Spec Miata Update #2

So in order to make room for the roll cage, seat, and other equipment, as well as to lose weight, the interior must come out of the car. This is a fun, if laborious, process.

For a narrative, see our Spec Miata blog at http://specmiata.blogspot.com/2004/07/gutting-interior.html.

Spec Miata Update #1

Until further notice, appropriate summaries of my Spec Miata will continue to appear HERE.  However, more detailed posts will appear at another blog run by Yosh and I at http://specmiata.blogspot.com. 

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Jack Banha, of Woodlawn Garage in Philadelphia, has agreed to give us a hand with some mechanical aspects of the car.  I guess after he's been trying to get us into more serious racing for the last few years he feels partly responsible for the mess we're in.      ;-) 
 
Jack's wife, nicknamed Buffy, is pregnant and due with their baby any day now.  We're all waiting to meet baby boy Mika Joachim Banha soon...

For his expertise and assistance, we'll need to throw Woodlawn some nice sponsorship stickers on the car.       :-)

Here are some pics of Jack helping take care of a few things (I am probably forgetting some stuff)  :

• Remove A/C system (we don't need A/C and definitely don't need the weight!)
• Install new waterpump
• Install new thermostat
• And apparently...  Take stuff out of the engine bay and challenge us to figure out where the heck to put the stuff back on?! 

July 4th Holiday

We took a much needed vacation at the shore over the July 4th holiday. The whole Zanger family was there to celebrate the holiday. Maddie and her cousins, Jack and Ryan, had lots of fun playing together and being at the beach.

Vautrin Visit

Lola, Carter, and Chloe came to visit in June, which was lots of fun.





Madeline seemed to like kissing Baby Chloe for some reason. It was odd but cute.


A random dog showed up in our yard. Not sure why this is worth mentioning.


Carter with Jack in the background. I think we caught them in the middle of some mahem but Carter tries to play it off with a cute look.

Maddie Visits Valley Green

Miata Pictures

Here are some pictures of the Miata that Yosh and I bought. We're building a Spec Miata racecar to compete in SCCA events next year. We just decided upon a custom roll-cage, which should be built and installed in mid-to-late August. We have a few weeks now to sort out some minor mechanical issues and to tear out the interior of the car in preparation for the roll cage.











And Yosh even held Maddie! ;-)

New Office Chair

Now that I work from home once every week or so, and do all of my endless MBA schoolwork in my office, we setup the office properly with some great Knoll furniture. However, my cheap Ikea desk chair was a sad-looking remnant from college that was in need of replacement with something better and more ergonomic.

After a lot of research, from the Herman Miller Aeron to the Steelcase Leap, I decided on the award-winning HumanScale Freedom. It was designed by Niels Diffrient, an ergonomic design pioneer.

I have to say that I am very satisfied with this comfortable chair, that I expect to last for a long time. It's very comfortable, easy to adjust, and looks great in my office.

Reading Visit

We stopped in Reading to visit my parents and give them a chance to see Madeline. Then we had a phenomenal dinner out with Lynne, Chris, and Paul at the Landis Store Hotel.

Maddie had a fun time opening gifts for her birthday.

Katie's 30th Birthday

We celebrated Katie's 30th birthday in early June, with a little party at our home. It was a fun time and great to see all of our friends.

Baptism

Madeline Faith Livingood was baptized in May. We went to Bausman Memorial Church in Wyomissing with close family. Afterwards, we celebrated her birthday and baptism and she ate a bit of cake. This was a long time coming, and finally everyone was healthy enough to pull the event off!

Fun Sunglasses