Thoughts.com Blogs - Emptying Elaine

View Blog

Emptying Elaine

So I went to West LA to pick-up my things that I had left there.

Mouthwash - for the times that I didn't have a chance to brush before heading out. If my teeth weren't clean, at least my breath was fresh.
WeHo Parking Pass - although expired, it was pure gold trying to park in that neighborhood. My friend J tried to steal it once claiming he was just "borrowing" it. I waited outside his place for about 2 hours to get it back.
Santa Monica Parking Pass - even though I had a spot for Elaine, it was helpful when people came over or when I went to other friends' places in Santa Monica.
My Stewie key chain - a gift that hung on my rear-view for about a year and illicited many comments from passengers and other cars.
2 t-shirts - I couldn't decide between 3 shirts to wear that night, so I brought all 3. After consultation, we finally picked one and I forgot the other 2 there.
Volleyball - just in case.
Tennis Racket and balls - for when we felt like playing tennis.
Bowling shoes - a birthday gift from my friend JV. I left it there when we were in the bowling league together (yes, I was in a bowling league).
Boots - technically work boots, which I wore when we went hiking.
Cones - for when we would play football.

No - I didn't just break-up with someone and was gathering my things, although it kind of feet like it. Instead, I was getting my things from out of my car, Elaine, as she's in the shop and has just been declared a total loss.

A car enthusiast friend of mine warned me about naming my car.

JV: I don't name my cars because I'll get emotionally invested in them.
Me: Isn't that the point? If I get emotionally invested in my car, then I'll take care of it better.
JV: But you won't be able to make a rational decision with respect to the car.

Ignoring his advice, I continued to refer to my little car as Elaine. A 1999 Hyundai Elantra I got in January 2000 in Gaithersburg, MD, drove to Columbus, OH for a winter as I was wrapping-up law school, and that carried everything I brought with me to Los Angeles, CA in May of 2000. And the name fit perfectly. She wasn't fancy, but she got the job done and got me from point A to point B without problem. Her warranty came in handy a few times as I brought her in for check-ups and when something went wrong.

People here in LA would laugh at me because I held onto her for so long. "When are you gonna get a new car?" was a common question as they drove around in new Mercedes and BMWs (I have a few fancy friends). In fact, during the first year I lived in LA, whenever my friends would have a surprise birthday party for someone, I was the one asked to park far away and walk, because every car in the neighborhood blue-booked around $30,000 used. I don't think Elaine cost that much new. But I didn't care. She was reliable and she was mine.

When I worked for the record company, being the first one in, I would always park in the same spot right in front of the main entrance. I brought Elaine in for a check-up and the dealer gave me a loaner for a day. A new Altima. So I parked in the same spot and went to work. In a company of about 10 people in LA, five of them came into my office to congratulate me on buying a new car and letting me know that it was about time I bought a new car. Yeah. The mentality with respect to cars is very different here in LA.

So I was in an accident about a month or two ago, and found-out last week that the company wanted to total Elaine out. They let me know how much they would give me to total her out (which, in my opinion, was unacceptably low, but I suppose they didn't take into account the memories I had with her driving cross-country, the road trips with friends to Vegas, San Diego, etc). I spent the weekend trying to decide what I was going to do. I basically had 2 options:

(1) - Claim her as a total loss, take the money and buy a new car (or new to me at least); or
(2) - Claim her as a total loss, buy her back (at a discounted rate) and find another way to fix her to keep her.

I didn't want to do either. This was Elaine!

So finally, I decided to get another car. Once the decision was made, I was fine. That is, until I went to the body shop today to get my things from her.

So there I was going through Elaine, gathering my things, and saying goodbye as if she was an ex. She's been with me for over 7 years (which is more than some friends). My friend JV was right about becoming emotionally involved in Elaine. I AM emotionally involved. It was probably harder than it SHOULD have been to make my decision and let her go.

Looking back at the memories we made, when I get my new car, I'll name that as well.