I get a kick out of seeing quarter-million-dollar cars put in completely mundane positions. I’m not talking about things like Wrecked Exotics, a site that features expensive car accidents, but more like day-to-day tasks like a Rolls Royce at a parking meter.

Sitting at a traffic light today, watching a man load his dry cleaning into the hood of his Ferrari (remember, their engines are generally in the back of the car), I realized that I’m probably in the prime market area for Segways. There’s a ton of money around here, the money is spent on crazy items, everything is almost (but not quite) within walking distance, the city’s laid out for walkers, and the climate is great outside most of the time.

But I’ve never seen a person riding a Segway in South Beach. Not once. Well, there were a couple of women riding Segways and handing out music CD’s for Yahoo, but that doesn’t count because it was their job. I’m talking about people who actually spent their own money on a Segway and actually use it to go places.

I think if Segway can’t succeed here – or even get a single buyer – then they’ve gotta be doomed. People buy the most ridiculously expensive stuff here and flaunt it. I just got back from walking the dog, and I saw half a dozen Hummer H1′s and H2′s all blinged out with huge rims, lots of chrome, big stereos, etc all coming back from the clubs. So where are the Segways?

Brent Ozar

Brent specializes in performance tuning for SQL Server, VMware, and storage. He's one of the very few Microsoft Certified Masters of SQL Server, a published author, and a Microsoft MVP. He likes travel, Jeeps, Apple gear, jokes, and writing about himself in the third person. Read more and contact Brent.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:

I spent a thoroughly enjoyable weekend at the Miami Boat Show. We started at the Strictly Sail event, drooling over the sailboats. I subscribe to a few sailing magazines, but I don’t know jack about sailing. I sailed some in high school, but never solo, and I would need a lot of training to get there. Nonetheless, my happy place is a sailboat, so we went to the sailboats first. There’s only so much you can get from magazines, and two boats really impressed me while one let me down.

I’ve recently fallen in love with Hanse Yachts for their modern, clean styling. The interior is worlds away from any sailboat I’ve ever seen, and I’m sure it polarizes sailors. These boats are out of my price range, but for that matter, so were almost all of the boats, motors, and even clothing that I saw today. Anyway, if you’re going to dream, dream big – in this case, 46 feet and about $360k. Man, if I had $360k to buy a sailboat, this would be the one. Erika wasn’t quite as impressed.

The Morris M36, on the other hand, struck a chord with both of us. It’s a traditional daysailor, although way overpriced – it’s hard to imagine spending a quarter million dollars on a boat that’s too small to sleep in. Beautiful boat, though.

The letdown: Oyster. These crazy expensive custom boats photograph beautifully, but in person, the only available model felt way too busy. Lots of chrome up on deck, lots of contrasting finishes below. It’s a hell of a solid boat, but more upkeep than I can ever imagine putting into a boat. Someone who buys an Oyster has a full-time captain, plus full-time help to keep the boat looking good.

We were both surprised by the interior volume available in catamarans. Neither of us had ever stepped foot on one before, and if I was going to buy a sailboat, I’d hold out for a catamaran. Wait, didn’t I just say I’d blow $360k on a Hanse? Well, anyway.

I left Erika at home this afternoon and went on to the much larger powerboat show. The sailboat show was quiet, peaceful, and composed largely of couples. The powerboat show was loud, obnoxious, and filled with screaming children. I think the shows probably reflect the communities, too. Lots of neat boats to see.

Brent Ozar

Brent specializes in performance tuning for SQL Server, VMware, and storage. He's one of the very few Microsoft Certified Masters of SQL Server, a published author, and a Microsoft MVP. He likes travel, Jeeps, Apple gear, jokes, and writing about himself in the third person. Read more and contact Brent.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:

Miami Beach Marathon, originally uploaded by BrentOzar.

I just went outside to take Ernie for a ride to the grocery store and discovered that I’ve got a front row seat to today’s activities. The ING Miami Marathon runs right in front of our place. To get the car out, I would need to drive across the line of runners, something I’m not too keen on.

Brent Ozar

Brent specializes in performance tuning for SQL Server, VMware, and storage. He's one of the very few Microsoft Certified Masters of SQL Server, a published author, and a Microsoft MVP. He likes travel, Jeeps, Apple gear, jokes, and writing about himself in the third person. Read more and contact Brent.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:

A seaplane crashed today in Miami Beach about 17 blocks from our apartment. Erika and I drive up and down the MacArthur Causeway all the time, and I drive home from work every day over it. On this map, if you follow the Venetian Causeway to the right until it meets the ocean, that’s where we live.

The eerie part to me is that a month or two ago, Erika and I were coming down the causeway and a plane landed right over us. We didn’t realize it was a seaplane at the time – we thought it was an airplane that had just taken off from Miami International, and that it was going down. We were both scared silent because it landed in the water just outside of our field of view, and we didn’t relax until we saw it taxiing back towards us in the water. Now, I’m used to seeing seaplanes around here, but back then, man, I thought I was witnessing a plane crash.

After we calmed down, we had the oddest perspective. We then knew what we’d feel like if we watched a plane crash. We were both very solemn, concerned about everyone aboard, and heartbroken that we couldn’t do anything about it. I can just imagine how people felt seeing this Chalk’s plane crash.

While I’ve got this map up, might as well tell you about the view. “Port Bld.” on the map is the Miami shipping terminal. Five or six big cruise ships can park up end to end across from MacArthur Causeway. Miami is the largest cruise ship terminal in the world. On any given afternoon, on my drive home, I pass a couple of cruise ships stopping in to switch out a new set of passengers. It’s so inspirational, so relaxing to look up and see these big boats, to remember what our cruise was like, and think about our upcoming cruise. I just love it!

Brent Ozar

Brent specializes in performance tuning for SQL Server, VMware, and storage. He's one of the very few Microsoft Certified Masters of SQL Server, a published author, and a Microsoft MVP. He likes travel, Jeeps, Apple gear, jokes, and writing about himself in the third person. Read more and contact Brent.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:

We’re REALLY Hiring.

Originally uploaded by BrentOzar.

Our favorite restaurant is always hiring, but why two signs next to each other? They’re even both in English.

Brent Ozar

Brent specializes in performance tuning for SQL Server, VMware, and storage. He's one of the very few Microsoft Certified Masters of SQL Server, a published author, and a Microsoft MVP. He likes travel, Jeeps, Apple gear, jokes, and writing about himself in the third person. Read more and contact Brent.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me: