that’s how we roll

Originally uploaded by georgeaye.
Anyone that knows me will understand that I’m easily influenced. Easily persuaded. Negotiable is my middle name. And for the last 29 and three quarter years, I’m been under the impression that owning a car is cool. But until only recently, I’ve never had the chance to drive one.

On my last trip to Orlando I rented a huge Ford Expedition to drive the team around in. This thing is so large that I just look absurd in it. The wing mirrors are the size of a Prius. That’s me on the right, looking all gangsta and shit. It was enormous fun to drive and when you lay into the gas, it goes from ‘zero to 1 gallon’ in about 6 seconds.

But rental cars and regular bouts of driving my girlfriends wonderful new Golf TDI just makes me want one more and more.

Have you seen that movie with Steve Carell, ‘The 40 year old virgin”? Well, I’m like that guy. But instead of ‘pussy’, it’s a car title I’ve put on a pedestal. Sadly the same apprehensions, anxiety and expectations of wanting to lose your virginity to the hottest babe is replicated with wanting the coolest car around. Should I get an Audi A4? Should I get a Golf GTI? How about one of those tasty little Scion tcs? Argh!

The largest problem in all this wanting (and I was wanting one so bad) is that I couldn’t get over wanting a beautiful, cool car, that I could afford. And my ego was the most influential factor in all this. I know that a Toyota Camry would make lots of sense, but it’s sooooooo boring. I wanted the bling, the cache, the kudos, the spinners, the ground effects… all that stuff with owning a hot new set of wheels.

But in the end, I made a surprisingly reasonable decision. I bought a slightly beat up old truck from a mate of mine. It’s a ‘96 Nissan Pathfinder. There’s tons of miles, it turns like a oil tanker, and the radio antenna is broken. But I love it. He shall be known as ‘Trucky’.