Phew. Got that out so I can continue on with the rest of this post.
My car is like a little old lady that has lived a young, beautiful and adventure filled life. She has gone to concerts, parties, and witnessed a birth or two. She ate McDonalds at 2 o'clock in the morning with no concern for weight gain. She has sipped beer, wine and tequila in the same night...and never complained about the after math of that cocktail concoction. She has been over mountains, through rivers (floods) and valleys. She has survived snow storms and has tolerated the stings and shatters of rocks and branches. She is reliable and driven. And when she was really needed, she was there...no questions asked, no delays or hesitation.
Then, as the years passed, she started to show her age. Years of rolling her top down and allowing the warmth of the sun to beam down on her tan skin has taken its course. Her once smooth leather skin is now wrinkled and cracked. Over the years, her cloth covered floors are now permanently stained from her young party days and disrespectful weather. The sun patches and discoloration, scratches and dents are nothing but scars that held a story more interesting than the next. Like little photographs of original content.
Ava, my 1995 Toyota Avalon has 194789 miles of love on her. Fortunately, she err I...we (?) haven't had "major"problems. I say "major" because some people may consider a broken radio to be a major problem. That's right, Ava no longer has beats. We ride in silence.
At first this really bothered me. I felt a little salty. I didn't know how to function in a car of silence. I mean, what do I do (aside from drive)? What's going to keep me calm while I drive the mean streets and mentally run over half of the drivers that I encounter? There was no way I could convince the makers of Xanax to create a liquid form that I could put into a drip line...let alone find someone to install the IV and drip. Life seemed grim and I didn't know how long I could take it. I loved tuning in to the local station to hear the latest song from some artist that I hated. *insert major side eye* I really loved when I found a cassette converting thing that I could put into the deck and attach to my iPod. What!? Yes. A cassette deck...with a cord...that I connected to my iPod. It worked. I was happy.
Eventually, I started to Depeche Mode and enjoy the silence. I had time to think, regroup, and focus on my day ahead...or plan for dinner. I had time to myself and I really enjoyed it.
The interesting part was when Mr. PSL and I took Ava out for a drive. That was when I learned how much fun a drive could be without the annoyance of someone else telling me how to back that thing up, or some whiney teen singing about a breakup, or girlfriends or calling people, Maybe. It was peaceful and freakin awesome. (Notice that I can't even think of a recent song that was played on the radio 9357491385779645591 times in the same hour).
So awesome that Mr. PSL and I started creating games. Little acts of trivia and what not. You know how back in the day you would play Slug Bug or I Spy? Well, we took it up a notch...
Name that movie- say a quote from a movie and the other person has to name the movie that featured the quote. Bonus points of you can name the actor and scene involved.
Alphabet words - select a theme, then you have to name a word that starts with the corresponding letter. Example: if the theme is fruit, the first answers could be Apple, Banana, Cantelop etc.
Name that song- pick a word and the other person must come up with a song that uses that word in a lyric. Ex: The word is Pillow Answer: "(Lay your head on my) Pillow" by Tony!Toni!Tone!.
So if you ever find yourself driving in silence, or have a radio break down on you, get creative and get your brain going. Break up the mindless music that seems to be on constant repeat. You can really create a game out of anything. It's simple, but it keeps things fun and interesting. Just make it challenging.
No radio, Ava? No Problem, boo. I gotcha.
After all that sharing, you may be thinking that Ava seems like a junk of a car that needs to be sold for scraps. Believe me, I've thought about. But to me, she is a gas sucking, fluid leaking, skin frying, dimple having vessel of memories.
The best part about Ava is that she is mine. I know this because her seat no longer adjust...as in it is permanently adjusted for me (Read: the motor died and I can no longer slide, tilt or add lumbar support). I bet your car won't do that for you. I guess your car just doesn't love you as much as Ava loves me. Grab a tissue so you can go cry yourself to sleep.
Here's Ava:
I know, she's a gem. :)
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