Let me say a few words about my daily schedule. To say that I spend a lot of time in my car would be an understatement. I have a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta and I spend about $500 a month on gas in it. I paid it off a couple of years ago and it’s probably only worth around $4,000 now, but it’s one of the few assets I can actually say that I own and I do take some pride in that. For the most accurate depiction I can give of the relationship I have with my car, let me refer to a quote from the movie “Full Metal Jacket” - and substitute the word “car” for every instance of “rifle”:
“This is my [car]. There are many like it but this one is mine. My [car] is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my [car] is useless. Without my [car] I am useless. I must [drive] my [car] true. I must [drive] straighter than my enemy, who is trying to [drive faster than] me. I must [drive past] him before he [drives past] me. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my [car] and myself are defenders of my country, we are the masters of our enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.”
Yes, I suppose that I am an aggressive driver on some level - though I do think I’ve mellowed with age. So, I spend a lot of time in my car, thinking, listening to music or to National Public Radio or talking on the phone, texting or even chatting on my Crackberry yes, I’m a bad seed, but what can I do, I’m a very busy man. Since the separation from my Ex, back in January 2007, I have lived quite a nomadic existence in my attempt to visit my kids on a regular basis despite the tension between my Ex and me. I moved out of the home we shared together to live with my parents about a thirty minute drive away and have been living in the “English Basement” of their home ever since.
I used to visit my kids every day of the week until I nearly burned out from the exhaustion of the drive. Now, I visit them four days a week - Tuesdays and Thursdays after work until 8:30pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 4pm to about 8:30 or 9:00pm and have followed this schedule for about six months.
I probably spend about three hours a day in my car. Do I like driving so much you might ask? In a strange way, I think I do enjoy driving. During the time I spend in my car I actually have time to myself, to my own thoughts, to review my life and decide what I suck at and need to improve, to sing out loud, to talk to friends or family on the phone, to keep my mind engaged, and to practice my motor-skills.
Over the years, the Jetta has gotten banged up a bit. My ex damaged the side of the car pulling out of the garage; a tree once fell and shattered the back window, my son jammed the cd/cassette interface with coins at age two, effectively short-circuiting the car’s computer; and I have had some memorable traffic violations in that car as well. That being said, look forward to the day I can trade it in for a BMW M3, until then, however, I must acknowledge that the 2000 Volkswagen Jetta is my car, and although there are many like it…this one is mine…my little sanctuary on wheels.
