So I recently test drove a 5-speed for Rachel and Jared. There was quite a mishap with one of her dad's ATV's a few weeks ago at SawGrass, involving a very spectacular fire: Until... so to replace the ATV they got him a Suzuki Sidekick: A Sidekick for a Four-Wheeler. On our way to test drive it I gave my brother a quick call, "So can you just remind me how to drive a standard." His reply, "Lord help them if you're the pro at this!" Anyway, all this got me to reminiscing....
It was a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon, January 2003. I was living in Sugarland, Texas with the delightful Copelins and working with Karen. I had exactly one evening to learn to drive a standard before I was to be let loose on the roads of Sugarland, with its stoplights and stop signs every .2 cm. There are really no words to adequately describe this period in my life so I’ll just give snippets of memories.
This is kind of what Jane-with-a-Y looked like.
Lurching (literally, lurching) my way to work. I rode with my hazards on at all times and basically just whacked my head over and over again against the head rest as I tried to navigate all the stops between me and my destination. I was frequently stalled beneath a stoplight; hazards flashing, hands clutching the steering wheel, screaming in furry and frustration at the top of my lungs.
Lurching my way into a parking spot outside Julie’s apartment, and then upon going in, seeing her doubled over laughing, “I could hear you coming!”
Stalling out about ten times as I tried to exit the Copelin’s driveway, and then Wayne coming out the front door holding a set of keys saying, “ Stop, stop. Take my car.”
Going with Wayne to pick up the car from Bravo’s (a fine Mexican establishment we frequented) to jumper cable the car after I had left the lights on the night before. And after getting back to the house him saying, “Just wait here and I’ll have you follow me to drop off my car to be washed.” I got out and thought to myself, “Do I have to pull the emergency break or is it fine in neutral...no I think I can just leave it in neutral.” Then watching as the car rolled down the driveway towards the trees and mailbox of the house opposite, seeing out of the corner of my eye as Karen came out of the house, took in what was happening, and immediately went back in as Wayne ran after the car. (Luckily, surprisingly, thankfully, nothing was hurt: man, car, tree, or mailbox!)
Ah Jayne (pronounced Jane-with-a-Y) we had some grand times!
(sidenote: As an ex-editor and fill-in copyeditor, I am aware that my tenses and voice are all over the map up there. It annoys me, but the work of sorting it all out would annoy me even more! So to those who know about these things or notice these things, I am profoundly sorry!)
I don't have any actual pictures of me driving the car so I'll just put up some of the Copelin girls that I have on my computer here. They crack me up.
Me (age 18) Julie (age 17) On a bus, who knows where!
Jeni and me, totally winning at cards!
(Jeni, Julie, Me) My 3oth birthday skydive!
So recently I decided to just move everything to my laptop. And that is how I came to discover how very hard it must be sometimes for my Mensa sister-in-law (
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