Friday, June 12, 2009

Training in Style

12 years ago, I put myself behind the wheel of an Oldsmobile Achieva Quad 4 and gently pressed down on the accelerator, thus igniting my lifelong like affair with driving cars from this place over here to that other place over there. These days, I spend quite a lot of time behind the wheel - Maureen lives in Ann Arbor and I live in Royal Oak, so I've been driving back and forth a couple time a weeks for the past 4 years, and I've been known to hop in a car with Steve and drive down to Miami or over to Arizona. As I've said in the past, I'm not a "car guy", but I continue to find joy in driving - if I have to do it, I may as well figure out a way to enjoy it. It all started with that Achieva, and I still have a fondness for it today.

Driving not the best cars is a right of passage as one learns to operate a motorized vehicle, so I was surprised and envious today as I made my way south on I-275. To the right of my car, clearly, was a student driver. I could tell from the big words STUDENT DRIVER painted on the back of the car. I must have been drunk or possibly there was a carbon monoxide leak in my car, because the car I saw this young man (with teacher) driving was a 2007 Ford Mustang. At least I think it was a 2007 vintage - it was difficult to identify specific styling cues that differentiate model years because of the various stars, comets, and rainbows painted on the training car. Not only was this guy driving around in a Mustang (sweet), but his car was painted with all the dreams of little girls (super sweet). I didn't see the other side of the car, but I'm pretty sure there was probably a poster of the Jonas Brothers painted there. It got me thinking just a little bit - would I prefer to train in a metallic light blue Oldsmobile Achieva, or a multi-hued dreams-mobile Ford Mustang? I don't think I have an easy answer for this one. Driving, period, at that age is extremely exciting, and I remember the first time driving on the freeway my only thought was "oh my god this does not feel so fast when my parents are driving." Regardless, that car brought a smile to my day. Keep your eyes open - that rainbow you are seeing may not just be oxygen deprivation.

1 comment:

Daniel J. said...

Haa this reminds me of my blogging days at Italian-American perspective with my posting of "Olds-mobiles" aimed at my disdain for older drivers. I would have kept that up, but I truly had no readers. I would give the hair off my back to have even half the readers you have. Chin qui.