skibigsky's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr. V. is being, well, Mr. V. Mr. Volatile is living up to his name today. He doesn’t feel good, he hasn’t exercised in a while, and he whacked his head getting into the Mini today because I’ve been driving it, and I didn’t lower/move back the seat before he got in (butt to top of head, he’s at least 6 inches taller than me). So he’s cranky, and has been cranking at me ALL day. Fr’instance. I had left my cell phone in the car when I went grocery shopping. I forgot it. Now, admittedly, this has been a running theme with us forever (I forget to turn my phone on, leave it some place, etc., etc. – basically do something so he can’t reach me), but as soon as I got back to the car and saw that he had called 10 minutes before, I called him back and asked him why he called. He immediately got all pissed off that I was “to busy” to talk to him. Uh-huh. Whatever. Oh yeah. And he got pissed at me today because I didn’t wake up him at 7am to go on a bike ride. No kidding. He hadn’t slept much (maybe a couple of hours total) in the two previous nights and when I got up at 7, he was sleeping like the dead. So, I let him sleep. Apparently I was supposed to wake him up from the first good sleep he’s had in days to go on a bike ride. Even as it was, when he woke up at 9am, his eyes were red like he was possessed. Again, whatever. Don’t get me wrong. I love the man dearly. But sometimes he just drives me crazy. Duh. No kidding. He’s a guy. Of course he sometimes drives me crazy *ahem. And besides, if I can’t vent here where can I vent?!? Yeah. I thought so. Anyway, he’s got a massage this afternoon (right now, in fact – the dogs are going bananas, meaning that Massage Guy is here), and I’m hoping that that will help him feel a little better. BTW, ‘Massage Guy’ is sort of a flippant name. He’s extremely talented, and committed to long-term care (be it general health maintenance, sports-related stuff, or trying to recover from specific incidents). He’s REALLY good. Not cheap (but not out of the range of a good massage therapist, anyway), but well worth it. And he comes to your house. So if you are looking for a good massage therapist in the Salt Lake/Park City area, let me know. This guy is the best, and has VERY competitive rates. Anyway, THANKS for all the congratulatory wishes on the driver’s license thing!!! You guys (collectively, not gender-wise!) are too wonderful!!! And yeah, I am actually quite excited. Not that I haven’t been driving by myself for weeks now *cough… Basically once Mr. V. decided that I had passed his basic standard of driving, he cut me loose. So I was, uh (shhhh, don’t tell anyone), driving myself to my own driving lessons. And drove myself to my own driver’s test because Mr. V. had to take the Mini someplace else while I was doing my test….. But it is an extra comfort to know that my insurance will now cover me if some moron backs into me at the grocery store, and that I will only get ticketed, and not arrested, if I get caught speeding *ahem. Just call me Lead Foot Liz. I think it is all because of the autocrossing – I’m looking for SPEED! Except when I’m on the freeway – then 65-70 is Just Fine… Well… Sometimes 80 is okay, too, but not too often. And usually only in those 75mph speed limit areas….. So thanks. I am actually quite excited, and ran a ton of errands today because a) they had to be done, and b) because I could. Now if I could just find the damn Wal-rip receipt for the air compressor that I want to return, I’ll be all caught up on errands. *grin. And yeah, I am driving the Mini more. If Mr. V. is feeling better this weekend, I will drive the sucker on the freeway (I’ve only ever gotten to 4th gear at this point… and keep trying to get from 2nd to 3rd without hitting neutral – not that I don’t hit the clutch, I just forget that I’ve got to pass through neutral… My downshifting is getting better – not super-smooth yet, but better…). Once he rides with me a couple of times, I’ll be good to go on the freeway as well, and the Mini will become my shopping cart. Heh. I am SOOOOOO excited!!! Because I LOVE this Mini. Am I excited that the spouse is getting the Miata? Oh hell yeah. Because then the Mini is mine. All. Mine. With Hoosier race tires. Obviously only for autocross, and frankly, I could run the thing on street tires and only do slightly worse, but when I’m ready for the big times? I’ve got the Hoosiers. And I’ve got a ton of people lined up to co-drive with me because they all want to drive the car. This is a GOOD thing. (And the link? Mr. V. now owns that car, and is partnering with the former owner to market a number of the parts made specifically for that car.) Oh yeah. And Mr. V. entered me in a national autocross event hours after I got my license. I will be DFL, and since we’ve got a drag (i.e. ‘Christmas tree’) start, I could have some issues. But I’m excited. Just to do it. I really love this autocross stuff. BTW, it is The Best way for you (or your kids, or both!) to learn defensive driving – shit is coming at you so fast, and you learn quickly how your car reacts when you accelerate or brake quickly. Stuff most people don’t learn until it is too late. For me? My natural instincts are generally wrong – I get into a panic situation, I make the wrong choice. But as I’m learning what my car(s) do when I brake suddenly, or accelerate in a turn, I’ll be a safer driver when something exciting does happen on the road. Check out your local SCCA (sports car club of America – and don’t let the name fool you; if you have a car (not a truck, van or SUV) in the garage, you’ve got an autocross-able (i.e. Solo II) vehicle. There is a class for Every car. And they do adjusted times, so you can compare your driving in your Ford Focus to the guy who’s driving the Lotus Elise. Really. It is too cool, and WAY too much fun. Yep. I’m addicted. And it’s nigh on impossible to hurt yourself, unlike, uh, racing downhill, fr’instance. 6:21 p.m. - 12 July 2007 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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