PT Cruiser Baby!

I continue to find it a source of amusement (and relief) at how easily pleased I am these days and how the littlest things can provoke stomach churning excitment and cause my feet to do their little happy dance.

Like this blog for example. I could not sleep last night from the high of both creating a blog and publishing a posting - albeit just for my sister, my friend and one of my favourite bloggers to read. I could feel my heart palpitating, hear the blood rushing through my ears and there was a little happy party going on in my head all night long. Boy, do I need to get a life. Or a proper money-earning job with recognition. Or a man. Preferably all three.

The past few months I have been so focused on simple survival. Getting through the days relatively unscathed while my husband and I dismantle our family and go our separate ways. Of course, our timing was impeccable. Sell the house, make the big break (after nearly 3 years of hanging-on-in-there and trying to make a go of it) and then be hit first with Thanksgiving and then with Christmas. And only each other - and the boys of course - for company. That's the big down fall of living 4,000 miles from our family and friends - no-one available to dilute these 'magical family holidays'. Yep. No reasons there that I can think of for even an inkling of a happy dance.

So starting a blog felt like a major achievement. Not quite climbing Everest or running the Boston Marathon in under 3 hours, but definitely up there.

And the other reason for my happy dance in the past couple of days is attributed to my love-hate relationship with my car The Beast (aka The Money Pit aka F*%$ing car). The Beast has been nothing but trouble ever since it was purchased in good faith 2 years ago. I thought I was making such a sensible financial decision. And The Beast has been doing its damnest to prove me wrong ever since. So it's back in the garage for yet more repairs and I went to collect my rental car to find, joy of joys, it's a PT Cruiser!!! Now to most people this may not seem like an obvious reason to do a happy dance...but I am obviously not most people.

I love PT Cruisers!

I fell in love with them when we first moved to Chicago 8 years ago. They seemed quirky and retro and unlike any other car I had seen and I thought they were the bees knees. So unlike The Beasts that everyone was driving - a completely unique car on American roads. And they were so rare. Like spotting an elusive humming bird or kingfisher, everytime I saw one an involuntary and, I admit it, irritating 'PT Cruiser Baby!' cry would escape my lips. I was like a woman obsessed.

So I was quite frankly delighted when the guy from the car rental company apologetically guided me to the little black car of my dreams right at the back of the lot. I think he was a little confused by my obvious glee and quickly made the assumption he was dealing with someone a few sandwiches short of a picnic (no flies on him then). But what did I care? I had achieved a long-term dream (which I suppose only goes to show you really do have to be careful what you wish for - maybe I should have been focusing my attention a little more carefully on a Ferrari, say, or at the very least a Porshe).

So now I am whizzing around the city in my little rental, happy as a pig in doo-doo. It's so nippy! It's so low to the ground! And I drove it round all day and the petrol guage didn't even move a smidge. On similar days with The Beast I would have been at least half a tank of petrol down and would start the ignition the next morning only to find the greedy so-and-so had guzzled another quarter of a tank of petrol overnight whilst parked.

Sad to say, I feel like someone with character and style and panache.

So nice to finally reach a point where I get such happiness from the silliest things in life...and about time too.