A Case for Silver

I've never been a huge fan of silver cars. They've always struck me as too boring, too predictable; moreso even than black or white; colors that have been reigning supreme in this country for over a century. Indeed it seems like one of those colors that sell off the lot to people who don't really care what color their car is as long as it doesn't stand out.

However, ever now and then, a silver car comes along that sways my opinion on the color. Take this Audi A4 that I found on campus. It still doesn't stand out straight away, but to the more trained eye, it's been beautifully executed. Take off the stock wheels, put on some tasteful knock-offs, add some tint, debadge the rear, and put on the bumper from an S4. A short mods list, but one that produces a fantastic result; a result that stands out to those who can appreciate it.

Picture This

Photography has grown so much in the past couple of decades that it's almost too ridiculous to comprehend. In the not-so-distant past, photography was a laborious process that involved hit-or-miss shooting, film expiration woes, and complicated development processes, just to name a few. Now, essentially, all of that is gone. Sure, film cameras are still around, and they're great fun to use, but the industry and indeed the entire process of taking photos has been completely revolutionized by the move to digital photography.

Now, what does this have to do with the car enthusiast, you ask? Well, digital photography has made it possible to not only control your photo-taking variables more easily, but to take, store, review, and edit photos much more easily. For myself and many others, this means we can go to racing events, car shows, and other places without really having to worry if we'll be able to catch all of our favorite moments and/or vehicles.

The simplicity that digitalization brings has also given access to many more people than ever before, meaning more and more people are out there taking pictures, and I think this is a good thing. On the same note, however, it is important to realize that just because you have a fancy new camera, you don't automatically join the ranks of professional photographers.

Photography, like most things, is not about what equipment you have, but rather how you use it. More specifically, beginners must learn about things such as image composition, utilization of perspective, depth of field, and many other things before they can start taking better photos. Luckily, just as there is a wide range of equipment, there are also a wide range of photography books, YouTube videos, and various other resources to help the beginning photographer grow in their skill level.

So this has turned into a post about photography. This is good though. Photography and cars go together like photography and pretty much anything go together, really. As humans we love to capture memories and keep them with us through photos, and now that technology has progressed so much, this once-commodity has now been made available to the masses.

If you're a car lover, then I can almost guarantee that you can also appreciate some good photography. Sure, it's only visual, but isn't that visual aspect of cars something we as enthusiasts hold near and dear anyways?

Clean Car, Clear Head

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I love my cars like children (not that I have any children to love, but that's not the point). I'm one of those people who tends to treat their car better than they treat themselves. As a matter of fact, as we speak, I am typing this on my iPhone from the backseat of my car. You know, when the inspiration hits you've just got to go with it.

You see, in sitting in the backseat of my ten year old Japanese luxury car, I can't help but think of sitting in my boyfriend's Pontiac grand am just yesterday. Both cars are roughly the same age, both have roughly the same amount of miles. In fact, one of the only things separating the two is the maintenance that both have undergone throughout their lives.

Take a seat in Mckinlee's car and, if you're like me, you can't help but be taken aback by the state of it. Dirty, hazy windows, stained carpet, broken dashboard, trash on the floor, the lot. Now, I'm not trying to bash on him in any way. I know that his car has experiences several accidents and many different drivers throughout its life. However, I can't help but think that a large amount of the wear and tear that's occurred could have been prevented.

Being the realist I am, I know that most people tend to fall more into the "Mckinlee Car Care" category nowadays. My mind works so much differently though.

First and foremost, I see my car as an extension of myself. Being a victim of society, I want people to see my car and myself and form a positive opinion of me because of it. I guess it's kind of like making a good first impression.

Secondly, I like to think its just because I care about cars in general that I want to see them in the nicest condition possible. It would give me great joy to have Mckinlee's car for the day and just do a complete overhaul. That's not likely to happen though.

This brings me to a third reason, which is that I simply find joy in cleaning my car. People who find joy in washing their cars have always been portrayed as a bit psycho, and I don't necessarily disagree with that. I'm not proud, but on the other hand, I am.

All of these things come together to create the car care standards I hold myself to. I know that everyone is different, but I don't see an extra few minutes devoted to car care hurting anyone either. Your car might even last longer.