November 21st, 2024

Want to talk cars for a minute or two?  I only have enough knowledge about cars really to carry a conversation about them about that long, heh.

The above car is my ride.  Originally it was some unknown person's car, then it was Tim's and now it's mine.  Most of the time it gets me where I need to go and that's all I need in a vehicle.  We all know that I don't enjoy driving and therefore do it as little as possible.  Usually once a week to the grocery store, occasionally to the museum, the vet or  the library.  Once a year to my Primary Doctor's office for my annual appointment.  That office is actually off island (gasp!) and it is the One and ONLY time every 365 days that I drive over the bridge, white knuckling it the entire time.  The rest of the time, I walk.  I like to walk and since we are lucky enough to live in a place where so any things are walking distance, I take good advantage of it.

The car is about 18 years old, bless it's little combustion engine, but obviously this Ford has a lot of heart because it's still doing it's job which, again, is all that I require.  But given it's age, there is some maintenance that has to happen now and again, and that happened just a couple of weeks ago.  I was sitting at a red light and while waiting for the green, happened to notice the sticker in the upper left hand corner of the windshield that had the date of my cars last oil change.  I won't tell you how long ago it was. Suffice it to say, that it was embarrassing.  Though honestly, as little as I drive, I'm not sure how often an oil change really needs to happen.  

How can I explain how little I drive? Hmm.  Let's see.  Well the gas tank gets filled about once every three months ish.  Sooooo not often.  Anyway, so I made an appointment very locally (on island) for the oil change, prepared myself to hear the speech about doing it more often, and duly delivered the auto in question on said day at said time.   They promised to change the oil, filters if needed, check tires and whatever else happens at normal intervals.   Tra lalala  I went about my day expecting to get a call at some point that the car was ready to roll.

Oh a call came all right, but it was not good news.  Not only did the car need new brakes desperately  but also new tires.  They weren't just bad, they were devastatingly bad.  So that was a very expensive oil change. Yikes!

   Obviously I am not a good car owner.  I am very bad at car maintenance. Which is odd because in general I am a good care giver.  I took excellent care of my children and I continue to take good care of Tim.  And with the Kittyboys,  they get their exams, nail trims and vaccines  as needed.  If medication is necessary it is duly delivered.  I dole out healthy food and instigate exercise,  playtime and cuddles  in equal amounts.  I take good care of our house and my potted plants and lovingly nuture relationships that matter to me.

The car, on the other hand, is just not something I ever think about unless I need to drive somewhere.  I guess I put it in the category of this silly thing that I bought about 7 years ago for Joy's birthday.  It's a little Happy Birthday dodad that lights up!  Joy and I have been passing it back and forth for years now on each other's birthday and even though I've never changed the battery and at this moment couldn't even tell you exactly where it is (so obviously I'm not coddling it) every time we hit that "on" button, it lights up and blinks and flashes  in a generally obnoxious  happy birthday sort of way.  I suppose how I treat cars too.  Shame on me.

I don't' even wash my car.  It's lives outside and it rains often enough that it gets a good rinse on a regular basis.   I am not inside of it long enough or often enough to junk up the inside either so the interior is practically pristine.  I know  people who faithfully, loving detail their vehicles weekly.  I admire them, but I am not them. 

This bad car attitude, auto negligence perhaps, is not new to me.  I have been this way with every car I've ever owned.   From the first car I ever bought - which was a very bottom of the line Fiat I purchased in college that didn't even have a radio in it  - to my favourite big blue Jeep which I actually choose myself - to the car I currently drive (whenever I have no other choice) I am very lassez-faire.  I would say shame on me again, except that in this case I actually feel no guilt at all.  Which is very odd because in general I feel guilty about everything all of the time.  But only from July 9th 1953 forward.  Anything before that date (my literal birthday) is on somebody else.

Cars to me are a means to an end.  When I am feeling kindly disposed toward them, I at least appreciate them as a mode of transportation.  When I am not being as kind, I refer to them a necessary evil.  They are expensive to purchase, to maintain, to fuel and to insure.  I am very uncomfortable behind the wheel and honestly do not wish to put in the energy required to wash and wax and whatever else a car might need to look sharp.  I honestly just don't care about them.  I am a terrible person.

In general I think most cars these days look pretty much the same. I have to find the little emblem to know who the manufacturer is.  There is no pizazz like cars of the past.  No flair, no fun, no snazz.  I still wouldn't enjoy driving it, but at least an older car, like an old Chevy Bel Aire for example, had some style so it had visual interest.  Nowadays they are fuel efficient  and very very safe, which are both very good things I know, but dang it has made for some boring cars.

I'm sure, if you are a car person, you will tell me that cars look nothing alike now and to your educated and interested eye, it is absolute truth.  But to my jaded and ignorant eye I see only a few types of cars now.  Sedans, convertibles and SUV's.  And to me, everything in each of the categories looks remarkably similar.  And I know it's very superficial of me to make how cars look to be a big deal. I would apologize but as I said earlier, I don't care enough to bother.

How I wish I could say that I learned my lesson and that from this point forward I will pay far more attention to my vehicle and not let it fall as far behind in it's care as I obviously did this time ' round.  But that would be a lie and I don't like to lie.  

And that's kind of the end of car talk from me