Goodbye Old Friend

 

I finally said goodbye to my ’98 Saturn yesterday. After 11 years (9 owned by me) and 170,000 miles, I think it served its purpose well. This was the first car that I chose and paid for myself, and since it was not a hand-me-down, it had a lot of unnecessary sporty features like a power moon roof, performance tires and a spoiler. Even though the black paint was difficult to keep clean, and the black interior was very hot in the summer, I felt cool driving it. It was my own affordable version of K.I.T.T.

Through the years, it had its share of problems, from electrical and transmission, to a leaky moon roof and windows, and finally the head gasket/engine and exhaust. It caused me many a headache and heartache this past year when it would die at stoplights, but through it all it was still MY car.

The engine roared for me a final time this weekend, as I moved it out of the driveway in preparation for the tow truck. It died just as I made it into the street, never to start again. The starter, knowing its fate, had given up on life. I donated the car to charity, so even though it has died, the proceeds from the sale will help children live. (Plus a nice tax deduction for me!)

Goodbye, old friend, I shall remember the journeys we took together and the good times we shared, especially the warm summer nights with the moon shining through the open roof and good tunes on the tape deck.

 

My Favorite Story From “The Onion”

Second-Graders Wow Audience With School Production Of Equus

January 25, 2006 | Issue 42•04

NEWPORT NEWS, VA—Second-grade students at Franklin Elementary School impressed parents, teachers, and fellow students with their recent production of Peter Shaffer’s Equus Friday.

Enlarge Image Alan Strang (Kyle Keever, 7) prepares to blind a horse (Kate Piper, 7).

The avant-garde play, described by audience members as “adorable,” was originally produced in London in 1973. The story revolves around troubled 17-year-old Alan Strang, played by Kyle Keever, 7, and his encounters with his psychiatrist after he blinds six horses with a metal spike. The play focuses on the causes underlying a seemingly senseless act of violence, and forces characters and audience members alike to confront questions of responsibility and ultimate meaning.

“The kids loved it,” teacher and director Michael Komarek said. “Once they stopped screaming about horses getting their eyes gouged out and realized that it was just a launching point for more complex ideas about alienation from the modern world, they rolled up their sleeves and dug right in.”

Despite its truncated 30-minute length and shoestring budget, the production—which received a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd of 65 in the school cafeteria—attested to the resonant themes of Shaffer’s play.

 

Read the full story here.