Lesson #2: You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression
I like to think of myself as a pretty good driver. Clearly this belief is founded in the following three truths:
1. I failed my driving test twice. The most notable moment? When I was told to make a left hand turn and I crossed over to the left hand side of the road to make the turn… and it wasn’t a one way street.
2. I once got broadsided by an uninsured driver after leaving church early to go to Taco Bell. A coincidence?
3. I “tapped” a car while parallel parking in San Francisco, sending the car down the hill and up a nearby embankment.
To this list, I’d like to submit the following:
#4. While driving from Eugene to Portland, I was so intent on finding my driver’s license that I overshot a stop sign by twenty feet, causing Chris to scream in a manner that made me question his sexual orientation. While I tried to tell him it was a calculated maneuver, cultivated from years of James Bondian-like driver’s training, Chris wasn’t buying it. No matter what happens for the rest of the trip, no matter how many speed limits I keep and tight corners I maneuver, this will be driving experience that Chris remembers from the trip.
So, I am back in the passenger seat where I belong, writing blogs and “navigating.” Chris is behind the wheel of Roxy Fusion, shooting me dirty looks as I stare longingly at the gear shaft. (Get your mind out of the gutter.)
Maybe he’ll give me a driving lesson later… if I’m lucky.
Tags: #forddrive, driving skills, lessons from the road, road trip route
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Boy can I see that. Ask him to tell you about the time he genuflected in my car as I drove us (safely, I might add) through Boston traffic to merge from Storrow onto the artery. Good times, good times.
Ha! I had no idea you’d had such driving experiences. I want to know more about #3!
Did you ever find your license?
LOL I’m glad to know I’m not the only person with a questionable driving history! This is such a married couple story…crucial to your experience. Love it.
Why am I not feeling safe about this trip? Worse yet, I forgot something: Happy Birthday Chris!
Take good care of my baby girl!
Ummm . . . you forgot to include:
5. I drove 90 mph on the freeway (when the speed limit was 55) to church in an old beat up truck with an odometer that only went up to 70mph, while the steering wheel shook so hard it should have come loose.
6. When driving home from high school with my cousin in the car and The Proclaimers on the tape player singing “I Would Walk 500 Miles”, I would put the pedal to the floor until she screamed. Then I’d stop the truck about an inch from the garage door while my cousin had a heart attack.
I plead the fifth on all of Allison’s comments. And yes, thankfully, I found my license.