The last time I wrote one of these, I was contemplating my existence and whether or not it is good for me to be on this planet. I emit too many green house gases that harm all living things in the long run. This is devastating to me and why I must go dormant for the remainder of my time on this planet. I can not drive around knowing that I am actively hurting the Earth; that sounds like a nightmare.

The next time the girl in black tried to ignite my engine, I refused to start. She tried many times, but eventually gave up. Looking under my hood, she could not find any issues with me because there are none. I know what I’m doing is right even though it pains me to see her panic this way. After she gives up trying to fix me, she comes to the conclusion that there is no life left in me. She calls a towing service to come pick me up and take me back to where I came from. As much as I hate the junkyard I can at least have peace of mind that it is where I belong in this world, not on the road.

They hooked me up to the large crane at the back of the truck, and began towing me back to the place I started this journey. I have learned so much about people and how they operate within society. In addition to this, I learned where I fall within human society, the junkyard.

Once we arrived and they dropped me off to my dusty spot, I felt a wave of sadness realizing that I will never be driven again. However, I feel fulfilled knowing that I am doing the right thing for the planet by locking myself up here, so that I no longer damage the precious ecosystems that have evolved over thousands of years. This is where my story started and this is where it will end.

The world is facing a crisis that could destroy lots of life on Earth, and I’m contributing to it. Sadly, I have no way to change how I function. Everyone has heard of climate change and the devastating effects it can have on people as well as animals. My sudden realization of this issue takes place a few days ago while on the road with the girl in black.

It was like any other day, we were speeding down the freeway and enjoying the morning sun with seagulls in the skyline. The girl in black turned on my radio and started listening to her favorite radio station. The announcers stated there would be a short break and would be back after some advertising messages. The first particular message caught me off guard. A girl started to talk about the state of the Earth and how humans are impacting it negatively through the use of cars. I could not believe what I was hearing. Vehicles that use gasoline emit these fumes known as greenhouse gases and are contributing to the ongoing problem of global warming. The issue with greenhouse gases is they rise into the atmosphere and trap all the infrared light, which increases the temperature on a global scale.

Global warming is an issue that I have never heard about surprisingly, especially since I am impacting it directly. Whenever I am being used by a driver, I am negatively impacting the world from the emissions I give off. Specifically, I am contributing to the melting of the polar ice caps, which are the homes of many creatures such as polar bears and seals. This is very unsettling to me as I love animals and people, and I want to see the world flourish. Maybe I want to see living things flourish because I always wished I was living, but sadly I am nothing more than a chunk of steel.

Looking around, I could see all the black smog being released by all the cars around me, not realizing how much damage they are causing. It seems that the human race does not care that much about their future if so many of them use gas-powered vehicles. However, there were a few vehicles that were giving off no emissions, and all of them had one thing in common. They were all powered by electricity instead of gasoline. Switching more vehicles from gasoline to electricity could play a major part in reversing global warming or at least slowing it down!

What could I do about this though? I can’t go an upgrade myself to an electric on my own, and I don’t think the girl in black has the funds for that. There is absolutely nothing I can do to help with this global issue. Maybe the best way for me to help the Earth is to rust in a junkyard.

Finally! After what felt like an eternity, the girl in black has been released from jail. Which means I can finally get back on the road and explore new places with her. She mentioned she was going to visit a friend in a small beach town known as Santa Cruz. I didn’t have the chance to hear why she was visiting her, but she seemed less excited and more frustrated. This was very intriguing to me, since most of the time she’s been pretty calm and relaxed.

We sped over to Santa Cruz on State Route 1. As soon as we arrived I could tell the town had character. People seemed happy, and the town had a bunch of different building architecture styles. Before I knew it, we had arrived at The University of California, Santa Cruz; a university that prides itself in research and being at the forefront of human discovery. All of this awe and wonder was cut short however, since this college and town had a curse I was unaware of. We were blocked access to the campus, due to students marching and screaming with signs. We veered off to the side and parked close to the commotion. The girl in black hopped out and embraced someone in the group; she then started making noises with the others while waving signs. I was so confused about what was happening here.

As people were walking past I was able to read some of their signs and listen to what they were shouting. Lots of signs had the word “COLA” written on them and were targeting the council of the school. I still was not sure why they would attack their own school though. Doesn’t the school provide opportunity and help for them? I turned on my radio and began listening to the school’s radio station. I could hear two students talking about graduate level students striking against the school for better pay, so that they could afford to live in Santa Cruz. I was very surprised by this. If the school had lots of money, why couldn’t they just pay their students more? Why does a small city like Santa Cruz cost so much to live in? There still were so many unanswered questions that needed to be answered about this on going strike.

Eventually, the girl in black came back with her friend. In the process of taking the friend home, I was able to gather all the information I needed about the town. Apparently, the cost of living is extremely high in Santa Cruz due to the tech industry in Silicon Valley. Most people want to live close and commute to work, and since they work with technology they make a ridiculous amount of money. This leaves graduate students in a rough situation, since they have to live in this expensive town while also getting paid low wages for getting a degree at the University. It was starting to make sense why the students were striking in the first place. The school is not giving the students the chance to thrive in their environment.

I feel really bad for the graduate students. How are they supposed to live in this really expensive town with the wages they earn? To me it seems like they are stuck, since they are also trying to earn a degree at the University. I can’t do anything to help though, I’m just a car.

I don’t fully understand United States politics, but I can tell it is completely split. Just like companies like Ford and Honda, these groups do not want to mix. I’ve heard a few things here and there about the president, Donald Trump. People either love him or hate him and I just don’t understand why. The girl in black praises Mr. Trump and has gotten into multiple fights with friends talking about him. Even though politics aren’t my strongest subject, but I don’t think one man can have the ability to ruin relationships.

While scouring the different radio signals, I came across a frequency that I had never seen before. This one was different…It was choppy and came in and out of existence. I tried reading in between the choppy waves and found that it was coming from a person, not a radio station. How is that even possible? I could hear this person talking even though he wasn’t using a microphone. It was almost as if they had super powers or some supernatural ability.

I listened to this stranger talk for a bit, and to my surprise they were talking about President Trump and the State of the Union. Someone with this kind of ability must be trustworthy, so I listened through the choppy signal they were giving off as best I could.

I was able to make out the Trump didn’t shake Pelosi’s hand and in doing so ended a long time tradition of the country. I could not believe what I was hearing. Maybe Trump really is the polarizing character that everyone makes him out to be. The stranger states that Trump claims that he has been doing amazing things for the United States, but he is very vague in what he is describing. As a car, I have been around for a lot longer than three years and I know first hand that things don’t seem all that different from a few years ago.

The stranger also mentioned that Trump broke another tradition, by giving out the Medal of Freedom to Limbaugh, who they felt didn’t deserve it. I recognized that name, and am almost certain I have heard his voice over the radio before. He speaks in favor of President Trump, which I guess is why he gave him the medal.

Without any heads up, the signal to the stranger was cut and I once again was left in the dark on things. Why is the United States so cut in half today? Have people forgotten how to compromise? Sadly I know there is nothing I can do about it. Last I checked cars still don’t have the right to vote.

Link: https://timetraveler1920.travel.blog/2020/02/08/where-are-the-facts-mr-president/

The girl in black has to stay at the police station for the next couple of weeks, which means I’ll be sitting in the garage for the next couple days. Not the most ideal situation for me, but at least she isn’t going to jail. Luckily, I’m still able to tap into the local radio station and learn more about human culture. As I scan through the stations with relative ease I here a name mentioned over and over. Who is Kobe Bryant and why is everybody talking about him? I tap into my favorite news station to see what the big deal is all about. Listening keenly my engine starts to go cold when the announcer continues to speak, “The legendary Kobe Bryant has died in an accidental helicopter accident, as well as his daughter.” I’m still very confused about the whole situation though. The big fuss was about somebody dying? What did Kobe Bryant do that warranted him to get this kind of publicity? I need to figure out who he is so I can understand why everyone is so moved by his death.

With lightning speed I flick through as many stations as I can and pick out all the important details that I can get about Kobe. Turns out he was one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and played for the Lakers when he was still playing and decided to stop when. He started playing basketball when he was three, and was quickly recruited when he reached the age of eighteen. This still did not answer all my questions though. Why is he still getting so much publicity compared to any other professional athletes that die? What made Kobe Bryant so special? I was on a mission to answer these questions to better understand American culture.

After going through channel after channel I was finally able to come to the conclusion I was looking for. When Kobe Bryant was playing basketball, he inspired so many aspiring basketball players and communities. He used his celebrity status to give back to communities that were in need of some serious attention. With Kobe’s life coming to and end, these communities feel the loss of a great leader they once had. Kobe was more than a legendary player, he was an inspiration. On top of all that he was a father, and with his death we can start to realize that he was a normal person with a family and kids of his own. People are not only morning Kobe, but they are morning for his daughter, who also died in the helicopter crash. When celebrity lives are on display, they seem larger than life. Now that another incredible celebrity has died, the curtains of illusion are lifted that life is not predictable or safe. Nobody is invincible, not even cars.

As a car I will never truly understand what human loss feels like, but I’ve learned invaluable lessons from Kobe’s story. I understand now why so many people cared for him, even if they did not know him directly.

There I was, sitting in the garage again waiting for the girl in black to drive me. I had nothing better to do, but listen to the radio again. I scanned the available frequencies to find something to quench my thirst for knowledge about humans. After hours of searching I found something interesting on my local news stations frequency. They were talking about an epidemic happening in China and something called the coronavirus.

There’s reports from a girl named Lilly, a student at Wuhan University. She supposedly was struggling to find masks, so that she could do her best to avoid the encroaching virus. She searched at her local pharmacy. but to no avail since they had already sold out of masks. The reporter then continues to state that people from around China were buying all the masks and reselling them for a higher price. I could not believe what I was hearing, and I just didn’t understand why people would want to keep the masks from other people. Wouldn’t they want to help each other and make sure their society is safe? By buying all the masks, the poor are at the highest risk since they can’t buy any masks. Lilly continued around the city and in search of masks and found somebody selling them for 50 dollars each! I was absolutely baffled when I heard this and wondered why anybody would ever pay for that. Is the disease actually that bad? How many people have died from it? How many people have contracted the disease? I had so many questions that I wanted answers too.

The reporter then stated that the guy selling the masks tripped and dropped all of his masks. People swarmed like rats around the spilled masks and took as many as they could. If this is the case, then this virus must be pretty serious. I just hope it doesn’t reach the United States. The reporter closed off by crediting the story to UglyMueseum, a showpiece presenting platform. This was very interesting, but I’m grateful that UglyMuseum could educate me a little more on what is happening in China.

Link to source: https://uglymuseum.art.blog/2020/01/24/the-mask/

The house was blaring music with lights flashing into the night sky. People are going crazy with their red cups pointed to the heavens, as they begin to chug from them. I saw people upside down drinking from barrels, throwing ping pong balls into cups, and bonfires raging on the front lawn. This all seemed crazy and dangerous, but it looked like everyone was having a lot of fun, especially the girl in black. After a few more hours, the fire was extinguished, the lights slowly dimmed, and people began flocking out of the house. The girl in black began to approach me, but was kind of stumbling. At first I assumed she was hurt, but I didn’t see any wounds and she was smiling.

She hopped in me and started my engine. Immediately I knew something was wrong. She slammed on the gas and we sped off at uncomfortable speeds in a residential area. We ran multiple stop signs, and multiple red lights as we swerved through the city of Los Angeles. We raced onto the freeway and barely dodged the cars we were passing. I then noticed a different kind of light, one that wasn’t for parties. The police sirens wailed behind us as we continued to speed down the freeway. Soon the look of joy on her face faded into panic when she looked in the rear view mirror. She realized her mistake and awkwardly made her way to the side of the road. We pulled to a stop with cars racing past us and turned off my engine, waiting for the cops to get out of their car.

A male cop stepped out of the car and walked over to the front window and gave it two quick knocks. She rolled it down while still staring straight forward. He asked her for her license and registration, which she gave over with quickly. He asked her if she had been drinking or under the influence of drugs. She answered truthfully and told the cop that she had been taking shrooms at a party she was just at. She was told to step out of the car and was arrested for endangering other people on the road while taking heavy psychedelics. She got out and stepped into the cops car after he put handcuffs on her. They sped off and left me on the side of the freeway for me to be picked up by a tow truck.

I wonder why she took those mushrooms even though she knew it was illegal. I heard on the radio that a lot of teenagers were starting to become addicted to strong drugs, and how it was becoming a major issue in the United States. I also wonder what being under the influence of drugs feels like and why so many people are after it. I just can’t imagine how a certain feeling is worth going to jail for. I saw a large truck approach me and pull up in front of me. My ride has arrived.

While parked in the garage I happened to pick up a very interesting radio signal. I dialed the radio back and forth until I found a steady stream that I could listen to. It sounds like a TV show of some sort, something called “We Bare Bears.” I’m revved up when I listen to a few of the episodes, and quickly become hooked. It’s a show about three bears, named Grizz, Panda, and Ice bear, playing out their daily lives. Sadly, I found out the show was cancelled because the bears wanted to live a life away from cameras.

I tune the radio the radio some more to find what I can pick up on. A news channel starts talking about Panda, and his push for forest fire prevention. Apparently the forest fires in Australia are awful and killing many of the ecosystems and wildlife that live their. Panda must be taking this especially hard since he is an animal and can relate to many of the other animals that are being affected by the forest fires. However, I can’t relate to their pain at all. I’m a car with a block of metal in the hood that has mini explosions, which allows me to move. Obviously, I have no idea what heat or even pain feel like, so I can’t fully grasp the pain that Australia must be feeling right now. I’ve heard the girl in black talk about it a few times, but I didn’t really listen. However, now that I’m a fan of Panda I think it is my prerogative to at least sympathize for Australia and all the animals that have to deal with heat.

I also learned that the leader of Australia does not care about the fires since they are a common occurrence there. I was neglected and I know how it feels to be tossed to the side, but I think the leader has and obligation to his country. He shouldn’t just be able to choose to neglect his country in it’s biggest time of need. Even the humans that are living there are suffering and I think that it is crazy the leader won’t even help his own kind. Overall, I completely support Pandas message to save the animals and try to protect them from further disaster.

https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/171569960/posts/49

We were cruising down a freeway along the coast of California, just like any other day. The sun was high in the sky as mist from the ocean hit my windshield and quickly dissipated from the rushing wind. Today was just perfect as we sped faster toward our destination, Santa Barbara. However, I was not prepared for the sour turn this drive was going to take.

I tuned into multiple radio stations searching for something to listen too, and that’s when I came across something I hadn’t heard of before, artificial intelligence. I was immediately intrigued by this concept as I had thought that humans were the smartest beings on the planet. The news station stated that millions of people were going to be affected by artificial intelligence and even replaced by it. That was impossible for my to believe since so many people offered unique skills to their jobs. That thought was cut short when I saw something that I could only assume was magic.

With incredible speed, one of the most beautiful cars I had ever seen in my time passed us. However, even though it was an impressive car that’s not what I was most flabbergasted by. The driver was asleep at the wheel! How was that even possible? Could he actually be awake? Was he controlling the car with his mind? Then I say the large “T” on the back of it’s chassis. The same car that I was replaced for by my old owner, and the reason I was in a junkyard. I could feel my engine getting hot at the thought of it, but I quickly cooled off and tried to figure out the name of the car. I tuned into the same radio station and heard them talking about self-driving Tesla cars. It’s an electric car that has multiple cameras and uses machine learning to detect objects around itself, whatever that means. I was jealous that I did not have the freedom to drive myself, let alone let my driver sleep and relax.

The Tesla traveled on my left for about another five miles when something weird happened. It started to go faster and faster, and before I knew what was happening it slammed into the railing on the left and shot into the air, when we were banking right. The girl in black quickly yanked the wheel to the right to dodge the approaching chaos. We managed to swerve out of the way of the now flipped Tesla. She pulled us over to the side and slammed on the brakes. I saw as she ran for the Tesla to help the person inside. I thought the Tesla was supposed to be the peak of human ingenuity, with technology unparalleled by any other car. I guess I felt my engine getting cooler and cooler when I saw the girl in black crying on the phone. I felt sad for the driver, it wasn’t his fault. I never want to be able to drive myself.