Only a bird...

It's raining here today and this is how I feel - caged and not able to get out, stretch my legs and clear my head. On top of everything, the temperature has nosedived. Definitely not a MINI Convertable kind of day.

Birthday Brawl

Yesterday was my 32nd birthday. There, I said it. And this time I managed not to cry. And while we will be celebrating my birthday in June when the weather is a little nicer, Andy and I did manage to go out on the weekend to OPP (Other Peoples' Parties).

As we drove around, it became more than evident that, even as a sign of good will for my birthday, my mojo still eludes me. It's almost as if I've lost the will to punch.

I know - get back up off the floor - that news must have made you fall out of your chair.

Gradually as the night progressed, Andy's punches became softer, as if he too realized the sad state of affairs. He is far and away the clear leader for the title of World Punch-MINI Grand little darling for 2009, and yet he showed mercy to a fellow Punch-MINI player who is clearly down on her luck.

But I am still hopeful; as I start the next year of my life it's my wish that my mojo comes to visit me every once in a while. I know it might be too much to ask it to come home, seeing as its been out enjoying the world for all these months.

Just a visit every now and then, that's all I ask. (And yes, Chief Lemon-Leader, that's on my list)

A great article

The Toronto Star had a great article written by Jim Kenzie about our nearest and dearest car.

Fun factoids include are that the MINI came about due to the Suez Crisis in 1956 in response to the high price of gas (I see not much has changed) and that the first Mini rolled off the assembly line on May 8, 1059 (making it a Taurus).

For all of us MINI lovers, it's worth a read.

Skooled

Went out with Andy on Sunday to have small pre-anniversary celebration and I got schooled. It was like my sunglasses filtered out everything and all that was MINI. And even though I rallied a bit in the last quarter, he outplayed me. To the max.

He even PMPPed me - it was shameful.

Now that's a car of a different colour

The super talented woman who is doing my wedding flowers forwarded me a link to a crazy article.

This is super cool - Can you imagine seeing this happen? Wait, that might actually cause a lot of accidents. I would if they'd need disclaimers on the back bumper?

If this ever becomes widespread I'll have to develop some new Punch-MINI rules around this. But just think, you could have a different colour every day.

When you can advertise your birthday...

Andy snapped this pic for me over the weekend. Must be nice to take out a billboard to advertise your birthday. I wonder if this isn't just a present grab.

Someone is celebrating a birthday...

...and yes, I am too. But more importantly MINI is celebrating 50 years this year!

A whole half a century, that is quite the achievement. How many cars can you think of that have been around that long? I can't think of any, mind you, I don't know much about cars.

But I know what I like, and I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my favourite car! Here's to another 50 years of racing stripes and Union Jacks! Thank you for inspiring the best game ever, even though I get bruised more often than not. And baby, you don't look a day over 35!

Friends, don't forget to punch your partner in celebration.

Well Done

Wings were had. Beer was drank. And what an amazing round of Punch-Mini.

Seriously, having multi-players in the car was a lot of fun. Sometimes as I punched Andy, my brother was punching me. Other times Andy would elbow my brother while nailing my shoulder. Even though it seemed like my brother was at a disadvantage, he played like a super-champ and got me a few times.

Although it was confirmed that my mojo is still officially gone, I did manage to get the one and only MINI we saw in Buffalo. And, thankfully, even though I was the official loser on the trip down, I did manage to spot the MINI dealership on the way back and I evened up the score. Of course, Andy flexed his superior game playing skills, in spite of driving (and waiting) for almost 5 hours, and remains the grand supreme little darling.

In this case, 3 is most definitely better than 2.

Shuffling off...

...to Buffalo. My little bro turned 21 last month so we're taking him for beer and wings in Buffalo. Why you ask? Well why not friends? Anchor Bar is an experience that every true wing lover should experience. Besides what better way to waste a Sunday away than with driving, good tunes and family. Oh and some of the best wings and beer on the planet (we loves the Sam Adams)

Don't worry mom, we won't drink and drive.

Of course this means we have a trifecta to Punch-Mini players in the car. This could be an interesting road trip.

Um HOW do I get one of these?

Hollee coolness Batman! The moment I saw this mentioned, I furiously googled it to see how I could get my hands on one of these. I would even trade in my beloved Air Miles Mastercard for one of these beauties (baby, we already have our tickets to Italy, so it wouldn't be a big deal).

And it is so cool - The MINI on the card is fully customizable. You can choose the model, colour, extras (like a Union Jack roof) and the tires. And you can collect MINI Motoring rewards that you can use to by stuff on the MINI store! This just may be the coolest fricken credit card out there!

But, of course, it's only available in the US. There isn't a Canadian bank that carries this card. To paraphrase another infamous credit card company, critical mass has its privileges.

I want MyMINI Visa :(