I’ve done a lot of posts about cars and driving. I figured it was time for something more fun.

Dan bought me part of my Christmas gift early. It’s a giant stuffed penguin holding a baby penguin and stands about 2 feet high. My husband knows me too well.

Dan and I were heading home. We were stopped at a red light, about to merge onto the freeway. Dan half snorted with laughter.

Me: What’s so funny?
Dan: The guys behind us are smoking pot. The driver just handed a pipe to the passenger. And the passenger just ducked below the dashboard to hide himself from view while lighting up.
Me: *looking in my mirror* I don’t see them lighting up. The guy is just sitting there and… *sees a long stream of smoke come from the passenger’s mouth* Oh. Nevermind.
Dan: What idiots. Who lights up at a stoplight?
Me: Ooh! OOOOH! Can I take a picture of them and really freak them out?!
Dan: No sweetie. You’re not allowed to freak out the potheads.
Me: You never let me have any fun.
I tried snapping a picture of them once we got on the freeway and once Dan couldn’t stop me, but they sped by us in the fast lane. Great. Get high, then go 90 on the freeway. I’m glad you passed the driving test.

I love my little Mazda Protege. As much as I love my new car, I will miss this one. I got it in 2002, during the summer break. I had been driving my Dad’s Mustang, so most of my friends thought my new car was a bummer. But I loved that it was mine. It was compact and easy to drive. It had a little Good Luck Cat on the dashboard that melted from the heat a year later. It had a no smoking rule. It also had a “no boys riding shotgun if there are girls in the car” rule. The latter being the most important rule.
I was told that it was bad luck to not name your car, so I pondered it for months. Jason, finally shaking me out of frustration, told me to just pick something. It was like having a child and calling him or her “It.” So I hemmed and hawed over it some more. There just wasn’t a name cute enough for my little car. There wasn’t a sound or a symbol that was perfect enough for my little car. I kept calling it Little Car, which eventually turned into LC. Jason sggested Elsie and it stuck. Only took us 2 years to name her.
This is hard to see, but the shiny spot highlights a dent in the side. Dan was trying to show off and lift a chair out of it. He almost dropped it, so instead of letting it fall since it was in a protected box with lots of padding, he thrust it against the car to catch it. It left a dent. I proceeded to tell everyone that Dan threw a chair at my car. Sounds more exciting that way.
There’s also a long scratch along the side. Hazards of dating crazy people. An ex took a key to Elsie’s side. She’s a trooper though-didn’t even flinch.

This is a bullet chip in the paint. I could tell you how it happened, but then I’d have to kill you.