skibigsky's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Double heh. It’s really amazing how fluid time becomes when you have no place to be, on any given day. Or at least on most given days. This not working thing is weird. I really like But, I don’t think I’m going senile, so I guess I shouldn’t get too hung up on it. It’s just a bit weird to realize that there is a holiday coming up, and it doesn’t matter to me in the slightest, other than it means that the bank, the liquor store, and the post office are closed. Don’t get me wrong. I’m REALLY lucky to have the opportunity to not have to work. And I’d like to keep this as long as possible (although I’ve now got less than a year to figure out the health insurance thing – which will drive me to taking a job sooner than anything). But every once in a while – like last night – I have these ‘Twilight Zone’ moments. Anyhoo. Thanks for all of the encouragement (and gentle harassment) about the lack of a driver’s license. Frankly, I was a little embarrassed about it (partially why I did the home-school driver’s ed course – although I also did it because while it required the most actual work, it allowed me to do it on my own time), and was a little worried about how the 15 year-old kids that I was ‘observing’ in the driver’s ed school were going to be (look, I was never in the cool group in high school, and I had images of some kid mocking me; but I killed that thought after my first ‘lesson’, when I drove directly to the nearest liquor store and legally bought all the beer, wine, and scotch that our household needed for the next month, and that immediately quashed any fears of not being a cool kid). When it all comes down to it, I’m just happy to finally become legal. No more worrying about getting hit by some moron, and having to explain the lack of insurance thing, while convincing my insurance company to cut me slack and process everything under my husband’s name. However, I have had no luck in finding a third party road test school (other than the place that automatically fails you for hitting a curb at any point in the test – and I’m boycotting them out of principle – unless they’ll let me park 2 feet away from the curb in the parallel parking test – I’ll call them tomorrow and find out). We’ll I’ve got a place that is closed this week (and is affiliated with my driving school, and I think there is a bit of bias when it comes to that), but is open next week. So, when we get back from the next autocross (not to worry – Mr. V. will be sitting in the passenger seat next to me, so I’m legal regardless…), I’ll go in and take my test. I just need to find some time in the next couple of days to practice parallel parking in the Pacifica. I did Just Fine in the little Honda Civics, but the Pacifica is about 4 feet longer… So, I’ve got to get The Beast under control here. Now I just have to make sure that I don’t speed during the test. Because if the speed limit is 25, 30 is perfectly reasonable. 65? 70 is good. But I don’t think the DMV will see it that way. Ah, to be 16 and seeking for external validation again. At 36? Not so much. I’m really happy with myself, and am finding that this sort of unfortunately translates into an ‘eh, I’m CLOSE to the speed limit, what do you want from me?’ sort of attitude. Hopefully my quiet, obedient self will re-assert herself before the DMV representative gets into my car. *ahem. In other excitement? $3000 later, and our truck is a Piece Of Work. A new transmission, the engine gone through, a special coolant system for the transmission, and heavy-duty shift kit, and all sorts of fancy-schmancy gauges for the sucker. In truth, we are getting off WAY cheap on this thing for all the work that is being done. And now, we’ve got a truck that will easily pull the toy hauler, fully loaded. We pick it up tomorrow, and since we are also getting work done on the Mini, I may have my first opportunity to drive the truck up Parleys. Heh. Watch out. Scary woman driver in a big truck. Heh. And double heh. 7:57 p.m. - 02 July 2007 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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