J is for Jalopy

Friday, April 11, 2014



Jalopy

 What’s a guy to do to get a girl to ride in his Jalopy? - which is, 
by definition,  a very old car in bad condition.

17 comments:

  1. Hmmm, interesting. As long as the brakes work and the guy's a good driver, I wouldn't care what his car looks like.

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    1. That's why the world is such an interesting place. There are all types and we all have different levels of tolerance.

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  2. Ooh harsh. Hmm... he has to try to charm her some other way if he wants her in his jalopy. However, if she is only interested in the type of car you have is it really worth it?

    LittleCely from LittleCely's Blog

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    1. Yup, he's gotta work at things from another angle, I think.

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  3. I agree! Not much for old cars. However, that is something he's excited about and she's rude to dismiss it.

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  4. Okay, this is theory that I have reached about people and cars. Usually they are a fairly accurate reflection of someone's life. In my own life, I have had nice cars (things were going well), messy cars littered with work stuff (things were going well, but my life really revolved around work), and POS cars (my life resembled a train wreck). I also had a couple of starter cars as a teen/young adult (they were nice, but outdated, and certainly not jalopies). The guys I have dated... often their vehicles say a great deal about them. Not all of them had the newest cars, but many of the nicest guys I knew kept them in good running condition. Made the repairs so that it was a comfortable ride.

    Just recently I went out with someone who drove a jalopy. I didn't know that he drove a jalopy until I got in the car. That thing was a mess. The roof upholstery was sagging everywhere. The seats needed recovering/replacing. There was a bell that kept dinging randomly. His gas gauge didn't work. It was disorienting to say the least. And then I started asking him questions about his life. OMG. His job was terrible. He hated it but was afraid to look for something else. It was wrecking his life because he was on call all of the time. He wasn't sleeping. His ex-wife took all his money in the divorce. He was never going to be able to retire due to his debt load. He was stressed stressed stressed. I felt my stress rising just listening to it and then a migraine began to kick in. And I thought, "Ah to the hell no. I am just beginning to get control of these migraines. I am not letting ANYONE stress me out with their stress so that I spend the rest of my life in bed in a dark room."

    And I say all of this because I know that you want story ideas and I tend to think that choosing a character's car should be done carefully. It is an outward reflection who that person is, what is going on in their life, how the feel...

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    1. Robin,

      Thanks a million for sharing these thoughts. I've never quite looked at cars and their owners in this way and yet it all makes sense. In Jamaica, people tend to keep cars forever - some, simply because they can't afford an upgrade. Others because it's the way of life on the island and then there are the set that must have the latest model, no matter that the bank owns both the car and their life.

      Really interesting take, Robin. This is an idea for a whole story within itself.

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  5. Hah! If he creates a trail of chocolates and roses that lead to the seat, he just might succeed. ;)

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  6. I think this is a case of "She's just not that into you." Any girl who's crushing on a guy would walk through fire to spend time alone with him. If not, there isn't much he can do...

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  7. I'd say call it off right now. Do not dis your guy's car.

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  8. This guy is related to my husband. That's why he has his jalopy and I have my beautiful Santa Fe. I love my car!

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  9. I am not into old cars either. What if these cars stop off midway?

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  10. It may very well be, Lexa.

    Lee, if only more guys took the sensible course.

    Joylene, your comment made me laugh.

    Rachna, there are some vehicles that should definitely be retired.

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  11. You've got a great A to Z theme, Joy! Aww, I kinda like jalopies. Reminds me of reading old Archie comics :-)

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  12. I prefer the proverbial P.O.S. car over Jalopy. Jalopy sounds too old-timey. (Plus P.O.S. car references the hysterical Adam Sandler song)

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Don't be shy, I'd love to hear what you think.