Tuesday, August 28, 2007

What's in a car?

This morning on my way in from the parking lot, I watched a girl about my age apologizing to her co-worker (about 50) for how messy her car was. I couldn't see it, but I could imagine it.
If her car is anything like mine it serves more as a moving home than a car and contains:
  • at least two full changes of clothes
  • two pairs of shoes
  • two empty cereal bowls
  • photographs
  • jewelry
  • shopping bags
  • coffee cups
  • make-up
  • CD's
  • cell phone accessories
  • a lifetime supply of pregnancy reading material (though this may be just my car)
  • several magazines and books (aside from the prego reading!)
  • dog toys
  • about 500 straw wrappers

I have a theory about cars. I think that the older you get, the LESS like a moving junk-drawer your car becomes. Most people my age have cars that look like mine, and I can't think of many people over the age of about 45 that have cars with more than a few crumbs or the odd travel mug.

So...help me prove or disprove my theory. What's in your car? Are you older or younger than 45 (you don't have to give specifics, just over or under)? I'm sure there exceptions to my rule, but I can't think of any!

A haiku for my car (sorry about the formatting!)

My car's a junk draw'r,

Babe will only make it worse.

Half-way to fifty!

19 comments:

Mandi said...

I'm 18, and for the last 3 years, until college, my car has always contained the following:

Hockey bag/sticks
Cds--lots of them
Numerous cell phone chargers
Papers, everywhere.
2 pairs of shoes
probably 5 sets of clothes in bags
pop cans
like 5 water bottles
crumbs, lots of them.

Therefore, I agree with your theory.

<3 Noonie

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. Well if you live in the city and would prefer not to tempt jerks who would break your car window for something inside, then you would keep your car clean and tidy. So, I've been keeping my car clean for years. But it's a fight on my part. And if you look inside my trunk, there are a few items that don't really belong there.

erin said...

Thanks, Anon! Who are you??

Carla said...

Sippy cups, dolls, books, Bionicles, wet wipes, crumbs, baggies, tons of papers and projects from summer school and VBS, wrappers and carseats.
I have a neighbor who spends MUCHO time on her car. Washing, waxing, vacuuming. She has no grandchildren.

Anonymous said...

Mult. pairs of sunglasses, 1/2 empty H2O's and new ones. No less than four at a time. Whooopiees...otherwise know to most as baby wipes used for the dogs. Dog balls, leash, pillow and do-do doggie bags. I keep the car picked up and neat most of the time. This grandma will have lots of room for the baby things and what ever else. 7 Months from 50 and counting down slowly. Remember there is a differnce between clutter and filth. You are just a busy gal. Luv u MOM II

Anonymous said...

i'm under 45 and my car is just as bad if not worse that yours. i have sunglasses at least 3pair, cds(3 books worth), jackets(even though its summer), sweatshirts, shoes, underwear, tshirts, a garbage bag thats half full, lots of water bottles, markers, tide to go, mittens, hangers, magazines, and dont even get me started on my center counsel. thats just gross.
love sasha

Kristin said...

I'm almost over 45. We have one unpaid parking ticket and part of a broken key chain. Besides the car seat for Easton in the back, that's about it. Jeff doesn't allow me to let stuff pile up. He's just like that.

kristi noser said...

I try to keep my car trash (if not junk) free. Every time I put in gas, I try to throw all the trash out. I do have a bit of junk in there tho--necessary junk!

Katie R. said...

gum, paper, sippy cups, children's books, Anna's shoes (she takes them off in the car anyhow so we leave them in there for when we arrive at our destination), paper, pens, Isaiah's magic kit, old drive-thru coffee cup, car keys and purse (yes I leave both in the car and Matthew scolds me often).

I am younger than 45, however, my car did not become messy until after the kiddos. I used to clean the inside at least once a month if not more. I'm talkin' Armour All and everything. sigh....oh well!

theswamphare said...

I'm 44. In my truck?

3 bags of sunflower seeds (2 BBQ/1 Dill pickle)
3 copies of '50 reasons Christ died for you'
2 car seats for the proto's
1 25 foot extension cord
garage door opener
cellphone charger
folding bone-saw
1 box of large black contractor garbage bags
2 rolls of duct tape
handcuffs
1 double-bladed axe
box of paper shop-towels
folding shovel
1 bag of heavy-duty zip-ties
Vix Vapo-rub
100 foot rappel line
20 million candlepower spotlight
Promise Keepers cassette tape
fast food napkins and coffee stir- sticks
toy monster truck on dashboard
box of 12 gauge solid copper hollow point slugs
pen and pencil
pad of sticky notes
lots of dog hair

Anonymous said...

Swampy,

That sounded just like mine until you got to the Vicks.

Katie R. said...

Kelli, lol!

Swampy, I'm glad you had a few Christian references in the list or you may be considered scary. Hmmm? What could a person do with contractor bags, repel line, a saw and handcuffs? Sounds like a movie of the week in the making to me.

Naomi said...

I am well under 45, and here to disprove your theory. ;) I cannot stand it when clutter of any kind piles up in my car. I like to keep it clean and open, just in case anyone needs a ride that day, or I have to haul something large in the back. So if a bunch of stuff piles up, it usually happens all in one day, and it is usually cleaned out within 24 hours. Right now in my car:

Emma's carseat
1 Empty water bottle
Bible

theswamphare said...

I thought about it when confronted with what's in my truck. It is all defensible as tools except for the handcuffs and the hollowpoint slugs.

Handcuffs: I don't like bullies; never have, never will. If I arrive at a situation where someone is being assaulted or credibly menaced, I will intervene. Sometimes bullies don't like this and require restraint that they cannot themselves demonstrate. Standard S&W handcuffs are arguably safe and every law enforcement officer has a key. Restraining someone may de-escalate a situation and prevent more serious injuries to anyone. If I were to use the zip-ties for this, someone could claim un-necessary injury.

The slugs: If the general appearance of my truck is insufficient to deter someone from breaking in, perhaps the little extra dis-incentive of knowing that, for some reason, I drive around with a supply of 12 gauge hollow-point slugs will balance self-preservation with larcenous curiousity.

at least I didn't have magic kits, underwear or hockey sticks...

kristi noser said...

"Hockey sticks, underwear and magic kits". Now there's the start of a good country song.

Anonymous said...

I have a compass, a handheld GPS unit and a sleeping bag.

I'm over 45.

erin said...

That must be my father.

Kristin said...

I must meet these swampy people, they sound very interesting.

Sig. said...

I'm 26, and my car contains a few odds and ends, all functional:

*A spare pair of pants and a t-shirt (because sometimes I have to paint and do "messy" stuff at work and I don't want to ruin my nice clothes)

*Cell phone cigarette lighter adapter thingy

*hand sanitizer

*scissors & mailing tape (because my gas door doesn't stay shut on its own)

...and that's it. But only because clutter bothers me. (Yes, I'm weird.)