offbalance | Entries tagged with driveyness

Everyone knows I grew up in the city. Most of you know I grew up in a very, very suburban part of it. A part where the subway was a distant object, where buses existed in myth and mirage, and where cars were basically how you got from A to B. Cars or your feet, really. I like to tell people that in some ways, I grew up in cars. I certainly logged a lot of hours in them.

So, when the summer between my Junior and Senior year arose, I took driver's ed with

angelicillusion and some now-former friends over the summer. We went out for 2-3 days a week, every week, for nearly the whole summer. A lot of early mornings. I logged time, and logged in more practice rounds with my driver's ed instructor and in my parents' cars as I worked on perfecting what I needed for the all-important road test. Which I passed, despite a really crappy K turn, on my first try in May of 1998.

I've barely driven since. Insurance made having a car of my own or being on my parents' insurance prohibitive, and aside from the four long, cold years in Albany, the car just wasn't necessary or useful. I got by - my folks lived close, there were car services, friends with wheels, and well, I had a shopping cart and gumption.

I was never as comfortable behind the wheel as

quasisonic. She didn't do summer driver's ed - she took it in the fall, over many weeks, and seemed to have more time to get comfortable. She was basically a natural, and usually was the first choice to drive if a driver was needed. Me, not so much. If anything, I was a little apprehensive behind the wheel. And for a long time, this didn't bother me much - I preferred to be driven rather than drive.

But, I'm a little tired of that, honestly. I've been turning over the whole idea of getting a zipcar many times in my head, and continued to talk myself out of it - too expensive, no reason to use it, blah blah. Then, sneaky groupon snuck up on me. First, they sent me a $15 off coupon for any Groupon. THEN, they had a deal with zipcar - a whole year of membership PLUS a driving credit, all for $30.

So, I took it as a sign from the universe that it was time for me to be in the driver's seat. Hell, if

whtegrlwthehair can get her license at 30, and my mom hers at 36, then I can remember how to drive at 31. So, that's what I'm going to do. (as soon as the roads are passable, anyway). I also added J to my account, just in case. It doesn't make sense for just *one* of us to have the account, anyway. Still, I want 2011 to become the year where I get more used to driving, especially highway driving, which I've done precious little of, both out of fear and a lack of opportunity. There are beaches in them thar hills that I want to visit in the summertime. There are malls that may prove useful. And hey, if I end up with a certain wedding venue, then it would be nice to not be reliant on Amtrak to get there to do stuff. (Also, a day rental of a zipcar is cheaper than roundtrip on Amtrak. True story.) So, there's that.

Still, it's about damn time I was in the driver's seat in many ways, so I'm going to try starting that by...driving.

(If any patient friends would like to ride shotgun and provide advice/criticism while I do this, your company is absolutely welcomed.)