How I Spent My Summer Vacation

[judecorp]

by Jude

Yesterday I crashed and burned at 11pm. I had gotten up at 4am (on 2 hours sleep) to get to the airport and all that. So after dinner and black and tans (mmm) with Laurie and Donna, I declined their offer to go to the club. I could hardly stand at 10, I was falling asleep on my feet. I never would have made it until 2. As it was, I only made it to 11. I felt like my grandfather - I was sitting in front of the television with my grandmother falling asleep.

I was going to read a little before I went to sleep, because I want to read all the books I said I would on my break, but I got too sleepy. I read 10 pages of Stardust. Which reminds me - on the plane, I finally finished American Gods. What a beautiful story, and from Neil, I would expect nothing else. So last night I picked up Stardust and looked at the autograph and little doodle that Kristofer got for me and just smiled and smiled.

I only lied awake and thought for about 20 minutes last night, which is a new record for me (except when I was depressed in Maine). I was too tired, even though there were things I wanted to think about - most importantly, this awkwardness that currently exists between my two closest friends. Who live near each other. Who should, in a perfect world, get along great because they are both amazing people who seem to have quite a bit in common - except for the way they deal with people. Phooey. I just want them to get along /so/ badly. It's probably pathetic. But I do. I'm a Libra, dammit!

Today, my daddy has decided that he wants to teach me to drive a manual transmission car. I did it once. When I was 16. Know this, dear readers - my dad is not a good teacher. He gets irritated. He gets angry. He gave me panic attacks when I had my learner's permit (and then I just had mom teach me). We shout at each other. Oh, this will be fun. But tonight, we're going to the drive-in. YAY! I love the drive-in. And the two movies I wanted to see (The Others and Jay & Silent Bob) are playing back to back. Fate smiled on me.

My stomach is still revolting. I thought it was because I was tired, or because what I ate for dinner last night didn't agree with me, but no. It's morning, and I ate good tummy-settling things for breakfast (toast and a peach) and I'm still feeling owwie in the tummy. Yuck. I probably picked up more germs from the kids at work or something.

I added friends: binkiegirl and dietbubba. Hooray! One lives here, and one is moving here very soon. I haven't seen 'bink since shoot, 1996? Who knows?

Time to shower and go for a walk before Hell, I mean Dad's Driving School.

Comments

[kungfoogirl.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the driving lesson. =)

My Dad was the same way. All gruff and grouchy and stuff. I ended up taking driving lessons from a driving school. I justified it by saying that it would get me a big break on my insurance.

I'm sorry you have an unhappy stomach. I hope it gets better.

And did you know that Georgia is only ranks #3 (or something) in peach production. The PEACH STATE is #3 in Peaches. A Georgia Peach is likely to have been grown in South Carolina. How weird is THAT?

Have fun at the Drive-in tonight! J&SBSB is a great movie (I think).

#3 in peaches??

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

That's just CRAZY! But it was like that in Maine, too - you couldn't get any good Maine potatoes in Maine stores, because they shipped them everywhere. So we would live in Maine and have Idaho potatoes. Wacky!

The driving lesson got scrapped. Dad wanted to go to the mall instead. So I ended up buying him a "Buddy Christ" from Dogma, my dad's favorite movie. He was just so dang excited - it was cute. I got a smurf bobbing head doll for me. Whee!

I can't wait for the movies!

[ralphmelton.livejournal.com]

Oooh, memories. My Dad ended up hiring a driving instructor for me because he'd get frustrated and I was so scared of driving I wanted to go about 20 mph usually. And when he'd get frustrated and yell, I'd panic too.

Now I have to remind myself that 65 is the speed limit, and 85 could be big trouble if I get caught. Doing in-home social work really made me a good driver, 'cause I spent half my time in the car driving to see someone or taking a kid somewhere. (I didn't speed with kids in the car)

Hope you feel better. The first year of working with kids is the worst -- you do catch everything they have. After a while, you build up some immunity.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I love to drive. But I don't drive fast. And I'm glad dad never taught me to drive. :)

And I'm kinda glad he changed his mind today, too. Hee. Stress free afternoon.

[ralphmelton.livejournal.com]

BTW, this was Lori's comment, not mine.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I figured. :) I didn't think you became a social worker when I wasn't looking. :)

[rizzo41.livejournal.com]

Heh, I had it the other way around. My driving instructor was scary. He would grab the wheel and jerk it around while screaming "You think this is fun?" He would also shove his clipboard in front of your face while you were driving gand scream "Emergency! What do you do?"

My dad was pretty calm, but he would make me nervous by repeating "Remember, I don't have a break, ok? I don't have a break on my side." My mom wouldn't say anything, but she would flinch constantly and grab the doorhandle as if her life depended on it. Hee hee hee.

Mr. Fortado

[binkiegirl.livejournal.com]

My very small town driving instructor was called Mr. Fortado. He was the Grade School Gym Teacher and driving instructor.

And creepy.

Partial to the cheerleader type, he'd take them out for LONG drives, staring at their chests. Eeew.

Luckily, I learned from my mom, who, while a drama queen didn't give me TOO much baggage. Oh! And I learned on a stick. REAL women drive Standards. Remember that.;)

Re: Mr. Fortado

[rizzo41.livejournal.com]

Ewww.. pervert driving instructors! Ours was Mr Beaulieu, or Rat Man as he was known. He was about 5 feet tall and looked just like a big rat complete with pointy, dirty fingernails. When we would drive through the city people would shout "Hey, Rat Man!" from the sidewalks. How they let that man teach driver's ed for 35 years is beyond me.

[youtsk.livejournal.com]

I learned how to drive myself.

Wait, is that right? I'm sure SOME of you would say I drive like it (Jode).

I don't drive badly. Just fast.

Remember, kids. Real life driving is JUST LIKE Ridge Racer for the Playstation! Complete with extra lives and bouncing off rails!

Re:

[rizzo41.livejournal.com]

Sweet jesus, I'm not surprised. Speeding down 47th street at 75 mph, passing cab drivers who are calling you a maniac in whatever language they speak.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

You? Drive fast? Honey, fast is an understatement.

And you can drive and eat chocolate cream pie at the same time. WHAT A DEAL!!

[youtsk.livejournal.com]

Mmm. Chocolate cream pie. Jode made me one once. Although she won't let me order it in her presence anymore.

To be honest, I don't think I've gone faster than 95mph in over 2 years. I'm getting old.

Chocolate Cream Pie

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Now I want some. Phooey.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

You may drive fast, darling, but you kiss like a girl. Or so you told me. (I dunno, though. I haven't kissed any girls who kiss like you yet.)

[youtsk.livejournal.com]

Don't look at me, I was just told I kiss like a girl. I wouldn't know, I haven't kissed myself.

What do girls kiss like, anyway?

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I had no idea at all what you were talking about when you said that.

I would imagine that the person who told that to you meant 'passive,' or 'gentle,' or something like that. Which is stereotypical and sexist, indicative of society's opinion of women in general, and not about how they kiss at all. Ew.

You kiss like a tk. And girls kiss like, umm... good. Yeah.

[youtsk.livejournal.com]

So I don't kiss good. Hmm.

Don't even.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I'll so beat you up for that, mister.

I rather liked kissing you, you know.

Re: Mr. Fortado

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

REAL women do me drive standards. I will keep that in mind.

Re: Mr. Fortado

[earlthesquirrel.livejournal.com]

I didn't think you were into being done standard.

Re: Mr. Fortado

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I certainly like to be done manually!

Re: Mr. Fortado

[earlthesquirrel.livejournal.com]

And doubly when she uses good clutch technique?

Hee. And I have always been partial to four-on-the-floor myself.

Re: Mr. Fortado

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

She can get my motor running anytime.

[cfred.livejournal.com]

No such rumors of perversity about my drivers ed teacher. (Those rumors were saved for a history teacher and, on a different angle, a French teacher.)

Coach Lovett taught drivers ed and was the football coach. His teaching style said a lot for why our football team did so poorly. :) His catch phrase was, "You need to slow your car down."

Now, I also got supplemental instruction from my dad before I got my license. Before I got mine (and before my sister got hers), we could drive a standard, take off in said standard on a hill, back around obstacles, and change a tire.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I don't remember my driving instructor's name. In RI, you don't need "behind the wheel" driving lessons to get a license. You just need driver's ed and a road test. But my grandfather paid for driving lessons for me (it got you a discount on your insurance).

I remember that the whole time I was taking driving lessons, though, the guy kept telling me about accidents he'd been in. I guess it was supposed to "make me less nervous." Or something.

Re:

[rizzo41.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Mr. Beaulieu did that too! "And this is where that Jeff kid went off the road and killed four people..."

Charming.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

That's great. Just great. Ew.