A Glow Up & Other Stories

 
There's so much I need to get off my chest, but I'm only willing to talk about a few of them. Let's start with the good stuff. 

Miku got her glow up in recent days. She has checkered mirror caps to match her key fob. That plus a new license plate holder on the front bumper have suddenly erased most of her seven years. There might be more changes to come, which I'll elaborate on later in this post.

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Artoria is also undergoing a similar glow up. I've replaced her rear corner window trim pieces due to deteriorated rubber trim, perhaps the most common complaint about MINIs after BMW started installing their reliable B46/B48 engines under the bonnet. She also has full blown Union Jack valve stem caps on her wheels. 

Her Union Jack mirror caps will arrive early next week, and since she doesn't have a puddle lamp like Miku I can do the replacement myself. Once that's done, I'll share a picture online since the Brits can't fly their own flag without being called a racist.

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I've parsed through the 2026 Billionaire's Tax Act and now I have a strategy for staying off the radar. I simply must lower my net worth to be kicked out of the Stanley and Danko Secret Society. A market downturn would do the trick, and so would opening my wallet. Apparently vehicles, art work, jewelry and watches are not counted in the proposal's net worth formulation.

I don't want to buy a third vehicle or replace the ones I have, but spending a few thousand dollars on replacing Miku's front headlight assemblies, bonnet stripes and touching up her paint doesn't sound like a waste of money now. She may have a possible issue with her rear window defroster, but I won't know for sure until Winter arrives. I just might drop her off at the dealership later this summer to address these issues all at once.

Artoria needs new tires at the end of summer or the beginning of Fall, depending on how the current set wears during the next few months. That will be about $1,500 once you add in balancing, alignment and sales tax, but that's a necessary expense I can't avoid.

I have no need for art work or jewelry, so luxury watches could become my new hobby. I'm already casually looking at Breitling (for wear) and Rolex (for resale value) offerings as we speak. We'll see what happens when we get closer to November's election. Anything can happen between now and then.

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There's a few other things on my mind before I enjoy the rest of the weekend:

A mutual friend of Bolt Man's passed away today. Although it's been two decades since I've seen him the news is still hitting me hard. I have a lot of fond memories of hanging out with him when we were much younger and not yet jaded by real life.

I still think Kier Starmer is a wanker. I might (dis)honor him on Monday's post.

Finally, single moms claiming Father's Day as their second parental holiday can piss off. They're already getting child support, alimony and government handouts to maintain the illusion of "strong and independent". Let men have their one day of relevance in a child's life.