New Yorkers: GET OFF THE STREETS....

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....because I have my second official driving lesson today! Last week, at the first session, I naively expected some sort've sit-down lecture ala "This is a stop sign, and at stop signs we stop!" But no, right into the bucket seat I went, taking the lives of innocent pedestrians and bystanders in my hands. Luckily, no one went under my wheels that time, but that was only hour one! We mostly drove around the Lower East Side (y'know.....where life is cheaper in case I ploughed into anyone). Who knows what'll happen today!

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Gee Alex.

Why are you just starting to learn how to drive now?

Oh and have fun. Don't get sued.

― Aja (aja), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Have fun Alex!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Aja will be driving before me probably, good luck Alex

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 16:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Why are you just starting to learn how to drive now?

Who needs to drive, in New York?

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

you don't need a car in manhattan, aja. it's actually a bit of a pain in the butt to have one in manhattan (re insurance, parking, traffic and congestion, etc.) so it's not at all unusual for people living in manhattan to not have a car or to not learn to drive.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 16:40 (twenty-one years ago)

well I can see Alex's need with a child on the way and all. I just hope he buys a phat ride with 26 inch dubs.

― Chris V (Chris V), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

you don't need a car in manhattan, aja.

You're right. I forgot Alex lived in that part of NYC. But still. I just think he'd need that skill sooner if he were to travle.

― Aja (aja), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)

hey it's not just manhatten. having a car in brooklyn sucks. fuck it, all of NYC. unless your rich. everything's better if yr rich

― Viva La Sam (thatgirl), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Another lesson today--- and the SKY IS WHITE WITH FALLING SNOW! A NEW ELEMENT IN THE RISK FACTOR! TRACTION BE DAMNED! STAY INSIDE!!!!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 24 February 2004 16:15 (twenty-one years ago)

In any decent city it's a pin to have a car. I'm I'm going to replace mine with this.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 24 February 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

A pin?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 24 February 2004 16:18 (twenty-one years ago)

http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/~shami/hobbes-sled.gif

― kephm, Tuesday, 24 February 2004 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I heart Alex in NYC

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Tuesday, 24 February 2004 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Time for lesson #5 already! Still no casualties, but we had a close call on East Broadway on Tuesday. I was too close to the double yellow lines on a two way street, and a bus couldn't turn. To make matters worse, some cranky geezer with an irritable prostate pulled up on my right and started barking obscenities at me (as if I wasn't already mad enough at myself). We survived. In ten minutes, I hit the road again. Stay tuned....

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 27 February 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I hit the road again
Alex, it is very important, at this time, that you not*hit* anything! Bump things first, to get a feel for the impact.

― Speedy (Speedy Gonzalas), Friday, 27 February 2004 21:50 (twenty-one years ago)

No hits, although a worrying amount of near misses. Almost took someone's rear-view mirror off whilst attempting to park for the first time. Luckily, no one was in that car at the time.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 27 February 2004 21:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Amazingly enough, 14 year old kids can drive, during daylight hours, here in Wyoming. I mean, you are presumably, a reasonably responible adult. You're freaking out, and these KIDS are driving around, spilling sodas, chewing bubble gum, and DRIVING!!!
The law is in place due to the fact that sometimes kids still live 20, 30 miles from their High School, and to send a bus all that way to have 3 or 4 kids on it or, have it take hours to fill it...well, Hell, just let the little cowboys drive!

― Speedy (Speedy Gonzalas), Saturday, 28 February 2004 11:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm freaking out largely because I'm driving around New York City, which like any urban center, is a congested hotbed of impatience, poor etiquette and wanton disregard for traffice laws. Thus, while I'm trying to glean as much of the proper procedure as possible, I'm surrounded and weaving amidst individuals with little or no concern for laws, safety, sanctity of human life, etc. It's just a lot to worry about. I still long way to go in terms of building my driving confidence.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 28 February 2004 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, you should be worried. I am glad you are. But at least you're paying attention. My point is that these are tiny little kids, and they have not clue one. I realize that NYC is millions of times more congested, but Jackson, a town of 5400, gets 60,000 cars a day passing through in the summer season. And unlike NYC, the only people that don't think that they are in Disneyland are the locals. And here are these lil' idiots that can barely see over the steering wheel, playing Snoop and speeding!
I am off subject, Good Luck, you'll be fine. Just wait til that kid ask for the keys. To go to a show. haha!

― Speedy (Speedy Gonzalas), Saturday, 28 February 2004 11:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I got my regular license when I was 15. Kind of a paradox, kids that young aren't generally very good drivers, judgment issues, etc. But, because driving is 99% unconscious instinct, with only a tiny bit of thoughtful consideration (especially for others) it helps to start as young as possible and get as much practice as possible. The daylight driving thing sounds like a good plan to me. Of course Wyoming and NYC are not to be discussed in the same breath. Ready, exhale, okay, now discuss.

― Skottie, Saturday, 28 February 2004 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

My mom knocked off one of her mirrors yesterday.

No one was injured.

― Aja (aja), Saturday, 28 February 2004 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey Alex, I too am learning how to drive. Unfortunately I keep getting off track. I was very close to the point where I could sign up to be tested for my license, but my instrucotr went away on vacation and then bad weather and now I'm preoccuped with apartment hunting.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Saturday, 28 February 2004 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I need to call my driving teacher. . . I was starting to get pretty good I thought.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Saturday, 28 February 2004 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I haven't been on the highway yet. That's what really scares me now.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Saturday, 28 February 2004 15:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh.

My grandma hit five parked cars on an almost abandoned street once.

You've got to be scared of everwhere you drive.

― Aja (aja), Saturday, 28 February 2004 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I learn to drive this year.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Saturday, 28 February 2004 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)

(And Philadelphia isn't New York, but you can do a whole lot without a car, especially if you live in center city.)

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Saturday, 28 February 2004 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I've found that, when I've driven in either city, Philly is the more difficult. Esp. in Center City - not much room to maneuver, not much parking, etc.

― hstencil, Saturday, 28 February 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I have to take a five-hour pre-licensing exam on Tuesday. Apparently, NY State demands it, and it involves viewing filmstrips of car crash attrocities. Ummm....can't wait.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 28 February 2004 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

driver's ed was tolerable in high school cause we could just get stoned before it. it's so atrociously boring.

though i once totalled my car when i was following the oscar meyer weiner mobile; i pulled out of a stopsign and didn't see the car coming from the left. oops.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 28 February 2004 20:57 (twenty-one years ago)

were you following the weiner mobile as part of a parade?

― lauren (laurenp), Saturday, 28 February 2004 21:51 (twenty-one years ago)

no, as part of being stoned and driving to get pizza; got distracted.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 28 February 2004 23:23 (twenty-one years ago)

my driver's ed teacher made us watch License to Drive.

― teeny (teeny), Sunday, 29 February 2004 02:21 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

As if life wasn't busy enough for me these days, MY ROAD TEST IS TODAY! IF YOU LIVE ANYWHERE NEAR STATEN ISLAND (which is where my test is, oddly)...I URGE YOU TO EXCERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE WALKING THE STREETS!

Seriously, wish me luck. It'd suck a big bag of dicks if I failed it and had to take it again.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 14:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Good luck for the Alex! Think ahead to how you can drive Charlotte to JazFest 2020.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Hooray, I passed (despite grave doubts on my part that I would).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Hurrah for the Alex!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Congratulations -- I always wondered what it would have been like to learn to drive here (I moved to NY after I had my license).

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Congratulations! I vowed that I would never attempt to drive in NYC, after zooming around in taxis at the weekend, so good luck, too!

― Vicky (Vicky), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

my evaluator, in the car after the test:

"you're a terrible driver and you should really go back to driving school. you pass."

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 28 April 2004 23:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, I just got my license two weeks ago at the age of 23. I really, really can't drive. I practiced for like an hour with a buddy of mine (after not having driven since driver's ed 7 years ago) and went and took the test. I passed--God bless Louisiana and its lax and fucked up drivers test. No parallel parking, no three-point turn, only ONE left turn, etc etc. It was awesome.

― adam (adam), Thursday, 29 April 2004 02:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Congratulations, Alex and Adam!

I remember having a particularly lengthy driver's test (didn't learn from some driving school so didn't get to skip out on this). I had to parallel park, do several left turns, make a lot of lane changes, park several times in regular parking slots, do tight left and right turns in a parking lot, actually drive on the highway when I was especially freaked out about that, and so on. I was a nervous wreck throughout and felt relieved when I found out I'd passed the test.

The written exam portion, though, was a no-brainer. Only those with no common sense whatsoever could fail that.

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Thursday, 29 April 2004 04:45 (twenty-one years ago)

is the test difft in difft states?

(ps congrats alex: i failed twice, once for swearing at the test guy, before i passed)

― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 29 April 2004 07:01 (twenty-one years ago)

mark s: yes.

I had my 5 hour course a few weekends ago. It lasted only 4 hours, and we had two breaks. We even got to watch a Goofy cartoon. And lots of "kids are such reckless drivers" films.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Monday, 3 May 2004 14:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahahaha....I had to watch that same Goofy cartoon and the 5 hour course!

Did you watch the film about the Olympic diver who drunkenly ploughed into a teenage block-party?i

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 3 May 2004 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

HAHAHA Alex that really sounds like the description of a gay porno (starring Mario Lopez as Greg Lougainis)!

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 3 May 2004 14:41 (twenty-one years ago)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 3 May 2004 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

is the test difft in difft states?
-- mark s

There's no national driver's license or examination process, mark. Each state sets its own rules on how old you have to be to drive, what the test is like, whether to accept the license of another state when someone moves to a new city, or to demand new testing. Etc. Like 50 different countries + DC + Puerto Rico + Virgin Islands etc.

― Skottie, Monday, 3 May 2004 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

But each state has to accept the license of another state when drivers cross state lines even if the rules are different in that state.

― Skottie, Monday, 3 May 2004 14:52 (twenty-one years ago)

blimey, I always thought it took years to learn to drive!

Congrats!

I'm gonna learn to drive and play the guitar properly soon. I consider them "essential life skills" I should have by the time I'm 30.

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 3 May 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex, ha ha YES!!! Not to be all blame the victim about that but there were underage teenagers hanging around a road with no street lights and drinking, and people were surprised something bad happened? Was this the video that had the Carly Simon introduction? I forget.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Monday, 3 May 2004 15:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Yep. I remember seeing Carly. We also had to watch something called "the Great American Driving Challenge" with c-list celebs like Craig T. Nelson and Paula Zahn asking things like "What do you do at a STOP sign?"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 3 May 2004 17:33 (twenty-one years ago)

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