Hey there, I'm home.

Minola, the wife and I have been talking about coming down to Pinellas county over the Thanksgiving weekend. She has been craving Cuban food for awhile and we plan on going to the Columbia in St. Pete. Would probably do that on Friday. Would you all be up to meeting us there for either lunch or supper?

I know its a bit of ways off, but always like to do long plans.

 

Wow! You're all about planning 'eh? I don't think I have anything marked in my calendar yet. The husband likes Cuban food too. Is it best in St. Pete? I would have guessed Ybor would be more "authentic". Isn't there a "Columbia" restaurant down here in Sarasota on St. Armand's circle? Maybe it's a different place.

 

HI all, just checking in and catching up on the reading... X that is an amazing story! You go girl! I salute you!
MINIxB- in my past life along with photography, I worked at printing companies/ printers, and made plates the old fashion way! Striped and burned plates. Also worked in the dark room and work on a screening camera so large I had to "step up" onto it. You know what i'm talking about don't you!?! hahaha. boy that was a thousand years ago!!! also did graphic arts the old fashioned way before computers....wow am i getting old?

 

Hey Hal- the husband told me to Google three guys from Miami. I did it and copied the link to Tampa Restaurants here:
http://cuban-food-usa.com/tampa.html
Is the Columbia that's listed here the one you are talking about? It says it's "slightly formal" .

Hey Gem! Sounds like you had a cool job. Did you do the car show thing yet? If so, how did it go?

 

Car show is this coming saturday. I'm excited and nervous and don't think i will ever do another, it is alot of work cleaning it and then when it rains I get nasty!! I love my clean car but this is an obsession!
Will talk photos....

 

look what i just found!!! this is what i've been doing for the last couple weeks daily!!! hahahhaha

 

I bet! Well good luck with that. So will it be all MINIs, Minis, anything else? Will there be other new ones like ours?

 

THAT is one awesome smiley Gem! Now put that together with your chocolate lover and you are golden! (BTW- I am partial to Chili Red! )

 

It is a Classic Cars of England car club that noticed the PHilly MINI group and invited all the MINI/Mini to join in. There will be all kinds of classic British cars there, which hubby is excited about also. There will be a new catagory for the MINI/Mini this year. 12 total including 2 classice from out group will be there.

 

GOLDEN, DID YOU SAY GOLDEN??
Now your talking girl!!! speaking my laguange!!!

 

OLA going to turn in now, nice chatting with you! talk later....

night night...

 

*BLING BLING- BLING BLING*

Sounds like fun. Hope you have a blast.

I'm going to get going for now. Gotta go fix the bed up and get ready for sleepin'. G'night!

 

There's actually seven restaurants.

http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/locations.asp

I've been to five of the seven listed there and one that's no longer open. Guess we kinda like their food. Deb and I went to the original in Ybor city for our first date ever back in 1970.

 

The plates are a silcone type of material, bendable and squishy. I dont' really remember right now what they're made out of. Newspaper factories use the aluminum plates.. One plate take about an hour to make depending on how much detail is on the plate. Usually by the next day the press is already using the plate and making stuff with it. Depending on how large an order is we'll have it done and ready to ship in about a week or two. The biggest order I've seen while I worked here was for about 28 million envelopes. That took about two or three months to finish it...

And yes, I do get headaches sometimes from the smell of the ink. It depends on how much ink we're working with and what color it is (different colors use different pigments which all smell different. Some colors have a stronger and more horrible smell than others).

 

I know what you're talking about but I've never actually done it. Alot of our other plants make their plates analog like that but we've converted to doing it all digitally...

 

She looks good...really good! I tried the Rain-X Wash-n-Wax (blue stuff with little wax beads in it), holy hell that stuff works nice! It was pretty reasonably priced too -maybe $7-10 for a huge jug. Alex needs some TLC now, she's a dirty girl.

Clay bars...yeah, I need to get one and get to work on Alex. There is a lot of "blah" on her right now that I would like to get rid of. Not to mention, I need to do some touch up paint work on her as well. Damn highway stone damage

 

OK Babble - I finally got a second to look at your gallery. HOW can you even THINK of selling one of those pretty things!?!?!?! I forbid it.

 

Sorry, I didn't realize you have spatial relationship problems.

I'll try to take a picture or two from below; hopefully that will help.

Looks like I'm going to have another MINI convert at work. One of the guys I work with has decided to bite the bullet and get himself a MINI. He's sure he wants a MCS, but not just sure whether to get 1st or 2nd generation. Of course I'm pushing for 1st gen. Gonna try to get him to drive mine this weekend before he goes to the dealership next week.

He's the second one so far. First guy got a '09 just-a-cooper with the CVT, against my advice. Only problem now is his wife's vehicle is going south now, so she is driving the MINI more than he is.

 

Hal, that is some good sales work!! Keep going and you will have a whole company driving Mini's and soon add smaller parking spots to fit more in!!

 

Hal - did I forget to mention that the hood release is stuck in "shut" mode? Yeaaahh...makes "opening" the bonnet much more difficult (not to mention amusing for those watching you try) when you're trying to do it from below! Which reminds me...I'm going to have to make sure my neighbor is gone the next time I try it... No more blackmail pics.

Oh, and anotha thing....So why is it when the email notice comes out on the GIANT work distro list about some WHITE MINI parking in the wrong spot, everybody immediately assumes it's ME?? DUH, all these pictures of a GREEEEEEEN MINI around my cubicle don't give you a SIGN???? *sheesh*

 

UhOh,,, Re: your green MINI and the work people assuming yours is the law breaking white MINI?? I am laughing my butt off over here!!

Love it,,,, just love it. Of course there is only ONE MINI in residence at work, right???

Hoo,,boy---- good one...

 

My guess is #1- they are stupid... #2- they are confused by the two color paint job... #3- it's a small white car that is a Prius or something... maybe not even a MINI!

Hey Cab- I posted another pic in my gallery. Since you got a good laugh at my wig one... saying it looked like I was trying to make my sexy face ... well this new pic is called "just me". (And Gem, there's no scary wig... it's my real hair! ) Anyway, the pic was taken last night after I got out of the tub and dried my hair. It's pretty basic... black and white and just a white v-neck t-shirt (plaid curtains in the kitchen)... and of course I have my gnome pj pants on but you can't see them. There was no sexy pose down... it was just me as me. I took it for something else but posted in my gallery because it's just simple... and it's the real me... the face of miniola.

 

Hey Ola!! Nice pic!! You have nice eyes, and I swear you look like you're just a tiny little thing. Didn't you mention that you are like 5 foot nuthin??

I like the title,,, just_me...

On to another subject- yes I am ADD, I know!! Tonight is when Dateline does a special report on that poor woman that died in a diving mishap in Australia. The one where the husband did it? It's on at 10 pm and I can't wait to watch it. I'll be dammed if I would ever,,,EVER leave anyone who was struggling alone on the ocean floor while I floated off for help... just doesn't make sense...and I hazard the guess that the hubby really did do it... ugh, what a story.

 

I kinda figured it was in the closed position.

I just had another flash of deep thought. My Sir Cedric is 1st gen R53. Your Mints is 2nd gen R56. The latch mechanism on my MINI is in the front corners of the bonnet. Your bonnet latch is in the middle of the front. There's a remote possibility you can access the latch mechanism through the grill, but be careful not to scratch the paint job. Maybe put a thick towel or some other type of padding (felt maybe) around the top and bottom of your coat hanger.

Here's a diagram of your latch and bonnet.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...81&hg=41&fg=35

Wish I could be more help.

 

Oooooo, 'Ola....youse a pretty chicky! I'm with Cab on this one - pretty eyes! Did you take it yourself, or on a timer, or what? What'd you take it for, if not to impress US?

Loookey what I found!

Anyway, 'Cab, you mentioned the shady husband...which reminded me - did you guys hear about David Carradine!?!?!