Wax on, wax off

Inspired by the unexpectedly temperate and clear weather today, and faced with the time to do something, I decided that today was the day I'd finally wash my car (Betsy)... for the first time in a year and a half.

The washing went well - there's some caked-on crud that will take more than me and my little sponge (and dish soap) to get clean, but overall, getting rid of the leaf imprints and the bird droppings was a big step in the right direction.

As I was finishing up drying off the car, a thought struck me. Why not also wax Betsy? I bought some Turtle wax a number of years ago and had never used it, mainly because the yearly car-washing was on a hot summer day, and it says not to use the wax if the car is in direct sunlight.

So I set about to waxing the car after reading the instructions on the label. Didn't seem too difficult - just smear some on, let it dry, and wipe it off. I learned quickly how much to smear on (hardly any at all) and that if I did leave some goopy stuff to wipe it off with a separate towel so as not to sully up the one I was using to wipe off the main stuff. Before I had even finished two panels, I needed a new towel - and having a clean towel seems to be quite important. I ran upstairs and grabbed some more towels and came back armed and ready.

Well, by the time I had made it all the way around the car, my arms were exhausted, I was exhausted, and it had taken me quite a bit more time to complete than I'd anticipated. Mr. Miyagi definitely had it right - wax on, wax off is a really good exercise. I'm actually having difficulty typing this post, thanks to the soreness of my forearms! All this effort to make my 15-year old car just a little bit prettier.

Update 01/28/07:
Here's the finished product - so shiny!