measi's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- so you wanna drive a stick, eh? LGM bought a car today. It's a Saturn, it's all his, and it's a manual transmission... ... and he doesn't know how to drive a clutch. (and yes, I hear the "yet" being called from Staten Island as I write). His idea is to learn how to drive the clutch in two days, then drive it up from S.I. to Boston on Friday... up I-95 in Friday afternoon pre-4th of July weekend traffic (most of which will be headed to either Newport, R.I. or the Cape). And he was going to do it alone. Uh-huh. Anyone else wincing with me here? Now... I have all the faith in the world that LGM will learn to use the clutch relatively quickly (he damn well better during a 5 hour drive up from NYC!), but the fact of the matter is that he's probably starting right now, as I type this. Two days of practice does not a master make. By the end of the weekend, I definitely see it happening, particularly with this drive up. But for the first couple of times, he really needs someone in the car with him who has the experience with a clutch and those annoying little nuances that never occur to the average automatic transmission driver, such as... well, stop signs on an incline or toll booths. :) (can we say coasting in neutral so the car doesn't stall out?) Now... I've had my license since 1990. Yes, that's right Moms out there... I had a license at 15 years of age. To scare you further, I took driver's ed at 14 and a half, which was allowed in Montana as long as you had at least a B average in school. You had to pass driver's ed with an A to get your license at 15. Otherwise it was 16. While I took drivers ed. on an automatic like everyone else, my father required me to learn how to drive a clutch before he'd let me get my license. It was a necessity anyway, since both the family car (the Acura) and his original car from when my parents were married (the RX-7) were manual transmission. It took me two weeks to figure out the clutch in the Acura, but the RX-7 gave me trouble for a couple months because it was one of the crankier, as manual-as-you-can-get clutches around. Even when I last saw the car three years ago, I would pop the thing from time to time. However, I'm glad my dad required it, because it means that I can buy any car out there now. And I've found that I prefer driving a standard to an automatic--I feel more in control, and having to listen to the engine keeps me more alert. Plus, it's a lot nicer on the knee since that left pedal actually IS there, as opposed to in my mom's Jeep, which is an automatic and usually results in me getting a very sore left leg from jamming it when I try to press the non-existent clutch. I think some of my friends have been happy I learned it, too. Because to date, I've taught three people how to drive clutch (one being my brother... eesh). It's just a good thing to know. Contrary to what I hear from some stubborn people, manual shift cars will be around as long as there are sports cars. They're not going anywhere. Yeah, they're a bit more complicated. But driving isn't meant to be a walk in the park. You're hurtling yourself at over 55 miles an hour on the highway. It's serious business. So to put MY mind at least among all other things, I will be hopping Greyhound on Friday morning down to NYC. Spend a couple hours milling around Times Square, meet up with him, and then drive back with him. Sure, it's a long day of driving. But hey-- I don't mind a little roadtrip. Since I rarely get out of the city, even just a few hours sitting on the bus watching America go by won't be a bad thing. I'll actually enjoy taming the Wanderlust inside of me for a bit. (and considering that it will cost roughly $45 or so, including meals for the day... it's not ALL that painful). It's funny, because LGM mentioned earlier this week that he was realizing that he was taking friendships for granted and really not rekindling them. Perhaps helping him learn how to drive his new car will be one of the perfect flames to help ours back along. It will definitely be a bonding experience. That's for sure. (and it'll give me things to tease HIM about for a little while, as opposed to the other way around) --Mel. 10:59 p.m. - 26 June 2001 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
||||||