I get nostalgic a lot. Being part of a military family, I have learned to move and bid goodbye to "stuff" leaving me with just memories. Some of those memories make me laugh, even if I don't mind leaving behind the "thing." And, today, I'm taking it back to my first car...
1988 Ford Tempo GLS (not sure what the GLS means).
It was reddish-maroon, 2 doors, instead of a spoiler it had some sort of fin-type thing. It had "new" electric seatbelts, power locks, manual windows, some sort of power lumbar support button, and a tape deck that came with a sweet tape of awesome 80s music. It was a 5-speed. My parents bought it when I was in 3rd grade. Little did I know I would be driving this fine piece of machinery to high school. EM-BARRASSING! But doesn't everyone have one of THOSE cars?!?
It never stranded me. But I called it "the bomb" because I felt it could blow up at any time. And, secretly, I hoped it would so maybe I could get a new set of wheels. It did have an issue with some hose breaking and making what I thought was smoke spill from the hood, but that was a quick fix. The heating coil broke one year in college and we had to wait for the part. It would overheat if you didn't turn the heater on full blast. I fully remember driving down I-81 in the middle of winter with the heat blasting and the windows down because it felt like a sauna in there. The cruise control didn't work when the A/C was on. Something broke in the steering wheel once and the horn would just start randomly blowing...and it was the loudest horn I ever heard. Ahh, memories.
I took it everywhere until I bid it goodbye my junior year of college when I bought my first new car. We sold The Bomb to my uncle (who used it to drive back and forth to work so as not to put miles on their newer cars) for $475. Asking price was going to be $500, but it needed an oil change at the time, so we took that into consideration. Yeah, when the value of your car goes down because it needs an oil change--awesome.
My dad used to sing this song "Old Yellow Car" from as far back as I can remember. And, after bidding goodbye to the Tempo, it has a little more meaning now. If you haven't heard it, it's worth a listen. Don't get me wrong, I don't wish I was driving The Bomb NOW, but it will always hold a special place in my heart. And there's something to be said for a car that's paid off, never leaves you on the side of the road, and you could care less if a grocery cart runs into it in a parking lot. :)
And while I'm on the topic of old, funny songs and old stuff, I figure I may as well share this song as well. This is one my cousin used to sing all the time...I would beg for it because it made me laugh, and still does! Plus, he "jazzed it up" just a bit with the sound effects, which you will hear in this little tune, making it even better. :) Now, it reminds me of MY washing machine. The first grown up purchase that Buzz and I made together was our washer-dryer set. We got it on sale for like $500 (yes, for the SET--great deal, huh?!?) right after we were married at the Navy Exchange in Newport, RI. That was nearly 9 years ago...and it's still running. But that old washing machine is a lot louder with a variety of noises than it was in its new days. Hopefully it has some time left with us...but it's seen better days. And, when it's time to go, I guarantee I will be humming this song in my head for days.
Enjoy! Hope this provides some smiles and laughs...and I would love to hear about others' relationships with their bo-bo cars and household appliances. :)
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