my hooptie

i met laverne in the fall of 1996. i was starting grad school and had qualified for an auto loan. since my school wasn't in walking distance i really had to get a car. i hadn't had much experience driving - i was already away at college when i turned 17 and got my license. with no car to practice on i was still pretty much a novice, even though i had taken behind the wheel my senior yr of hs (shoutout to mr. hicks!). laverne was my road dog.

we've been through a lot together. from the first time i drove her to school and scraped that car in the parking space next to mine to the spring break road trip from atl to chi to nj and back to atl - she's always been there for me. but vernie's getting older now.

lately she's been making a lot noise...embarassing me at drive-thru windows and such. despite that she's been a trooper. she made it all the way to bk and back on saturday. however, yesterday proved to be too much for her. while i was on my way to a meeting her brake light and battery light came on after i turned on the air. luckily i was just about to pass a sears so i stopped in to have the battery checked. turns out nothing was wrong with the battery but my alternator belt was dragging on the pavement. and the noise was coming from her vibrating heat shield (that sounds nasty) that the mechanic just cut off and threw away (that sounds really nasty in a different kind of way) she's better now but i was told that she needs new cv joints and tire rods in the front AND she has a "massive oil leak"* as well as a cracked pipe somewhere near the exhaust - all that's not gonna be cheap to fix at all.

i've been feeling for the past few weeks that me and vernie were gonna have to part ways soon. we've been together for 11 years and it may be time for her to go. i have no desire to take on a car note at this time nor do i wish for my car insurance to go up. i'm just getting my budget stabilized and i'd like to keep it that way for a while longer. what is i'm gonna do??

pssh.

*the mechanic's words, not mine. if it was massive i think i'd notice huge oil spots wherever i park. on another note, man was that mechanice fine. fine fine fine. i had visions of me lathering his greasy arms and hands with lava soap and scrubbing his grimey nails with one of those handled nail brushes until they were sparkly clean. sweet n sour sauce, indeed.