Blog 3.1

As I turned the ignition I could hear the exhaust start to rattle. In the rear view mirror, the fumes began to cloud and rise until it disappeared. I took a deep breath and saw it rise and disappear like the exhaust. It was especially cold because my window was broken and permanently open a few inches. The auto body shop wanted $400 to fix it and I don't have that kind of money, as I am a broke college student.   I drive a chevy pickup full of books, shoes, empty bottles, and clothes.. My brother drives an SUV full of clothes and soccer balls.   Cars have always been a status symbol. When the first car was made available to the public only the rich could afford them. Now that cars are more affordable and there are so many, your status is dependant on what kind of car you drive. The spectrum ranges from 'mommy and daddy bought me an Audi for my sweet sixteen' to 'For my 16th birthday I got a job and bought this $500 piece of shit that barely runs.' I'm somewhere in the middle. I paid for my first car out of my own money, my family paid insurance. My brother never had the same luxury because he kept getting into accidents or getting speeding tickets. Driving with him used to make me sick to my stomach and I'd be halfway through making my peace with god by the time we got where we were going.   My father is a passive aggressive driver, if someone tries to pass him he speeds up just enough so they can't. There are a lot of circles in Flemington. He drives with one thumb on the horn ready to beep anyone who impedes him. He has 4 PBA stickers on his car, hopingto ward off tickets.My mother never leaves the right lane. She'll call the house and say she's on her way home from work and she'll be there in a half an hour. 45 minutes later the front door opens and in she comes.   Once again, I find myself somewhere in the middle, driving 85mph on route 78, but only ever having been ticketed once for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. I'm sure after writing this I'll jinx myself and get a fat speeding ticket and a couple points on my license.   My ex-girlfriend's driving style can be summed up in one short sentence. She recieved two speeding tickets in less than 24 hours on the same road.   Driving with someone for the first time can be quite an educational experience. My teammate, Mike, is from Bayonne, and I've never been  part of the breaking of so many traffic laws in my life. He passes cars where no man should ever pass cars, does illegal u-turns at the most innapropriate times, and I'm 90% sure he doesn't know there's a such thing as a speed limit.