Oh, sweet exhaustion from retail therapy.

[nonionay]

I did two exciting things today: practiced driving a stick on hills, and raided the Goodwill. I did well driving until I actually had to start up at stop sign on a hill. Suddenly, there were a billion people behind me, the car kept rolling back, and I freaked. After waving everyone past, I let Rachel Lyn take over. I'm willing to be patient with myself.

We proceeded to, first the regular Goodwill, and then the outlet Goodwill, where you rummage through giant bins of clothes, buy them by the pound, and then have the fierce desire to rub yourself down with sandpaper. And thus I spent the rest of my birthday money on pants, a couple books and cds, kitchen supplies and an adorable skin tight green dress that only people who date me will probably ever get to see.

Comments

Makes me want to take you on a date, out of sheer fashion curiosity!

[laurajerry.livejournal.com]

Having recently learned the art of driving stick, here are a few tips: When you are stopped in the car, keep your foot on the brake, and very slowly start letting the clutch up until you feel/hear a change in the motor - that's the sweet spot, practice finding it every time - then start slowly easing on the gas until you are rolling forward, then slowly ease up the rest of the way on the clutch (not too fast). It's not necessary to do this all the time, but it helps you learn, and finding the "sweet spot" is crucial to not rolling backwards on hills, because it will give you enough hold between letting up on the brake and hitting the gas to keep the car in place.

Re: Makes me want to take you on a date, out of sheer fashion curiosity!

[hoorayiwake.livejournal.com]

There's also the good old trick of using the parking brake to help hold the car in place while you do all of the above. It's also not a good thing to do ALL of the time, but it does help in a pinch. (I thought I was a genius for coming up with it myself when I was learning to drive, only to discover that it's actually *required* in some countries to avoid rolling back at all on your driver's test.)

Congratulations on taking on the challenge of learning to drive stick! Hope everything goes well from here on out.

Oh, and laurajerry, you have the coolest userpic EVER. :)

Re: Makes me want to take you on a date, out of sheer fashion curiosity!

[criada.livejournal.com]

Look, it's both my ex-pat friends on one thread! (Laura married herself a German)

I actually learned to drive on a stick, way back when at age 15. But then I didn't drive for seventeen years, and it does not appear to be like riding a bicycle, and is only slowly coming back to me.
I'll remember the parking brake tip, though that may be tricky. The brake on my friend's truck (which I am being given the opportunity to share with her) is the kind you have to twist and pull out and I have to overcome both my motor instincts (to reach for a brake at my right side) and figure out the right pattern of twist and pull.
But hey, it's an adventure, and my teachers are patient. :-)

Re: Makes me want to take you on a date, out of sheer fashion curiosity!

[laurajerry.livejournal.com]

I tried it with the parking break, but I had more trouble with it than just finding the sweet spot, because I couldn't coordinate the time of taking the break off, with everything else....

Thanks about the userpic! I got it from iconomicon

Where does hoorayiwake live?

Re: Makes me want to take you on a date, out of sheer fashion curiosity!

[criada.livejournal.com]

She's in Spain, if I remember right.

Re: Makes me want to take you on a date, out of sheer fashion curiosity!

[hoorayiwake.livejournal.com]

Yep... which explains my rare posts/comments appearing as though they happen in the middle of the night. ;)

Re: Makes me want to take you on a date, out of sheer fashion curiosity!

[criada.livejournal.com]

That's a good tip, thanks. :-)
I might post a carefully posed picture of myself in what I'm calling the Tinkerbell dress. Carefully pull the dress down to cover as much of my well endowed butt as possible. Maybe airbrush out the nipples.