Wheels

I got to drive Ke$ha Barbie's truck today. I have to admit...it was fun! I usually drive a suburban so the size was not an issue to me, although this did feel a bit bigger. It is a copper-colored Ford F150 double-cab King Ranch edition (ironic,huh?) truck. I'm describing the truck to you so you can do your darndest to to stay far, far away from it...although Ke$ha Barbie has become a better driver than I thought she would. I like the truck. And for 3 hours on highways 35, 77, and 59, it was all mine. Along with the wonderful stereo system...all mine to control...my iPod connected so it was MY music. Me, the truck, the iPod and the road...

My father is rolling in his grave that I like the truck. He had a GM/Chevy dealership for years...we only had Chevy trucks and GMC trucks. No Fords, at least not that I can remember. My sister had a big dually truck for hauling her horse trailer (it scared me to drive it but she was a wiz at it)but I dont' think it was a Ford...but I could be wrong.

In high school I drove a most un-sexy Suburban. When other friends had cool trucks or cute little cars, I had a suburban. So did my friend M. She sometimes had to drive this ugly green one we called "the booger". At least we had plenty of room for our pompoms in our suburbans.

My suburban did not have a cool stereo system like Ke$ha Barbie has. I had an 8 track. With an AM radio...no FM. I could listen to KTSA (from San Antonio) or play the few 8 track cassettes that I had. AC/DC "Back in Black"...

My father was a lot of fun but was decidly un-cool about music. He liked Charlie Pride (ok, that wasn't so bad), Ray Price, Anne Murray, and Hank Williams. My step-mother had a fondness for Julio Iglesias (thank you, but I prefer Enrique) and Barbra Streisand. My father was so excited when he bought an 8 track carousel...so we could continually hear Julio, Ray, and Babs...

There is a particularly annoying version of "Jingle Bells" that Barbra sings...my sisters and I detested it (along with a really horrible Julio song). We literally could drive each other (and ourselves) nuts by singing it. One year for Christmas my sister, S, gifted N and I with copies of Barbra's Christmas albumn. I burned it. She still wins the "worst present/but it really was a great joke" competition...even after 13 years...

So I had my suburban and then N gets handed down a suburban. But hers had a cassette player in it...not an 8 track...I was NOT happy...Daddy told me to console myself because mine at least had the fancy wire wheels (Cadallac wire wheels---put on my suburban as a joke by a car-dealer friend of Daddy's). I got wheels. She got a cassette. I was not happy...

I haven't had "fancy" wheels on a car since. Once my friend, Glamazon (I call her that because she is very tall and extremely beautiful...I mean in a head-turning "who is that chick" sort of glamazon way), had special wheels put on her car. They were F-A-N-C-Y and very shiny. Her husband picked them out. I just went with her to the tire place for them to be put on. We looked at the wheels when it was done and she asked what I thought (I think she was a bit unsure herself)and I said "they are fine" and then she asked what I REALLY thought (because she knows me well) and I said "well, they would be great if your name was Huggy Bear" (like the pimp guy from "Starsky and Hutch"). She busted out laughing. She kept the wheels but told her hubby. He laughed...but I think he wasn't happy with me for about 5 minutes. I kept calling her Huggy Bear...

Glamazon once managed to back into my mother's car when it was parked in my driveway. She also did it to her hubby's car. That's ok...we both had a habit of hitting things when backing out. Her daughter drives a big truck too...

But Glamazon is not a bad driver. That title was owned by my friend V when we were in high school. She hit things in the high school parking lot. She once hit a fire truck. She accidently drove her pink BMW into a 7-11. I loved her pink BMW. Her dad would check the mileage so we would drive it backwards to roll the miles off (yes, it worked in that car). One time we were driving it backwards in front of the Bush's house (yes, THE Bushes). Secret Service stopped us. Barbara asked what we were doing (she was leaving the house). It wasn't until YEARS later that I figured out that the silver haired lady who asked us what we were doing was Barbara Bush, my hero...

V ended up having to drive a big dark green bomb of a car. The windows wouldn't completely close. A roach crawled in once. It crawled up her leg. She stopped and jumped out of her car to shake it out. I think she was at the intersection of Westheimer and maybe Voss. I think she stopped in the middle of the intersection. She was wearing a mexican dress and add-a-beads. She came to my house to tell me about the roach. I liked her dress and add-a-beads. I was probably wearing one too...because that was what you wore, you know?

I am not going to pick on V anymore because I think I did as much damage in my car as she ever did...it is just that her stories are more colorful.

Now my dad may have been uncool about music but he was cool with the cars. He liked cars. Hence owning the dealership. He did a lot of damage to cars. Like driving through pastures and setting them on fire (because he was in low cars). Or once taking my mother's powder blue Caddie and running it through a pasture and scraping the paint off the sides (thank goodness the dealership had a paint and repair shop).
He had a Tornado that he turned into a hunting car---it had no doors, no roof, and gun scabbards attached to the sides. He once painted it black and dressed as Batman (with my step-mom as Bat Girl) for a party. He came to school to pick us up in that car and get-up. I thought it was awesome. My sister N was mortified.

He had a Porsche that I wouldn't ride in with him because he drove it too fast (this from the woman who was driving 80 most of the way from Rockport today).

So Rockport was great...I got a great tan, my husband wasted bait (no fish), Ke$ha Barbie and her friends had fun (they are still there with my husband). I came back early for an evening of peace and got here early enough to hit the gym and use MY wheels to get going. I misbehaved this weekend...I ate Mexican food (and chips) and drank beer and wine, and I ate tiny (amazing) fried soft shell crabs. And some sweet potato fries. So I needed to spend some time at the gym.

Tomorrow is spin class....new bikes (new wheels!) but I think I have to get new cycle shoes because my clips aren't right for the new bikes. Now what girl doesn't like an excuse to buy new shoes...even if they are cycle shoes?

Inspiration song: "Wheels" by Foo Fighters (yessssss)...because it came on just as I went through a nasty bit of a storm between Hillje and Wharton on Hwy 59...and it kept me calm...

Go out and use your wheels to move...

Bye Darlings...