It would be far worse to be the old guy down the street without that funny
old car!
Dave Camp
2 funny old spridgets
1 funny old truck
----- Original Message -----
From James Algar <algar at smartlink.net>
To: <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2000 3:42 PM
Subject: Feeling old?
> I just have to share this with the list...but be warned; for those of us
> in a certain demographic, this will be hard to take.
>
> With my wife's car in the shop, she's been driving mine, so my '69
> Sprite has once again become my daily driver, after a looong time hidden
> in the garage (so it's not exactly been a common sight on the streets of
> my neighborhood.)
>
> (A little background here: I bought the car brand-new in 1969. The car
> was new, I was young - 22 years old - and the world was at my feet, with
> all things possible. Enter the millennium, so doing the math will tell
> you that I'm now a 53-year-old driving a 31-year-old car.)
>
> Back to my story. As I was pulling out of my cul-de-sac, I noticed a
> group of the neighbors from the next block over gathered across the
> street..you know, just hanging out. They were all ages; kids, teens, and
> a couple of suburban moms in their thirties. Suddenly, a strange thing
> happens: they're smiling, and pointing at me, and nodding their heads
> with big grins and...waving? Yes, waving! I wave back without thinking
> and continue on down the street with all the speed that 1275cc can
> muster.
>
> And then it hits me...light a bolt of lightning...like a ton of
> bricks...like a knot of ice in my stomach. It's happened: I've
> become...I've become...(I can't say this)...THE OLD GUY DOWN THE STREET
> WITH THE FUNNY OLD CAR!
>
> Remember? Sure you do; we all had one living somewhere near us when we
> were growing up. For my generation, it was some nice old harmless guy
> who'd kept that old Model T or Model A, and could be seen in his
> driveway every once in a while washing it, or even more rarely might be
> spotted *driving* it!
>
> But now...AAAAAAARRGGGHHHH...I'm HIM!
>
> I gotta go now...I need a stiff drink. And none of your frou-frou yuppie
> drinks, bartender; just make it a gin and tonic. In fact...make it a
> double.
>
> Jim Algar (born 1947)
> '69 Sprite Mk.IV (built 12-68)
> Tempus fugit
>
>
|