q has aged well. During our time in Charlotte he had his hood replaced twice, windshield and side windows replaced, and new tires all around. (I wore those to within an inch of their life… literally). I relocated to Southern California, and rather than ship Mr. Q, we drove. The NavSystem went a little haywire, fading in and out of service the entire trip.

This was not the first time I’d driven cross country by myself, so you would think I would have learned to take a map. I figured I’d just use the map book that was in Mr. Q’s document folder. Know what? Every state isn’t in the map book. WHO DOES THAT?

California has treated Mr. Q much kinder than Charlotte did. Here he’s been in no accidents, and the only alteration to his self is I had to get a front plate holder mounted on his bumper. At the time I was working in downtown L.A., a few blocks from skid row. Like the police had nothing better to do than to pull me over and give me a warning? It went like this.

Officer: Is there a reason you don’t have a front plate?
Me: (Looking confused, I’d not had coffee yet.)
Officer: It’s why I pulled you over.
Me: Oh I wondered why y’all did that.
Officer: front plate?
Me: The car didn’t come with one. I just moved here from out of state.

They let me go with a warning. It was a $90 part. Fortunately BMW installed it for free.

A few days later I was pulled over again. At least it wasn’t for the damn plate. It was for speeding. I was 2 miles from home and had just come off the freeway. I was let go with a warning again. The officer took pity on the new resident.

What really saved me? Mr. Q’s still has his Atlanta license plate frame (course the front plate says Anaheim Angels). The back window still has the SmokyMountainMini.Org decal, and yeah I still have the NC inspection sticker on the front window. Fortunately my driver’s license was only a few months old. Never mind that I grew up here. I’m from out of state. Actually I'm pretty sure that if I didn't know how to drive hugging curves (as all Mini drivers do), and if I had drifted out of my lane I would have been ticketed in a heartbeat.

Mini’s are a dime a dozen here in CA. Even still, I’ve yet to see another IB/W (Indy Blue / White Roof), with an American flag on the roof. So even in this sea of automobiles, Mr. Q is still unique!

The Nav issues sorted themselves out, and I’m happy to say that Mr. Q is still a solid little car.

But now it’s time for this Blog to steer way from the Car, and move on to other things. (I’m too lazy to start a new blog). Mr. Q is now at about 87,000 miles. His adventures will still appear within this blog, but quite frankly in L.A. he spends a good deal of time sitting in traffic. Mr. Q has a manual transmission. It’s been fun, let me tell you!

Inspection I

2005-11-29T19:26:00.000-05:00

My how time flies. Before Thanksgiving I had to decide whether to have Mr. Q serviced in Atlanta, where I’d be spending my holiday or in Charlotte. I opted to wait till I got home, and take him into Hendrick Mini.

Inspection I is a biggie, usually due up at around 30,000 miles. I had a few other things to take care of. I tend to store up the little things rather than make a lot of trips to the dealer. I REALLY hate going to dealers, and if not for the car still being under warranty, I’d chose an independent garage in a heartbeat.

The only thing they didn’t do that is part of inspection I is check my tire pressure. As previously mentioned, my tires are filled with nitrogen. The dealer doesn’t have a nitro tank so they left them alone. Other things I had done: my dome light was burned out. I didn’t want to attempt prying it off and breaking it. : ) My vanity mirror cover popped off. I thought I just wasn’t pressing it in hard enough, but turns out it was “missing an important piece.” Don’t know where the piece went. I’ve opened the vanity mirror about 3 times since I’ve owned Mr. Q. Wiper blades were replaced; the rear wiper motor and assembly were replaced. My driver’s window was readjusted; it hasn’t been closing properly since they replaced the motor.

I also picked up my touchup paint that had been on backorder for 3 months. I have a nasty door ding I got when I moved to Charlotte that I want to take care of. I also have a bad case of road rash on one tire from a pothole in Atlanta, and figured I’d try the roof white on the wheels.

The window seems to be fixed. It wasn’t raining when I left the dealer, so I forgot to try out the rear wiper to see if it is still making noise. The dome light is working fine. I have to go back next week for the vanity mirror since they had to order the part.

Next up for Mr. Q is a full detail. We’re in a Christmas parade on Friday and I want him looking nice n purdy.

While my car was in the shop I had a loaner car. A Cooper Convertible CVT. I only accidentally stepped on the brake once out of habit of putting in the clutch. : ) I got a little lost getting to work from the dealer. I sure wish the loaners had the SatNav in them. Since it was raining I had to keep the top up … dang those ragtops have some wicked blind spots.

In all, the service seems to have gone OK. Now I guess I wait for the dreaded strive for 5 call. I really hate those survey calls.

The boys at GA Tire Deopt

2005-10-01T23:59:00.000-04:00

Mr. Q gets new tires from my friends at Georgia Tire Depot. I have been going to Dennis & Rodney for 8 years. I trust them implicitly with my car tire needs.

Q has runflats. I like them. I am in the Mini Motoring Minority. Most people hate their runflats. It’s a bit of a rough ride. Given that my other car is a 1978 corvette, don’t talk to me about a rough ride, k?

Rodney tells me to get runflats is going to cost me a small fortune. Okay, so I am not THAT attached to them. He recommends Toyo T1R’s and a couple cans of fix-aflat in the boot. Mr. Q doesn’t have a spare tire.

I go ahead and have him put these on. He asks me to drive around the block and let him know how I like them. Oh My God! All it took was driving off the lot and I could feel the handling difference. I just love these guys.

Now that my tires are new, I can tell the noise I’ve been hearing is from the driver’s window not being adjusted correctly. This I’ll wait on until I am up for Service 1 in about a month.

more squeaks, rattles n leaks

2005-08-19T20:26:00.000-04:00

Mr. Q is back at the dealer today. Not only do I have the excessive road noise in the car now, I have a wide assortment of annoying squeaks and rattles. A glass on metal squeak has developed by my ear. Also, rain comes in the passenger’s window A very bad thing.

The Service Advisor, who by the way is not the guy who helped me my first trip into town, has tried to tell me it’s my tires. BS, try again. This guy is really pissing me off today. After several conversations I tell him if he says it’s my tires then fine, go ahead and put your own damn pair of tires on the car.

The next call I receive is they had some guy that used to work on airplanes drive Mr. Q and he hears the squeak, but he describes it as hail on glass. WHATEVER dude, told you it was making noise. Just fix the damn thing.

"you are not on a digitized road"

2005-08-01T18:56:00.000-04:00

That’s what the navigation lady tells me as I’m trying to find my new office and get there on time for my first day.

It is now, in Charlotte that I realize I really need to fork over the $200 for an updated Navigation DVD. Still, old NavLady has been doing ok. I really don’t know how all the other folks from TN are finding their way around town. Suddenly I can’t remember what it was like to be in a new town and have to use map quest and map books and suck. Only now have I begun to think that the $1600 addition of the OEM navigation system was a wise investment.

I’ll prolly still continue to curse the NavLady. She has issues. Keeps guiding me to the east portion of a street instead of the west.

wind whistle

2005-07-29T18:07:00.000-04:00

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

2005-07-28T16:03:00.000-04:00

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!

2005-07-27T20:14:00.000-04:00

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

2005-07-04T22:00:00.000-04:00

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”.

full circle

2005-06-13T20:59:00.000-04:00

Back to Knoxville

I’ve now driven a full circle since I left on this vacation and crossed 4 states. Mr. Q is filthy and desperately in need of a bath. Course even when Q is clean, all it takes is one stomp on the brakes and he’s dirty again. (Damn white wheels).

After a leisurely drive through Asheville and a little tourist shopping, I made my way back through the mountains and on into Knoxville. Vacation is over, time to get back to work.

corvette trivia: on this date in 1987 I bought my first Corvette.

mmmm Fudge

2005-06-12T19:56:00.000-04:00

The Biltmore

I’d like to live in a house that everyone simply knows by its grand name. “The Q”. Hmmm, that doesn’t quite have the a stately ring to it. Anyway, Mr. Q and I motored on over to the Biltmore. Here, I’ll spend the day as a total tourist. Wearing my shorts and black dress socks … heheh only kidding, taking pictures right and left. This destination is one I know I shall return. Hopefully in the winter, I imagine it is beautiful. A trip in the spring might be in order too. Driving Mr. Q through the gardens was quite boring since all the flowers are dead. It has potential though. We like potential.

By the way, the wine is good here and the fudge even better. (I don’t like chocolate).

Quiet Time

2005-06-11T16:46:00.000-04:00

Charlotte to Asheville

After an exhausting two days of looking at places to live, I was looking forward to being on the road again. It’s my quiet time. Breakfast at the Awful Waffle, where by the way they got my scattered & covered order wrong, and made it smothered n covered (yeeech). It’s a beautiful sunny day and the Navigation Lady is guiding me to my destination.

House Hunting

2005-06-09T21:55:00.000-04:00

Atlanta to Charlotte

Originally I was going to spend my vacation in Atlanta going to all three nights of Angel games. Instead, my company was bought out during April. May they announced our office in TN would be shuttered. And a week later I found myself with a job offer and 24 hours to decide my fate. I took the job, and now this trip is my first house-hunting trip.

I’m no stranger to relocation. This will be the 3^rd time I’ve gone through it. The drive from Atlanta to Charlotte is uneventful, though I found the Cigarette Outlet billboards amusing. No clue why, they just struck me as odd.

I’ve stopped at every visitor’s center as I’ve entered into each of the Carolinas. (South and North). Tega Cay was my first stop … only I couldn’t really find anything; so on to Charlotte I go.

I'm armed with print outs of tons of places to see and every home finder book that was available at the Harris Teeter in Tega Cay. Although I have relocated a time or two, I really do hate looking for a place to live. I’m also armed with the Creative Loafing Best of 2004 lists. Lunch was at the Cheesecake Factory, Dinner at a place that bills itself as a Biker hang out. Mac’s Speed Shop. Now why did I pick this place? For a woman traveling solo, it did seem a bit unlikely. Well, I liked the sound of it and the beer list drew me in. They serve Anchor Steam. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND AN ANCHOR STEAM BEER this side of the Sierra Nevada’s?

The BBQ was awesome, the beer good. I saw no Harley Boys, just a bunch of after 5 o’clockers having drinks.

Angels at the Ted

2005-06-08T23:39:00.000-04:00

Knoxville to Atlanta

Yeah, back in Atlanta again. See, I don’t like living in Knoxville much, so I spend all my holiday weekends down with Bubba in Atlanta.

This particular trip is for something I have waited 8 years for. The Braves will play the Angels at the Ted. I have my “GO Angels” sign that I got at Anaheim Stadium. We Won! We Won! Hehehe. The Angels that is. Surrounded by many Braves fans, people started turning to Bubba and asking why he had to bring me. Thing is, I brought him. Not sure why, he just took up space and cost me beer money. Though because Bubba is nearly 7’ tall and has a walking boot on his leg, the usher was compassionate and let us switch our seats down to the first row. Okay, so he was good for something.

Showing Q's Colors

2005-05-27T22:52:00.000-04:00

Knoxville to Atlanta and back

Memorial Weekend. One of Mr. Q’s holidays. People seem to comment on the American Flag on his roof more during patriotic holiday weekends than any other time of year. As if I’ve put it on just for the holiday. When actually, he has it because it matches a pair of shoes I have. Seriously, it is with a great sense of pride that we ride around in Mr. Q with old glory proudly displayed. As a gift to Q, when my plates were up for renewal this month, I got the Tennessee American Eagle plate. It carries out the patriotic theme.

Dragon Slayer

2005-05-07T22:34:00.000-04:00

Deals Gap, NC

Today I am a Dragon Slayer. Highway 129 heads out of Alcoa TN and goes up into the mountains, eventually crossing into N. Carolina. Deals Gap is the start of the Tail of the Dragon. 318 curves in 11 miles. And I drove that sucker. Not at high speed, but definitely a bit more than the posted 30MPH. It was a pretty drive actually. Sport Car and Motorcycle groups from all over come to slay the dragon. Quite frankly I don’t quite get the thrill of it … I mean I went because Smoky Mountain Minis was hosting the Chili Cook Off during a 3-day Mini gathering. I had volunteered to work the cook-off so that’s what took me there.

Will I return next year? Probably not. I can say I did it. Though stupid me forgot to stop and buy a dragon sticker for my car. Damn it. The motorcycle riders on this road have got to be nuts. That’s all I’m sayin.

Furniture & Ice Cream

2005-04-30T23:27:00.000-04:00

road trip: Knoxville, TN to Hickory, NC and back

Bubba came up for the weekend. Our mission, to visit some furniture outlets in North Carolina. We’d both heard about them, and wanted to see if you could actually find good deals. He was looking for a bed; I was looking for a sofa. I think I own the most uncomfortable sofa known to man. And while it is cool looking, and was nice when new, it has pilling issues. On a black sofa this is just not very attractive. It doesn’t fit through doors unless the legs are taken off of it. It took 1 move before someone figured out just how to get the damn legs off of it without breaking the sofa. I moved 5 months ago, the legs are still off. I thought I would find some nicer ones. Thing is, I have no clue where to buy them. I know they exist.

It was an overcast day, we tried to plug an address into the Navigation system, but Hickory NC did not exist in it’s database. I plugged in the next closest city I remembered from our online research. Off we went. The ride was beautiful. The mountains were green and so pretty. We traveled along a river, I don’t know which one … something the TVA created no doubt. The rapids were beautiful. If we didn’t have such a long drive a head of us, I might have stopped. (Bubba isn’t much into the sightseeing along the way … but if I’m driving he has no say in the matter). I did find it very cool when I passed the Eastern Continental Divide. Now I’ve crossed both the eastern and the western divides. : ) Though I have to admit, I didn’t even known there was an eastern one. I had to give Bubba a quick explanation of what the continental divide was and how water looks like it’s running uphill.

Where we were going boasted “20 miles of Furniture”, so we figured we’d get off on the far side of the 20 and work our way back. Of course neither of us wrote down actual places to see. I used the SatNav directory to look up places. This pointed us in the general direction we needed to go … ok, actually it was blind luck. The Navigation system wanted us to go one way, but I couldn’t cross the street so we went in the opposite direction. We saw a billboard and that became our destination. Oh my god. That’s a lot of furniture under one roof. We both saw things we liked, got idea of prices … after all we need to make sure the prices are indeed good. Now Bubba has this thing wrong with his foot that makes a lot of walking really painful. We walked this entire store (3 floors, I don’t know how many shops), and then headed to the next place in the 20 miles. This one was smaller. We were both tired and hungry. We cut this trip shot and went to Udderly Delicious Ice Cream. A cow themed ice cream parlor. : )

After our ice cream treat we had enough nourishment in us to continue on home. See, we didn’t stop for lunch because we didn’t get hungry till about 3pm … at that point if we had lunch we wouldn’t have been able to have a nice dinner. We like Cowz. We had to go. Crazy, but that’s our logic.

The drive home was horrible. Aside from being a somewhat winding mountain road, the weather turned nasty. At one point I had to snap at Bubba to either find a radio station or put in a CD because is constant radio scanning was getting on my nerves. There was some concentrating that needed to be done here so we didn’t end up smashed into the side of the mountain.

Another bonus to the navigation system is it kinda doubles as a telephone book. While still about 30 minutes from home I had Bubba dial in Outback steakhouse, got the phone number off the navigation system and called in our order. We drove up, got our food and headed home to enjoy a nice steak & beer dinner.

One Year

2005-04-15T22:42:00.000-04:00

odometer reading: a whole lotta miles

A year ago today I picked Mr. Q up from Global Imports Mini in Atlanta. He’s been waxed n polished twice since I’ve had him. Once by Bubba and once by a remorseful dealer. In all it’s been a good year of Motoring. Although I had issues with the dealer, or rather the brain dead Motoring Advisor, those were worked out by dealing directly with the man in charge of all the mechanical gods. Rough Idle still plagues Mr. Q, but it is down to once on a tank of gas rather than every time I get in it. I can tolerate it. No matter how much the people don’t want to believe it, the problem really does seem to come down to the BRAND of gasoline I use. When I use the specific ones they told me to use it does not happen. When I use the brands that are more convenient to get (I live right next door to a gas station), it does happen. Oh well. Gas mileage remains fairly consistent. I haven’t really noticed any slight power loss. Though, considering I was driving a 78 corvette, anything feels like a loss of power.

Mr. Q is as stock as the day I drove him off the dealer’s lot. Of the options I got on him, the only one I regret are the white wheels. They look cute, but damn are they difficult to keep clean. I have the “V” spoke wheels, which are also a bitch to clean thoroughly. I step on the brakes and they are dirty. Solution … use brakes as little as possible! We like!!

The options I love are the heated seats. I use these year round. On a long road trip the heat feels nice on a tired back. With that option came heated mirrors and windshield washers. Since I garage the car, I’ve only seen the heated mirrors work once … but they are kinda neat. Not too sure about the windshield washers. The one time I used it when it was snowing, the stuff froze on the windshield. Guess it was really cold. That explains why the car was dinging at me. The last thing, which most folks think I was crazy for getting, is the Navigation System. While the Nav Lady can be irritating, I love that I can just jump in the car without a map. Living in a new city it’s been nice to be able to say I really haven’t gotten lost yet.

One bonus option is the headlight washers. With just a little practice you can work them so they squirt the driver or passenger of a car beside you. I have enjoyed that feature once or twice. : )

Happy Birthday Mr. Q!

2005-03-13T19:41:00.000-05:00

Today is Mr. Q’s birthday! Production was finished one year ago today at the Oxford plant. People who she him for the first time make one of two comments. “Sure is a cute car” or “bet it’s good on gas.” To which the answers are thank you and not as good as you would think.

I’ve put a lot of Miles on Mr. Q; though have not logged them here since I spend most of my time driving back n forth to Atlanta.

Tiny Ray of Light

2004-12-28T17:00:00.000-05:00

Right. So Mr. Q, by my estimation, should have arrived at the dealer about 5pm. You would think someone from the dealer, oh say the service advisor I’ve been working with for over a month, would have called to let me know the car did indeed arrive. But no.

Mr. Always-Here-to-Help-You-MINI-Service-Advisor at Global Imports never called and claims he didn’t get a voice mail from me. “I have 85 voice mails.” Uh huh. I’m willing to put money down that there’s a voice mail from me dated November 20th still waiting to be heard. This guy never returns calls. Today he has said he’s washed his hands of it all. Fine you do that, after you let me know how I am supposed to get back to Atlanta to pick up the car. I do believe in his admission of “not having thought things through” has been a bit of a major screw up. He did not even consider the idea of using Hertz simply because they are not authorized to do business with them. Well mister fact is, I made you an offer to save your ass $140 in charges, and not to mention man hours in addition. I tried to take you outside the box and you refused to go. Fine, I can play hardball with the big boys.

I asked if he would let me know what the service technician will be doing to the car to fix it, before the work starts. I didn’t think this was an outlandish request since when you wait at the dealership they come out and tell you what’s wrong, how much it will cost, explain things, and ask if you want them to move forward with it. Oh Thomas tells me “we have a ton of cars, he won’t let me know that.” WTF?! So I ask if I can speak directly to the technician. I get a number from him, and call it.

Lo n Behold someone who speaks in logical terms. I briefly explained who I was, (“Oh sure, I’ve been coordinating the communication and progress on your MINI”), and what I wanted. What I got was more information in a 15-minute conversation than I have gotten in a month of phone calls between the service advisors, the dealership, ask MINI and BMW North America. I’m told they can’t get the problem to happen. But they know rough idle can be an issue. He explains to me why, what the challenges are, that my problem is definitely software related, what the car is trying to do, and what he wants to do. Without my asking, this motoring fix-it guru says to me, I’m trying to get New Jersey to send me the original software that was on your car. I want to get the OK to put it on and make the recall work never have happened to it. (oh thank you Jesus! I only asked for this very thing 4 weeks ago). I tell him this is lovely news, that every one kept telling me they can’t do that, but having been a software developer I know it can be done, although sometimes there are risks involved. Know what? Know what? This motoring fix-it guru tells me “Nah, there’s no risks involved, I just need to get a copy of your software.” I can’t help but think, “there has got to be a catch here.”

And that is where I shall leave it for today. One brief phone call and I have a bit more confidence that the work I want to have done, and that needs to be done, will actually get done. A ray of light, however tiny, seems to have appeared at the end of this long tunnel.

Just as Thomas has “washed his hands” of this issue, I too have washed my hands of dealing with him. After of course, I do the dealer survey and speak to the next two levels of management. After this, I ‘m not sure I’ll be returning to this dealer … if I do, I will definitely be using a different service advisor. More to follow ...

Back to the Dealer

2004-12-27T16:27:00.000-05:00

roadtrip: Knoxville to Atlanta
odometer reading: 14,000 n holding

After spending way too much time in airports these past two days, it came time to call MINI roadside assistance and have Mr. Q transported back to the dealer. The original agreement was that I would call the service advisor after the car was picked up, give him the name of the nearest Enterprise car rental, and he would arrange for a rental. I would then pick my car up in Atlanta on the 31st.

The tow truck came, and Mr Q left strapped down to the flat bed. I called the service advisor and got nothing but attitude. Apparently he remembered nothing ouf our conversations so I had to run through the whole thing again until the lightbulbs came on. Rental had been arranged and off I went to get the substitute car. I tell the gal it's a one way rental since I'll need to drive to Atlanta to pick up my car at the dealer. This becomes a huge problem. Enterprise doesn't do one way rentals. The service advisors asks to speak to me, and he is quite pissed off. Oh well, it's his fault. How did he expect me to get my car if it's in their shop? He says MINI will not pick up the $200 cost for doing this. He then tries to make it my problem. I have to have someone drive down with me to return the car. I have to have someone from the dealer follow me home. How long will I be in town, what will I be doing. Well, you know what? That's none of his damn business, and no I am not going to put upon someone to drive down to Atlanta with me on a holiday weekend. The service advisor admitted he just didn't think things through. Hmmm, ya think?

I took the rental while he is figuring out exactly how I will get the car back. I did call and leave a message for him, I offered to use my corporate account for rate at Hertz , told him the price for a one day rental, and said I would not have a problkem dropping it at Hartsfield since I can get to where I am staying via Marta. I did also offer to split the cost, but added I do not feel I should. I figure I have to be somewhat nice about it sine I gave him in no uncertain terms what I expect to be done with my car should they continue to claim there is nothing wrong with it.

I am quite certain MINI/BMW will say nothing is wrong with the car. The problem does not show up in diagnostics, and is sporadic. However, I did place a BMW service bulletin on my front seat that outlines the same problem in BMW's and the solution, with a note saying perhaps this might be something to investigate. I was clear if I get that car back and it's not running right, they will downgrade the computer system. (an upgrade started this whole mess). The service advisor is telling me they can't do that, even the factory couldn't do that. As a former software developer I know no one likes to downgrade, I know the risks involved, but I also know it is possible. Can't isn't an option here. I also talked with BMW North America and got confirmation from them that the computer can be downgraded, they just don't like to do it. There's a lot of things I don't like to do. Tough tacks. This car needs to be running right again.

Still Sputtering Along

2004-11-29T18:46:00.000-05:00

road trip: Atlanta to Knoxville
odometer reading: 12,600 n change

500 miles later I’m back home in TN and the car still drives like crap. I’ve learned from the online MINI community that others are experiencing these problems too. So far though, I haven’t seen anyone mention that they’ve had their car fixed correctly. I’ve talked with the dealer twice. Each time I get a different answer to my same questions. They also want me to ship my car down to them via roadside assistance, put me in a rental, and let them keep my car for “a while”. When pressed for how long “a while” is, hesitantly I was told at least a week. When asked what they were going to do, I wasn’t given an answer. Oh, and although roadside assistance would take my car down there, and dealer would pay for the rental, it still meant another drive down to the dealer to pick up the car with no guarantees that it would be fixed. Hello, ship it back to me and maybe you’ll get it. We are not amused, to say the least

Of 36" TVs and Christmas Trees

2004-11-26T22:23:00.000-05:00

Atlanta, GA, round n round
Odometer, 12,100 n ticking

In the unofficial owners manual, it says “Your MINI’s spacious backseat and rear cargo area means there’s plenty of room to accommodate everything you need to rev up the romance in any relationship – from long stemmed roses and heart shaped helium balloons to a 36” large screen TV with both rear seats folded down. (Degree of romance may vary with relationship mileage).

Black Friday (the Day after thanksgiving) we set off to buy a new TV. We were aiming for a 32”, so we took Mr. Q/ Just to see if the marketing was correct. Mind you MINI also claims a passenger as tall as 6’7 can ride in the MINI, and Bubba is 6’9 … we figured they might have underestimated the cargo hold as well. I suppose a 36” flat panel would fit just fine, but a 36” flat screen I just don’t see it. We ended up with a 27” TV, and had to turn it glass side up to get it in the boot. Once it was in, there was plenty of room. The box was getting hung up on the folded down seat backs. I’m sure a regular 36” TV does fit in the boot, getting it in there in the box, I just have to doubt.

Christmas Trees are another story. Normally I’ve brought home my 7’ Christmas tree in my Corvette (standing upright with the top off). This year, it too got stuffed into the MINI. A 6’ tree fit nicely from boot to dash. Could have gone 7” if I didn’t have a passenger riding with me. The only bad thing was sap got on the navigation screen. Smelled nice n pine fresh inside.

Mr. Q goes for service

2004-11-24T23:31:00.000-05:00

roadtrip: Knoxville to Atlanta & back ... eventually
odometer: 12,000 n ticking

10K, well actually 12K, since I bought Mr. Q and it was time for his first service. An oil change. First, we have to get to the dealer, which means a 3 ½ hour drive down to Atlanta. About 40 minutes from ‘home” I got stuck in a traffic jam to end all others. Dead Stopped, sandwiched between some big trucks. Fortunately my little car can squeeze between them. I was 1 mile from an exit. After much internal debate, I decided to hop into the emergency lane and get to the exit. The emergency lane eventually came to a stop because people were using it to cut around the traffic and stay on the freeway. HELLO, you were just at a dead stop. Anyway, eventually I squeeze onto the onramp and set the Navigation lady to avoid highways. Yes, I put my faith in the Nav Lady.

2 hours past my original arrival time, I finally made it home. I could not have done it without the Nav Lady. I get too turned around in Atlanta to ever learn back roads, (except in very limited instances).

Bright and early the next morning I set off for the MINI Dealer (global imports). Mr. Q is the first appointment and I was guaranteed ahead of time we’d be done by 10am. I’m asked if I’ve had any problems with Mr. Q. “None” I say. “Windows squeak?” I’m asked. “Nope not a one” I say. One does, but only if it’s really wet … something I can live with since I don’t want to risk bigger problems with leaks should they touch it. “we’re going to replace your wiper blades for you, no charge” I’m told. “Good” I say, “cause they are absolute crap. Have been crap since day one.” When I get my receipt I find that this is an exterior trim recall. “There’s an emissions recall that will fix some problems with your car” I’m told. “But I don’t have any problems,” I repeat, “You know I have other appointments, we really need to keep this on time. Also, you said you would have ‘the guy’ look at the roof, the decal is lifting.”

I leave the dealer on time, am told the decal needs to be replaced (hmm didn’t you already know that since ‘the guy’ was supposed top look at it). I’m given a number to call to contact “the guy” for the decal work .. oh yay another 4 hour drive down to Atlanta …. Heaven forbid it was all arranged for one day. After some other appointments and driving the car off and on for 5 hours, while sitting at a stop light the car begins to shake and sputter.

“What the ….” Instinctively I check that my clutch is fully depressed, although the way I drive, there was no reason it shouldn’t have been. The AC is off, the windows are down. “sputter sputter sputter” goes Mr. Q. I called the dealer on the spot. I arrange to take it back after my next appointment.

Mr. Q is hooked up to the diagnostics and nothing shows wrong. (figured that would happen). I’m given lots of lame reasons for why I think my car is running rough. No, I don’t think it is, I KNOW it is. I’m told the computer upgrade I got, which I didn’t ask for, is liking giving the car a flue shot. It has to give a little bit of the sickness to the car in order for it to be better. They told me I needed to drive it more, and go through 5 drive cycles. Though the service advisor could not tell me what constituted a drive cycle or approximate mileage I should anticipate putting on the car.

Pellissippi Parkway ... again

2004-09-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

odometer: 9,000 and ticking

Big ol Sigh. I already went on about how all the years I drove a Corvette, we're talking the mama of all american sports cars, with an engine bigger than I really know what to do with, and no tickets or accidents. The the Mini came along and wham-O. I've now decided I need to move out of Tennessee.

Tennessee is bad for my driving record. Today, I got my second speeding ticket, on the same dang highway! Pellissippi Parkway. grrrr. This time a State Trouper pulled me and another car over at the same time. One of those boxy honday things, an Element I think? Anyway, he tells me I was clocked at 81mph and the other car was going 82mph. I was the front car. Thing is, I know I was not going that fast because I have religiously set my cruise control to 1 mile below the speed limit after that first ticket. I do this on both highways that I drive. I know I have to just suck it up and pay this ticket, because really when it's my word against then police officer's ... I lose.

This I learned first hand froma court appearance with Bubba, when Murl tried to tell a judge he didn't do what the officer had written down. Murl had crossed a double yellow and totaled my Corvette ... The Judge said to ol Murl, "So what you're telling me, is this officer (who was standing between Bubba and Murl) is lying" Yeah Murl, go ahead and get out of that one.

Fortunately the construction is done on the section of Pellissippi that I drive, and the speed limit has been raised back up to 70MPH, so I'm told I was going 11 miles over the speed limit. That should be a huge ticket, but now I am starting to think about the points on my driver's license. It sucks.

It's bad enough to be given the ticket ... but why oh why does the Trooper have to add insult to injury by asking "So this is an 04 Mini Cooper? How do you like it?" I tell him I love it, but obviously need to learn to set my cruise control. Off I go, citation in hand.

Now on the brighter side, a few weeks ago another Mini appeared in the parking lot one day. Everyone asked me who owned it. I didn't know, and no one I know could figure it out. Today, I was taking a break out on the loading dock and up pulls the Red Mini. Turns out it's a loaner from Mini of Nashville for a promotion my company is doing. It will get a decal wrap put on it, to look like a giant shopping bag. It will be part of a store grand opening at the Riverchase Galleria in Birmingham, Alabama. Mystery solved! I'm glad he didn't really own it. It was sad to think that I no longer had the only Mini in the entire parking lot. :)

Christmas in July

2004-07-30T18:34:00.000-04:00

Lately, being a part of the MINI community has been like Christmas in July. While I didn't receive all of this loot in one month, I am thinking about it now because I need to find a place to put it all. Up until now, my automobile choice has been a Corvette, with select Corvette goodies placed through out the house. The stuff started arriving shortly after I ordered my MINI

So here's a list of my loot!

Unauthorized Owner's Manual (2)
"MINI Parking Only" stencil
When I picked up the car I got some standard loot; a couple of MINI Motoring CD's (urban soundscapes and the Monkees), although I haven't listened to either of them. Floor mats, a tank of gas, an oversized cup holder (MINI cupholders are a bit lacking). OK, these weren't really "free" since I know I paid for them in my dealer prep. Oh yes, can't forget my MINI Motoring Atlas. Let's me know where all the MINI dealers are as well as some quirky things to see in some states. Sadly, the Big Chicken was not in GA. Though I am happy to learn the Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum is in TN.
Next came the much anticipated MINI Welcome to the Neighborhood Kit.
Followed by "MINI Motoring Games, The Offical Rule Book" which I got at one of my SMM Club meetings as well as a very Nice MINI calendar as a gift from the guy that runs one of the largest MINI/Mini message boards.
From my trip to MINI of Nashville I snagged 3 MINI frisbees, a poster and a T-shirt. I could have had an antenna topper except since I have the Nav System I don't have a regular antenna.
Finally, at our last club meeting the previously mentioned Message Board Owner who is an honorary member came to our meeting bearing gifts. A very nice T-shirt - he said they were seconds, but there is nothing wrong with htem really. There's an american flag on the back made out of MINI's. : )

I know this isn't the end of the loot, rumor has it I should still be getting a travel mug from MINI.

Mini of Nashville Homecoming

2004-07-11T23:42:00.000-04:00

road trip: Knoxville, TN to Nashville, TN & back
Odometer: 6000 miles n ticking

On July 10^th and 11^th I made my first motoring journey with the Smoky Mountain Minis club. We were headed to Mini of Nashville for a Homecoming. I was nervous about this trip because as you’ve read earlier, the Navigation Lady went a bit bonkers in Nashville. I made the group promise, promise, PROMISE, they would not lose me. : )

We met at a BP station in Oak Ridge to start our convoy up to Nashville. A rest stop provided the setting for a leisurely picnic lunch. I gotta tell you, it was pretty fun driving in a line of MINIs down the highway. It was, however, a bit difficult to drive the speed limit.

Along the way we had some terrible weather. That really sucked since I had spent a few hours the night before making sure Mr. Q sparkled and shined. I was only anticipating touching up the wheels once at my destination. I’m afraid Windex, paper towels and wheel cleaner wasn’t going to make a dent in muck that now covered Mr. Q.

Holiday Inn is where we stayed. Not too bad a place. My room had a lovely view of the roof AC stuff and a hill of dirt. When I had checked in, there was a sign on the lobby desk warning us that because of the construction, there may be some blasting. BLASTING??? I was really hoping I would not have a rude wake up call!

Oh, at this point I must commend the Nav Lady for keeping her head about her, and guiding us safely to the hotel. Not one glitch. Now back at the Mini dealer, it was hotter than hot. This is after all the south, it’s July, and there had just been thunderstorms. Nav Lady said it was 95 degrees and I would guess the humidity was a 95%. It’s a dry rain ya know.

To me, the parking lot was the fun place. There were so many MINIs lined up. I loved seeing them all and how even with all those cars, no two were really a like. I spent a little time in the parking lot showing some folks who were thinking about buying a Mini convertible, the navigation system. When I ordered it, I did it site unseen. They never had a car on the lot with one in it. Definitely not a common option.

Guess I got ahead of myself; the Homecoming was also to introduce the new Mini Cooper Convertible. I ooooed and ahhhhed appropriately … though I’ve never been a fan of ragtops. HOWEVER, that’s not to say if you didn’t GIVE me a 62 Vette that I wouldn’t take it. : )

While I am leaving out a lot of the highlights and details of this trip, it was fun and I had a great time getting to know some of my fellow car club mates. Mini of Nashville is hoping to make this an annual event. It makes for a nice weekend trip. They put on a good show … even if the band sung “Rocky Top”. (Shaking my head). The English Ale was good; it almost made up for the Fish n Chips. : )

Sunday at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel

“Oh My Gosh.” This hotel is definitely on my list of places to revisit. A few of us stopped here Sunday morning for Brunch. I can see, where with more time and perhaps while staying here, brunch could become an event. It was worth every penny. The food was lovely and plentiful. So many choices, some quite decadent. The gardens were so lush, I felt like I was back home. Actually the scale of the hotel reminded me a lot of something you’d see in Las Vegas … though perhaps just a touch smaller scale.

If you’re in the area for breakfast, definitely check it out. You won’t regret it!

The trip home was uneventful. This is a good thing. Ol Nav Lady didn’t go bezerk and got me home safely. : ) I’m looking forward to the next Mini trip.

2004-07-11T19:27:00.000-04:00

No Two Alike

2004-07-11T19:25:00.000-04:00

Let's Motor

Car Clubs

2004-07-07T22:34:00.000-04:00

road trip: scenic route through my mind

Having driven a classic corvette for almost 20 years many times I had contemplated joining a Corvette Club. Mostly because it is so cool to see all those Vettes lined up some place. When I moved from Southern California to Georgia I considered it because I left all of my car connections 3000 miles away. Tire Shop, Alignment Shop, Mechanic, Electrical Guy, Body Shop, Race Shop, and so on. In other words, if it broke, I knew where to take it. When I moved to Knoxville 7 years later again, I meant to join a Corvette Club. Even looked them up on the web … I never got around to it.

All these years of meaning to and never joining. Why? First it was a testosterone thing. Arguably one sees more men driving pre-1982 corvettes than women. That’s not to say there aren’t female owners, there just aren’t as many. I have a theory on this. Have you ever tried to open up a C3 door with long fingernails? Ain’t gonna happen. Anyway, I always figured a car club would be a bunch of guys talking about how to fix their cars. Not that it’s a bad thing … but I don’t really fix my own. I figured it would just be an extension of my mechanic’s shop.

By the time I moved to Knoxville and was SOL in the mechanic department, I thought “sure why not.” However now my Vette looks like crap (though for some reason people still drool over it.) A friend I once worked with recently asked if my Vette was still painted “flat stealth gray”. I had to laugh, but he correctly assessed the state of my paint. Though he didn’t mention the black spots where the once silver paint has come completely off. Now my excuse is I can’t join a Vette club where all of the classics ones are going to be show ready … way too embarrassing!

My MINI was a whole different animal. It’s new, and it’s cool. Before it even arrived I decided I was going to check out the local Mini Club I hoped joining this group would help be get a little familiar with the town as well as make some connections for shops to get work done. (Granted the corvette needs tons of work and the Mr. Q needs none, it might!) As a group they go on drives and to various events. I’ve not been able to join in on a drive yet, but my first one is coming up this weekend.

Dunwoody Soccer Mom’s School of Driving

2004-06-27T23:30:00.000-04:00

There is not much I despise more than one who attends the Dunwoody Soccer Mom School of Driving. First let me explain what a Dunwoody Soccer Mom is. They hail from Dunwoody Georgia. A bit of an affluent area where everyone seems to need an SUV. I don’t mean a little SUV either. I mean the huge-ass Yukon, Expeditions, and the likes.

Generally a Dunwoody Soccer Mom will spend her day at the tennis court and shuttling the kids to n from soccer practice. Thing is, most you ever see in a Soccer Mom’s SUV is 2 kids. Why the hell do they need such a big vehicle? More importantly … why can’t they drive them?

I can not even begin to count the number of times I have literally been run off the road because a Dunwoody Soccer Mom did not see my little corvette in the lane beside them. Even more astounding is when they realize they have made me swerve into the emergency lanes or into another lane, they use hand signals to indicate they did not see me because my car was too small. HELLO! Quit turning around screaming at the kids and talking on the cell phone. If you are driving beside me one minute, chances are 2 seconds later, you are still driving beside me! DSM’s are also known for not being able to park in one parking space. They always need to take 2 if not 4.

This past weekend we were at Home Depot on Peachtree-Dunwoody. Now anyone who has been here knows this Home Depot has a ridiculously small parking lot which they have decided to share with a Cost Co. It was a Sunday afternoon, the height of Home Improvement trips. A DSM was cruising the parking lot in front of us and decides to pull into a space. There was an empty space in front of her so I figured I would go around to the next aisle and park there. To my surprise, the DSM pulled through to the adjoining space, so we decided we would park behind the DSM.

She is well pulled into the space, and to the point where a normal driver would put the car in park and turn it off. I pull into the space to park. Suddenly we notice DSM’s back-up lights are on … AND SHE’S BACKING UP!! I honk my horn. She keeps backing up. I honk more. I put Mr. Q in reverse and back up. She keeps coming. I honk my horn more! A pedestrian is watching trying to decide if it’s safe to walk behind me (it’s not). DSM stops for a bit. I figure it’s safe to park. DSM starts backing up again! By this time I am laying wildly on the horn. Bubba Q and I are in the car amazed that someone can be so stupid! We later realize that we should not be amazed at all. DSM stops.

As if that was not bad enough. We get out of the car. I say “didn’t you hear me honking says “Oh, I wasn’t that close to the end of the space.” “Lady,” I say, “at one point you were less than an inch away from my bumper until I backed up.” She looks at the back of her car and sees that she has backed well into the space she had pulled through … she says nothing about that, but proceeds to laugh “I didn’t hear you honking, I had the radio on and my daughter kept saying ‘Mommy, who’s honking at you?’”

What can you say back to this? “Oh, I’m so very sorry that you are a MORON?”

When I lived in Atlanta, I was so glad when I moved ITP and could avoid Dunwoody. This is a classic example why.

Probably Won't Stop Me ...

2004-06-23T22:35:00.000-04:00

the fine on my speeding ticket that is. It's less than $100. I was expecting it to be in the $300-400 range (as were many other folks). A hundred bucks doesn't hit me hard enough to make me stop. If it goes up, might be a different story with my insurance next year.

My co-workers tell me Officer Friendly was in the same spot this morning waiting just for me. My co-workers have a sick sense of humor. Besides, I was on time to work the day I got that ticket ... THAT almost never happens. :D

Radar Detector in place, cruise control set to 68. Motor On.

Some say, I was Overdue ...

2004-06-21T22:22:00.000-04:00

There is a first for everything, or so it seems. Prior to Mr. Q I drove a 78 Corvette and an 82 Corvette with a race modified engine. The speedometer in the 82 only went up to 85mph. It spent the better part of 11 years pegged. Why is this important to know? Today, I got my very first ticket. A speeding ticket. A dozy at that.

I drive fast. I know it. I don’t deny it. But still, I would have thought if I was going to get a speeding ticket it would have happened in one of my Corvettes.

Pellissippi Parkway. Say it with me. Pell-a-sippy. The speed limit is 70mph. Of course it’s relatively common to be passed while going 80. I try to stay within 10 miles over the limit.

I was cruising along, minding my own business and didn’t even noticed the white police car in the median until it was too late … of course. I knew I was busted the moment I passed him. Our conversation went like this:

Morning, how are you?
Morning, I was fine up until about 5 minutes ago.
(Chuckle) Do you know how fast you were going?
70ish?
(Grins) a bit higher than that.
Well, I know it wasn’t 90, must have been 80? (For the record, my speedometer only marks off 10-mile increments … so I tend to not use the numbers in-between).
Not that bad, 76. Do you know the speed limit on Pellissippi?
70.
(Grins) No, it’s been changed to 45 for a couple weeks. Got your license on you?
Yes, it’s in my boot … errr trunk.

As I go to get my license, Officer Friendly starts asking me about my Mini. Do I like it? Have I had it long? Did I get it in town, because he hasn’t seen a Mini dealer in the area? I tell you, I would have died laughing on the spot if he would have asked me if it moved.

I got the ticket. 76 in a 45. I’ll call in a few days to see how much that one will cost me.

Now, I’ve peen pulled over before, but never issued a ticket … oh except the school bus thing in Georgia … but that’s another story. Each time I’ve had to show registration and proof of insurance. Here in Tennessee, all I had to show was my license. Odd, I thought.

Tonight I dug my radar detector out of my corvette parts box and installed it in the Mini. I figure I’ll take all the help I can get until they put the speed limit back up to 70. Mr. Q is easy to spot, no other car in town looks just like him.

Still, I’m amazed … all those years of driving a Corvette; it takes a Mini to get me a speeding ticket. Sheesh.

2004-05-23T22:10:00.000-04:00

Mr. Q in Downtown Nashville

Navigation Lady Goes Postal

2004-05-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

road trip: back from Rend Lake

The trip back from Rend Lake was as nice as the Drive up. There was a detour sign that would have kept me out of some of the famed Nashville road construction traffic, but I missed it because I couldn’t see over the SUV in front of me. Oh well. I continued on. Approaching the stadium, the navigation lady directed me off the highway. I figured she must be directing me to a connecting on ramp because I was soon to change the direction of my travel. But soon I am being guided through all sorts of surface streets. What is going on???

Yes, the Navigation Lady lost it. It had switched from highway mode to avoid highways. I was sent round in circles. At one point the screen froze. “well that’s not good” I thought aloud, and looked over at the cow sitting on the front seat “do you know how to get home?” The cow didn’t answer. I suspected he did not. In my roaming I had passed the Hard Rock Café. Rather than deal with the Navigation Lady’s melt down, I decided it was time to stop for lunch.

Lunch finished, and a bit of site seeing done, time to get back on the road. I double check the SatNav settings and off we go. Great, major construction right at the on ramp and the merging lanes to the other road I need to get to. I look at the SatNav screen, it points an arrow north, then east, then north then west, then south then east … ack! It couldn’t figure out where I was and where I needed to go! I looked at the cow sitting beside me, “the navigation lady’s really lost it MooMooMoo.” He just stared.

We eventually got out of that mess, and returned home safely. All with enough time to scrub the bugs off the front bumper and bonnet.

Mr. Q Goes Fishin'

2004-05-21T01:59:00.000-04:00

road trip: Knoxville, TN to Rend Lake, IL & back

A friend of mine is married to a man who is active in the PVA Bass Tour. It didn’t take much to convince me to make this road trip. It was only 6 hours, short by my standards, and I’d get to hook up with three fun other gals that I never get to see.

Let me start by saying that the Mini Cooper is bug friendly. Meaning every bug remotely near your car, seems to end up splattered on it. Let me also say this is a year of the Cicadas. In case you are wondering, one Cicada hit at approximately 70mph (okay maybe it was 80) covers one third of the windshield. Not a good thing when it’s the portion right in front of the driver’s eyes. A Minor inconvenience, I had window cleaner in the boot. A beautiful day for a drive, I was well on my way. Until the approach into Nashville. What is it with Tennessee and road construction? This appears to be a state that is not happy unless they are tearing up roads.

Now of course when there is any kind of activity off to the side of the road, one must slow down and stare. This is one of the laws of nature apparently. Eventually I got on the other side of Nashville and it was smooth sailing into Rend Lake. Sort of. The Navigation Lady tired to send me INTO Rend Lake. In 800 ft, turn left. That can’t be a street, maybe it’s up a bit more. If possible, make a legal U turn. What? I didn’t see a street. Prepare to turn right. That can’t be the street. If possible make a legal U turn. Ok, that must be the street. You are not on a digitized road. WHAT????

To this day, I have no clue where I was, but it looked like a place I wasn’t supposed to be driving. I eventually found the hotel, and hooked up with my friends. We spent the next few days exploring the area (not a whole lot to do there), lounging on the beach, and watching the guys fish.

Rend Lake

2004-04-18T20:10:00.000-04:00

Mr. Q at the Big Chicken

Back at the Big Chicken

2004-04-18T19:50:00.000-04:00

Our first road trip. Atlanta, GA to Knoxville, TN
220 miles

On this trip home, the Navigation Lady really let me down. Once outside the perimeter I decided I wanted to stop and eat before I really got on the road. I was close to Marietta, so naturally I thought of the Big Chicken. I had passed the right off ramp so I exited as soon as I could and used the SatNav to look up the Big Chicken. Of course, it isn’t listed like that … so I had to scroll through and find the KFC listing. With all the KFCs in the world, you’d think this one would be listed as the Big Chicken.

Anyway, we got there in one piece, and here’s a picture of Mr. Q and the famed Big Chicken.

Home, full of bug splatters and my once white wheels now gray with brake dust, it’s time to give Mr. Q a bath and put him away for the night.

Bubba & the Navigation Lady

2004-04-17T23:46:00.000-04:00

It’s a miracle Bubba lived to be able to tell this tale. I nearly killed him. He needed it. We decided to go to the DeKalb County Farmers Market, to pick up a few things for dinner. We’d been there before. Bubba knew how to get there, as his passenger I'd never paid much attention. We, being smart educated IT professionals decide to let the satellite navigation system (SatNav) guide us there. Having secured the address from the Internet, we enter it into the SatNav. “Please proceed to the planned route,” the Navigation lady tells us.

All was well, until we exited I285. Suddenly we weren’t going our “normal” route. But Bubba was “purdy sure” we were still traveling in the right direction. But then he’d say “no this isn’t right (a minute passes) yeah, this is right.” The Navigation Lady says, “You have arrived, your destination is on the right.” WTF? This is Agnes Scott College!

So we drive a round. And we zoom in and out of the map to figure out where we are. And Bubba keeps trying to put the address for the Farmers Market into the SatNav, and it doesn’t want to take it. Bubba keeps trying. Hmm, Carter Library... I’m pretty sure we’re on the wrong end of town.

Do you know how easy it is to navigate the streets of Atlanta? Yeah, exactly. All the while Bubba keeps trying to put the address into the SatNav. (Sigh). “Turn here, no not here, oops, should have turned there.” My patience is wearing thin. Because he keeps punching addresses into the SatNav, the Navigation Lady all this time is spewing out instructions, which I am not following. We don’t know how to shut her up. (Mental note, RTFM!) We’ve been roaming the streets of Atlanta for 30 minutes now, maybe longer. Tempers are short. I am calling the navigation lady the B-word.

AH HA! Marta signs! We know the Farmer’s Market is across from a Marta Station. We’ll follow the Marta Signs! Well, that was a good thought, except the Marta Signs suddenly no longer appeared. Round in circles we went. We had no clue where we were in relation to where we needed to get. Comedy at it’s finest.

I turn onto a street, “this looks right,” Bubba says. “No this isn’t right, but I know where we are.” I glare at him. He instructs me to turn left, but I know this is going away from our destination rather than towards it. I turn. I’m beat, “let’s just go home.” Bubba informs me we are finding this damn place if it kills us. Maybe it’s not actually in Decatur and that’s why the address won’t come up right? Bubba tries to remember some post office in a city that starts with an S. He’s certain that’s the city we want.

Okay, have you ever tried to put a city that begins with an S in the State of Georgia into a navigation system? “Don’t. Touch. The. Navigation. System!!”

Which way is downtown Decatur square? That way he instructs me. Fine, I flip a U, make a right, and make a left. Ponce. Ahhh. I know where I am. Bubba is still fiddling with the SatNav. 10 minutes later we arrive. I plot the car, SCOTSDALE. Well, to Bubba’s credit, the city really did begin with an S … why the phone listing said Decatur was beyond me. Perhaps it’s like the Sandy Springs/Atlanta thing. Who knows really?

Screw diner, after that, I need a drink!

BBQ & the Big Chicken

2004-04-16T23:44:00.000-04:00

Having just received a new car, of course I want to drive it everywhere. It’s Friday night, and it’s dinnertime. We decide on BBQ, Williamson Bros BBQ to be exact. After feeding ourselves on BBQ, sweet tea and banana cream pie it’s time to head home. We decide to try out the navigation system and see how that works. I punch in our address and we here the navigation lady say “please proceed to the planned route.” She’s so polite.

A bit down the road we are not instructed to turn where we expect. Hmm, it must be taking us by the Big Chicken. It did. The navigation lady soon said, “Prepare to turn left” we add aloud, “at the Big Chicken.”

We were highly disappointed in the navigation lady. Everyone knows directions are ALWAYS given in relation to the Big Chicken.

Welcome to the Quirky World of Mr. Q

2004-02-14T23:42:00.000-05:00

Mr. Q is my 2004 Mini Cooper S. No, I don’t normally name my cars, in fact for the most part, I think it’s quite a dumb thing to do. There are always exceptions, and for me, Mr. Q is just that.

How Mr. Q came to be is a bit of a tale. Yes, yes. Of course I am going to tell it.

It all started in 2002, the first model year of the new Mini Cooper. My car, a silver anniversary edition 78 Corvette, was in my garage, hood open, anti freeze spewing. My resident Bubba (this is Georgia after all, every girl has her Bubba), was giving her a look over. It was only a hose, but this was during a time when the car was regularly spewing stuff and pissing me off. I did what any girl would do in this situation. I ranted, raved, kicked the tire (scuffed my damn shoe on it) and might have even cried.

Bubba, being ever considerate of my fragile emotional state, laughed. It was after all, only an easy to replace hose. I smacked him. Perhaps the tears got to the guy because next we found ourselves heading to a BMW dealer to test drive a Mini for a laugh. See, we were both certain it would be funny to see Bubba try to fold up and fit into the car. Bubba is just shy of being a 7 footer.

It was difficult to get anyone to talk to us at the dealer. I thought we were invisible. Eventually we did go for a test drive. Lo n behold Bubba had plenty of room. Bubba even could drive and shift with no problems. I thought it was a fun little car, and certainly not ordinary looking. Definitely had potential to be my next daily driver … IF (and that’s a big ol IF) I was ready to quit driving a corvette every day. I wasn’t ready.

Nearly two years later, one water pump, timing chain, 2 upper radiator hoses, tune up, battery, door handle, Hurst shifter, and brake job later, the time had come. Unfortunately I no longer lived any where near a MINI dealer. I called Global Imports Mini in Atlanta, and spoke to HER. The MA that would get me into that Mini Cooper with no hassles, no problems, and no trying to talk me into anything I didn’t want. A Goddess of Motoring Advisors. 2 hours later I’d left Global with a bunch of booklets, brochures and paperwork. It was February 14th, Valentine’s day. I’d just committed to buying a Mini. Let the wait begin.

My MA Goddess quoted me a 6-8 week wait for my Mini. That’s a long time in terms of Corvette Repairs. I prayed my car would hold out. It didn’t, but that’s another story. I tracked the production of my car through the MINI USA Owners Lounge. I waited on a message board with other antsy soon-to-be owners whose babies were being built in March. Affectionately called “March Production Group”

A week into my wait, I named my Mini. It all just clicked into place, and his name just came to me. Yes, HIS, while my Vette is decidedly a SHE, the Mini was definitely a HE. The thought process went something like this, do try to keep up, OK? Valentine’s Day. Cupid. Qewwwpid. Q. Needs to sound more distinguished. Mr. Q! and there ya go.

Mr. Q is Indy blue with a white roof, mirrors and wheels. (IB/W). He has an American Flag on his roof. I picked him up on April 16th, 2004 and have been happily Motoring ever since.