If there’s one thing humans love, it’s cars. I knew that even before I started taking these classes, but I certainly didn’t know how to talk to them about it. Mostly I just hung around the office, smiling at times when I thought they said something positive, and then stopping because I’m convinced that one of these days someone is going to notice that my canines are quite a bit larger than usual.
I can’t help it…I was raised in a forest. We don’t have fancy places to get a car service there. At least this job allows me to use public transport without it rousing any suspicious feelings, but I want to integrate with the guys in my office, and I can only do that if I know about cars and car servicing and what car events are happening on the weekend.
The tutor said that I need to first learn some makes, and then the models, and memorise what they look like so I at least visualise them in my head when they come up. He also mentioned that discussing engines and specs in depth pales in comparison to tying the car to a shared experience. So, I could rattle off statistics about the horsepower of an engine- that’s how much power an engine has, for some reason measured in the power of horses- but instead, I should complain that I had to take my car in for a service because…well, I need to think of a common reason. They can then commiserate, and we will grow closer as people. The only one I’ve got so far is “I had to have my Mazda towed to an auto garage in South Yarra after the crank shaft came loose!”
Tutor said that was all very legitimate and they liked the part about the towing. The downside is that I’ve been trying to score an invite to the F1 watching party on Saturday…and it’s a full moon. Of course it is.