If you happened to see someone driving around Masterton this past weekend with a smudgy, odd-looking caterpillar on the side of their car, that was me.
I'll tell you why.
That particular car is driven all over Wairarapa during the week by Times-Age reporters in search of stories. Last week, itcame back from an outing to Castlepoint covered in mud.
Washing the car went on to my to-do list, but in the meantime, it dried into a hard layer of dirt.
Later, during a trip to the movies in Martinborough (to see Shihad: Beautiful Machine - great film) someone drew something in the dirt on the passenger door.
I won't go into the details but, frankly, I thought Martinborough had a bit more class.
I didn't spot the "artwork" until the next morning, by which time I was on my way out and didn't have time to hose the car off.
And that dirt was stuck fast. It wouldn't brush off. In the limited time available, the best I could do was smudge it a little, add stripes, legs, and antennae, and voila - a caterpillar.
It doesn't really bother me that someone drew on the car - as petty vandalism goes, it was relatively harmless. What bothers me is the lack of imagination.
I'd rather my car was just left alone, but if it's going to be defaced, it could at least be by someone with something to say.
Perhaps my car vandal could have made a blazing protest against state asset sales, or local government amalgamation, or fracking. Or even written a haiku.
I couldn't help but think of the clever protester who managed to have her pithy sign objecting to bigger class sizes pictured on every news report by just writing: "What the Hekia?" But in late-night Martinborough, all you get is a legless caterpillar.
