Learning stick

[primsong]

Eldest only drives an automatic and while she was visiting she brought up how she'd like to learn a manual transmission, but her grandparents were busy and her dad wasn't available.  "All that leaves is you," she noted.  We looked at one another.  I'm not a good driving instructor.
"I don't know if I'd be much help, but I can get in and hang on while you lurch around," I said.
"Exactly.  Which is why I guess I'll wait."
She then related her memories of the last time I tried to teach her stick, when she was in high school.  It was along the lines of:
Her: "WHAT AM I DOING?  help help I'm going to HIT SOMETHING, help help HOW DO I SHIFT!"
Me: (maniacal stress cackling) "WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"

So.  Back to automatic she goes....

Comments

First Stick

[bregalad]

Hi Prim!
This made me laugh and brought back a very old memory...the first time I drove a stick. It was 1967 and buying my first car, which turned out to be a '66 VW Bug. Stick shift, of course, which I had never learned. The guy at the used car lot took me for a spin; halfway thru we switched seats and I drove back, grinding the gears as I tried to coordinate the gas pedal, clutch pedal and gearshift, all at the same time...scary. That was the sum total of my stick lessons. After we got back to the lot, where my Mom was waiting, we made the deal and I drove us home, almost stalling the car a couple of times, and still grinding the gears somewhat.

Even though I don't drive a stick that often anymore, if I do it is like riding a bike; second nature (or muscle memory).

I hope Eldest gets a chance to try it again. Just a little practice should see her through. Good luck!

Re: First Stick

[primsong]

Hey, nice to see you! What a great bit of nostalgia there, how long did you have your Bug? I still see them from time to time, original ones putzing along down the road in varying states of repair.

Re: First Stick

[bregalad]

I had the '66 Bug until 1976 when I went overseas to work for four years. In hindsight I should have put it in storage, but I basically gave it away to a friend. When I returned in 1980 I bought a '72 Bug from another friend and had that for 2 years until I got a 1978 Datsun 280Z, which I'd been wanting for some time, and which I still have, although it has not been my primary vehicle for the last 13 years.

A quick question since I have you here. How do I navigate to other member's journals? There are only 3 current posts and the "Recent Entries" or "Archive" draw a complete blank. Definitely not as easy to find stuff as the previous site.

Re: First Stick

[primsong]

My mom had a 280Z for years, she loved that car. ^_^

To see other people's journals: At the top of your own journal you click the tab "Reading" - this shows you the entries for everyone you are following (i.e. the people in your 'circle' - DWth didn't like calling them "friends" like FB because, as they pointed out, they may not even know you much less be an actual friend).

Once you are in "Reading" at the top you'll see "Manage Circle". This will give you a list of everyone you are following, etc. and you can adjust level of access (do they see you too? etc), approve and/or add people there. I just add people from our Rings group whenever I see them, so the posts in their journals automatically pop up on my Reading page.

You can subscribe to communities, so posts to that community will also show up in your Reading page.

Hope that helps! It does mean a little more work on the front end when you're just getting started, but is easy to manage as you go along.

Re: First Stick

[primsong]

Also, if you haven't already found it - you can just click on a person's name and it will give you the options to add them to your list and/or add them to what you want to show up for reading. I kind of like it being two-tiered that way - you can still have someone as a 'friend' but not have their posts show up if, for instance, their posts tend to be unpleasant.

Re: First Stick

[bregalad]

Thanks for the help. This will take some getting used to. I do remember that when I received the email for signing up there was a link to a faq sheet and other stuff. Going back to that and reading up on the basics is probably a good idea. Thanks again!