astarte

car is at dealership getting all of its coils/spark plugs replaced again (maybe the FOURTH time will be the charm?) so i don't have her here...

Hey All, My Vinyl stripes have faded anywhere where a line drawn tangent to the curve on the car is nearly horizontal, where the stripes are vertical they're fine. For a 2012 MINI this seems more than a bit fast (especially since I first noticed it a year ago) Talking to Alexandria MINI I have been informed that Never Before in the ENTIRE history of MINI has this occurred, and therefore it must be user damage. (Considering that Alex MINI has been the one doing all of the car washing I'm a bit confused, maybe there was a chemical attack on one of the DoD sites I work on that we never knew about?!?) Since my every experience with Alex MINI has been horrific (the car is back in the shop Yet Again, where it lives a minimum of a few times a quarter) I am having serious trouble believing them. Could you let me know if your vehicle (or someone you know's vehicle) has had this issue? Right now the best offer is that they pay for the stripes and I pay $240 for the reinstall. My stripes are silver & blue since I have a blue & silver coupe. -l.

we're doing Elie's birthday a weekend early that day. Someone plan something for memorial day since we refuse to leave the area that weekend.

I'm going to need all of my leave for wedding related events this year.

I can't imagine going from a Hummer to a MINI! That's like a serious philosophy change there... Like tomorrow I know that I can de-ice the 4Runner but wow, I'm impressed...

I can see US 1 from my office window and live off Mount Vernon Hwy and both are in good shape, people are driving full speed. I heard Arlington got 2 inches but I imagine as long as stuff is salted and they started before noon yesterday it should be OK.

Legend of Isis is a stick and she is female, because stickshifts and women are more precise.

I kept saying if I worked there I would really get good at riding a bike and ride in at least a few days a week (and get skinny!), then again I'm a CTR not a Jr Officer so my treatment is entirely different but not entirely better...

Hey I'm in Alexandria and have a Comp Sci degree did two years of law school and bailed and now do computer security and am a lot happier for it (and work with a lot of lawyers with comp sci degrees). Not that I'm saying you shouldn't do it as there are certainly people who ARE happy with that combo, but I think if I'd known more going in things would have been different, or my assumptions would have been different. I'll feed you coffee.

the steaks is way better than the burgers. I don't like teh burgers but I'll be nice to darn near anyone for almost any period of time for the promise of a Rays The Steaks Fillet. So amazing, so tasty. Their Mac and Cheese is fantastic, Elie makes himself sick on it. Do East River though as otherwise its really hard to get in and you'll pay about half for a larger than half sized portion (although for a big monster steak Rays The Steaks in Arlington is just so so so, yum) ok, I've hijacked the thread dreaming of steak, its a sad sad world.

you would have rocked the hat but your hair isn't that white and you're definitely the wrong gender for that driver! it would have been awesome to have seen you. ugh, the MD 495 MINI drivers in the morning are no fun... -l.

but when as a whole we're looking at factors going into attendence I was trying to point out what happens when you put things into DC or parts of DC. This comes from years of my trying to organize stuff at friends houses in Capitol Hill. I do a lot of analysis for a living and i think I may have geeked out too much. Another good place to do in DC that has good parking and awesome food and is really trying to help the local area is Rays East River (Its Rays the Steaks with smaller portions at a fraction of the original price with the same quality meat, just in a less awesome neighborhood.) The restaurant staff has pretty much stayed with the place since it has opened, its provided a bunch of jobs to the local area, has helped bring other business to the area, and the food is phenomenal. The restaurant's parking is under survelliance but we normally park in the grocery store across the street. Plus they have an expanded menu of non-steaky southern food at a way lower price. -l.

I learned to drive stick in DC (Anacostia to be precise), I routinely work and drive in DC, and I despise dealing with Adams Morgan, and I'm probably not going to drive my MINI as I don't want it to get banged up down there, I'll take the 4Runner if I end up driving. DC is hit or miss with people, its theoretically central but if parking isn't easy or people decide they're scared (I'm the only one of my grew up in NOVA group that will drive into DC the rest are petrified even to drive to the Smithsonian after hours). AM is fun (its the new Georgetown I believe) but you have to convince the suburbians to head in. (The ones who have a really hard time in the older parts of Arlington/Alexandria as the streets aren't wide and gridded, and 4 way stops baffle them. The fiancee and I have been horrified and amused at the confusion at 4 way stops in outer fairfax and woodbridge these days, as going through DC they're really fast and everyone just goes, no hesitating!) -l.

Whoever the blue countryman-S was wearing the awesome hat was last night in Old Town you totally made my evening (especially since you also had purple interior lights going!)

The Key Phrase in this recall is "The Percentage of Vehicles affected in this Recall is 100%"