Tuesday, November 3, 2009

DRIVING ME MAD

I've been taking Squeaky out to learn how to drive. Squeaky is a perfectionist, so he has had some excitement in this endeavor. Cars don't do what you want them to at first. That takes a bit of skill. We actually began this some time back in the Aspire. It has a clutch, which proved to frustrate and flabbergast Squeaky. Stop signs in particular were upsetting to Squeaky.


We drive in our "industrial park" (derisive snort of laughter) that the town council worked so hard to push through with the "if you build it, they will come" dream. No one came. So it has a lovely street that goes a couple of blocks into a cul de sac. At the end is the stop sign that gave Squeaky fits. There we can turn left for a short block, turn left again and wind down a little road to the tug dock at the river, do a turn around and follow it back. Nice circuit. The strange hill that you see pictured is right there where we turn around. I love the bleakness of it.

He's doing an excellent job. He always does an excellent job because he is so careful to do things as well as he can. He just doesn't believe that he does. That is my big challenge with him. Yesterday I knew that we were getting "there" when a semi showed up right after a narrow turn and he managed to glide past and make the next right. I congratulated him on his calm. He says "That wasn't calm... that was total panic... but I figured it was okay when we didn't die."

Yep.

Today I am going to let him drive home on the actual road. It is about a quarter of a mile distance. He is stressing over the speed limit... 35 MPH.

This will be the first child I've taught to drive that is not in a hurry to be a speed demon. It's quite refreshing. I feel pretty good about letting him use the car. The Bear drove from the time she was 14. I told Squeaky that if he only used it to get his dad or go the market, that while I was at the beach he could use the car and his dad could help him with his driving too.

He looks at me and says "Mom... that's against the law." Okay... so I guess I don't have to worry about him joy riding while I'm away. Cool beans.

Otherwise in my world... its the same old thing. Work is going well. StbX is making weird noises about being under appreciated. Its not about me. It's about his not having anyone or any fun. It's up to him to create his own life. But it takes positive action. I've always done everything for him... phone calls, arrangements, etc. His mom did that before me. Hey... he's 55 years old. He can run his life... be his own activity director.

It's not my job and I am not going to feel guilty.

Speaking of which... still making those plans for the beach and finding out stuff about each other with the deer hunter. The more I learn about him the more fun it is finding stuff in common. Friday cannot come fast enough. I just want to get to the place where I know if I am going to be comfortable or not. Get past the weird zone of the first meeting. Did the same horrible gleaning of information on the poor man for my daughter to hold. "In case I vanish... they want to know where to start looking for me." I joked with him. "But you are going to vanish... for the weekend." Good point.

Still talking to D too. A frog named A showed up from before I began to date Larry... and that was strange. Said he'd been busy. For four or five months? Yeah, I guess so! I'm sure it is obvious to you that I've pretty much made my choice. But you know, the frog has to choose back and all that. So while I want to clear the pond totally, it seems prudent that I keep the frogs at least until I see if the deer hunter takes one look at me and runs screaming into the woods.

And so the frog pond remains as it is for at least another few weeks depending on how it all goes. I find that I do not really like having a pond of frogs. It takes a lot of effort and I live in perpetual fear that I will send one frog another frog's email and insult one by calling him the other's name. I am not a good frog juggler. I have been honest about the fact that there are other frogs... but it still feels slightly dishonest. Probably because I do like the one much more than the others.

Have a wonderful Tuesday. What is happening in your life?

20 comments:

  1. I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday. I am not having as much fun as teaching some one to drive. I am instead watching a 7-month-old torment a grumpy old basset. Hope Friday gets there fast enough for you and you have a great rest of your week.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mr. Shife-- Thanks! I have to tell you though... I think what you're doing might be a pretty good show to watch. I miss my bassets. I miss babies too. So give them both a smooch for me. Oh wait, just scritch Qunincy. Basset breath is whooeeeewwww.

    So tell me does he do that thing with his lip... we call it "a mad". Tucks a lip under a tooth to look grumpy?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I remember the driving lessons. Of course I also remember Bob Newhart's "Driving Instructor" story which to me was hilarious! I'm grumpy cause my hard drive died and the cookie jar doesn't have enough cookies to get a new puter.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jill-- Oh I am so sorry about your hard drive!
    Do you have someone who could install a hard drive for you? It's not very hard to do really and much cheaper than getting a new puter. That would sure make me grumpy.

    Well... here's wishing something really good will happen today that helps off set the crash.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Whew, you make my head spin! And driving is tough - good for teaching it correctly.
    As for me, I'm wondering if I really CAN and SHOULD move IF I have the chance.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your Squeaky sounds like my Coadster - alsmot too cautious for their own good.

    I hope you told A. you were busy now.

    It's good to have a back-up plan. Sometimes people are better in theory than reality. I hope your deerhunter turns out to be your prince.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mr. Cube is better with teaching our girls to drive. I'm one of those people who hates flying and even being a passenger in a car! I know, I've been told it's a control thing. I'm working on it...

    RE: your froggies, I remember the old joke which was a take off on the old saw about not counting your chickens before they hatched...

    A foreign Count was being held prisoner in a dungeon by a foreign King and he was being tortured for information. The Count bravely kept from divulging any secrets, so the foolish King gave the order for the executioner to lop of the Count's head. Just as the axe rose, the Count reconsidered and said, "Wait, I'll tell you--" WHACK.

    The morale of the story... don't hatchet your counts before they chicken.

    The moral of your frog story is, don't frogapult your frog before you find out if they have the right ribbit.

    :-)

    Wishing you whatever makes you happy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pamela-- I am sick and tired of being lonely and alone. I can't wait forever. If I don't jump now it will only be harder down the line. May as well jump and lose. I am no worse off if it doesn't work out... I'll go back to gigging frogs until a prince shows up.

    Driving with Squeaky is fun and funny. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Churlita-- I sent A back an email and said I apologized but I didn't remember who he was. That was actually the truth. I had to search my email files to find an old one of his to know that I really had talked to him before. I added on that I was interested in someone else, but thanks for thinking of me. So it goes.

    Yes, Squeaky is very cautious. But he's so darned reliable and organized.

    It is a back up... but if all goes well I'm frogapulting as soon as I am sure. I can always get back on these social sites... they beg you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cube-- I understand your flying and driving deal. I can't sleep if someone is driving a car I'm in... no one is as safe of a driver as me! Hahaha. Actually, I can if my dad is driving, otherwise I am alert at all times.

    I love that joke! I will keep it in mind.

    Thanks... that is what I want exactly... to be happy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. what if they took all the frogs and put'em in a frog museum.

    and charged the people a dollar and a half just to see'em.

    are you going to watch "V" tonight?

    ReplyDelete
  12. billy pilgrim-- It is true that you don't always know what you've got til its gone.

    Yes, indeed!!! I am very excited over V. I have the mini series on video... time to burn it and have it on DVD in stead. My favorite character on it was Willie. You know me and lizards! I will be tuned in.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yay for you! Excited about your mini-vacation this weekend. Excited for all of us that V is on tonight. Hope it's good.
    You know I'm always wishing you the best of the best. Fingers crossed, Ananda!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I was really impressed with your "industrial park", ha ha ha.

    I predict that once that kid gets over his fear of speed that he will be hell on wheels, lets start a pool on when he crashes and burns. :-)

    I mostly taught myself how to drive in an old Austin Bantam that dad brought home for us one day but it was a small quite town with dirt roads and little damage could be done with a wore out car that couldn't go very fast.

    From there I graduated to learning how to hot wire cars and 'borrow' them for joy rides, ha ha ha. Ah, the good old days in a mining town where if you got caught doing something wrong when a kid you just got your ass kicked.

    Now they send you to shrinks and fuck you all up.

    ReplyDelete
  15. My oldest son was a lot like Squeaky...imagine my shock when I went on to teach wild sons #2 and #3 and the girl. Yikes. I may not have it in me by the time Handsome Lad starts driving.

    I feel so excited about your upcoming getaway! I know you are being cautious and not counting your frog before he transforms...but it sure seems like the two of you are a match. :-) I'm thinking good thoughts...

    ReplyDelete
  16. BBC-- Maybe. Time will tell. But I doubt it. This one has a thing about rules and following them obsessively. Especially anything having to do with his health... crashing tends to be bad for that.

    ReplyDelete
  17. laura b. Yikes... I understand that.

    Thanks. I am nervous but in a really good way. We have so many things in common that we both enjoy. All I can do is give it whirl and see if I puke or not. hahaha

    ReplyDelete
  18. laura b.-- Geez that did not sound very romantic did it? Bad pun off of the puke-a-whirl ride at the fair. Hopefully he just makes my head spin and I have fun. Funny how some comments sound all FUBAR and can't be corrected.

    Thanks for your happy encouragement. I did not tell him that the beach was my favorite place on earth... its his too. It is really hard to screw up a trip to the beach. But I am quite good at destroying a first date. I'm hoping the beach can offset any danger to him or his property due to my nerves.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I think you should purposefully freak Squeaky out. Of course I would say something like that given my devious mischievous nature :)

    Hmmm, I've been busy with my tshirts, working on some drawings. Finally got to see my gf practice ballet (has been hard for me to make it out to her practices before because of my health). I'm very excited, we are going to see a ballet this weekend (my 1st one ever, hooray!). Unfortunately she is leaving soon for Europe, she will be dancing in Bordeaux for several months... oh well, gotta enjoy the time together before she jets on outta here!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sebastien-- I am all for purposely freaking out the Squeakster too. He gives such a great reaction to things. I tried to explain that to him as a small child... that if you don't freak others do not enjoy it as much.

    Oh! Marvelous! What fun... the ballet. I had a niece who dated a very handsome ballet dancer. Well best of luck to your gf on tour. Enjoy the ballet!

    ReplyDelete