It's a Stratus!

Which is a Latin adjective (masculine declension) meaning "scattered or strewn." Like what flowergirls do with flower petals at weddings.* Not the most heartening of names, but there it is. I think they were going for "strategic" or "stratosphere" but didn't dig deep enough in their Latin books.

It's newish (2005) and white, with less than 20,000 miles on it. And I drove from B'ham to Athens on half a tank of gas. Score! No pictures, though: I don't want disgruntled students slashing my tires...

* Regarding flower girls -- and ringbearers, for that matter -- I have long wrestled with their precise PURPOSE in a wedding. They seem a bit useless: what does scattering flower petals accomplish, really, beyond requiring someone to vacuum later? Even ringbearers have become vestigial: in the past few weddings I was in, the poor kid didn't even get to carry the real rings, just a frilly pillow and (if he was very lucky) some gilt simulacra to create the illusion of purpose. Then I had two flashes of inspiration, one obvious, the other abstract. First, the fg/rbs are cute little kids in formal wear. This is its own justification, I think, and doesn't need a PURPOSE, just an EXCUSE. Second, I think fg/rbs are what I call a "Murphy Offering." If, according to Murphy's Law, "anything that CAN go wrong, more often than not WILL go wrong," then weddings are particularly prone to spectacular disaster. Just think of all the complications: cakes that sag or arrive late or get freezer burnt, wardrobe malfunctions, frayed nerves and divergent opinions, and so forth. In an attempt to avert these disasters, we include a detail into the festivities practically GUARANTEED to go wrong; then when it does, Murphy is placated, and looks for someone else to bother. This is the essence of the "Murphy Offering." This means that when the fg/rbs goof around, generally acting like little kids, they aren't ruining the wedding, they're distracting Murphy from doing serious damage. Thus, far from being useless, fg/rbs are perhaps the MOST USEFUL members of the wedding party.

(Gee, I'm full of it tonight...)