ahhhhh, the freedom of the road! The smell of fresh diesel trucks, the random pit stop, and the gas the gas the gas. Rented an SUV for the trip to NYC-- it was more car than anything. Spent $100 on the rental. Double that plus some for gas to fill it up. There should have been room to pack a trumpet into the dashboard from the size of it, but the only thing that fit into that tiny little drawer was a piece of paper from the rental company. The back was large enough to squeeze in a harp and cello-- except it was blocked by car and more car, and we could  barely squeeze in a keyboard and bass amp. As we moved equipment and negotiated who was going to be sleeping on the keyboard stands, I wondered-- who on earth made these things? Who on earth would buy one?? My little jalopy that squeals in the winter time has more storage space than this massively huge SUV that feels like I'm jumping into an armored truck.

My friend said, "But Melissa, we're AMERICAN. We're entitled to drive big cars that are CARS with capital letters." I thought, we are? I mean, are we really??? Why are the cheap cars equal to my college education? Does it say something about our society when we complain about the rising cost of education but don't seem to notice when we spend $30,000 on a vehicle that only lasts 100,000 miles before we replace it with another?

Not long ago, you could find cars being sold on the side of the road for $500, and you knew they'd be old and you knew you had to do some research into how well it might hold up, but generally you could find a car that would run for the next year. $500 is some people's monthly payments! Now try to find that same deal-- cars are, even the cheapest and most neglected cars, going for at least $700 on the street provided you can include another $2,000 in repairs. Cars that should be junked at the local junkyard are selling on the street for $900.

Something is very wrong here. Regrettably, I can't just ride a bike everywhere-- imagine loading a bike with something called a "travelling museum" or trying to hold onto an entire drum kit and mic set-- no, I'm stuck with a vehicle that can carry things.

But I still see no excuse. I mean, they're not even good looking. If you HAVE to do luxury, buy a Lincoln Towncar or a corvette or something that's flashy. Otherwise, can we as a people get back to a slightly more utilitarian mode? Call it the virgo in me that's pleading.

Please feel free to comment and argue. I'd love to hear your point of view.