Gigi

Can I just say +1 to everything said above? Since I've got lots of stuff for the MINI Skirts booth to bring, I have packed / repacked and made several dry fits of the containers in my car. Getting ready to get ready or OCD??

I make no claim to being skilled at reading lips, but after seeing that video I'm pretty sure I know exactly what you were swearing, I mean saying. LOL

I went to Dublin, TX today and bought 2 of the last cases of real Dublin Dr. Pepper. I also bought 2 cases of Cheerwine while in there. Can y'all get Cheerwine in the DC area?

No front plate in Louisiana so that's not an option for me. I had it on the back of the rearview mirror mount (I don't have the rain sensor). Don't know how long it will last in southern heat inside the rear sunroof but I'm happy it's there till it melts.

Excellent! I'm gonna move mine today. Thanks, Carman and Haemish.

I replaced my passenger side grab bar above the door with a sun visor. It's the exact same visor that is on the driver's side - just flipped over. The mounting screws line up exactly with the grab bar's holes. NOTE: This may not be a desirable mod if you have a passenger who takes issue with your driving skills.

Last year 2 other MINIs and I skedaddled out of Trussville, AL when the tornado sirens started blaring at 3:45 a.m. Driving "rapidly", we managed to outrun the tornadoes that destroyed parts of northern AL. We were also blessed to be just behind the tornadoes that knocked down trees near MOTD. I would rather not experience deja vu this year, me.

I missed out going with y'all last year. I'm looking forward to it this year! Woohoo!

Aren't you leading the Bridal Veil Falls run??

I have my cabin behind Celia's again. Sadly, there's no more real Dublin Dr. Pepper for me to bring. (damn you, Dr. Pepper Corporation :argh:). Still working on alternative Plan B. Got any requests or suggestions?

Want a 16GB Sandisk Extreme SDHC Class 10 card? It's yours for $30.

Aesthetic Creations comes immediately to mind. Cooper Flags is another that I have experience with. Both are excellent.

I really, really appreciate everyone's input.

I went thru a MINI dealership owned by AutoNation when I bought my 100K warranty and maintenance plans. I don't think I even knew at the time there were plans that had deductibles. (Not surprising, the dealership having been the recipient of a whole bunch of my cash on doodad crap and accessories never mentioned cheaper plans.) AutoNation recently bought a warranty company so when they approached me to extend my warranty a second time it under the same terms (i.e. zero deductible) except no audio. Audio being the one thing that I most likely will trash within the 155K warranty period.

Thanks y'all for the advice! The 155K plan will the be same as my current 100K warranty plan in that I have no deductible. But, the 155K plan won't cover audio (speakers, USB jack, etc.). Do y'all have audio covered?

I have been approached by my extended warranty company to go out another 55,000 miles on the warranty (for a total of 155,000) for a cost of $3,000. The price is based on the fact that my 2009 R56 has 85,000 and change miles. I drive an average of 4,000 miles/month but my car is regularly maintained. I'm trying to decide what the likelihood is (outside of an accident or vandalism) that I will incur more than $3,000 in engine repairs within the next year and a half. What's likely to poop out? I have an automatic transmission if that makes a difference. I have to make a decision before the end of the month if I want the extended, extended coverage at that price point. Any and all advice is welcomed!

I question the wisdom/sense of humor of the person(s) choosing the welcome dinner menu. Lots of people, occupying close quarters with people that they may or may not know that well, and they served bean-laden chili? I am now knowledgeable of the digestitive workings of folks I could have lived my whole life not knowing.

Sometimes winning is for winning sake and not the prize. Having said that, IMO garnering 30,000+ votes is a little too intense to still be fun but works in a kooky, sociopathic kind of way.

Hmmmm. Tag team voting. Well that explains how a past winner had in excess of 30,000 votes.

Don't forget that you can vote daily!

Great pic of Tigger & Ali posted by Tail of the Dragon on FB.

I can't thank y'all enough for the warm welcome I received from DCMM. I had a blast! I left at Sunday morning at 4:30 a.m. heading back to Louisiana. Wow, the Hellbender and the Dragon are totally different experiences when you are the only car on the road...in pitch black darkness...just you and the critters...and the faint sound of banjo music... Did I mention pitch black darkness? And critters? When I hit Alabama, it looked like a war zone. Knowing that I split when the tornado sirens went off and got out ahead of the destruction is humbling to say the least.

I did. It turns out that I had the wiring tucked up underneath my bumper so no new wiring harness was necessary. The light snapped right in. The only thing ugly was taking the dash apart to install the toggle switch module. A dealership reprogrammed my car for about $350. As for the chrome (plastic) ring surrounding the light, I didn't want to drill holes in my plastic bumper so instead we snapped off all of the tabs and applied a construction-quality double-stick tape. C'est fini!

2009. It's a December 2008 build, I think.

Don't forget I'm bringing Dublin Dr. Pepper to the Brewswap. What it is missing in glutens it makes up for with carbs but that's a different story line.