measi's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Driving Instincts Ah yes, it's definitely summer. Time to roll down the windows, crank up the stereo, and go for a bit of cruising. Well, not a lot-- I'm using [erich]'s car, which just hit 80,000 miles yesterday. But the warm, sunny weather made me get this relaxed "aw yeah..." feeling as I drove through Needham to grab lunch today. On my way back, I was stopped at a light when I heard the car start to surge a bit while it's in idle. This isn't anything new-- Erich's car does this. But then I noticed that I was pressing the floor of the car down hard with my left foot. Weird. Okay... wonder why. And then as I started moving, I realized why... some driving instinct in my brain is thinking I'm using a clutch, even though Erich's car is an automatic. I kinda offhandedly paid attention to it on the way back to the office, and if I didn't move that left foot at proper clutch press/release points, I felt like I was doing something wrong. It's just instinctive, I guess. *shrug* I learned to drive on a manual transmission car. My dad had a 1981 Mazda RX-7. Manual everything-- clutch, choke, windows, etc. No air conditioning-- basically a splashy little sports car meant to have some fun with. And it was a *tough* clutch to get used to. Very cranky. I did the jolt-pop thing many times up the driveway when I was first learning. I think my dad was screaming silently, partially because of what I was doing to the poor car, but probably also because his fourteen year old daughter was behind the wheel with her driving permit. He insisted that to get my license, I needed to learn how to drive a clutch. So I did. It took me six months to figure it out, mostly due to the trickiness of the Mazda (in my dad's Acura Legend-- also a manual shift, I had no problems). I tested and passed my drivers test when I turned 15-- a week before my permit expired. Now I realize how young fifteen really is to be driving. I know [ade] is anxiously awaiting it, although the laws in Massachusetts are much different (for good reason, IMHO) than Montana on minimum driving ages. I still have my original license, with my head turned to the side to signify I was a minor. I look like a baby. Doesn't help that I weighed almost 100 pounds less than I do now. Damn. I'm not sure what's worse... how young I was then, or how much I weigh now... 4:13 p.m. - 30 May 2002 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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