The last time I blogged on these pages, my blog caused enough negative reaction that I was told to add a disclaimer unless I was certain that my views reflected those of every Plug In America board member. Well, let me just say this:
Disclaimer! This blog consists of my opinion only. It does not reflect the sentiment of Plug In America as a whole.
And about what, pray tell, am I blogging about now?
Princesses. Princesses and EVs!
More specifically, I should say Princess Lily, Princess Rose, Princess Buttercup and one Mistubishi iMiEV, all of whom magically appeared together at a local farmers market this weekend as if a Fairy God Mother had waived her wand.
So, did a Fairy God Mother wave her wand?
Nah. Mitsubishi loaned its prototype iMiEV all-electric car to Paul Scott, my husband, for a couple days and we decided to show it off at the Mar Vista Farmers Market. As representatives of Plug In America, we’d been invited by the Green Committee of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) to bring an EV and extol the wonders of electric drive.
Each week, a different guest discusses some facet of green living at the MVCC’s Farmer’s Market Green Booth, and I liked the idea of displaying a rare iMiEV instead of bringing our beloved Toyota RAV4 EV, one of several hundred on the road.
But little did I know that the Plug In America booth would be right next to the booth shared by three Princesses. Three Real Princesses. And you thought I’d be all excited about a loaner prototype. One of only four in the entire United States.
Well, sure it was exciting, especially when a truck driver motioned to us from the 101 to roll down our window and tell him about the car. We get asked about the RAV all the time, but this was our first while-driving-on-freeway encounter.
But back to those Princesses.
What were they doing sharing Grand View Boulevard with farm fresh produce? They were there representing Real Princess Parties, which provides entertainment including face-painting, arts-and-crafts and story-telling for kids’ parties. The Real Princesses even teach little girls how to curtsy. Of course, they told me they were just visiting from their homeland of Lindovia, where they would return that afternoon. Isn’t that neat?
I guess I am a dork at heart. Or still 5? Don’t answer that. I do love arts-and-crafts….
But, in addition to all the fun, the whole scene got me struggling to come up with a fitting metaphor. EVs are enchanted? All we need is a little more fairy dust and all those particulates will disappear?
Coincidentally, just the day before a friend had made me aware of new research showing that particulates from auto exhaust can lead to a thickening of the artery walls, possibly increasing the chances of heart attack and stroke. Not surprisingly, the researchers found that the problem was especially bad for people living close to freeways.
See, I guess Princesses are supposed to never be sick or sad or selfish. Just ask Princess Lily. She’ll tell you a Princess is always supposed to be caring of others. The tiara-topped trio did seem so out of place at the Farmers Market, floating about in the middle of the road in their poofy, satiny gowns, not so far from a freeway at all. I guess, what with research like that above coming out just about every day, and a blizzard of believers who think the East Coast’s snowpocalypse disproves climate change, I long for the days when I believed that princesses were real, that everything would turn out happily ever after.
Course, maybe I just wanted to learn how to curtsy. Oh wait. I already know how to curtsy.
Posted by Zan Dubin Scott.
