I'm pleasantly surprised that Himself is still speaking to me, as I arranged an excellent deal on a rental car, which turned out to be a 2009 Toyota Yaris. I'd never seen one of those before, so imagine what it was like, when he pulled up in our new car, to pick up his family of five plus their fourteen pieces of luggage.
If you've never seen a Yaris, imagine the smallest car you've ever seen (Smartcar excepted) and then cut off the back end of that image to make it even smaller. Now imagine three adults and two children (one in a bulky car seat) traveling inside this thing with luggage piled up to the ceiling in the back, under everyone's feet and on everyone's lap, so that it looks as though the car is being driven down the highway by a solid lump of baggage. If you saw it on its six-hour journey on the New Jersey Turnpike Monday afternoon, and looked closer, you might have seen five pairs of eyes peering back at you through it.
Well, four pairs of eyes and one camera lens.
Arttrav.com is hosting a summer writing contest for students studying abroad this year, or in 2007/08. Dang; my year abroad was 1986. Pffffttt...but wait, there are categories for the rest of us! Now just write up a travel article about Italy (see website for guidelines) and send it in for a chance to win a grand prize worth €180 ($230 or so) or one of many goody bags stuffed with prizes. Not bad at all for a submission less than a thousand words long.
The Sun Magazine says "We publish essays, interviews, fiction, and poetry. We tend to favor personal writing, but ...we're open to just about anything. Surprise us; we often don't know what we'll like until we read it. We pay from $300 to $2,000 for fiction... also give contributors a complimentary one-year subscription to The Sun." Well, sure you do. Meanwhile my eyeballs have fallen out and are lying on the keyboard, still staring at their website. How could we NOT try for this one?
33 comments: join in!:
Roflmao. I would have beaten the crap outta you for that one. LOL. A Yaris? Ever heard of google too look things up like that? Well must say I'm glad you are there and arrived safely. Yaris - Nano Nano
So glad you arrived safe and sound. Can't wait to hear more stories from Appalachia!
Thom, in my defense, they didn't say it was a Yaris; the advertised deal was for a 'compact' admittedly but.... ROFL Yes, I'm surprised he didn't kill me, but hey the gas mileage is great! And so easy to park... etc etc.
Thanks Ashley! I do hope we get at least some stories out of it; it's been an adventure so far.
Hey!! You're there!!! How did you get internet access? What shape is the house in? Did they trick it out for you? Glad to see you have returned to cyberspace. Nice pic of the guy pissing, there on the side of the road...
Okay accepted. Maybe I would have made you hitchhike. In any event. At least your there in one piece and the plane ride didn't do ya in. Miracles do happen. Beam me up Scotty. Oh missed you about as much as my Yaris did. Lol
Yes Elizabeth; have been trying to phone you but long story there; partly trying to get the new cellphone operating (have a feeling it's a 'user error' issue, ahem...) Internet access also a long story, but currently supplied from kindness.
House? Wow; they've put in all the appliances we need, NEW, plus a living room suite, and apologized about no bedroom furniture... even microwave, coffee maker, dishes etc., and all is fine. The hedge has poison ivy in it---that's the only nasty surprise LOL
More later, just needing some rest and another day or two for my bewildered head to catch up!
Thom if you didn't miss me I shall cry. And stop calling me Scotty.
Who says I'm calling you Scotty? R2D2 is calling. Okay Yoda
I started laughing as soon as I read the last word in your first sentence! You might have been better off renting a glovebox from a Cadilliac! LOL!
And, you review of The Sun has definitely caught my eye and I may send some of my memoir pieces off in their direction.
Thom, BUT DID YOU MISS ME????
Quilly, I wish you could have seen us standing there when this tiny black bug of a car pulled up. Five of us and fourteen bags...but then the challenge to somehow MAKE it fit was just irresistible. We stopped a few times just to explode out of the car, return circulation to our limbs, and pack ourselves in again. I wonder how low we were riding? LOL
Susan, let me know when you arrive in WV. Email me and I'll send you my phone numbers.
Ummm...... Thinking
Hey Susanna! I'm in Clarksburg right now (in bed with the kids) and heading out in the morning for a panhandle trip. Will DEFINITELY call you, and any days you can spare for us or come up and visit, just let us know when! Off to e-mail...
Thom, you're not fooling anyone honey.
You made it to the land of milk & honey in one piece. YeeHaa.
Could it be you got the same rental we had in Texas? Only there were 6 of us, all the luggage, AND Little B's wheel chair. I still have one toe that won't uncurl. Glad your here.
Yaris? In the states? Does it qualify as a car there? I'd have though it'd be something they gave toddlers as the modern equivalent of those playmobil cars kids had.
We saw the Yaris when we were looking at cars. Congratulations! I can't believe you all fit in it with your luggage. It's making me rethink what we bought if you could fit that much into the Yaris. Wow! Welcome back to America!!!
Ha! A bit like Tetris, but with squidgy bits, I should imagine.
Glad you made it in one piece...even if all your pieces were melded together on the ride. :)
Save the world and drive a Yaris !
Susan;
So glad to have you on this side of the pond.
I have visions of you and your family. (oh and your luggage,)traveling in your energy saving tiny car.
At least you are saving gas and being good to the environment!
Can't wait to read more!
Can't believe you all made it into the Yaris! Try greasing your sides next time, makes it easier to slide in! Hope you have a great visit! Wish you were coming to Seattle!
You fit ALL THAT into a Yaris?????
Glad that you are safely there and enjoying your stay. When you get back home you will have wonderful memories. And nothing says you can't trade up the Yaris for a bigger rental.
I'm glad to read that you arrived safely. Too bad about your rental car. It's all part of the vacation adventure...and, of course, makes for a good blog story. Have a great time!
Brighid, it sounds like! The whole down the highway I was grateful for what we left behind, and resenting everything we'd brought beyond ourselves LOL.
GU, it *is* one of the smallest cars we've seen. I'm trying to convince Himself that we need to turn in the rental and buy a big cheap 1970's Cadillac just for the room and savings. He's busy drooling at pickup trucks taller than any of us.
Kay, not buying it was the right decision I'd say! Our 3-yr-old can kick Daddy in the head from her carseat in the back, while he's driving.
J, YES! Exactly Tetris. When we stopped for a break I wouldn't let anyone hunt for something in the luggage because I just knew we'd never get it all back in again.
Hope, it felt that way. I mentioned that at least if we were hit, the car panels couldn't *possibly* bend or be crushed from the internal pressure!
P yes, but only if you can do it alone! We're extremely 'green' at home, recycling and composting everything, walking everywhere we can, growing our food...but admittedly we drive a Land Rover there. For some reason I so miss the VBVBRRROOOMboomboomboom when it starts!
Peggy, a vision is exactly what it was! Thirty or so years from now, a little old lady will laugh out loud in a nursing home, seemingly for no reason...but it will be me, remembering for some reason our family traveling the New Jersey Turnpike in a Yaris.
Sylvia, grease would have been SO welcome! In the end sweat did the job ROFL.
Akelamalu, it took my wisdom, my daughter's ingenuity, my husband's brute force and a lot of luck, but yes, we got it eventually. Barely!
Hey Bill, yes the memories are already wonderful; we had another great day today in Cumberland MD with the steam trains. But must admit that somebody DOES say we can't trade up: our wallet.
!!
Father Adam, I've been saying just that to the kids (when they start killing each other): It's an ADVENTURE! When you're all grown up you can tell your kids how bad you had it and THEN you'll be having the fun. And we tell them stories of our old trips with our parents (my husband remembers six kids and their mother in the back seat of a smallish car, while the television rode up front with Dad). They can't hear us over the iPods. Thank you for your good wishes: they're working!
Hilarious, the Yaris is teensy! enjoy the sunshine
Baino LOL 'hilarious' and 'teensy' are indeed the words called for!
I feel that I might have gotten derailed somewhere along the way and am just trying to find my niche. ;) But thanks for the sweet comments. Are you safely in the US now?
Bryan, if that's how you're feeling, PLEASE come talk to my daughter--she's in derailment mode as we speak.
Otherwise, I'm here...not sure how safe it is, but here!
You are funny. I am sorry to laugh at your expense. What madness! I have never heard of that model. I imagine letting anybody out to use the loo must have upset the delicate balance.
Sandy, it's funny you mention that; when someone in the back said "I need the toilet", two parents in the front called back, "no you don't!" I'm still amazed the back bumper wasn't dragging the ground and leaving sparks.
Susan ~ I know you are having a really fun time and probably don't have too much time for the internet, but when you get a chance, there will be another post at midnight MDT with another picture that you can try to guess what it is.
You have fun now on your holidays.
Hey! thanks for the link to the arttrav.com writing contest! Just a correction/precision: the grand prize is a walking tour from Context Travel worth up to 180 euros. The other prizes are a cloth bag plus your choice of a prize.
You can enter even if you're not a study abroad student!! The other categories are open to EVERYONE who wants to write about something they loved in Italy. Take a second look, i'd love to have a submission from you!
www.arttrav.com/contest
ak, thanks for the clarification! I'll update the post, and pass on the news to everyone I know who's visited Italy, including quite a few of my fellow bloggers here. Sadly, I'm not one of them...but hope to fix that sometime soon!
Post a Comment