It all started several weeks ago we went to dinner with our friends Bobby and Claire. We were telling them about my brother-in-law Anthony whose prized red 300ZX was totalled by a woman who ran a red light several months ago. This car was his baby (before Isabella came, that is)… he would spend LONG periods of time waxing, polishing, cleaning, and caring for her. So we were happy when he recently found another ZX to replace his red one… this one is silver, with customized doors that open from bottom to top. He is thrilled.

Our friends know Anthony and Allison, and were surprised that he has a sports car… their image of him was a family man, down-to-earth, mini-van type of guy. This seeming sports car anomaly didn’t fit who they thought he was. Which led us to start talking about — what is our own 300zx… something about us that, when people find out about it, strikes them as odd based upon who they know us to be.

This question has become great fodder for discussion at a number of events recently. Last week we went to a barbeque at our friends’ the Kohls in Kobe, and had a lot of laughs as we brainstormed each others’ ZXs…

So, here are some zxs that we have come up with:

Eric’s:  he is a somewhat obsessive shopper!  He loves shopping in stores;  he loves researching an item on ebay and amazon and finding the very best of its kind;  he does most of our family grocery shopping as well.  Would you have guessed that?

Friend A:  she hates to wash her hair!  Despite being quite clean, organized, even meticulous, she hates the chore of washing her hair.

Friend B:  She is a great home maker and mom…but loves to watch Jackie Chan movies (this really doesn’t fit her image)…

Friend C:  Another guy who likes all things cool, he is the one who buys Real Simple magazine regularly, not his wife…

Friend D:  A wonderful hostess, quiet supportive wife — she confessed to being a screamer!  When dating her husband, whose mom raised her voice, she freaked him out.  He said, “if you want to know what it’s really like, come one hour before any event and you’ll see what we mean.”  (We might have to try that…)

Friend E:  (this is my favorite one!) – he regularly flies internationally.  Rather than deal with all the challenging trash and recycle regulations in Japan, he keeps “Travel Trash” in a bag that he throws into his suitcase, takes it out of the country, and finds ways of leaving it behind in hotels, airports, etc.  While on a recent trip to Korea, he had a bunch of keys he was trying to throw away.  He left tossed them one morning in his hotel room trash, only to find them on top of his dresser when he came back to the hotel- the maid thought he had accidentally thrown them away.  So, when he flew out of the airport, he didn’t want to cause suspicion by throwing them all in the same trash can, so he went throughout the airport throwing them one at a time into different trash cans.  He’s offered to take some of our trash out of town with him the next time…

Here’s the problem.  Despite having this discussion with numerous groups – Japanese and American friends… we have yet to find a 300zx for me!  Everything we have come up with for me– friends have felt like it somehow still fits me.  The practical jokes… staying up late to make weird cakes… the fact that I can’t keep track of pairs of things (huge single sock bag… single rechargeable batteries, etc.)… none of these seem to “not fit” me.  I may need to have counseling when I go home, or pick up some new hobby that somehow would seem ridiculously not me (electrical engineering?).  So- if you have an idea that could help me to sleep better at night, please enlighten me.  And as you’re thinking, please share with us YOUR favorite zx…