Hi, me again. It’s been a while! Honestly this whole “living through a global pandemic” thing has seriously depleted my mental capacity for writing and reading and even actually thinking about things but stuff in general has started to “ramp up” again so let’s give this a try.
I got a car! It’s not brand new, it’s my parents’ old car which they sold to me for free because they are the greatest parents ever and I’m a spoiled piece of shit. But it’s my car! The official paperwork says so! It’s a 2009 Suzuki SX4.
Her name is Daisy.
I haven’t had my own car since 2006, when I hydroplaned and crashed my car into the median on 78 West near Harrisburg, PA. The car was “totaled” and then I had no car. It was a tough time because I felt like I NEEDED a car and was lost without one. I had a panic attack at a car dealership when we were getting a car for my 17 year old sister because I thought about how I didn’t have a car and like what was I going to DO?! It was a dark time.
In January 2008 I moved to the Heights in Jersey City and started my commuting to work in Manhattan duties and to my surprise and delight I DID NOT NEED A CAR AT ALL. Like it was mind-blowing, how little I needed a car. Growing up in a rural area where you needed to drive everywhere made me feel like you couldn’t get anywhere without one. But in “the city” we have a pretty robust network of public transportation, ever heard of it? I could get to work AND fun and back home again all on the PATH train. And if I wanted to go home-home, I could take NJTransit or the bus. The bus sucks but yes it is available.
And so it went for many years, until 3 years ago when I moved to The Hill and I was like holy shit I’m so far from everything and I don’t have laundry in my building and I might actually lose my mind. But before I lost my mind I noticed that when people came to visit or even if I just looked out the window, 95% of the time there were parking spots available. “Parking” was one of my biggest concerns when considering have a car in “the city” and it seemed like on The Hill there were always parking spaces close to my house (knock on wood, now they’ll disappear ugh).
So I figured it was time to get a car. My parents had an old one they weren’t using and Daisy was just sitting there sulking and collecting a layer of pollen all over her from the trees she was parked under and she needed a new human friend and it worked out perfectly!
My sister and my brother-in-law also played a part in this beautiful story by helping to get her checked out, fixed up, and road ready. AND I AM BEYOND GRATEFUL.
Now I use Daisy to do super fun shit like get groceries…
Go on hikes…
And drop off and pick up laundry.
I will say that my favorite thing to do is the grocery thing. Like it is so gratifying to not have to worry about the weight of the groceries you’re getting, like “Will I be able to carry them?” because you DON’T have to carry them until you get home and you can take your time bringing them all inside and up the stairs and it is just the best. I can’t recommend it enough.
Hiking is fun too, like really freaking fun, but I’ll tell you about that another day.
Anyway good to see you again and maybe if you need a ride somewhere I’ll give you one.
shanimal. 