Last summer, I spent a lot of my free time watching My Mother the Car on Hulu. (Apparently it's no longer on Hulu.) This show comes up a lot on lists of the worst TV shows ever. Having watched the entire one-season series, I can assure you that it is not the worst TV show. Yes, it was ridiculous, but if you watch it, you know it was meant to be. It was better than Mister Ed and My Favorite Martian, which took themselves more seriously, despite having equally unbelievable premises. (Horses' mouths and throats were not meant to make human sounds, and why have a show about a human Martian that can turn invisible and levitate objects? Why not just have a show about a wizard?)
Anyway, the premise of My Mother the Car is that a lawyer's mother is reincarnated as a car, and she only talks to her son. (I would provide a video of the very catchy theme song, but I couldn't find a good one.) Well, I kind of wonder if my car is actually a reincarnated person who has a preference for my mom. After all, my mom did once drive this car for years.
You see, on October 30 last year, my car refused to start for me. The battery was fine, it just wouldn't start, either for me or my dad. The next day my mom tried to start it and it started right up for her.
Then last month, I was up Parleys Canyon, and once again, it wouldn't start for me or my dad, but the next day my mom tried it (right after I had), and it started right up for her.
Well, guess what happened Monday night this week? I couldn't get it to start, so I called my mom to come pick me up. Well, she didn't need to pick me up, but she did need to start my car, because once again it worked for her immediately after not working for me.
I wish I knew why it did this. Last month I took it in to have it fixed, and they couldn't figure out why it did that, because it started for them every time. It's very frustrating not knowing how to fix that problem, because otherwise it's a great car. It's just a bit disconcerting that it doesn't start from time to time, leaving me stranded.
Now my dad and my sister have been trying to convince me--at times excessively so--to buy a new car--I think because they want a new car but can't justify it. I have toyed with the idea of getting a new car. But there are many advantages to having an old car. I don't have to worry so much about dings and dents, and I don't think thieves care about my car. I can park underneath fruit trees. And of course there's the sentimental value; we've had this car since 2000, and it took me through high school and college. I mean, it would be nice to not have to worry about getting stranded far from home, but it's not too big of a deal.
This week I was out trail running on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. I had run past the radio towers from Tunnel Springs Park, and after I had turned around to go back up the hill toward the radio towers, I saw something black behind me rapidly coming up the hill. It startled me, but it was an African man. This was a fairly steep hill, and he was booking it. As he passed me, he said "Good job!" I was kind of taken aback--he was zipping past me, and yet he was complimenting me? I didn't know how to respond, so I didn't say anything. I hope I didn't seem like a jerk.
On Friday I went to see the National Parks perform in Kaysville. I discovered them in Provo, but it was convenient that they were in Davis County. They were performing at Cherry Hill as part of a concert series put on by a stake. It was obvious that the stake used it as a missionary opportunity. It was pretty awkward, because it was a bit overly preachy. The MoTab Christmas concerts are less preachy. Also, at first they introduced them as the National Park, singular, and they mispronounced some of the members' names. And the man in charge kept asking who had traveled "furtherest."
It was a really fun concert. (I snapped a picture on my phone, but it's horrible and not worth sharing.) I was surprised at how big the fan base was so far away from Provo. I was able to buy their second album, Until I Live, which isn't as folksy as their first album. I haven't listened to the new one enough yet to know which one I like better. Two years ago, folk music was huge, but I think it's on its way out again. (Mumford and Sons made people mad for getting rid of their bluegrass sound, and as far as I'm concerned, the banjo is the only good thing about them, so what's the point? Of Monsters and Men had a decent folk-rock debut album, but their recent album is more alternative rock and is as boring as watching refrigerated molasses pour out of the jar.)
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