Friday Five for October 3, 2003

Wow … there wasn’t a Friday Five last week … aren’t ‘cha glad ?? If not … you will be as soon as you finishing reading my answer to this week’s questions and remember what an … interesting ?? lol … experience it can be ! 🙂

1. What vehicle do you drive?

It’s open for debate whether I drive at all … as to use the word “drive” would suggest I have an element of control over the vehicle while it is in movement … something most anyone who has ridden with me would contest. Mortals !!!! 🙂 Like I do often during the course of my day, I use The Force when driving out and about, apparently this leads some to believe I am not paying attention and cutting things too close to other vehicles, people and things when driving. Shaft, Singer, Bro, Tenant, OBP and Hottie seldom, if ever, let me drive. Whatever. I currently use a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am for my transportation needs. Prior to that, I drove an Oldsmobile Alero.

2. How long have you had it?

About 2 months. I got the Grand Am in the middle of July of this year. I generally just lease my cars and drive the krap out of them for 2 – 3 years, depending on the term of the lease. I’m totally incompetent when it comes to automobiles … I know where and how to fill it with gas … and I know how to check the oil (psst … you look for signs like this, drive through the garage door and the person working there will check and fix if for you !) If the car is making a weird noise … or not seeming to work correctly … you ask Shaft, Dad, Bro and Sister-in-Law … not in any particular order … all four know their stuff. Anyways, as I do have certain vehicle mechanical operation knowledge limitations, I prefer to have a vehicle under warranty … and just discard it after it’s served its purpose.

Other than than, remember, cars have no particular interest to me … my self-worth, self-confidence, nor self-image has no connectiooooon with whatever car I’m driving at the time. This last vehicle, the Grand Am … I never saw before I had leased it … I was about 8 gazillion miles over mileage with the Oldsmobile and my dad had become aware of some promotion where I could turn in my old car early … he volunteered to check it out … I quickly accepted his offer … he told me what he found, I asked him to pick me a car I’d like … and I had signed the paperwork and was committed before I even saw what he had selected for me. Oh … and to show what a monotonous, redundant and predictable person I am … before this Grand Am, I had the Oldsmobile Alero, and before that, I had another Oldsmobile Alero – same color and everything, before that … I had a Ford, before that I had another Ford, before that I had a Pontiac Grand Am – same color as I have now, except it was a two door, and before that, I had another Pontiac Grand Am – same color as my Oldsmobile Aleros. Geez, I wonder what the odds are that my next car will be a Pontiac of some sort, white or grey?

3. What is the coolest feature on your vehicle?

My XM Radio … I had it in my previous car. Shaft and OBP bought it for me for Christmas last year and I brought it with me to the new one. It’s the best !!!! I so love my XM Radio. *sigh* Other than that … the cupholders in this car are okay, but nothing special … so I guess I’ll have to go with the way the dashboard looks lit up at night with its reddish-orange dashboard lights … totally kewl.

4. What is the most annoying thing about your vehicle?

The requirement that practically daily I have to stop at coffee refill stations, insert this phallic symbol into a receptical in my car, commence a pumping action … then once completed … and after refilling my coffee … having to give the attendant there a sum of money between $20 and $30. Totally annoying. And oddly leaves me feeling used afterwards.

5. If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now?

Again … cars mean diddly to me. If money was no object, I’d probably just have a few more cars for different purposes or moods … maybe a Jeep or SUV – something to do some nice damage to the environment when the attitude strikes, a van of some sort for when the need to tailgate develops, and a pickup for moving things or getting them home after I have acquired such … but I’d probably still drive what I’m driving now, or something similar, for my basic day in and day out operations. I suppose if I could rationalize the complete waste of money it would be, I might go with a low end BMW. But it’s unlikely, I’m still pissed at the Germans and can hold a grudge for a really, really long time.