Car Shock

A couple of days ago, my mom turned to me and said "So, do you think it's strange that everyone else is more excited about you getting a new car than you are?"

Well, maybe a little.

Like I said before, I don't necessarily deal well with change, especially when the change takes place so quickly with little to no warning. I've been in a bit of a daze through the whole process. I felt bad when Dad and I took the car he picked out for me for a test drive and I didn't have a "yes, this car is awesome, let's speed back and sign the paperwork now!" moment. Instead, it was more of a "hmmm, yeah, it runs, everything works, already have the paperwork drawn up, might as well go with it."

In case you couldn't tell, I'm really not much of a car person. I have changed a flat a few times, switched out old batteries a few times, and once, with the help of former roomie The Old Man, changed out my alternator, but that's about it. My big concern is if the vehicle is going to get me from point A to point B without breaking down or wrecking; the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle has absolutely no impact whatsoever.* And, remember, I had The Blue Beast for 12 years, and have gotten very accustomed to it's design peculiarities; anything that deviated from that would throw me for a loop, and trying to find a car that didn't deviate would be a fool's errand. So, since I wasn't hopeful of finding an exact replica of my 87 Grand Am that wouldn't have me constantly paranoid that it, too, would break down, I decided I'd just put my trust in my dad's opinion; after all, he's the one that picked Ol' Blue out for me 12 years ago.

Of course, there are a few things I have to get used to with the new car:

• When I stop at a stop light, there is no longer that reassuring car shaking rumbling to let me know that my engine is running.
• When I press down on the gas, the car accelerates immediately, without giving me those multiple seconds of "will I or won't I clear the intersection before the rest of the traffic arrives" moments that help remind me how much I cherish life
• A working CD player will tempt me to abandon the joy of spending the 30 minute drive through the radio station dead zone between the Texas/Oklahoma border and the Arbuckles endlessly cycling through stations to find something that's (a) clear (b) in English and (c) not total crap.
• The lack of fear of large parts falling off in the middle of a trip will mean that people might actually start wanting me to drive places

I suppose I'll get used to the changes eventually, just have to grit my teeth and power through the tough transition times.


*Well, I say that, but I can think of at least a couple of very boxy models of car that would have been deal breakers