Saturday, November 13, 2004

Guest Blogger Annie

When KJ asked me to guest blog, I said sure. Then she told me I was following Gus. That worried me because Mr. Openshaw is a tough act to follow. But, in the spirit of her blog, I said "f**k it" and pulled something automobile related from my archives in honor of our carmaker friend Kelly. Hope you enjoy...

Evolution of a car owner:

For the love of god people - quit stealing the "Support our Troops" yellow ribbon magnet off of my SUV. They are only about $5 and can be found everywhere. Get your own!

Cars are getting so personal nowadays - it's like lockers in high school. Everyone has one with their own combination but there is still this desire to "fancy" them up. A car is no longer just a car. It is a personality statement on wheels.

First it was the signifigance of whatever you had hanging from your rearview mirror. Garters, tassles, dice, crosses, crystals, sunglasses, air freshners, etc.

Then came vanity plates, specialized plates, bobbleheads, license plate frames, personalized mudflaps, silver car decals, window clings, those suction cup yellow "Baby on Board" signs, specialized paint jobs, neon lighting, steering wheel covers, seat covers, floormats and of course specialized rims. And heaven forbid I forget the people who load up the rearview window with stuffed animals.

And how about those antennae toppers? Next time you are at a stoplight, look around and you will probably see a yellow Walmart smiley face, some Mickey Mouse ears, a Jack-In-the-Box and a multitude of sports related items. Someone is making big bucks off of this idea.

To each his/her own but I must confess to loathing bumper stickers. Come on people - the term "four more years" does not mean that's how long your election campaign sticker must stay on your car. And for the love of god, stop embrassing your kids with those "my son is an honor student" labels. Trust me, the tassles/ropes at graduation will be more than sufficient.

Speaking of tassles, I must admit that when I was in high school, I was one of those people who had a tassle and a garter hanging from my rearview mirror. My boyfriend even had a "monster truck" with his last name painted on the tailgate. (Can you hear the 80's music playing now?) Today my SUV does have specialized plates (U of M Griz) and I have silver "etched" Griz paws on my rear brake lights. But that's it.

Because people keep stealing my "Support the Troops" yellow ribbon magnet...

So readers - what have you got? Have you pimped your ride?

Visit Annie's Blog

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you, thank you Annie! To answer your question, I have a Good Luck Carebear hanging from my rear view mirror, as I tend to hit things.

I shall be back Sunday night as my parents take off Sunday morning. Let's show some love for Annie folks!

Anonymous said...

I haven't pimped my ride because I,too, loathe bumper stickers. At least on my own car. I love reading other people's, though. I work in retail, and we sell tons of those magnetic ribbons. I've had people tell me that they're on third, fourth, or fifth ribbons because of them being stolen.
Please tell me you didn't ever have a stick-up Garfield in your window?
~April
www.xanga.com/aprillynn

Anonymous said...

That is where all those are coming from. I wondered where people were getting those ribbons from, now I know Annie's SUV.

Jeff A