So this week, I took my car into the dealer for some maintenance work. Due to delays, they ended up keeping it three days. So they gave me a loaner car.


The loaner was a white Chrysler PT cruiser. I think PT crusiers sort of look like small, old-timey gangster cars. But when a PT cruiser is white, it looks more like a small, old-timey ambulance.


Anyhow.


This PT cruiser was equipped with satellite radio. It was the first time I'd ever had satellite radio in a car. It wasn't until I got to listening to that satellite radio that I realized just how crappy our local radio stations are.


My son The Director likes all kinds of music, but mostly he likes alternative. So when we found "Alt Nation" on the satellite radio, all he wanted to do was drive around and listen to stuff. Didn't want to get out of the car. Wanted to go in the garage and sit in the car and listen to the satellite radio.


Thing is...that music was actually awesome. Lots of songs I never heard before, because our crappy local radio stations don't play them. Song after song was a good one. I don't know if I've ever had the experience of listening to a radio station and liking every song they play.


So yesterday, I'm driving the ambulance loaner car into work, listening to Alt Nation. And it's the same thing--song after song is jamming. I started driving a little slower. I didn't want to get out of the car and go to work. I wanted to sit in the car and listen to Alt Nation on satellite radio all day. I wanted to yank the car radio out of the loaner and stick it in the flower shop minivan.


Instantly addicting.


Am I weird because I like my kid's music?


Don't answer that.


All I can say is, I taught him well. :)


After work yesterday, I had to take the ambulance back to the dealer. I almost cried. I wanted to buy the ambulance so I could keep Alt Nation.


Too bad my real car isn't a clunker. (Not that I want a car payment now, anyway.)


So if you see a small, white, ambulance-looking car going 30 miles an hour down the freeway, slightly rocking back and forth...


...it's probably not really an ambulance, and probably nobody's dying.


It probably means I contrived some other reason to take my car to the dealer.


Alt Nation rocks.