Bullets to Balls
I did a bit of traveling by car with the family recently and thought I’d mention seven things people put on their vehicles which mystify me.
1. Bullet hole stickers. I tend to see these on older, more, ‘lived-in’ vehicles. In addition to a fine patina of rust, duct-taped tail lights and t-shirt seat covers, the owners have thoughtfully added stick on bullet holes. According to Amazon, “Realistic bullet hole stickers instantly give your automobile a rugged, bullet hole riddled appearance for instant street-cred.” So, I guess they’re designed to make up for the fact that your car is a piece of crap. Thankfully I don’t need to resort to stickers to give my 15 passenger handicap accessible van street-cred, at least not for a few more years anyway.
2. Hubcaps that keep spinning after the car stops. I get motion sick just looking at these while sitting at a red light. I’m also perpetually afraid a car whose wheels never stop moving is going to cut me off.
3. Decals of Bill Watterson’s Calvin peeing on things. Calvin and Hobbes is one of the greatest comics ever. Watterson never licensed his images to be used on anything, so every time I see a rip off of his iconic character urinating on a logo I contemplate grabbing a dirty diaper from the van and throwing it at the offending vehicle and driving off. (Oh yeah, like you don’t have a dirty diaper hiding somewhere in your van right now. A rancid sippy cup would work too.)
4. Stuffed animals tied to the front grille of a large truck. Seriously, this has to stop people. ( I’m talking to you neighborhood recycling truck!) It totally freaks out my toddler to see a dirty teddy bear, covered with smashed insects, flopped over, with a rope around his neck on the front of your truck. No, he’s not waving to get you to honk, he’s trying to get you to slow down and rescue the bear you ran into; which, as far as he knows, was casually picnicking before your showed up.
5. Ovals with letters. This started as a neat trend; a fun way to document your favorite places. ‘OC’ stood for Ocean City. ‘CM’ stood for Cape May. But then people had to get ‘creative’ with the letters and create an oval for every nook and cranny and interest. Some cars look like they’re covered in goose eggs that read “CRP’, Centre County, PA and ‘WVR’, West Virginia Rotary Club. There’s actually a website ovalcarstickers.com where you can buy one that says “Your Mom for President”. I think that means it’s officially time to send these stickers off to wherever fads go when they die.
6. Stick figure families. Again, I didn’t start off disliking these. And I still think for the newlywed couple, or young family with a couple kids, it’s no big deal. It’s when the big families I know start covering their windows with stick babies and dogs and soccer playing kids. A dozen stickers later they’re trying to explain to the officer that pulled them over, “I’m sorry officer, I didn’t mean to cut off that driver but they fell in my stick figure blind spot.”
7. Ornamental Testicles, a.k.a. Truck Balls. There’s no nice way to describe a metal scrotum that someone chooses to hang from the back of their truck. What struck me the first time I saw them, was that they weren’t really in proportion to the trucks they were strung on. I mean, if God had designed super-duty-Hemi-3500 trucks to have genitalia, wouldn’t it be bigger than what He had bestowed upon, say, a horse? It also bothers me that there a people slaving away in a hot factory on the other side of the globe for minuscule pay, so that dudes in America can pass my van on the highway and flaunt their chrome packages in front of my children. That was not a health lesson I was prepared for!
Did I miss anything?
Oh.my.lanta. Still laughing!! I am with you on every one, and have seen all but #7. I would also add those weird “baseball-went-through-my-back-window” things that people stick on their windows.
Or my favorite, from when I lived in Russia. The flashing blue light on top of vehicles rich enough to pay for them, that allows the vehicle owner to ignore any and all traffic rules, including lights. Yay for corruption.
Juliana, I know exactly which stickers you mean. The ones that really baffle me depict a soccer or basketball (usually only the size of a baseball) smashing through a window. How would that even be possible?
This is hilarious. Next time I do a links post on BC, I will be linking to this. I have never seen the truck “balls” described, but now I will be looking for them.
Those of you who have never seen truck balls in person are lucky ladies indeed! L’ing O L at all of these!
I considered posting a picture of some truck balls for the uninitiated for about ten seconds. But since I’m sure you all have little eyes prying over your shoulders, I quickly nixed that idea. If you’re really curious, hit the nearest Tractor Supply or county farm show.
Hilarious! I’m with you on all those! The stick figure families kind of irritate me because they are always so prim, two adults, two kids (I NEVER see more than three kids). And being a farm girl, I just don’t get including animals as family members. I know I’m in the minority, but to me animals are animals and people are people. (Oh, I’m going to catch grief for that one.)
People who plaster their cars with bumper stickers also irritate me.
These are so funny. I live in a truck-ball rich area, so I’ve seen many varieties, and I have to say that the metal/chrome ones are better than the flesh-colored rubber ones. Ick.
Thanks for such a good laugh – I found you via Building Cathedrals and am following your blog now. I’d add the stickers that say “My ___ can beat up your ___” (fill in the first blank with something you value and the second with something you’re deriding, i.e., “My Bearded Dragon lizard can beat up your honor student.”).
Kathleen, when I see a Prius covered with hippie bumper stickers I just want to pull up along side and say “How many trees and petroleum was used to plaster that stuff all over the back of your car?” And I’m with you on the animals. That’s why our kids name our chickens things like “pot pie”, “soup”, and “tasty”.
Abbey, you live in a truck-ball rich area? Does that mean you hail from my hometown of Lancaster, PA?? Thanks for following; I love the title of your blog BTW.
I’ve actually seen all of these. Though I have to say, no that I know there’s one for Centre County, PA – I may have to get it, since I grew up there. 🙂 Thanks for my morning laugh.
Hahaha…OMG I’m sorry I had to google no7!! I’m kind of sorry now-I’m averting my eyes!!
WHY on EARTH would anyone want that swinging out of their truck!!!????
I don’t think they’ve hit Ireland yet thank God, but I’m worried now knowing how low Irish sense of humour can reach. That gave me a laugh all the same.
Jennifer
For number 7, I love to make fun of the blue version. Yup.