More Driving....

A few more driving stories.

My daughter was about six years old when she came to me and said, "Mommy, I don't know about all this growing up and stuff. How will I learn to do everything?"

"Like what, honey?" I asked.

"Like driving," she replied, then continued. "I mean. It looks pretty easy. All you have to do is move that stick and then turn the wheel, right?"

"That's pretty close," I answered.

A few days later as I was getting her younger brother into his seat, she climbed out of her car seat, into the front and proceeded to try to 'drive'. I didn't notice until the car started inching toward the garage door, at which time I reached across and moved the shift back to park.

One time, we were driving through the country. It was a warm Spring day and I felt like taking some back roads we had never been down before. After a while, my two-year old son became fussy. I realized that I didn't have a clue where we were, so I pulled to the side of the road and got out the road atlas.

The level of my son's vocalizations rose along with my frustrations until I looked at him and said, "Honey, you need to be quiet so Mommy can think. She doesn't know where she is."

My son, with all the wisdom of a two-year old, looked at me and said, "But Mommy, you are right here."

Ahhhh, yes, You can't argue with the obvious.

Driving....

My son got his license yesterday. To say I am nervous about him driving would be an understatement. My brother said I should get the big bottle of valium. I think he is right.

My son is pretty excited about it and I understand this. Driving represents freedom. You are finally, for the first time in your life, not dependent on any one to get you to your destination. You can simply get in the car and go; providing, of course, you have enough money to purchase gas, which is incredibly expensive compared to when I started driving. No, we won't go there, thank you very much.

I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to driving:

Very slow drivers who won't move over to let you pass on a narrow country road.
Drivers who are in a hurry and ride your ass for miles and miles even though you slow down and do move over to let them pass.
Drivers who repeatedly hit their brakes for no apparent reason (even when you aren't riding their ass).
Drivers who pull out in front of you, forcing you to slow down or nearly stop, then turn at the next intersection.
Drivers who speed through parking lots.
Drivers who see you have your signal on to take a parking spot and decide they need that spot more than you and sneak in as the other car is backing out of the spot.
Drivers who can't park straight and take up two (or more) parking spaces.
Drivers who text and drive all over the road.
Drivers who text, type on their computer, drink coffee and drive with their knee.
Drivers who sit through a protected left turn because they are texting, typing on their computer, drinking coffee and weren't paying attention to the light.

Okay, you get the idea. I basically don't like driving. Unless I am driving through the mountains of Colorado at 3 AM when there isn't another car on the road for hours. It's especially cool if there's a full moon and the snow-covered mountains are silhoutted against a blue-black star-studded sky. Then I love driving.

Sometimes driving gives me a chance to relax. I like to sit back and listen to music and just let my mind wander; within reason, of course. Don't want to be one of those annoying drivers going 20 mph in a 55 mph speed zone!

Okay, gotta get back to work. Have a beautiful day!

Snow, Ice and the Winter Olympics

Every time we get a big snow storm, people seem to forget that the cold, white stuff accumulating on the roadways makes for very dangerous driving conditions. There are plenty of drivers who think they can drive 60 mph in 30 mph conditions. Often, you will pass these drivers later. They are the ones sitting on the side of the road staring at their car which has somehow managed to nosedive into a ditch or a guardrail.

Only one thing will really help driving in snow or any less-than-optimal driving conditions; slow down. Even if you have 4WD, you still need to be able to stop. If you are driving faster than conditions allow and have to hit the brakes, you are going to slide and more than likely collide with something.

So SLOW DOWN!

Speaking of snow and ice, I've been watching the Winter Olympics. I have a deep appreciation for all of the athletes who compete in the Winter Olympics, but I am especially in awe of the figure skaters. I have ice skated a few times. It is NOT easy! I can water ski, snow ski, snowboard and wakeboard, and can manage to wobble around an ice rink on skates.

The jumps these athletes perform, trying to land on that narrow blade, leave me in awe. And every time they fail to land one of these seemingly impossible jumps, I wince in pain when they land on the concrete-like ice. Ouch! I know, plenty of skiers and snowboarders and speed skaters wipe out as well. But they wear a lot more clothing.

The Olympics are on too late. I get up around 6 AM and cannot sit up until midnight. I tried to stay awake the other night to see the skating pair that was favored to win the gold. I made it to the commercial break right before they skated, then fell asleep. They won, I lost, because I had to get up at six and was so tired the next day I could barely hold my eyes open. I think I will have to just catch the hightlights on the news. No more late-night Olympic watching for me.