Digging around some old files, I found this little jewel …
This picture says a lot about my past. When I was in high school, my first car was a maroon ’94 Ford Escort. It was a great car. Like all high school guys, I longed to impress the ladies by pimping my ride. Of course, I wanted more than just racing stripes and flames … no, I wanted to Stars ‘n Stripes and Flames!
The reality is, I was too chicken/cheap/realistic to ever get my car painted. So being the budding photoshop nerd that I was, I scanned a picture and went to town (digitally). Two-toned blue flames atop white stripes of justice. Even the top was going to get the Ivey touch. Even if it was a digital dream, it was my dream and I was proud of it. I probably emailed it to a few a of my friends.
Notice the sweet “bar-code” tag on the front? Yeah that was real. Turned plenty of heads. I even heard lots of whispers about that medallion hanging from the rear-view mirror. I got that baby as a “participation award” at a regional Tae Kwon Do tournament. “What? Ben Ivey is a black belt?!” That’s right, ladies. In my mind, I projected an image that said, “I can protect my dates from both roaming ninjas and computer viruses.” (Assuming a date would eventually happen).
My Escort was a true swagger-wagon. The seatbelts were automatic, the windows weren’t. I spent many an hour before classes listening to a mixture of DC Talk, Linkin Park, and NPR. You could find me cruising the streets of C-Town or slurpin’ a Sonic slushy at the Wal-Mart.
Sadly, nothing stays gold forever. The day came when I traded up for an ’01 PT Cruiser. I sold my Escort to a maid who worked at Mississippi College for the grand sum of $400 (which I think my dad kept because the title was in his name anyway). Not sure where this car is now; but I hope it’s in a good home. Perhaps parked in a garage where someone loves it just as much as I did.