Monday, June 11, 2007

THE SHIFTING OF THE STICK

There's waaaay too much to think about when driving a stick.

-You mean to tell me that I have to drive with TWO FEET?

-Push in the clutch BEFORE I switch gears? S---!

-What's that grinding sound? Oh Lord, I've killed it.

-Ok, so when can I go fast? (This question got a chuckle from the Snookums. Apparently, I first had to master a little something called FIRST GEAR. Bummer.)

Bless him. Snookums was so patient with me during yesterday's stick shift lesson. Of course he wouldn't let me learn on the fancy Mustang. Had to start off on the older car. And I don't really blame him. I'm sure that car had a long talk with him when I was done.

He took me to a parking lot of an abandoned grocery store, where the chances of me killing or permanently disabling someone (PARTICULARLY HIM) were slim. We spent somewhere around 2-2.5 hours trying to get me to get used to the oh so delicate nature of the "releasing of the clutch/giving of the gas" ritual. Needless to say, we stalled. A. Lot. At the end of the lesson he threw me to the wolves (his words) and made my scared self drive home. And I didn't stall once. The car shook like hell a couple of times, but it didn't stall.

I need a certificate of accomplishment or something.

It was difficult for me to learn to knit too. Especially after I'd crocheted for so long. I guess I can think of it as my crafty automatic transmission equivalent. Making the transition to the more difficult "clutchy" task of using two needles made my brain burst into flames at first.

-You mean to tell me I have to work with TWO NEEDLES?

-I have to knit something small BEFORE I can make a sweater? S---!

-What's that cracking sound? Oh Lord, I've broken my needles.

-Ok, so when can I knit a sweater?

But now it's become second nature. The stick shift stuff will come too.

I wonder if Snookums has any more of that patience left.

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The front of Charlie is done, as well as one-third of the back. I was trying to finish it this week, but I have to work on swatches/drawings for a submission due this Friday.


1 comments:

meena said...

I'm learning to drive stick shift too!! I just got this car cause I've had my eye on her kind for awhile, and to get such a car with an automatic tranny is pretty much blasphemous.

Good luck with getting used to it! I'm still trying to get my car running, stupid carbs!!