My first motorcycle purchase was a split-second decision weighing the thrill and yearning for adventure over years of my mother strictly saying, “NO,” anytime I even mention the word motorcycle. Since then, two and a half years have passed, I’ve owned seven motorcycles (three of which, I currently have), and just this winter, I purchased a car. I have named every single one of my vehicles since I bought the second motorcycle; there was Raven, Raven II, Rhino, Charles, Mystique, Pearl, and Blueberry. Today, I’ll be talking about my car, Blueberry.

I would say that I have a very special emotional connection to Blueberry because she is my first car and I’ve wanted to buy this exact model for a number of years. Every time I go for a drive, when I approach her I either say “Hey baby!” or “Hey Bluebs!” and she winks at me (flashes headlights when I press the unlock button on the remote). The same goes for when I come back and park her; I blow her a kiss and she winks back at me. This winter has been especially hard on Blueberry and me because the unforgiving cold and relentless snowfall resulted in all the roads having ginormous craters in them. It is absolutely impossible now to drive from point A to B without running over some pothole that causes a huge BANG and the entire car to shake. Due to the nature of Blueberry being a tiny sports car with lowered and stiffened suspension, the pothole have been especially unforgiving. I am generally not a confrontational or emotional person but when I accidentally drive into some invisible and unavoidable pothole, I scream out curses in three different languages and a thunderous rage runs through my body resulting in me almost turning into The Hulk. I can’t think of many other things that would set me off like that. I am both very angry at the city for not marking the craters in some way and angry with myself for hurting Blueberry. After the rage I spend minutes apologizing to her, petting the steering wheel and dash in an attempt to make her feel better. A little over a week ago, I was driving down a road I frequent every other day and hit a pothole that formed overnight so badly that my alignment is now way off and my tire grew a huge bubble on the sidewall. Just the new tire will cost around $150 and at least another $150 for replacing struts or bearings that may have been damaged as well. Somehow I am less concerned with the cost than how much I heart Blueberry. Is that love?