Hot wheels...

Tomorrow I get my car back.

It’s been two weeks almost, time sure flies. Some people wrap their identity around their job for me, I imagine it’s partially my car.

The car I have now was the first new car I ever purchased and owned. If I remember right, it took me almost a year to decide what car I was going to buy – lots of test driving different models, lots of research but, I’ve been very happy with the decision I made. There comes a point after a while where your car becomes something more than a mere means of transportation, I don’t know if you can elevate it to the level of a pet but, it becomes something special. Again, at least that’s the way it’s always been for me.

When I was younger, I practically lived out of my car. As a teenager, the car was all about independence and escape – and when I say I lived out of my car, I do mean I literally lived out of it as I remember leaving home for several weeks at one point and using the car as a bedroom with wheels (not an easy thing in the middle of winter).

So, tomorrow my old friend will be back with me once again.

Some moron hit me a few weeks back. I don’t know whether it was a man or a women. Just another one of those cowboy a**holes behind the wheel of their SUV. I really hate those damn things. Ever since they’ve gotten popular it seems like driving has become this contact sport or better still a way for people to take out the frustrations in other areas of their lives. All too often nowadays I see people tailgating or just driving stupid. I keep meaning to write a short book about driving but I haven’t managed to get around to it yet (one of the reasons I took up the whole blog thing - to keep the writing muscles active).

SUVs are a good example of bully behavior when it comes to the roads. The people who justify an SUV and live in the city could manage to use a station wagon for the very same reasons they justify getting and driving their SUV but then, I guess there wouldn’t be that whole image thing going on. You can’t look rugged driving in a station wagon the way you can in an SUV now can you?

I watch and keep smiling while gas prices go up and up and up because I know it’s the world’s way of exacting a form of revenge on what could pass for the automotive equivalent of gluttony.

So, this idiot sideswiped me and then sped off.

Nice.

Since the person had been sitting on my bumper and I imagine I was going to slow to suit their tastes as I got on the highway, they sped past me on the right, misjudged cutting it way too close and really making nice work of the right side of the car.

I was surprised, thankfully I wasn’t hurt or anything. I was a little shaken up by it but, more surprised by it than anything else and when I noticed that instead of stopping the guy stepped really hard on the gas to get scarce as quickly as possible, it took a second or two to register what was happening.

I looked over and noticed the mirror was gone on the passenger side and then looked ahead to see the Jeep Cherokee accelerating very quickly away up the long straightaway, receding in the process. A moment or two passed before I realized what was happening. The “guy” had passed me on the shoulder of the road (a no-no), hit me and then decided not to stop - with good reason no doubt since there was no question about who’s fault the damn thing was.

Like I said, it took a second or two to register. Then, “hit and run” flashed across the front of my mind and it became about being pissed. So, in short order I got behind the guy got the plate info and then pulled off to take a trip to the nearest police station. Thankfully, even after all this time the car still has decent pickup and is pretty fast when it needs to be. There was this funny thing that happened as the Jeep sped away first ever increasing in speed (90?, 95?) until it was fairly obvious that there was no escape and then the vehicle slowed.

So, I went to the local PD station and wound up waiting for a State Trooper. Three days later I got a call from the clown’s insurance company about the ‘event’ I had reported, I guess someone got tracked down after all.

Tough luck schmuck.