A Curious Girl: A bit of babble, and then stuff about driving

It was an OK day today.

Yesterday, Mum took Nicola and me shopping - got new shoes, bag and a Harry Potter calendar.

To be honest, the calendar is a bit of a disappointment. For one thing, every significant word, such as Hogwarts, Gringotts, Slytherin and Gryffindor, has TM on it, making it look rather tacky. (F'rinstance, it has a picture of Harry trying on the Sorting Hat and the caption is 'Slytherin(TM) or Gryffindor(TM)?') JK Rowling (the author) isn't even mentioned and on every single page it just has to point out that "HARRY POTTER, characters, names and indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros." We get the message. The pictures are quite cool though. I was going to get a Van Gogh calendar, but it didn't have the paintings with the cypresses or the willows. Or the sunflowers. So I didn't really want it, especially when it cost more than the Harry Potter one.

I found a Richard E Grant news story on the web yesterday, and realised to my mild disappointment that it is blatantly impossible to fall in love with an actor whilst just seeing him act, even if he is a perfect match for my animus (see last entry, I think). Actually in person I find him rather unattractive. For one thing, he's cleverer than I am in things that interest me, and that's always fatal as far as crushes go :-). So after that pathetic attempt to get a 'TV crush' I shall go back to normal, and carry on fancying Keanu Reeves. :-) (Oddly enough, I liked Keanu more after reading an interview - he's a bit like me, actually, only much more talented. But not in anything I have a vague aptitude for, so that's OK.)

Hospital today was fairly normal - always the odd awkward patient, but not much trouble. Had my usual lunch and then...

DRIVING LESSSON!

Yay! My instuctor's name is Phil - I didn't see him at first, waiting outside the hospital, but then I saw the car, with the usual triangular prismic box on top. Saw Liam at the bus stop, did a quick hello walking past. I met him when I did Hospital Radio, briefly. My picture is on the magazine, along with Christina's, Charlie's and Claire's. It is rather strange seeing it every week as I do teas etc.

Anyway, back to more important matters. Driving. OK, so we went to Gillingham Business Park, which is usually quiet. He parked, and we swapped seats. He told me the 'cockpit procedure' which I think is this (I may have forgotten the order): check seat, check mirrors, handbrake on, gearstick neutral, seatbelt on. So then I started to panic about remembering this, but he told me he'd give me a sheet with it on, and also that I'd need to buy a copy of the highway code, and tell him when I could use the horn. The only example I can think of right now is when there are kids playing in the street paying no attention to oncoming vehicles. He told me where I could put my hands on the steering wheel, and which foot to use with each pedal. He told me how the clutch works, and how the gears work, and then I actually did some driving!!!!!!

Pardon my enthusiasm. Engine on, lights on, clutch down, accelerator on slightly, clutch to biting point, handbrake off, gearstick to first. Turn steering wheel slightly to the right (remember, I'm British, so we were parked on the left side of the road), bit more accelerator, foot off accelerator, clutch down, second gear. Lovely. (Note - if I get anything wrong here, remember it was only my first driving lesson.) Pedals and gears were surprisingly easy. A bit of a chore to remember at first, but not bad, and anyway he was talking me through it. It was all a bit surreal to start off with, as he told me how to steer (steering was an absolute pain, but he gave me a hand when I was going wobbly and told me how to move my hands) and I was thinking "I've got to steer? I must be in control of this car!" It was a bit scary, but the feeling of power was exhilarating, even if I could just feel the driver of the car behind (that I could see in the rearview mirror, which I found rather cool) thinking "Oh no, another learner driver doing ten miles an hour". Although I don't know what speed I was doing, as I forgot to check; it wasn't very fast, but I didn't want to crash into something because of my crappy steering. Braking was quite easy, however. I wasn't afraid so much as wary.

I parked, and then we went around again. The second run was easier, and my steering got a bit better. It was all too much fun. Much more fun and quicker and easier than walking. Hmm, I'd better keep myself in check.

Mum and Clive were in Chatham to pick me up, but I didn't see them, and got the bus home. Mum saw me and made me some tea for when I got in.

Random word for today:

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