Ford Fiesta: The Show Must Go On!

As some of you already know, I broke a leg bone a couple of weeks ago and so a big question came up: how the hell am I gonna drive my Ford Fiesta?

THE STORY

Well, I thought I would have to give up my participation, but Ford really wanted me to be part of this movement. Considering I am not even a millennial, this cracked me up! I really must be the Twitter queen!

Anyway, I proposed a compromise and solution: team up with Brad Schenck, a friend of mine who has worked with Miami Beach 411 and does videos. At first they were reluctant for me to bring a second agent along, but because of my condition, it was absolutely necessary I have a driver.

Honestly, even though I'm considered top banana on this project, I think the missions will be even better with Brad on board! Let's not treat him like chopped liver -- he's a really groovy and extremely creative guy. An activist, poet, painter and more, he was also recently on staff for the Obama campaign in Florida.

Also, it was I who inspired Brad to get a new phone so he could live stream on Qik, so you know that there will be mad live streaming whenever we go on any of our Ford missions.

One of the things I discussed with Ford was the idea of the pleasure of driving, of going places. Being a passenger is just as important as being a driver. I'll enjoy our journeys, and the car, just as much as if I was behind the wheel. And besides, it'll be a nice change of pace to have some testosterone, a deeper voice and five o' clock shadow around to complement my videos. Ying and yang, baby. Just think of the delicious irony -- Manola gets a good-looking, 20-something guy as her private chauffeur!

THE FIRST TRIP

All the Ford Fiesta Movement cars are manual transmission, fresh off the European factories. I was expected to go to Atlanta for lessons on how to drive a stick shift and then bring the car back to Miami. I'm still going to the training session, except that Brad is coming with me and he'll do all the driving.

On Friday, Ford flies us up to Atlanta. A wheelchair will be awaiting me at the airport as well as the hotel. Brad and I are already wondering if it will have multiple speeds and a clutch.

On Saturday, we come back to Miami. It's one long-ass haul, but Brad wants to be back by Sunday and it's not the first time he has driven for hours! In addition to having driven cross-country several times, he once drove from Pennsylvania to Denver in twenty hours. And the last time he drove from Miami to DC, he made a small detour to Arkansas, just to pick up a friend!

I wanted this road trip to be our first official Ford Fiesta mission, with a stop or two, but Ford said nothing can start until May after all 100 agents receive training around the country. Nevertheless, maybe we'll do something exciting like a pit stop at Cracker Barrel on the Turnpike.

Without a doubt, some hilarity will ensue on these missions. We're already coming up with characters, like Mulder and Scully, Thelma and Louise, Cougar and Poolboy ... stay tuned!

Learn more about Maria and Brad in their bios and don't forget to follow fordfiestamiami on Twitter for up-to-date microblogging. (Check the widget on the sidebar, too.) In the coming weeks, I'll let you know whenever we'll be on the road.

Thanks to Ford for working around my injury. Brad and I look forward to our missions.