Life's Little Mysteries

Why do you think people stopped using turn signals?

Ignoring any discussion about which direction to walk around a track, why do some people warmup and stretch in the lanes and not this beautiful, wide-open triangle of nothingness? I no longer use this track.

And why do people walk in lane one or two, walk around the barrier, and then go back to inner lanes? I almost stopped him and asked.

Another Driver

A souvenir of our afternoon at the DMV

It has been a long road, but we have another driver in the family.

In January 2020 A. got a driving permit. In February 2020 he had a lesson, after which he was allowed to drive with a licensed adult (like parents). In March 2020 it seemed like a bad idea to get in a car with a stranger for two hours and California Department of Motor Vehicles did not offer driving tests. The DMV did extend driving permits twice, meaning A. had an extra year to fulfill the requirements before taking the test.

Now it is March 2021 and still worrisome to get into the car with a stranger, but we did the best we could (highly effective mask and windows open, along with crossed fingers) and he had his last two lessons! And this past week he took and passed the driving test!

It was great to have had those last two lessons because the instructor took A. on the course and gave him lots of tips. He also said that even though the DMV had extended the expiration date it was necessary to apply for an extension online and bring all the necessary documents (e.g., passport or birth certificate, proof of residency). I poked around online and found nothing about that. Surely the DMV would say something and the instructor was giving us old information, right? Thank goodness we decided it was better to prepared, just in case. The instructor was exactly right, so we saved time by having the application completed and we did not have to reschedule, as happened to the person in line in front of us.

photo credit Joseph Rittenhouse

The longest wait time was sitting in our car in the line of cars while we waited for an examiner. As it came closer to our turn I told A. was going to enjoy my time in the room for parents, the mini spa. Just kidding! There was not even a bench to wait on! On the other hand, the weather was ideal and the wait was short, partially because the examiners are trying to spend less than fifteen minutes with each driver.

I put A. on the insurance and sent him off to run an errand for me the next day!

Bad News, Good News

 Fortunately, our family likes to experiment (although we did not try avoiding the letter L on December 25. No L Day, get it?). Today we went twelve hours without using screens.

After landing a trick on the skateboard, giving me a haircut, and feeding the neighbors' cat, there was not a lot to do so we went for a drive. The fortunate part was thinking to look to see when A.'s driving permit expires. Unfortunately, it expires next week.

One of the first things I did when I got on my computer was to read about how to renew a driving permit. What a pain! Fortunately, the DMV extended the expiration day for all permits expiring before December 31, 2020. Unfortunately, it expires in January 2021.

Fortunately, the DMV extended permits expiring after December  2020, too.

So lucky! I thought it would be a good idea to make an appointment right now, even though A. has not finished all the behind-the-wheel training. 

Unfortunately, the DMV is not doing car driving tests
(and I am not planning to help A. get a motorcycle driving license).

Stay tuned for the next round of Fortunately, Unfortunately.

Not Very Exciting

What has been going on?

Last week I donated platelets while watching this move.

We were going to watch a movie at home on Friday but instead went to sleep before 9pm.

Long week!

We went to a Jewish Bat Mitzvah (including prayers in Hebrew) and a Presbyterian memorial service (including scripture readings in French and Thai).

On Saturday evening we all went to a new-to-us movie theater and saw Ford v. Ferrari
It does not pass the Bechdel Test, but it was entertaining.

On Sunday I did something I have not done in years, maybe decades.
I bought running shoes that were not Brooks. I hate getting new
shoes and wondering if I made the right choice, but I hope they work out.

On Monday I went to Huntington Gardens with a friend.

Stay tuned for the blog post about updated internet service,
to be written when my blood pressure returns to normal.

The rest of the week was work and meetings for me, finals for A., and a conference for D.

The other big event happened here. We went to the DMV without
an appointment and now we have a permitted driver in the family.

Weekend Tournament

I don't post about bike race weekends because I don't go to those since I am in charge of soccer (last year I was in charge of speech and debate). It has been a fairly even division of labor.

This weekend's tournament was in a soccer complex on the outskirts of Redlands, about forty minutes east of here. Each team was given a bag of oranges, maybe from the orchards right across the street.

I was too cheap to pay for parking and got lucky enough
to twice find a good spot on the street. I even parallel
parked on the first try. I was so proud of myself!

That's my kid in blue.

The kids all got pins

and t-shirts.

The team came in fourth place
(not gold, silver, or bronze - maybe this is copper?).

I was most proud that A. received this sportsmanship pin.

Ridin' down the freeway

It isn't a coincidence that we live close to work, the library, and other essentials of life.  We aren't fond of driving.  I grew up in a one-car family and we were taught how to use the bus.  After leaving home I followed the location, location, location mantra when looking for a place to live.  Since receiving a driver's license over six months ago R. has touched the steering wheel twice.

Recent events have not encouraged me to drive.

sigalert map from 6:15 this evening
happy to be avoiding this

from the NY Times
The people in the cars were not hurt after abandoning their vehicles and running to the hills.  But then the emergency vehicles could not get through.  Scary.

from CNN
And this part of a major freeway washed away.  The driver was okay.  I can't even imagine the logistics of turning everyone around and getting them on their way.

Of course it means that we are missing out.  We don't have theater subscriptions, we haven't been to the beach yet this summer, and we don't go to many big museums.  I trade that for walking to the dinner theater, cycling to the pool, and visiting the little museum on campus.  Life is full of choices.

Love and cherish

Yes, I do truly love and cherish the person I married, BUT...

We have different priorities.  Often the car sits in the garage so if one of wants to use it for an unusual errand it is good to check with the other person to make sure s/he didn't have plans.  Sure, I said, take the car, as long as you remember to appreciate when the odometer turns to 150,000.  He gets back and realizes it is now 150,040.

Later  that day he left for a long trip.  He missed

• 150,000
• 150,051
• 150,150

Maybe we'll have a Subaru party and invite all our friends with Subarus.  But that is as far as I have planned because I am not sure what happens at a Subaru party.  Maybe we would talk about engines or get mudding.  Or maybe I need to find another reason for a party.

On the road

Last year I dropped R. off at Smith College and drove to Ithaca, soaking up the views of places I had seen so many times before.  At the same time I mourned the idea that I would never have the opportunity to drive from Cleveland to Ithaca, which we had done innumerable times.  Life is full of surprises!  This week I did that drive and soaked up every view, every turn.

We enjoyed seeing snow, and not just a pile of it but in its natural state.

And look how empty the road is!

We stopped at my favorite rest stop, which currently has a view of the ice-covered Chautauqua Lake.

photo stolen from the internet

The first zillion times I saw this sign I looked only at the white part and tried to make into the shape of NY.  Finally I looked at the green portion and saw the person.

also taken from the internet

Many signs in this part of the state have the English words and the words of the Seneca Nation.

We saw lots of signs telling people to not text because there was a stop in a few miles.

What I can't capture are the rolling hills, the small towns, and the memories of driving with D.  We'll see what surprises are next.

On the Move

R. had her first driving lesson with a very patient person recommended by a friend.

Fuzzy picture because I took it from inside the house behind the screen
in hopes that she wouldn't notice that I watching!

I also hired a person to help her drive our standard transmission car because not one driving school teaches it!!  She didn't get out of first gear, but barely stalled at all.

Then it was my turn to be in charge.  The good news is I stayed calm.  The bad news is I was so calm my reflexes to grab the steering wheel or scream or something did not kick in.  The good news is that she hit the brakes instead of the car in the parking lot!  We found a new spot and after a bit decided to give up on learning stick shift while simultaneously learning to drive.

Since we have just the one car we had to find a kind, loving, and generous owner of an automatic transmission car.  Hooray for grandparents!

All of a sudden driving an automatic seemed easy!  She even got up to thirty mph today!  Reading NY Times articles (here and here) makes me grateful for our quiet town!

Mileage

Every six months our car insurance requires me to self-report our mileage.  If we don't drive to work where do we go?  This summer it has been to the airport.

Trips in June (and July 1).  So far.

Pick up D. from conference in D.C.
Take J. and kids to airport for trip to Cleveland.
Pick up kids (at 2 a.m., three and one-half hours late) from Cleveland.
Pick up J. from Cleveland (only one hour late).
Less than twelve hours later take D. for trip to Idaho.
Pick up friend returning from Stockholm.
Pick up D. from Idaho trip (10.5 hours late).
Pick up sister and nephew visiting from San Francisco.
About 18 hours later take sister and nephew back to airport!

Gas Station Gambling

I don't know if Arco gas stations have spread to the east coast, but around here they are known for not taking credit cards and passing the savings onto the customer by charging less for gas.  There is one in the way to the pool, so even though I usually cycle there, I don't mind driving once every other week (or so) and buying gas on the way.  (Lesson learned - I decided to ride my bike on Monday and stop by later, about 5pm, and there was a line of cars waiting.  That is not for me so I drove home and went back today).

There are three ways to pay for the gas.  By the pumps is an ATM-like piece of equipment, but instead of dispensing money it takes money after you enter your pump number.  You can also go inside and say, "Twenty on two," or something like that (I felt like a real Californian when I started doing that).  The third way I'll discuss later.

The game begins when you guess how much money to put down.  You could just guess over, put down a lot, and get change at the end.  You could put down whatever you want and if it isn't full you just go about your business.  This doesn't work for me because since September 1996 we have recorded every tank of gas that has been put in the car, including the date, the amount, and the trip mileage.

The best days are when I put money down and and the tank fills with just a few cents left.  In the old days I would have gone inside for the change, but I have become a rebel and pump the last few cents worth even though the rule says not to top it off.  Not so long ago D. helpfully pointed out that $0.12 of gas at $3.79/gallon is not enough to cause a spill.  It was a life-changing lesson.

What will also be life changing is the third way of paying for gas.  As I was looking for the link to add to this post I learned that I could buy pre-paid gas cards.  I would get the card, use it like a credit card, and never have to guess how much to put down, never break the rules by pumping a little more, and never have to stand in line behind someone dealing with lottery tickets!  Amazing!

Then and Now

December 2003

December 2006

January 2014

Our annual Christmas trip to Legoland was moved to New Year's Day, which was more crowded but just as fun.  Part of the fun is visiting favorite spots as a family and another fun part is having the parents sit on a bench and smooch while the kids go off and enjoy things on their own.  It is hard to know if we will return next year or move up to Magic Mountain?  Disneyland?  By then maybe one kid will be driving a real car!

January 2014
R. passed the first part of the CA driver ed. requirements.

.