About Me

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

motoring life – pride

Street Fightin' Man – Landie Melo comes to town.




Thus far the Fool had only driven the Landie intermittently – mostly for short trips, mostly on dirt tracks –, and it's only in the past two or three weeks that I've been putting it to more normal usage: driving it on errands, interacting with other traffic, even taking it into town.


And the thing is: it's an inducer of Pride.


Years ago I had a Range Rover as a company car, so the feelings of superiority engendered by moving around on a higher level (or "y" coordinate) than the common motorist are nothing new to me – hell, even the current, modest, VW Tiguan provides a rewarding experience in that regard.


But the Landie is quite a few steps higher. So much so, that even regular SUVs have become objects of derision to me. No matter how hard I try no to look down my nose at them, beneath all the benevolence or sympathy I may affect there always lies the innate contempt for underlings of one who dwells on a higher plane. Of one able, as it were, to stare a truck driver in the eye and not blink (I'm even considering buying one of those license plates beloved of truckies, to prop on the dashboard against the windshield, announcing their name to the world: "MELO”).

Pride, quoi.

I wouldn't really care if I didn't know it's one of Seven things that can land you in Hell ...

Saturday, November 1, 2014

wild life (8) – whitethroat

What's that?

Oh, hello there!

'Bye now!


Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) on a juniper near Magoito