Dodge-y dealings

Our motoring shenanigans continue.

We now officially own the ageing Dodge - and it may well end up being our only car. Despite The Doctor now having his New York licence, insurance firms still classify him as a 'new driver'. This makes the premium ridiculous - and insuring two cars pretty well financially out of the question. This wasn't quite the plan - we had thought the Dodge, with its squeaky brakes, crap steering lock and attractive dent in its backside, would be his car, simply for getting to and from work, while I'd nip about town and take the boys to nursery in the likes of a Mini. But for now, it's the Dodge for me, and the train and walking for him, which is fine for summer, but might not be so fine in the depths of winter, as most of the 25 minute walk is down a rather bleak four lane highway. Oh well. At least we can take comfort in the fact that we are not doubly harming the environment.

In the US, when you buy a new car, you are required to put on new number plates. (Don't ask me why - you just do.) Then, the previous owner has to take the old plates back to the Department for Motor Vehicles. All part of the glorious hassle that seems to go with car ownership here.

But perhaps it's because personalised number plates seem to be very much in vogue here. One of the particularly choice ones I've seen in the town has the registration 'DADLUVSME'. But that's not a patch on the one I've seen frequently that has the plate 'MUTHAPUCKR'. (And, as if to explain, on the back, a sticker that says 'Proud to be a Hockey Mom'.)

I wouldn't dream of a personalised number plate (I'm far too British and proper) but I guess it might make it easier to remember your car's registration, something I've always found tricky. In London, I used to remember our car's registration as 'Elvis' - the first three letters being 'LVS'.

Anyway, after The Doctor had come home from work and spent a happy half hour hammering away and affixing new plates, we stood back and looked at them. Then we looked at each other. The first three letters are EVL.

A bad omen?