I can count the number of people I know who can drive a manual transmission on one hand. It really is a dying skill, even the driving school I go to only has automatics. Obviously, most people prefer automatics because they're SO much easier to handle, but I think it's preferable to know how to drive both just in case you, you know, go to a party with someone driving a manual and then they get hammered and you have to drive home.

Anyway, my mom's car is a stick, so obviously I have to learn how to drive it if I ever want to go anywhere without depending on her, so I've been dying to learn for a while. So my step-dad offered to teach me (if my mom tried to teach me, I would NOT survive it). So he took me to a parking lot with my mom's car and taught me to let the clutch in and out and how to not stall and everything. Of course, I stalled about a gazillion times, but I managed to not grind the gears. And by the end, I could start and stop and shift without lurching too much! HOORAY! And then he was like, 'ok, let's head home.'

Him: Ready to go home? You did a good job today.
Me: Yeah, ok. Thanks for teaching me!
Him: Sure! Ok, now drive us home.
Me: (chokes) WHAT?!
Him: Yeah, come on! You'll be fine!
Me: Ok...

So I drove home. On a stick-shift. My first time driving in traffic. And you know what? It wasn't so bad! I'm glad I can drive both a manual and automatic transmission, it'll be useful in the future, I'm sure.

There's my exciting story for today.