Out learning to drive…
I just got back from my first lesson of driving a standard transmission. Well, ok, it wasn’t my very first time out. Ray took me out in the Camaro last summer, and Kris has made me drive both the WRX and ze Neon a couple times each. But it was my first lesson with my friend Ian. 
I couldn’t be happier with how the evening went. I’m by no means an expert, even with the “several” times I’ve been out “driving.” Both previous teachers had gone through the basics (Ray made me do everything from stalling the car to simple parking lot maneuvers; Kris has brought me through to “advanced” techniques - hill starts, trying to teach me how to properly downshift) but they also had pretty tough cars for a beginner to really practice on.
I knew Ian’s car would be easier to drive - he’d told me this when we were all on the lake ice racing last winter - since it’s not AWD, or a turbo, or rally-prepped. It’s a CRX (see the GTA Vice City pic above of the Blista Compact), the only bad part being the bright giallo colour, which could possibly make the embarrassed beginner (ie ME) stand out even more in traffic. He’s also a good teacher, for me, because unlike Kris and Ray, he’s only been driving standard himself for about a year now. This means tips like “Clutch out with your whole leg at your knee, not your ankle” are things Ian still remembers to point out, vs. the whole process already ingrained in both Kris and Ray.
I think Ian was pretty impressed when we started out in the bank parking lot. I didn’t stall the car immediately right then and there (I told you I wasn’t a total n00b), and decided to let me drive down the street, which ended on Rt. 85 right at a horrible intersection. It’s one where everyone takes a “Massachusetts left” into the middle of the road during rush hour, and no one on 85 wants to left them in. Being on the flipside now myself, I was terrified that someone was going to run me off the road, especially since I was driving someone else’s car.
Well, I made it across 85 to the Mickey D’s, and decided to show Ian how close I was to home. I stalled the car coming out of the parking lot, but somehow made it through the rotary without having to stop. When we got to my apartment I pretty much decided I’d had enough for my first night out, and since I still have a bajillion things to pack, we said good night. I can’t thank Ian enough for being nice enough to take me out and help me learn to drive.
