I Fly Like the Wind

I drove a friend home from work the other night. Just around the corner - not a big deal. But my driving made her nervous. Oops. Didn't mean to scare you, friend. :) Traffic in New Orleans is very persnickety, with one way streets and CRAZY other drivers and people who aren't afraid to use their horns. It sort of feels like when we were living in Dallas, except there are a lot more pot holes to contend with. At one point she said, "You accelerate sooo fast!" I apologized and blamed it on driving a stick shift.

This reminds me of when Kev taught me how to drive a standard transmission car. Oh boy, that was an ordeal. He took me out in his duct tape bumper car (another story entirely) and showed me the basics in a parking lot. Start off in first, lift off the clutch, let it catch and GO! It took me a few tries but I eventually got it down. Sort of.

Then, Kev set me free with his duct tape bumper car in Dallas rush hour traffic. Ummm....did he have a death wish for me or his car? I don't think he would have handed me the keys had he not had faith in my skills, but still.

So, here I was, trying to drive his car with these crazy, psychotic drivers in Texas. Go! Whoosh! Zoom! I managed to get the car moving, was going along just fine and then, DANG IT! There's a stop light. Oh boy. That means I have to stop and get going again.

For those who have driven a standard, you know what comes next. I stalled out. Not once, not twice but probably three or four times. *HOOOOONNNNNKKKKK* "Hey lady! Get out of the road!" And my personal favorite, people were waving at me with their "special finger".

Drive the Texas way. The FRIENDLY way.

Needless to say, there was a method to Kev's madness. Teach me the basics and let me learn on my own. I must admit, this technique worked brilliantly. I learned very quickly how to maneuver his car and haven't looked back since.

I even got to the point where I would choreograph my shifting to the music I was listening to. Shakira and me - we are tight. Good shifting!

Turns out I loved driving a standard so much, when we were looking to buy a new car, I insisted on having a standard transmission. That way, I have control over the car and can feel the wind in my hair. And basically because it makes me feel like a bad a@%. :)

So, to my friend, I'm sorry I scared you. It's just that I learned to drive in Dallas. I promise, we weren't going to die. It's the only way I know how to not kill the car when pulling out in first gear.

Time to go fly like the wind to work. Happy Wednesday!

P.S. The picture really doesn't have anything to do with driving, other than birds fly like the wind. And my mommy gave me that bird. It makes me happy. :)