Well now I'm working Friday for 4 hours. Getting ready to go to Oklahoma on the 11th.

Mark

 

happy new year everyone.

was pretty much another ordinary busy wednesday night. but i did
do something a little different... watched a music video with the
wife after kids were asleep and had our traditional soba.

 

We spent last night with some of our MINI mates
Mark

 

Low-key night here as well. I watched the Barrett-Jackson auction with my dad and we had a really good dinner.

Now watching the Rose Bowl parade!

 

I need to give Geoffrey a bath. He hasn't had a bath since we had all that horrible rain here in LA a few weeks ago. But since we'll be driving up to the bay area tomorrow it would probably be a good idea to wait till we get there to give him a bath. Bah. It still sucks to see a dirty MINI.

Oh and Happy New Year everyone!!

 

I set the inside of my minivan on fire with what I thought were cool spent fireworks casings. Well, apparently they weren't cool enough... I happened to walk back out to the van and said "Hmmm.... what's that flickering light in the back of the van.... and why is it all smoky in there....?"

Probably caught it a few minutes before the whole thing would have been up in flames. Damage limited to one rear seat, carpet, and my right hand (second degree burns from getting burning pantyhose shrink-wrapped around it while shoveling everything out of the back of the van with my bare hand...)

So I got to do a full interior detail this morning with my left hand...

Now it smells like a combination of Nero, Clarity, LeatherCare spray, Febreeze and a campfire.

But clarity and the DP glass cloth works GREAT to remove smoke residue...

 

 

Damn, Paul... let's hope your year improves from here !

Make sure that burn doesn't get infected. See a doctor even if you think it MIGHT be.

Glad you can keep your sense of humor about it. Me, I would have been cussing up a storm the whole time I was putting out the fire and the whole time I was cleaning it up.

 

^^ yah really.

... in other news, the legacy buddy (like any legacy) flaked out on me
for the sale today. damn it i hate subaru's.

 

Yeah... It was pretty surreal... victim of one of those Safety 101 things that I can recite in my sleep, and always practiced... until now... just plain stupid.

I had a few choice words.

Hand will be fine - much better today. Just some blisters to deal with over the next few weeks... it hurt A LOT last night - which is a good thing, means I didn't kill the nerves or do any permanent damage. I'll keep it clean and disinfected... and WILL go for antibiotics early if it starts getting infected...

 

Glad you are OK Paul and I'm happy that you didn't burn down your house!
I got a chance this morning to wash the MINI and then did some BG. That stuff is so great for in between Epic applications. It was 30 degrees and it still hazed right up.
So, besides not burning down houses and Mini Vans, any one got a New Year's resolution of two?
I've resolved to no longer make New Year's resolutions.

 

Paul, I feel for ya. Short form, of a long story; When I was 12, fireworks put me in the hospital for 6 weeks, from 2nd and 3rd degree burns to my right leg and hand.

The Rose Bowl, we did watch the parade though. The real sport to watch today is the outdoor NHL game today, Detroit at Chicago on Wrigley Field


Mark

 

The way my MINI looks right now is really depressing. It is covered and salt and snow which is probably doing all kinds of damage to the exposed metal on the bottom of the car. Unfortunately there is no point in going to a touchless wash as the roads are still covered in who knows what.

Here look,

 

I feel the pain, although we only have to deal with that kind of stuff a few times during the winters here in Maryland.

Me... I rinse the salt and chemicals off the car with a couple gallons of distilled water (and then pull it into the garage) and then wait for a chance to wash the car on a weekend day when the temps are above freezing.

And as for the bottom of the car, take a lawn sprinkler and put it under the car... washes all the junk from the undercarriage.

 

That's a great idea for the undercarriage!

Just got in from doing a quick wash and Hydro in the driveway. I couldn't take it anymore, my baby was covered in salt and dirt. The outdoor thermometer says it's 36 degrees, and it was getting dark, but I was determined. Is this an early sign of detailing OCD?

 

Yeah, you're coming down with the OCDetailers disease. Don't worry... it's a good thing.

And that lawn sprinkler idea is not my original idea. One of the other OCDetailers mentioned it last year.... I think it was Lotsie.

 

yah, chicagoland winters look like this for me... (yah, old pict but
car looks no different. nice and clean).

 

yah, i didnt have time to pull out the sprinkler but i did wash the
undercarriage (sus bits mostly and rocker panels) on the FitS with
just plain tap at full blast. better than nothing.

 

Yeah the sprinkler under the car is my idea, that I stole from someone else Works great though.

If I can't do a real proper wash, as in 2 buckets, pre-rinse, wash/rinse/Hydro/dry, I just rinse the car as best I can, either at home, or a wand wash. Looking good is important to me, but not at the risk of swirling up the finish doing a 1/2 way job of it. And winter grit is the worst, better to leave it alone than rub it in, IMO.

Mark

 

Took Molly to a DIY Wash place Today, hosed down the wheel wells. Brought her home and did a long over due quick detail. Carnuba'd the plastic and chrome inside and used Griot's Spray-on Car Wash, to tired to BG tonight will wait for the weekend.

It was good to take her out Today, she'd been couped up in the garage for 3 Weeks now because of the Freak Snow Storm we had.

 

I personally wouldnt mine leaving it in place, its just the fact that it is completely covered in salt that has me... worried I guess.

 

the salt itself isn't too bad. it's when you cycle it with water.
if you're going to wash it rinse it real well to get the salt off the
car, not halfway sort of off the car.

the main purpose of me doing a lower half rinse was to rid the
salt. i didnt care about the appearance cause it's going to get
nasty in no time anyway.

 

wheew, was finally able to sell the ex-legacy's wheelset today.
was so tired of having them in my garage i actually drove it to the
guy's apartment to drop them off.

i fit all 4 wheels/tires upright in my FitS's trunk with the rear seats
not folded down. that's a lot of room for a little car.


got the new winter wheelset on my FitSW. i got the borbets so they
look pretty factory. aggressive offset but i ran 15"s (stock is 16")
with taller sidewalls so it doesnt look lifted.

 

My tool order should be here today Tracking says it's on the truck. We are tearing down the Christmas tree lot today, should take a couple of hours, we had about 30 trees left, but we still made around $9k May start working on Lois's B-day present when I get home, going to make a deluxe spice rack I have spice bottles coming with my tool order, from here.

We ordered a new shift **** for Gimli, a cocoblolo one like this it's on route.

Mark

 

lotsie-sounds like fun.

do you ever check out garrettewade? they have some nice wood working
tools too. i want to get the japanese saw set down the road. those
come in real handy when doing interior work when you need to cut
very flush inside door panels for speaker installs, etc.

rotary tools are nice but i prefer handtools.