Sunday, June 22, 2008
My Name is Stanley - 5:57 PM
So Helloooo my first car! Along with the the tradition of naming belongings, this biggest acquisition of my life (a Toyota Camry) until right now shall be called Stanley. Yes, Stanley.And nope, Stanley is not my favorite boy's name. In fact, I don't really like it on a person. But somehow, when I got the car, the name jumped out at me, and it sorta... stuck.
I think thats how people come up with their babies names. You will know it when you see it.
People have commented that Stanley sounds like a middle aged fat balding guy. To me, Stanley is strong, sturdy, and most importantly...utilitarian. Which is what my car is going to be. I bought him because I absolutely needed a vehicle to get me to work so I don't have to spend an hour on the ghetto bus, I can get groceries, run errands and to be able to go anywhere for that matter. Stanley is not one of those fancy fashionable pretty-sounding names, and that's fine with me. I washed him this morning (had to JUMP out of bed at 830am on a Sunday morning to beat the heat) and friends have been asking 'Aren't you going to wax the car too?' My reply was 'Wax for what? My car is Stanley, not Ashton. It does NOT need to be pretty.'
Haha, yes. My car is definitely not a pretty boy, but it gets the job done. Heh. But sometimes I feel bad about condescending Stanley like he's a butt ugly piece of metal, so I treat him to better gas at the kiosk. And with gas prices nowadays, you can tell thats real love right there. (Oh yes, God Bless Toyota for making cars with good gas mileage!)
Actually, most days I do miss the times when I'm in a city like New York. Ahhh the subway, the subway so convenient and affordable, the subway that gets so stuffy in the summer (yick), but nonetheless brings me to where I want to be in a very short time. Actually, you don't have to even take the subway, just walk, walk!!!
But anyhow, reality brings us to Big, Bad Nevada... Home to Las Vegas where the temperature is just...I don't even know how to describe it anymore. Mid-June, it is already a consistent 40degrees MINIMUM. At its peak, I would say its about 45? Oh lord, bless me.
So anyhow, a car is almost a necessity here, so I had to get one and here is Stanley.
One of the best investments I've made is to get Stanley's windows tinted last week. OH BOY did I need it. Before the tint, my arms would practically BURN when I'm driving during the daytime on the weekends. And I really mean its so hot it hurts. Have to come back and lather moisturiser on the cracked skin. The sun is relentless and I secretly think its the life mission of UV to hurt us. I had to resort to wrapping shawls around my arms and it was just so leh-chey.
But with a $165 tint, woohoo I'm much more protected. Eat that, UV!
Plus, it makes me feel like I'm riding in a limo, albeit chauffeur-less. Heh.
So Stanley, its only you and me in the desert. You take care of me, and I'll take care of you. No more emo-tricks please!!!