Phone angst

Do you ever have phone angst when you can't answer yours? Monday while driving in stop and go after work traffic on I-235, my phone rang. Of course I had gloves on and it was buried on my belt clip under my jacket.

Yes, I'm a dang nerd who wears her phone on a belt clip. I can't help it. I realize it looks nerdy and doesn't help when it comes to fashion. But dating back to my landfill years (hey - everyone should have landfill years), I found I had to have my phone accessible, you know because of my great importance. The chance of a huge trash emergency and stuff...

Anyway, the phone rang and I made the intelligent choice not to try to answer it amidst all the traffic. But then, as I sat in traffic. Stopping and going. I began to fret. What if it was an important call? An emergency - someone in my fam was ill or hurt? Or what if it was my roomie Joan calling to ask me out to eat? Maybe Jud was calling to say he'd received a job offer! Or Amy had a problem she needed help with. It was eating me up! I wished I had my Bluetooth hooked up and going - I could have answered it since I was driving Pablo's car.

But I waited until I arrived at my destination and then listened to the voicemail. It was Sahar's calling to remind me of my hair appointment. Wow. Important! NOT. Good thing I didn't wreck the car answering the phone!

Learnin' to drive

Our Vega looked like this, but was silver with black stripes


(sung to the tune of Learning to Fly - Tom Petty song).

Some people are natural drivers - they grow up driving those little simulated cars. Hop onto the go cart race tracks at a young age and whip the competition. They are the kids who can't wait to turn 14 so they can secure their learner's permit to legally drive in the state of Iowa.

Well honey, that wasn't me! I dragged my feet. I didn't get my permit until just before I took Driver's Education the summer before I turned 16. I didn't feel ready to take my own and other people's lives lives into my hands.

I studied the booklet and passed the driver's permit exam the first time. Phew - I was kick-ass on the rules of driving. But sister Cindy had scared the shit out of me on the actual driving part - as the driver she peeled out fishtailing in the snow and in parking lots, striking terror in my heart.

Joel Simms and Mr. Barnes? taught Driver's Ed. I took it during the summer and the classroom stuff was easy. Back then they even taught us how to drive a stick shift - it was a 3 speed Chevy Nova. I did okay driving - though I'm sure the instructors were glad they had their own brake on their side of the car!

At home, Dave Bullfrog was in charge of teaching driving - not the most patient man in the world! I got to learn to drive at home using Mom's 1972 Buick Station Wagon - wahoo. Then when Cindy went to Drake we got a Chevy Vega for her and the fam to use. It was a hot looking car - racy paint and a miniscule friction point on the clutch of the 4 speed transmission. It made me cry. More than once.

Dad would have me drive it out to the barn to feed my horse - on the other side of town, while he rode shotgun. There were hills between here and there! One killer hill by the YMCA caused me to kill it multiple times, slam on the parking brake and jump out crying - forcing Dad to take over the wheel.

I eventually did master that tricky clutch - and it was good training for all future cars in my life. Later in high school, I drove Bubba's light blue 1971 VW Beetle - forgiving clutch winters when they were in sunny Florida. My 1976 Monza and Paul's 1979 were 4 Speeds and our 1984 Mazda was a 5 Speed.

I'm a confident driver now, but would still rather not drive if someone else (a GOOD driver) would rather drive.

Lane changer

Walking down memory lane - publishing blogs from my first years as a blogger. When two people read them. One was probably me. Back when I lived in Waukee part of the week and Creston the other part. I had more time to think about sh...stuff.

Are you a frequent lane changer?

I think the way a person drives says a great deal about their personality. People who hop between lanes like lost bunnies irritate me. Do they really think switching to the middle lane, when the left lane has slowed to a crawl will improve their commute? Is that how they go through life – rashly changing courses without a plan? Don't they realize that once they change lanes, the one they are now in will slow down?

When I drive, I like to invest in a lane, plan ahead even as to which one I should be in at a certain time. I realize unknowns can pop up. A slow driver in my lane, or a large vehicle that I can’t see around will cause me to switch – at least until I get around the offender.

During my early morning commute, I am now familiar enough with the route to know where I should be when. In fact I am beginning to know it so well that I sometimes lose track as I listen to a book on CD and have to “come to” and check my surroundings to figure out just where I am. So far I’ve not missed any of my exits.

Spousal unit, Paul plans ahead even farther than I do! He will go so far as to go a certain route in the Big City so he doesn’t have to turn left without a light. Of course, this is the same guy who didn’t like to walk to close to the edge of the sidewalk in college – lest he turn his ankle. A very cautious man is my Pablo.

Every once in a while I wish I were a bit more impetuous. Not when it comes to driving, but when it comes to life. It seems like it would be so easy to be someone who flies by the seat of my pants. Taking off for trips without checking the map or the weather.

Alas, I know I’ll never be that person – except for right after I consume a couple lemondrop martinis!