i cannot imagine why it was that i gave up ice skating, but i’m pretty sure it can just be chalked up to having more stuff to do in high school and giving up my saturday skating sessions for things like swim meets and whatever else. nonetheless, i’m now reminded of how much i enjoyed it, and damned if i don’t still really enjoy it, and now i’m totally going to skate the shit out of that rink on the midway until it gets too warm.
fell down only once today (wearing gloves today, so no hand damage was sustained — hooray!), and landed on my knees, which are going to have lovely technicolor bruises tomorrow morning, but i also skated for about an hour and a half and kinda got the hang of it mostly again. i am far better at using my left foot for leverage without using the toe pick than i am the right (i tend to use the pick there), though i’m working on that. i even tried swizzling backwards a couple of times, though with only very limited success and so i went back to skating frontwards. also, my birthday-gift-to-self skates totally rock. they fit perfectly and support my (poor sad wobbly) ankles nicely, though i admit that i can’t wait for the leather to ease slightly and conform better to my foot. plus, if i continue to skate downtown, they will be justified much more quickly than if i was just skating on the midway, since the rental fee there is $7 for crappy, ill-fitting hockey skates instead of $3 at the midway. r. and i were totally going to take treo photos and blog them, but my treo decided to run down its battery all the way, so you’ll just have to imagine us skating around millennium park gracefully and skillfully. well, notfallingfully, anyways. i had vast awesome amounts of fun. i can’t wait to go again. probably going to go out friday at lunch if anyone on campus would like to join me. i believe that i am highly critical of other drivers, but that that’s okay because cars are very capable of causing death.
i believe in the manual transmission.
i believe in using my turn indicators scrupulously, even in parking lots.
i believe that heated front seats are the best automotive accessory invented since the rear defroster.
i believe in maintaining a steady speed by use of the speedometer and the accelerator pedal. i believe that relying on the cruise control leads to becoming a lazy and inattentive driver, and laziness and inattention are not qualities i want while piloting a machine that is capable of killing me or others for hours on end at 80 mph.
i believe in watching for deer in the country for self-preservation purposes, not in order to enjoy nature’s beauty.
i believe that if i am stuck in traffic the least they can do for me is to have a ballgame on the radio, even if it is only the mud hens.
i believe in stopping before the thick white line, and i believe that “rolling stops” totally don’t count.
i believe in taking the #6 home if i go drinking right after work, even though the #6 kinda sucks.
i believe in keeping only ripped copies of CDs in my car, so they don’t get scratched or i don’t lose a significant investment if my car is ever stolen.
i believe that when i can see the sears tower’s spires, that means i’m home, and that the lift i get is one of the greatest natural highs.
i believe that wearing my seatbelt makes me safer, and it makes me anxious that some people in my family won’t wear theirs.
i believe in taking I-80 to 180 to Route 29 to peoria on occasion, because it’s much prettier than 55 to 74.
i believe it’s probably a good idea to check my tire pressure often, though i usually don’t.
i believe that states that don’t give you free road maps at the rest areas are substandard.
i believe that the passengers shouldn’t notice when i make lane changes, except for the sound of the blinker.
i believe that the indiana and ohio turnpikes handle toll collection far better than the illinois tollway authority.
i believe that the left lane is for passing, the right lane is for driving, and that changing lanes keeps you awake and concentrating on what you’re doing.
i believe that if you can read that bumper sticker, you are too fucking close.
i believe in just getting in the car and going.
i believe in using my lights to signal when it’s safe for a trucker to get in front of me, and using my hazards to say “thank you” if he does so for me.
i believe than taking I-57 south from chicago all the way through illinois is one of the most boring damn roads i’ve ever driven.
i believe that when it’s nice out, it’s okay to do yoga on the lawn at the rest area to raise your energy even if people look at you funny. actually, i think it’s even more worthwhile when people do look at you funny.
i believe in filling up my tank at the last gas station before i get home.
i believe that tennessee has some of the nicest rest stops, and louisiana the absolute sketchiest i have experienced.
i believe i’m going to get popped for a speeding ticket one of these days, and it’ll make me really sad when it happens because it’s been five years since my last one at this point.
i believe that one day i will stop confusing 290 and 294. until then, i’ll just talk about the north-south and the ike.
i believe in listening to music while driving, although i’ll note that around toledo, ohio, you can get really good NPR reception.
i believe in checking my blind spots even when i think it’s unnecessary. i believe that relying on my side mirrors would make me a bad driver.
i believe in dimming high beams the first instant you see a sign of an approaching car, or the taillights of someone you’re approaching, and that to leave them on where they interfere with other drivers makes you an asshole.
i believe that it’s one tank of gas to kim’s, half to my dad’s, two to my cousins’, and another half on top of that to my mom’s.
i believe that i am brave enough, but not crazy enough, to drive in southern california.
i believe truck stop coffee beats out tollway fast food coffee any goddamned day of the week.
i believe that parking in the loop on weekdays is fucking overpriced.
i believe in writing down my mileage every time i buy gas.
i believe that new york state’s interstate mile and exit numbering scheme is stupid and was implemented specifically to irritate me. i believe pennsylvania changed from new york’s scheme to everyone else’s scheme because they knew i was coming and wanted to get on my good side.
i believe that i lost one of my two car keys a while ago, and i’m still kind of hacked off about it.
i believe that knowing how to change one’s own oil and tires should be part of the driver’s license exam. i believe that anyone who calls triple-A to change a flat because they’re afraid to try is weak.
i believe in keeping ponytail holders around my shifter so i can keep my hair out of my face while driving.
i believe long-haul transport belongs on the rails, not the roads, and i believe that i might have one more uncle today if it wasn’t for truckers sharing needles to make ends meet.
i believe in using those sticker protector thingies that turn my city sticker into a static-sticker instead of a permanent-gluey-sticker.
I believe that the carburetor is better than the fuel injector because it’s mechanical and not electronic, even if it is less efficient.
i believe that my car is happiest in fifth gear cruising at about 3300 rpms, and i drive accordingly.
i believe in parking by setting the brake and leaving the car in neutral, not by leaving it in gear.
i believe that automatic transmissions are responsible for the near-complete lack of modern driving etiquette.
i believe that tailgating is a sign that you are an irredeemably rude person. i believe that if you tailgate with your high beams on you should be shot.
i believe that i should be able to install a voluntary governor, so that i can leadfoot all i like but i still won’t do more than 85 unless i specifically disable it.
i believe that people who don’t change to the left lane to let someone merge, when they have room to do so, are jackasses.
i believe in pulling off the road to take pictures if i feel like it.
i believe that my lead foot is going to get me in some real trouble someday, partly because i also believe that radar detectors are cheating.
i believe that in illinois, unmarked country roads have a speed limit of 55 mph. i believe that unposted speed limits are irrelevant, unless the corn is too high to see the cross roads.
i believe in road trips to nowhere just for the sake of driving.
i believe everyone else is a bad driver, grated on a scale of “i’m content to ride in your passenger seat” to “mom, why don’t we take my car?”
i believe in toll gates as a means to let me entertain myself.
i believe that one day i’ll finally take that Route 66 trip i’ve been wanting to do for so long.
i believe that the time i had my car up to 105 mph was bloody fast enough.
i believe in open roads, rolled-down windows, and loud rock ‘n roll music.
oh, i upgraded my dream job, i think. i went from “work in a used record store” (not own one; that would be too much paperwork. i want to be jack black in high fidelity except without the assholeiness.) to “own a pub in the uk.”
