i <3 my minivan

It used to be the bane of my existence, my mom's Mercury Villager. "The Pickle" (its very green) was purchased new back in 1994 and has been my mother's prized possession until about a year ago when she bought a Honda Odyssey (I don't know about her fascination with minivans, we never had them when the kids lived at home). As a result of the addition of the Honda, the Villager became mine and I must admit that it has grown on me.

"The Pickle" was purchased in my waning days of my military service so I didn't see it much when it was new. A few years later I was given the keys to the green monster and sent off to my 10 year High School reunion. How embarrassed was I to show up to the reunion single, unemployed, having not completed my undergrad yet, and driving a minivan. I was mortified to have to take it but drove it because my normal car (Honda Accord) was in the shop getting work done on it. Who shows up for a reunion driving a minivan when they don't even need one? Talk about "ways to unimpress the chicks"...

This particular minivan has served the family well and we almost lost "The Pickle" about a year ago when my sister nearly donated it to some charity. It couldn't pass CA emissions and so she had no use for it. My mother knew that I was going to be returning to the States and would need transportation outside of my motorcycle. So she rescued the green beast and brought it back to NM where it awaited my arrival. I was being given "The Pickle" to use and I was gracious to accept it. I was (still am) in no position to look a gift horse in the mouth and drive my 'new' mode of transportation whenever the bike isn't a feasible option.

At first I was reluctant to take the beast out. I wanted to ride my motorcycle as much as possible and did so when I first came to Albuquerque. The summer weather was perfect and I had been sans scooter for the years in Peru and missing it terribly. Occasionally the need for driving "The Pickle" required that I use it to get places but I lived on that bike for the first 2 months I was here.

As the weather is starting to cool and the brakes on the bike are awaiting to be replaced, I've been driving my Villager a lot more. It is really starting to grow on me and not for the typical reasons. What I love about it is the fact that it is perfect for the utilitarian use that I need at the moment. I can easily throw in all my hockey gear without straining my back, I can change clothes in the backseat when I want to go for a run after work, there is a ton of open space (I took out the captain's chairs and only have the back seat) to lay down and sleep in the back if I want - this van completely serves my needs and I couldn't be happier with "MY Pickle".

This isn't to say that there aren't difficult moments. A packrat took up residence in it recently and chewed its was through a couple of sets of spark plug wires (he has been removed), the car has virtually no acceleration, the rust from living back in Ohio is starting to make its way to the surface, and the list goes on and on. I won't even go into the whole deal about being able to start it without keys in the ignition... But van accurately describes who I am at the moment and that makes me happy.

I have taken "The Pickle" out on dates and not been apologetic about it. I figure that if a girl wants a super fancy car and doesn't understand utility, then she doesn't understand me. My friend Gilles in Peru taught me that lesson well with his approach to life and I can't thank him enough for instilling that in me. In a way, the minivan and I have a lot in common. My rust is starting to show through, my acceleration isn't what it used to be, and I've needed to replace some of the things in life to keep me going. The key in the ignition? Let's just say that what starts me up at this point in my life has changed from what it was before - just like "The Pickle".

So yes, I do love my minivan for what it is, what it represents, and what it does for me. Unpretentious, utilitarian, and fun - is there anything better?

darth's gaze

darth's gaze
Originally uploaded by Expat Nomad

Today marks the end of Albuquerque's International Balloon Fiesta and unfortunately, there have been no launches this weekend due to weather conditions. So I decided to put something up to remember the occasion of this, my first of hopefully many, balloon fiestas.

too much information?

No rant this time, just a question that I'm asking of myself on a public forum. I have a site counter down at the bottom of the page and occasionally click on it to see who is visiting the site. I have friends from Maine to California, Canada to UAE (with a little Myanmar thrown in for good measure), and I know they will stop in from time to time to read on my latest ideas. And believe you me, I've had some interesting ideas float out on this forum. Some were political in nature, others on a more personal front, but clues as to whom I am and what I think about certain issues.

The site meter allows me to see who is clicking in from where and how they got to the site. Believe it or not, the most common search that brings people to my site is "how to drag your knee on a motorcycle" on Google. It comes from a post that I put up almost 2 years ago about a picture that I found on flickr. But there are a great deal of people from around the world that find this site and it brings me to the question posted in the title, am I giving too much information?

I guess the scare a few months ago with identity theft really got me to thinking about the whole issue. This site - expatnomad.com - also has an email address associated with it and I've been giving that email address to ladies whom I would like to date. Its not something that I thought about terribly much but it gets me to wondering which of my potential dates has stumbled upon this site and given it a read (site meter says 'none'). I've never been one to be shy of my opinions or telling anyone what I truly feel and I make no apologies for my stances on whatever issues are being discussed. I just wonder what brings people to this site (aside from wanting to learn how to drag their knee on a motorcycle) and how much information is enough and how much is too much. Are people using bots to gather information about others on their blogs and then using that information for mean, nasty things? Is it really a good idea to share your private thoughts and ideas on a public forum? Are blogs just the laypersons way of becoming a public icon? Is this the way that the average person gets their 15 minutes of fame? Hmmm....

sunrise

sunrise
Originally uploaded by Expat Nomad

This week is Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque and it is amazing to see 650+ hot air balloons launch. I was able to go last Saturday morning and see the festivities. Perfect weather started off the day, as can be seen by the picture shown here.

And for once, its not someone else's photo - this one was taken by me. :-)

new banner

Well, I figured that since its been a few months now that I've been gone from Lima, it was time to update the banner. Gone is the "Live from Lima, its Saturday Night!!!" which pictures of Tim surfing and the Cordilleras Blancas outside Huaraz in Peru. While I thought that was a great banner, I knew that I had to put up something that reflected the change of locale.

So this morning I put together something different, a new look at my new home, New Mexico. Albuquerque is known for its annual "Balloon Fiesta" and a picture adorns the left side of the banner to address that. The right side, my friend - the cactus. A bad experience hiking in the Sandia Mountains urged me to put something in that was something to chuckle at. And the tag line? I'm not sure why New Mexico is known as the "Land of Enchantment" so I merely had to question. Nothing against Albuquerque or New Mexico, I am enjoying both; its just a question.

A new look for Expat Nomad, enjoy.