My Turn To Be Stared Down....

[blas]

And I wasn't even wearing anything crazy or doing anything out of the ordinary.

I was at the gas station....I had already checked my oil at my parents' house and saw that it was getting close to empty.....needed a quart.....

Pumped my gas, bought my frappuccinos and ciggs for the week and a quart of oil...

Got into the car, put my stuff in the passenger seat. Hit the switch to open the hood.

Popped open the hood.

Unscrewed the engine oil cap.

Placed funnel in, opened quart of oil, poured its contents...

And I saw men staring. And I wanted to kick all of them in the shins.

What I want to know is, were they staring because they were amazed, confused, or pissed?

[XCashier]

Ah, don't you know, darlin', car maintenance is a MAN'S job? You cain't wrap yore purty little head around unscrewin' a cap and pourin' oil into the hole!

[/idiotspeak]

They're stupid. Pay them no mind. I think you're wise to do your own car maintenance.

[Chromatix]

Depending on where you live, they may have been:

- Amazed to see a girl working on her car. Heck, not all men bother to deal with their own oil.

- Astonished to see a woman outside of the kitchen, wearing shoes, and not obviously pregnant.

- Just gawking at your fine figure. I assume it *is* a fine figure.

[blas]

I think it's necessary......one day I may live 1,000 miles away from dad and brother, and there won't always be a man around to help. Plus it's fun to get your hands dirty.

That and having dated a few amateur mechanics, I know a thing or two. Still need help changing my oil. I honestly prefer to just have done it professionally so I can take a nap.

Chromatix...there's a possibility my butt crack was hanging out. I should have mentioned that before. Dontcha know I'm a plumber?

[Becks]

Forget Joe the Plumber...we have BLAS!!!!!

[fma_fanatic]

Ah, don't you know, darlin', car maintenance is a MAN'S job? You cain't wrap yore purty little head around unscrewin' a cap and pourin' oil into the hole!

[/idiotspeak]

They're stupid. Pay them no mind. I think you're wise to do your own car maintenance.

Yes, because we wimmin' folk don't know nuthin' about nuthin'. Hell, I have to fight with AutoZone just to get the type of wipers I want. For some reason they want to sell me the cheapest ones. I like the more expensive all weather ones. They last longer.

[CaroPhoenix]

Yes, because we wimmin' folk don't know nuthin' about nuthin'. Hell, I have to fight with AutoZone just to get the type of wipers I want. For some reason they want to sell me the cheapest ones. I like the more expensive all weather ones. They last longer.

That's why they want to sell you the cheapest ones in their store! You'll be more of a frequent, repeat customer!

[The Last to Know]

I have to say it was probably because they saw a woman with the hood up & not asking for help. Oddly enough, my dad in college worked part-time at a gas station in a little town in Oklahoma - my mother was the daughter of a man who owned a NAPA Auto Parts store in the same little town and because of that knew a thing or two (to put it mildly) about cars. My dad still tells the story about his insistence on meeting my mother after she pulled up at his gas station, never asked him a thing, opened the hood & proceeded to check all her fluids, closed the hood wiped her hands off and left. They were married in 1965 and are still married to this day. Of course, if she had to check her oil NOW - absolutely clueless.

[Nyoibo]

What I want to know is, were they staring because they were amazed, confused, or pissed?

Or because seeing a chick getting dirty is hot.

But that may just be me.

[JustADude]

Or because seeing a chick getting dirty is hot.

But that may just be me.

Nope, definitely not you.

[Misanthropical]

Silly, blas! Don't you know that women know nothing so complicated as cars?

I will tell you the reason that my husband no longer allows me to deal with mechanics.

I took our mini van in for some work and told the mechanic exactually what was wrong with it.

He looked at me and said "That's only what you think, honey". My husband heard what he said, since he was standing right outside the door and sprinted inside, because he knew what was going to happen. I was going to go all "Wrath of God" on the mechanic.

My husband tells the guy "you have no idea what you just did" and is trying to pull me outside, so I don't rip this guy's head off and spit down the hole. I was going off on the mechanic, while I was being pulled out, while my husband is trying to calm me down.

So, now I'm not allowed to deal with mechanics. It's for their own protection.

[draftermatt]

Nope, definitely not you.

Thirded.

And ladies, while some men are chauvinist pigs who think women have no place doing (fill in the blank) not all of us are that way.

The most likely thing the staring was for was "holy shit, a hot blond working on her own car" and "there's a girl after my own heart"

Because men have met too many women who would drive with the oil light on, or drive with a flat tire to get their coffee (did anyone else see that Dunkin Donuts commercial from a few years back?)

Most guys like it when women take an interest in cars, construction, etc. But there aren't a lot of girls like that.

[UncleImpy]

Or because seeing a chick getting dirty is hot.

But that may just be me.

I have to agree here. I LOVE a mechanically (and technically) adept female. Makes me want to .

[blas]

I really don't have an interest in cars or any of that stuff, but it's very imperative that I know basic maintenance and how to do the simple things.

After the last few guys I dated, trust me, I know more than I ever wanted to know. And the most recent ex....ugh. People start talking about cars in any way and I cover my ears or walk away. I cannot handle it. Ya'll have no idea how many dinners and get togethers that were spent talking the entire *ENTIRE* time about cars and motorcycle........even if it was just me and him, he just would never shut the fuck up about it. I don't remember a single place we went, alone or with his friends, where we didn't spend at least an hour or two talking about cars (well, I was being snobby bitch and talking on my phone or madly texting away).

The day I get my hovercraft up and running, I'm sending my car into the woodchipper and calling it good.

[greensinestro]

And I wasn't even wearing anything crazy or doing anything out of the ordinary.


Popped open the hood.

Unscrewed the engine oil cap.

Placed funnel in, opened quart of oil, poured its contents...



What I want to know is, were they staring because they were amazed, confused, or pissed?

They were pissed. If you live in South Florida, like West Palm Beach, gas station attendants actually get after customers that perform any kind of maintenance on their vehicles while parked in front of a pump. This is thanks to the nasty-assed snowbirds who are not native to here, but feel it is their solemn duty to do something about this problem. Those same people don't visit Pep Boys or Auto Zone and do their own repairs, so you are looked at as not fitting in to the general population. They're too good to lift a finger in manual labor themselves, and if you're doing your own work, you don't belong.