We all have our Waterloo. For some it’s left turns. And they aren’t necessarily conservatives.
Left Turns
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Tag Archives: driving
Driving Averse
I have to give fellow parent Mike (Amy’s dad) credit for this title. One day he said he was “driving averse,” and I thought, “That’s what I am.” It sounds so much better, “I hate to drive.” ‘Cause it’s not hate. And in my life I have been happy to drive. Gosh, I use to drive between San Francisco and LA (almost 400 miles) every other week at one time in my life and thought nothing of it. (Sidebar: I used to get books on tape, mostly novels. One time I decided to get something to educate me, and it was something like “Make Your Life Financially Healthy” or “How the Stock Market Works,” something like that. It was so dull I almost drove off the road. And then lost money in the stock market. Go figure!)
Happy to have a car, just don’t want to be in it a lot…
Trying Out a Minivan
This is me getting back to my roots… no, not that medium brown I’ve been covering up for years. Back in the ’90′s when I lived in San Francisco, I was briefly an automotive reviewer. I reviewed cars on a syndicated radio show and for a local magazine. The radio show had brought me in to consult but couldn’t pay me, so they said if they set me up with my own segment then magically cars would be brought to me every week that I would review. It was cool. A fresh, lovely car arrives; I drive it, and then poof, it’s gone after a week. I had a an old, red Mazda hatchback at the time, so I was thrilled to get into new cars.
When the radio show went belly up (maybe it was my consulting?), I hustled a spot in a magazine to keep the new car smell in my life. I had a thing called the Daph-o-meter: “How many fairly good looking men turned to look at the car, assuming half the stares are for the car.” Thus, a red Honda Del Sol was off the charts; a minivan got a 2. Ah, such different days that I would want a car for sex appeal. Now, it doesn’t even occur to me.
Anyway, I met a PR gal for GM, and right I away I was like, “Hey I use to review cars; let me try one out”. I really wanted to say, “Come on, your company is hanging by a thread. Give a super discount on a new car.” The lease on my husband’s Dodge tank is up in June, so I thought it was well timed.
Moving Target
Ah, the joys of parental abuse. Being climbed on, kicked in the shins, and my personal favorite having nails dug into my face is all normal stuff. But, what if it happens when you can’t discipline? Whatta you do?
The bottom line is a handheld cell phone is the only danger motorists face.
A Mom-Phobia of Driving
If anyone is in Chicagoland, Peggy Ward looks pretty funny with her Mamaphobia. Sometimes mom humor can be a little painful, but her clips look like she is right on the money.
I liked her bit about being the most paranoid passenger when she became a mom, as if her husband “had just gotten his learner’s permit.” Darn, wish I’d written that. My poor husband is forever telling me to chill out in the car. But I am sure my vigilance will save us all from a fiery death. Sometimes I shut my eyes, because I know he is a good driver and I have become a tad crazy.
My sister Carole says she does the same thing to her husband. Our wiring got all screwed up upon motherhood. It’s a combination of protective mom and control freak. Hmm, am I the only one with a hard time discerning between the two?