Press release

KICKIN' THINGS OFF FROM LOS ANGELEEEEEZE!

By Erin 'Gigglechick' Bennett

1206 Miles Until Denver!!

Don't tell Phooka, but, I was sitting comfortably behind the wheel of a Chili Red JCW MINI tonight... and got lost on the way to the California Science Center...

okay, before getting lost THAT time, we got sucked into the labyrinth that is the parking garage where "Mr. Name To Be Determined" was resting.

The sweet thing about that was, we happened upon many MINIs in the place and snapped some pics.

THEN we got lost on the way to the Kickoff Party but then I spotted the slew of MINIs and made it to the place...

The Garmin MTTS MINI was absolutely sweeeeeet!

One of the "Cute" MINIs of the day for me was this simple taxi-esque MINI that said "Not For Hire"

when I arrived, it was in full swing.



There it was... The Countryman. what a sexy MINI on steroids that bad boy is!!! (my favorite part of the design of it is that when the bonnet is lifted, the cutout of the headlights part of it. seriously, as someone who has her BS in Industrial Design, that circle of chrome made my heart skip a beat or two. Does that make me a dork? Not when I was surrounded by the crowd that was there tonight!)



I also met the head of MINI design... and his sidekick.



Of course, the Countryman was all the rage, but scampering about throughout the crowd was a 15 foot tall girl. Let me clarify. She was on stilts and dancing (basically doing moves that I couldn't even do if I were barefoot.)



One would think that the new MINI Countryman and the dancing chick on stilts would've been enough, right? Nope!

MACY GRAY showed up and was cranking out the beats at the MTTS Kickoff in L.A. Pretty keen.



I mingled with some of the folks out there - I hope to meet more of you!I'm thoroughly enjoying driving into a parking lot and seeing wall-to-wall MINIs...

Got some sassy swag tonight!Also, I'm a "waver". If I see someone driving one of Phooka's bretheren, I give a jaunty wave. I have a feeling that by the time MTTS hits Denver, my arm will be in a sling from the workout.

I need to hit the hay and get up at the crack of 6am in order to meet up with folks at 8am at the Santa Anita Racetrack... where our Rise & Shine Rally is being held.

and then..... then it's off to Phoenix!