The Transportation Chronicles: Week One

So Monday is, what, day 6 without a car? I'd say it's so far going pretty well even though I live in a city with a really lame-ass public transit system, and I can't possibly rely on it to get me to work when I want to go there, let alone to shop or to do other errands in a timely manner. I'm not punctual enough for that, for starters.

I'm lucky that I don't absolutely require a car for my work. I've been riding my bike instead of driving, though I did catch a couple of rides early in the week when I wasn't really prepared for the reality of carlessness. And last night I took a cab when I wanted to go downtown and hear some music. It just seemed safer.

I'm going to try to wait as long as I can to replace it. The longer I wait, and the more money I save, the lower the car payments will be, is what I'm thinking. And for once in my life I want to really think it through and do it right, as long as I have to do it. The cars I've had in the past have come into my life like stray dogs, only they're not dogs. They don't love you back. They're not even alive. You're under no real obligation to them, as far as I can see. I don't have to take one in just because it follows me home. I don't have to go looking for a new one right away just because everybody else has one.

But, see, the truth is pretty complicated. I don't want a car at all. And I want a brand new gorgeous fast car, a really sexy alphabitch-mobile. And I want a reliable, safe, practical car. I want a car that I don't have to mess with or spend lots of money keeping it going. I want a funky old diesel station wagon, a really, really sexy one, you know what I mean? and I want to paint it red and convert it to run on vegetable oil, and I want to do all the work on it myself. I don't want to ever drive a car again as long as I live.

Why aren't there any fucking bike paths for commuters in this town? Is that too much to ask for? Should I find a different, more bike-friendly city?

But the other thing is, I really have to have a car made in the US by union workers. It's important. And I can't possibly own anything but the very most fuel-efficient and sleek little unit available. Do they even make those here? It's stupid to buy a new car. But then again it's crazy to buy a used car; there's no way to tell what it's been through, and it's just going to be endless hassles, I know it is.

And cars can't possibly be sexy, can they? I mean, it's insane to own any car at all; they're the scourge of the planet. It's immoral to own one, drive one, or even use one. And it's impossible to own, drive, or use an automobile without directly benefitting the hideous amoral bastards who are running this country to the ground and profiting from all manner of death and torture and mayhem that's going on all over the damn place.

You can see I'm not making this easy for myself. I know I'm thinking way too hard about it. That's just how I am.

I'll let you know what happens.