Tools, Trucks, Guns...

Whenever the conversation begins to get too girly, Spencer and I always attempt to turn the conversation to more manly topics. We begin listing off as many manly things as we can think of. The list always begins with "Tools, Trucks..." and branches out from there.

Tools
Trucks
Guns
Fire
Football
BBQ
Gasoline
Linux
Big Dogs
Hunting
Drag Racing
GI Joe
Knives
Hand Grenades
Nascar
Spiderco
Nitrus Oxide
Muscles
Napalm
Ninja Turtles
Quake
Rock Climbing
Comic Books

By those standards, I've increased on the manliness meter, apparently. In March, I purchased a truck. I've always wanted a truck, even before I could drive. We'd be driving across town and I'd make mom check out all the variety of trucks as we went by. It was like car window-shopping... without the annoying salesmen. I almost bought a truck right after my mission... a red 1995 4WD Dodge Dakota. The day we were going to meet up to buy the vehicle, the truck's battery died and we decided it probably wasn't a smart idea to buy the truck. Instead, we purchased a reliable, gas-efficient Hundai Accent.

I kept my eye out for the perfect truck. I'd pass one for sale on the side of the road and pay attention to how much it was, hoping that for some reason it was dirt cheap but still in really good condition. I fell in love with the Toyota Tacoma, but not the new style. I like the older ones with silver trim around the wheel wells and slightly lifted with the TRD offroad sports package. The extended cab was a must, but I never really liked the 4-door model. I wanted a red or blue one, but when buying a used car, you can't be too picky.

Well, good things come to those who wait. Just down the road from where we live was a little car dealership which happened to be on my way to the university. Every morning I drove by and checked out his inventory of trucks. To my suprise, early one morning, there was a bright red Tacoma sitting out front. I had to go to class, so I couldn't stop and take a look, but I called Leann and told her about it. On my way home, I drove by and the truck was gone. Later that night, Leann and I were driving by again, and I mentioned that it was gone. Leann, however, saw it in a gated-off back section of the dealer's lot. So, we parked and went and took a look through the chain-link fence. It was perfect.

I would have called it an impulse buy, except for the fact that I had wanted one for so long. I knew exactly what I wanted, and recognized it when I saw it. We went down to the dealer and bought it the next day. I've recently gotten a dog too. Remember those old Nissan commercials on TV? "Dogs love trucks." It's true. Guess I'll have to start working on some of the other items on the manliness list... perhaps the hand grenades or napalm.