Driving a car again.


sorabji.com: Are you stupid?: Driving a car again.
THIS IS A READ-ONLY ARCHIVE FROM THE SORABJI.COM MESSAGE BOARDS (1995-2016).

By Lapis on Monday, May 9, 2005 - 08:01 pm:

    After nearly a four-year lapse in driving, I'm getting a car.

    My 90-something grandmother is giving hers away, leading in a reshuffle of family vehicles. My parents offered me the Ostrichmobile.

    Not a horrible car. Nondescript, average gas mileage. Don't plan on driving too much, so gas and insurance won't be that bad. Maybe I will declare the vehicles independence from the United States and offer passengers postcards "Visit Scenic Back Seat Ostrichmobile" and stamps for their passports.

    I could use this as a springboard for roadtrips, hiking, donating to and shopping at The Bins. I could begin volunteering at the Audubon Society again (it's not particularly a bicycle-friendly trip up there).

    I've surprised myself (as well as my parents) with my enthusiasm for this. Maybe the car will take me in a direction I need to go in my life. Who knows.

    Lapis driving.


By TBone on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 12:41 am:

    Cars can be freeing.

    Until you need to rely on them and they start falling apart. But other than that, they're good.

    You should make Ostrichmobileland postcards so I can receive one and hang it somewhere prominent.


By moonit on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 02:26 am:

    I so want a postcard if you make em.


By Lapis on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 02:30 am:

    National Bird: the Ostrich.
    National Animal: the Ostrich.
    National Flower: the Ostrich.

    Whoohah.

    I spoke with an insurance agent earlier today and if everything works out, it'll be cheaper than cable. I have a meeting with him on Wednesday.


By Lapis on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 02:30 am:

    National Bird: the Ostrich.
    National Animal: the Ostrich.
    National Flower: the Ostrich.

    Whoohah.

    I spoke with an insurance agent earlier today and if everything works out, it'll be cheaper than cable. I have a meeting with him on Wednesday.


By Droopy on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 11:32 am:

    I wrecked my car last December so I gave up cars. All things considered, I feel more free.


By Lapis on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 12:33 pm:

    Droopy! Good to see you!


By V on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 12:43 pm:

    How come you get 5 times more gas for the same money that I get in Europe,yet you still bitch about it?American gas is allmost free.Nothing is inexpesive in England,except food,so we can be fatter than Germans for allmost nothing.


By Lapis on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 01:43 pm:

    I'm not bitching. Don't plan on driving much though, this car is for doing things that would be difficult by bicycle.

    I want to try and maintain the thing myself. Learn how to change oil anf stuff, keep it clean.


By V on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 03:33 pm:

    ...a mechanic will charge you 4 times more than a man,he regards you as stupid as you are female,learn to kick his ass.Lapis,dont take shit from no one,if you ask,you will get.Demand an iron clad contract from the garage.Them bastards will fuck you over any chance they get.,and they will do it every chance they get,they are evil cheap fuckers that just want easy money,most of the time they get it.


By V on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 03:50 pm:

    Lapis,I just wants to see you have less problems in life than v.


By semillama on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 07:52 pm:

    Woo! droopy!!

    Audubon Society, Lapis? are you a bird watcher by chance?


By Lapis on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 10:17 pm:

    Would like to be. I began volunteering for them five years ago, as part of an environmental biology class (which I ended up dropping). Began training to lead nature walks through forest park. Did Birdathon once, won a pair of binoculars and a bottle of brandy. When I was nineteen.

    Birds are awesome.

    Never set down your housemate's rat in order to answer the phone, you end up looking everywhere only to find him underneath the couch cushions.


By droopy on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 10:51 pm:

    some birds have built a nest outside my front door - on a column that supports a small, overhanging roof. i'm trying to figure out what species, but they usually bug out when somebody comes in or out of the door. sometimes, late at night, i can crack open the door and see the mother sitting there; but i can't see enough of her to know for sure.


By Gee on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - 09:28 am:

    in my experience it is never safe to put a rat down for any reason unless you are watching it like a HAWK. which, if you think about it, is rather ironic.



    HI DROOPY.


By TBone on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - 10:56 am:

    Rats make great pets. My friends' rat died a while back and it was the saddest thing ever. But they fed it too much. A lot too much. A fat friendly rat.


By Karla on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - 08:01 pm:

    We tried to feed my son's ball python a rat because the pet store ran out of mice (can u believe that?) and that damn snake would have nothing to do with it. Struck it once and chucked it up, never to touch it again. My cat, however, was not so finicky. she ate it right up and brought us the nose and whiskers. good kitty.


By Lapis on Thursday, May 12, 2005 - 10:49 pm:

    I rode the bus out to Beavertron yesterday, to talk to an agent and sign some papers. I'm insured on starting Monday.

    Planning on taking a two-day roadtrip next week and a longer one in July or August. Latch on a bikerack and there'll be plenty of companions. I'm not sure if I want to go with a zoo crew or the girls.

    If it's the zoo crew then a boy (that I like, who asked me to go home with him when we were drunk and I politely declined because I was drunk and tired and shocked as well as pleased but that's a different story) would probably go.

    It's crazy.


By Cat on Friday, May 13, 2005 - 07:00 am:

    I had doves nesting on my verandah. I am a grandmother to two different hatchings.

    My dog hates all birds but he likes the dove's cooing. Or at least he doesn't bark at it like he wants to use their feathers as tooth floss.

    I like the way Sem is always so excited to see people posting.

    Woo to you too, Sem.


By Gee on Friday, May 13, 2005 - 08:56 am:

    Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew.


    I just gave this as an answer to a trivia question.


By semillama on Friday, May 13, 2005 - 03:32 pm:

    I'm such a bird geek, I am keeping a list of how many different species I see during the course of this year. 164 is the count to date.


By Lapis on Friday, May 13, 2005 - 07:52 pm:

    (1) I'm going with aforementioned boy to the epoxies cd release party. mutual buddy also coming along (the one who got us started talking originally).

    (2) I grew up observing nature (camping with family, going to zoos and aquariums and camp, grandparents had woods) and the bird thing pretty much stems from that. I like birds. Whenever we saw one we didn't know, we'd always break out the guides. Didn't keep count, though.


By droopy on Saturday, May 14, 2005 - 12:47 am:

    you'll probably hate this story, but i have to tell it. because it involves a bird. i am going to call the protagonists morris and carbon to protect the stupid.

    morris is an acquaintance of mine. he's about my age - late 30's - and does something involving computers for the electric company. carbon is his 10 year-old son.

    a while ago morris took carbon hunting on some land that his family owns in north texas up close to the red river. they're both tooling down the a path in an atv when something falls from a tree and lands in front of them. on closer inspection it's an owl. obviously it's injured or sick. carbon suggests killing it, but morris decides to show him that animals aren't just for killing and goes over to it. he kneels down beside it. it's quiet and seems unconscious. he reaches down to pick it up and take it to a vet or something.

    the second he touches the owl it comes to life and grabs onto his forearm with it's talons. this is like having six large nails driven into your arm simultaneously. it also starts screeching loudly in a way that morris didn't even think owls were capable of.

    meanwhile carbon is watching all this from the atv - the owl screeching, morris screeching, the blood everywhere. he does what any texan would do, his hand immediately goes to his hip and he draws his cell phone.

    morris: who are you calling?!

    carbon: mom!!

    morris: oh christ don't call your mother!!!

    morris decides that there's no way he's going to get this bird of his arm while it's still alive, so he crushes its skull with a rock.

    so now he has a dead owl attached to his arm. there's no way he can pry it off because the muscles are locked and the can't pull one claw without out making the other ones dig in further. so he cradles the owl in his arm and trudges back to the atv. carbon drives them back to the truck, then morris has to drive himself 50 miles to a hospital.



























By Antigone on Sunday, May 15, 2005 - 04:33 am:

    Serves him right for being such a fucking idiot. Never go near an injured wild animal unless you're prepared to protect yourself from it and it from itself. You'll only end up hurting yourself and the wee beastie.


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