Originally posted to MySpace, May 19, 2009   The American fetish for drive-ups is amazing. The model for drive-up service was of course the fast-food restaurant. Then came drive-up banking. Now, there are drive-up pharmacy windows, drive-up liquor stores, drive-thru libraries, and drive-thru video rental. Are we in such a hurry that we don’t have time to find a parking spot, get out of the car, and walk into a place of business to take care of our errands? What’s next: the drive-up auto mechanic? There once was a time when you could just drive to a gas station and have everything done for you. An attendant would clean your windows, check your oil, check your tires, and—oh, yeah—fill your tank. It was called “full service”. For some strange reason, we abandoned that kind of convenience in favor of pumping the gas ourselves. At the same time, we started doing more and more things while staying behind the wheel. The history of the Sonic fast-food chain is an interesting case in p