Good morning, Friday. Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving- mine was a lot of fun, with good friends and good food, without the shenanigans I have come to love when I go home for my very favorite holiday. So as I sit here comfortably with my pup, I can't help but be terrified of what's happening in the stores today- steering very clear, though online may be a different story...but happy Black Friday to you brave souls giving it a go out there...hope you score some great deals and restore some much needed consumer confidence, even though it seems vicious out there- is pepper spray the new big thing now? What is up with that? And though it is way out of control, the economy needs a big old boost, so hoping that retailers have a good season. They should have paid people extra to work on Thanksgiving, though...did they?
In other news, David is out selling my car. Perhaps you don't know this about me but I learned to drive in Miami. Yup, it's true. I grew up in Philadelphia, went for my driving test at the normal age, got super nervous in the car with the state trooper and couldn't start the damn thing, and never took the test again. My parents enabled this- I have not changed much since my teenaged years in the respect that when I say I don't want to do something, it's pretty tough to convince me otherwise. And my alpha level of commitment to never wanting to drive again had me moving to New York in a hurry after college- New York is heaven to driving phobics, because you can spend your entire life not having to get behind the wheel. And who among us does not like to be driven? I read an excellent book by Amy Fine Collins once on this subject called "The God of Driving"- she learned to drive way late in life and developed a real bond with her teacher- and if a diehard (and insanely chic) New Yorker like Ms. Collins could do it, so could I, right? Oy.
Cut to Miami- a place I moved for a great work opportunity, and the place where I was forced to confront my fears. I had a few driving teachers- one who would rather eat lunch with me than teach me to drive (strange) and one who I wanted to slap in the face for his dorked out personality. Neither of them helped me with my fear- I was a basket case when I started to drive, and it wasn't cute. I would dread driving around the block- but somehow, magically, I got over it. And now I'm wondering how I will live without my benign little V Dub, and also contemplating my post car life in New York. How will I deal with packages and such? Going to be a big change, and though you may take my car from me, you can't take my dreams- at some point in my life I will own a vintage Mercedes 280 or 450SL, because I must, like this one driven a deux by Mr. and Mrs. Hart in that classic TV show bearing their names (Hart to Hart). Classy. Have always coveted an old Mercedes convertible.
Now I'm still not one to like highway driving, and driving in crazy traffic definitely quickens my pulse. But guess what? Now I really dig driving- blasting my music and going to and fro. It's unreal to me that this has happened- and even crazier is that i actually had my own car- a sweet little 2009 Jetta that I came to adore. It was my first car, and at my age that is a bit of an oddity. As David drove away with it today, I felt all kinds of pangs and weirdness- moving back to New York is going to be great, but damn it- I am going to miss my car. Funny that. Oh and PS- we have two cars here so perhaps you're wondering why I did not follow him to Car Max today, hmm? Because even though I am now officially a driver, I'm not dealing with Black Friday traffic, not a chance. I'm not willing. Happy his friend is picking him up there...
So yea, maybe I'm not full fledged, but I get around, believe me. And now that saying goodbye to my 7 year stint in MIami, the thing I will miss most is not what you think- it ain't the weather, the ocean, or the palm trees. It's my car, which is something I never thought I would do (drive), say (my car), or learn to love. Life is funny like that, and that's what's up this carless Friday in the MIA. The clock is ticking...XO