can you look me in the eyes

Today I decided to buy a car I found on Craigslist. I consulted a male mind (yes, I buy into stereotypes), and called my father. I have now decided not to buy said car. I also have learned several new life lessons, which I will share here:

Life Lessons:
–Don't choose a car because it was made the year you were born. (This becomes more important over time)

–Men love to give car advice. Ask and you shall find.

–They also love to give computer advice.


On a side note, I successfully used a 2003 ID today (I was around 16). This is the easiest I have ever been able to identify myself – they accepted a very old ID issued as a club membership in a different country, wherein I had different hair and a big, disturbing smile (I had decided I wanted my eyes to look bigger when I smiled, so I opened them really wide and look intensely creepy. But happy. See Hillary above.)

Today I failed at some of my own life advice/passed down family advice no#1: Never turn down a free meal. I did, indeed, turn down a free lunch. But I felt better when remembering family life advice #2: There's no such thing as a free dinner. (Most Stewart family advice involves food in some fashion.)

**

And I leave you with a picture and email from my younger sister, Emma.



"this is a real animal. it just grows like this. in the wild. I don't understand it at all. its making me question everything around me."

imma tell you one time

I am wary of suspiciously short showers. But I take them.
I strongly dislike lanes that end.
I also dislike the pressure of the "fast" lane.
And feeling trapped in the middle lane.
So basically just hate highways.

The day after receiving my license, my parents gave me the keys to the car and decided I would be the girls' new chauffeur. Flashes of the Blindside crash sequence danced in my head, especially as my 16-year-old sister blasted her hip-hop pop obsession Justin Bieber (who I honestly thought was a girl.)

I informed the girlies that they would need to let me know if there was a stop light or slowing car that I didn't appear to see. (Probably the number one thing you want to hear from a driver...) During my license permit period, I was used to the shotgun passenger giving me a running commentary – "Slow down. Watch your left. Slow down. SLOW DOWN. etc" and was a bit nervous about losing an adult eye.

The girlies reluctantly acquiesced to my request for help with driving, and when I came upon a red light, Alexandra was more than eager to offer advice. We waited a couple of seconds at the light, and then she somberly announced "I think it's broken. You can go ahead and go."

After that I decided that I would go ahead and make the decisions on my own.

hold on to that feeling

I am absolutely, positively, and irrevocably in love with David ?? from the Austin, Texas DMV on South Congress.

Alright, maybe love is a strong word, but people have fallen over worse reasons than finding a DMV worker who is actually pleasant to be around. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We arrived at the DMV at around 2:30 to a relatively short line on a warm, non-trafficky afternoon. Despite these good omens, I entered with a self defeatist/nervous attitude. I had failed the test three times in two different states( (1)tried to hit a lady with a baby, 2)tried to bash in the car next to me, 3) tried to take on oncoming traffic.)

Anyways, this summer my younger sister had waltzed into a DMV in Texas (a state I hadn't tried) and returned a few minutes later with her license. She, too, had a record of near misses with pedestrians and cars, and I figured Texas was probably the next state I should try – even though it requires parallel parking (unlike CA and CT).

The moment I saw my instructor/test giver, I knew this test was going to be better: He was smiling. And he was young, chatty and introduced himself, asking my name and how long I had been driving. My mother quickly informed him that I was a great driver but had been living overseas and so hadn't really had a chance to get a license. This was mostly true. He asked if I was good at parallel parking, and not wanting to unravel his high expectations, I answered with an emphatic YES, adding a "mostly" as an afterthought.

The test itself went alright – the instructor was so nice and so different than any of the others I'd dealt with. He acted like he actually wanted me to pass, and talked me through my nerves. His instructions were very laid back, affirmative, and amusing – "When you're ready, go ahead and take this left turn. You're doing really well. I've seen kids pull out in front of five oncoming cars..." And the thing is, he was just a really nice person who likes to see others succeed. I seriously almost hugged him at the end.

AAAAAAnd now I have a driver's license! WHOO.