Friday, February 11, 2011

Another reason city life does not suit me

I miss driving my car.  A lot.

I was thinking about my car the other day on the metro.  First there was the Saturn.  It was old and so lightweight that I swear it felt different when the tank was empty vs when it was full.  It got me to school and back again, it was pretty reliable, but I didn't spend much time with it.

Then there was/is the Acura, which has not only spent more time with me, but that time has been more significant.  It moved me to college and back home, and back to college, and to a few different dorms/apartments, and back home again (who knew that much stuff would shove into a two-door car?)  It took me back home the first time I got homesick, and for breaks, and then back "home" to Tallahassee when it was over.  I got to sing as loudly and obnoxiously as I wanted the whole 4.5 hour drive between Tampa and Tallahassee, or the 5 minute drive to Publix.  I can't count the number of times I got frustrated with roommates or bored or just wanted to think and would drive around, and out of, town for a while.  Mostly it was when I needed a stress reliever and some alone time; sometimes it was with a friend; once it was with someone I was dating, but it was always relaxing.  I also can't count how many times something happened or I got bad news and I managed to keep myself together and collected just until I got into my car and turned it on; then it was safe to do whatever I wanted.  My car put up with me forgetting to change brake pads when I was supposed to, 3 car accidents (not my fault), a few road trips, being parked in a college campus parking lot, not being washed or cleaned out often enough, and my own experiments in the basics of DIY car maintenance.  It's a trooper.

Now I can't get anywhere where there isn't another person within 20 feet of me.  I can't just get in my car and drive 20 minutes in any direction and be in the middle of nowhere with just me and some good music and whatever it was I needed to think about, if anything at all.  I can't turn on any heated seats when it's cold outside, or roll down the windows when it's nice out, or just freaking get away from all these millions of people that are swarming everywhere.

Most importantly, I can't sing obnoxiously to my music anymore.  I can't wait to get my car back.

Day 39: weird underside of the arch leading to Rue des Nevers...I'll start translating later.

Day 40: They are taking over everything, most recently the Champs Elysees. Where is AE when I need them?

1 comment:

  1. I have found similar refuge in my car(s) over the years and had the same benefits. Dad drives yours to chior practice or other short trips so it will be ready for you when you come HOME. Yeah!

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