Isn't this flashy? Soon it will be slightly less so, when I replace the high-performance tires. It will be nice when the insurance company resolves the situation with the old car, which you can see in the picture.
Because most of my storytelling is out of town, having a reliable and efficient car is essential. I was fortunate to find this '98 Honda Civic EX the day after my accident last week (thanks, MLH). Today it's mine. It has 76,000 miles on it, so all things being equal, I should be able to keep this car for years. Keeping that in mind, I'm planning to replace the radio with a combination radio/CD player/satellite radio. My good friends J and D gave me Sirius radio for Christmas, and I'm quite addicted to about eight channels. Great for those long drives.
I had to clean out the Corolla. Oh, my. I think of my car as an extended purse. Cleaning the junk out of it was humbling. Do I really need five ice scrapers? Have I ever used that revolting blanket? Is it necessary to keep eight empty water bottles under the front seats? How many bandaids do I need in the glove compartment? How old is that sunblock, anyway?
Here are some essentials:
- mileage log and several pens
- small pad of paper
- extra harmonica
- kleenexes
- a few bandaids
- one, maybe two, ice scrapers
- hairbrush (stop that snickering--I do sometimes use it!)
- small-format local phone book
- US Atlas (nope, I don't have a GPS)
- Kansas City map
