This morning I found out that my mom was in a car accident. She was on her way to a physical therapy appointment (a month or so ago she slipped in the bathroom and landed in the splits, shredding tendons and such) when she was broadsided in an intersection. Her back was injured but we don't know how badly yet. Oh, and her new car has at least $10,000 of damage. I don't know yet whether the driver that hit her had insurance. My poor mom. She's been in a lot of physical pain lately (and she already has fibromyalgia so she always has some pain). I wish I'd been more successful financially because I feel like I'm not much of a resource for her other than emotional support. Anyway, she believes in the power of prayer so if any of y'all Buffistas can spare a good thought, I'm sure she'd appreciate it.

That's great news, vw. I'm glad you live somewhere that has carsharing.

OMG Spidra. much ~ma to your mother. That is awful. (total understatement)

I don't even have a liscence. I know how to ride a horse Western and English styles. I know how to drive a herd of zebra. I know how to bobsled, despite the fact that the majority of my formative years have been spent in South Florida. I also have the benifits of knowing how to ride a tricycle, bicycle, and unicycle. There's also buses, metro rails, the underground, trains, and horse drawn carts that I know how to use to get around. I plan to learn how to drive a dog team. I really haven't the space or the car to learn about cars. Cars don't lick you when you've had a trying day, and I will say nothing else about transportation least the travel Gods make me miss the No. 3 Northbound again.

Now I can reserve a car for New Years. Wheeeee!

better do it quick

Dude. I'm a TOTAL car whore. I love driving. LOVE it.

Of course, I live in a city with pathetic crap-ass public transport, so you kinda have to have a car, unless you're a college student (and even then, it's better to have one).

vw, good luck with the transition. DH would totally love to be in a position to give up our cars--basically meaning he'd love to live in a city with a good metro system/zip cars/trains, etc. like Boston, London, DC or NYC.

We're sucky Midwesterners with our wide open spaces, urban sprawl and gas sucking vehicles.

Once when my sister was working as a desk clerk in a hotel during law school, she met an Australian guest who had a bad cold. He asked where to find the nearest pharmacy so he could get some cold medicine and my twin gave him directions to the closest one--then suddenly realizing the guy had no car. She offered to drive him because it was on the outskirts of town, near busy freeways and it would have been at least four miles to get there. He just smiled when he turned down her offer and her concerns that it would be too far a distance to walk and said, "You Americans do love your cars, don't you?" (Only he said it with a truly sexy Australian accent.)

Heh. Ohio-ista Public Transport Sux! cross-post....

Kansas City is pretty sucky when it comes to public transit as well. The state line running through the metro doesn't help either.

Oh! Ohio! That's where Vishnu got all disgusted over the Holy Oil, right? OSU?