Hm, here's a "Friday Five" that's actually a good starting-place for me to be more informative than usual about myself:
1. How old were you when you got your drivers license?
Funny story, that: what with the various irregularities in my schooling career, I managed to fall through the cracks of the usual "driver's ed in high school" process. A couple of years into college, I was getting annoyed enough about having to bum rides off of everyone to start taking lessons from Mum (whose teaching style turned out to be completely incompatible with my learning style) and then a driving school. I got so far as obtaining a learner's permit -- discovering in the midst of the process that part of the problem was that the 20/20 vision of my childhood had gone out the window somewhere when I hadn't been paying attention -- and then found myself boxed into the corner of being financially unable to remain in the Chicago area on my own when Mum got a job-offer. So, not wanting to stand in line at the DMV twice, I decided to wait to take the license test...
...And discovered that the new area's drivers were seriously, terrifyingly dangerous. Even Mum, who had learned as an adult practicing in the urban jungle of Chicago, could barely deal with them. I practiced a bit, so long as the IL learner's permit was valid, and even went to the extent of buying a junker one of Mum's business associates was getting rid of, but ultimately I never could work up the nerve to apply for permission to plunge off into the maelstrom of their road system on my own.
Now that we're back in the relative safety of Chicago's urban embrace, I suppose I ought to consider taking more lessons and having another go at it. What's been stopping me so far is the operating costs of owning/running a car...
2. Did you get your own car right away, use the family car, or bum rides from friends?
...Still bumming rides from friends. [see above]
3. What was your first car and what was it like?
A Ford Escort wagon -- the "junker" referenced above, which immediately got itself named "Trabi" for its various life-threatening habits, such as refusing to go faster than 45 MPH even on a downhill. Eventually I sold it to my father. (Who ended up reselling it at a profit, the @#!!$.)
4. How old were you when you got your first traffic ticket and what happened?
Never had one, which I suppose could be called the upside of not driving... :)
5. What is your favorite car story, be it an accident, road trip, etc?
Well, obviously nothing where I was driving. But Mum and I have driven all over the country, generally from one giant ball of string to the next... which reminds me, I never have found our carhenge pictures, dammit.
1. How old were you when you got your drivers license?
Funny story, that: what with the various irregularities in my schooling career, I managed to fall through the cracks of the usual "driver's ed in high school" process. A couple of years into college, I was getting annoyed enough about having to bum rides off of everyone to start taking lessons from Mum (whose teaching style turned out to be completely incompatible with my learning style) and then a driving school. I got so far as obtaining a learner's permit -- discovering in the midst of the process that part of the problem was that the 20/20 vision of my childhood had gone out the window somewhere when I hadn't been paying attention -- and then found myself boxed into the corner of being financially unable to remain in the Chicago area on my own when Mum got a job-offer. So, not wanting to stand in line at the DMV twice, I decided to wait to take the license test...
...And discovered that the new area's drivers were seriously, terrifyingly dangerous. Even Mum, who had learned as an adult practicing in the urban jungle of Chicago, could barely deal with them. I practiced a bit, so long as the IL learner's permit was valid, and even went to the extent of buying a junker one of Mum's business associates was getting rid of, but ultimately I never could work up the nerve to apply for permission to plunge off into the maelstrom of their road system on my own.
Now that we're back in the relative safety of Chicago's urban embrace, I suppose I ought to consider taking more lessons and having another go at it. What's been stopping me so far is the operating costs of owning/running a car...
2. Did you get your own car right away, use the family car, or bum rides from friends?
...Still bumming rides from friends. [see above]
3. What was your first car and what was it like?
A Ford Escort wagon -- the "junker" referenced above, which immediately got itself named "Trabi" for its various life-threatening habits, such as refusing to go faster than 45 MPH even on a downhill. Eventually I sold it to my father. (Who ended up reselling it at a profit, the @#!!$.)
4. How old were you when you got your first traffic ticket and what happened?
Never had one, which I suppose could be called the upside of not driving... :)
5. What is your favorite car story, be it an accident, road trip, etc?
Well, obviously nothing where I was driving. But Mum and I have driven all over the country, generally from one giant ball of string to the next... which reminds me, I never have found our carhenge pictures, dammit.