indie/commie
Our Vanagon is changing our life. This isn’t actually ours, but it’s identical to the one we own that is resting in our garage. Hopefully not in a final resting sort of way. I had no idea when we bought this thing how much koolaid we were sipping into. It’s a Vanagon cult out there people! Nor did we do much homework on this thing. It was cheap, we had savings (note use of past tense), we had dreams, it was time! And now? Our dreams are changing. And yes, this Vanagon is changing our life. (I’m using the singular in the sense of the life of our family – just in case you were wondering.)
I’m an independent type that relies heavily on community. My interests fit that well. Writing songs is solo – performing songs is communal. Working on bikes -for me- is solo. Riding bikes is communal. Baking bread, solo. Braking bread, communal. I think there is the same sort of independent/communal dichotomy to the Vanagon as well. I was hoping to jump into the communal aspect without the independent time. But it looks like the new dream is learning how to replace head gaskets. Or more accurately, learning what and where the head gasket is. Then we’ll dream of replacing it. Same with CV joints and starters. It might get into some body repair too.
Admittedly I’m bummed that it’s going to take this much time and energy to get out there and join the community. As much as I love (and this is not sarcasm) riding down sloppy snowy streets with my guitar on my xtracyle, today is one of those days a second car would be nice.
So we spend some time alone in the garage, or with a notebook and pen, or flour salt oil sugar yeast, or in bed, and we work on these dreams and join the community.
On second thought maybe its not such a dichotomy – maybe there’s more overlap then I realize. Maybe the community of vanagon forums will allow my independence to thrive. Just as listeners and neighbors and family allow me to write, tinker, and bake. Dichotomy was the wrong word. I’m not so sure you can separate the individual from the community that succinctly. It’s way more messy than that.
Coincidentally, based on the Vanagon community’s input, so is replacing head gaskets.