Sight for sore eyes

Every so often, admittedly more often lately, I work a little later at the office. The silver lining is the view from the front door of the office. I'm thankful that I enjoy the drive home. Every day.

Take 2 and call me in the morning

Two days after the tires went on the MINI and I'm feeling the love. Joining the itemized list of paid services at the tire shop was a 4-wheel alignment. What a difference $60 + tax makes. Things weren't uncomfortable before, but now the ride is smooth like my Cannondale. The response for acceleration (especially while the wheels are turned), braking, and handling are incredibly improved. The primary benefit is increased agility to avoid potholes, to which I'm now overly sensitive. This is mostly due to the heretofore mentioned cost of remedying a good rim smack.

The credit for the new grip goes to what amounts to a compromise, but one I'm willing to live with. As much as I'd love to ring some undersized Pilots on the alloy corners, the beloved 330i went through so many Z-rated tires that I've been scarred for some time. Heap on the price of gas and speed has given way to 6th gear efficiency.

When all was said and done, I went with some Continental Run-Flats from Tire Rack. Prior customers have rated them well and they were among the better deals for matching tire sizes on my stock 16s. And why the run-flats? I have to admit this was a matter of security. I've got 37500 miles on a car less than two years old; I drive across country more than my fair share. I decided that if I didn't have to pay a huge premium, and I could hold onto the sport grip, it sure would be nice not to be stranded in the middle of the country with no spare.

A new grip on reality

I put 4 new tires on the Cooper S this morning.



I love the grip of new tread. It's like getting a whole new car, mostly because you get there via balding tires that no longer grip at all. I had lost the ability to make right turns at ridiculous speeds or to punch the throttle around a tightening curve and feel the tread bite. Now I have that all back.

Saturday morning

Cycling on a lonely country road at 7am, this is what I see.



It may be hot down here, but it sure is beautiful.

Country road

Along the way to a family gathering, I had the opportunity to drive solo in the Cooper S. Gas prices being high these days, I was poking along the highway when I spotted a scenic detour. The nice thing about exploring these days is that northern Georgia is nothing but scenic and the GPS means I can't really get lost.

After 10 minutes or so, I found this rolling stretch and captured it for posterity.

Prenatal Down Syndrome Books

I've been up to my chin with some recent projects and it's time I share. One month ago we launched books for expecting parents who receive a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis. The comprehensive model includes books for the parents, guides for the medical professionals, presentations for the local Down syndrome representatives, and a training platform to teach said representatives to be professional, credible, and personable.



The full Parent book design is here.



The full Medical brochure design is here.

The printing is outstanding. We used fantastic paper, an aqueous coating, and a perfect bind that really adds polish. The response from the public has been outstanding. We released a press release a couple of days ago, and we've had a spike in orders for the Presenter Kit, including orders from overseas. In fact the first order for books came a mere 30 minutes after we sent our first email announcing them. I'm confident this is the best pieces of its kind produced for expecting parents.

My apologies to all those I've neglected over the last several weeks as we ramped up. Now, back to admiring cars and weather.