Saturday, January 14, 2006

SUV vs. Car

I haven't written in a long time. It's been a crazy busy week and I've walked three times this week. As usual, if I'm exercising or writing I can't blog. I've worked on my novel a little bit this week during lunch. I made a lot of progress deciding which part I'm going to read at my reading in three weeks. This week my plan is to write during lunch all week because I'm so tired in the evenings after walking, but I have to do both.

I've had two really interesting weeks driving my husband's Honda Civic. He had knee surgery 2 weeks ago and he's been at home and taking the kids to the sitter, so I've been driving his car so he can drive the truck. I don't usually call the truck an SUV because it's not one of those super sized SUVs. It's one of those more moderately sized ones and it drives a lot like a car. OK, a big car, but not a Honda Civic.

The interesting part is that when we got the SUV 5 years ago I never thought I could drive it. I started driving it when I got pregnant with Miranda and I quickly found out that I could definitely get used to it. In fact, I loved it! I've been driving the SUV for 5 years.

So now five years later whenever I drive Rey's car I feel the difference immediately. I feel like I'm driving down low to the ground and more than that, I feel like people just don't give me the same respect when I drive the car. I feel like other drivers, especially SUVs, let me into their lanes when I have my blinker on. When I drive the car I feel like they ignore me and my blinker and I have to wait until the last possible moment and bogart my way into the lane. I wonder if it's because the car is so small or is it me. Am I less confident when I drive the car, therefore I'm less aggressive and don't get any respect?

Or do I get less respect because I'm driving an older looking car? In this superficial world that we live in, people judge other people by the car that they drive. When I drive up to places, especially around the West U area where I work, I see people give me funny looks in the older car. I don't feel like I get those looks when I drive the SUV. Or maybe it's me? Maybe I'm feeling self-conscious because I'm driving an older car or maybe I'm the one thinking superficially....

Nah, it's not me. Most people are superficial and they do look at what kind of car you drive. If that wasn't the case then cops wouldn't pull over minority men in old cars all the time.

1 comment:

ShoeGirl Corner said...

Wouldn't that be great!? Sometimes I wish I lived in a small little town like the one in "Runaway Bride" where you can just walk or ride your bike anywhere.