Friday, June 27, 2008

Back in the Saddle Again

Like most teenagers now days, I got my driver’s license on my 16th birthday. I was so excited to have it. It meant I was growing up! I wouldn’t have to ask my parents for rides to the movies or to hang out with my friends. I could have gotten my very own parking space at my high school. I could leave the house and go wherever I wanted whenever I wanted to. Yup, I got my driver’s license on my 16th birthday. That was also the day I swore I’d never drive again.

I know I know, it’s not very logically of me to swear such a thing. But I had an experience that shook me up so badly that it brought me to swear just that! I tried to drive after it honest I did! I would get into the car, buckle up, check my mirrors, and start the car. On one occasion about a year later I even managed to back out of the driveway. But I could never do more than that. Then I moved to England where it’s common not to drive. The bus systems there are excellent, filled with odd characters, but excellent nonetheless. So you would have thought that maybe living there for awhile would have help, maybe it would have let me calm down. But oh no, you would be wrong! Have you seen the drivers in England?! It’s understandable that someone wouldn’t want to drive there. It’s just crazyness man! Plus, I never did get a handle on the whole opposite side of the street thing. I can’t tell you the amount of times I looked the wrong way before crossing the street only to be pulled back by whomever I was walking with at the time.

Driving is still quite a terrifying thought to me, to be in control of a 1.5 ton vehicle going 70 mph…*shudders*. I’m 21 years old and I haven’t driven in roughly 5 years. Should I have stood up and said my name first? I’ve unofficially checked myself into driving rehab. Or I suppose really it would be de-rehab since I’ve stayed away from driving rather than been addicted to it. I’ve begun my Step program either way! Tonight I started by driving around in a deserted parking lot with my mom and John. I reached a top speed of 25 mph. Oh yeah, I’m a rebel baby! Well, I may not be ready for NASCAR but I’ve begun the recovery process.

In other news, I made a chef salad for dinner tonight.
That picture is of John’s, hence why it’s all meat and no veggies. Mine had carrots and cucumbers but I passed on the cheese and egg yolk (yuck!). It was actually my first chef salad as I’ve always been a little iffy on having meat in a salad (unless of course you count bacon bits, which I seem to have an addiction for). I’m a self-proclaimed picky eater. I only like one kind of salad dressing, Catalina, and I was frightened of what that red dressing would taste like on meat. But I dared go where I would think not many picky eaters have gone before! I sliced the round steak super thin, chopped up crispy bacon, and threw them onto my normal every-day salad. My oh my! I was quite happy that I did. It was delicious!

3 comments:

Linda said...

Congratulations on your first driving step--you'll do great...

Shelby said...

Too cute Alyson! Good luck with your driving!

What a Dish! said...

Hey, I didn't even get my licence until I was 21! I was very scared of driving, so I put it off forever. My husband finally made me get it! Lol. It took a while to get used to driving, but I'm pretty confident now... unless it's downtown Seattle or something. I stay away from stuff like that! Oh, and I still get nervous once in a while when it comes to backing up. Practise makes perfect though, and that's what you're doing now- congrats!