You Take The Wheel and I Will Take The Pedals...

When I was 9, Dad decided it was time for me to become a man and learn how to drive.  Lucky for me, we got to drive the future death trap of a car which I fell in love with - a 1986 Ford Mustang LX.  I want to say that this was right after we bought the car  and before years of neglect would make my Mom so nervous that she wouldn't drive or get into the car unless I was driving.

My Dad got tasked with taking me to Sunday school at a local church.  It was an easy 5-7 minute drive from my house.  Dad asked me if I wanted to drive and I said "Yes!" enthusiastically.  I got behind the wheel, he got into the passenger's side seat, and he then taught me the basics of driving.

"The most important thing that you will ever - EVER - learn about driving is the brake.  You will always put your foot on the break.  You don't have to press the gas.  The car will go by itself."

So, with this newly acquired knowledge, I put my foot on the brake, and proceeded to turn the car on.  *Boom* It started!  Cool.  So, I throw it into reverse and keep my foot on the brake the entire time; allowing the car to go by itself just like my Dad taught me.  I then stopped and put the car into drive.

We started creeping out of the drive onto the main street of Gault Lane and we approached a stop sign.  Once we made it to the intersection, my dad added, "Ok, now when I tell you turn the wheel hard to the right and press on the gas then just let go of the wheel once you've made the turn."  Oh, I forgot to mention that I could barely see over the dashboard of the car while I'm driving .

So, I got to step on the gas and turn right as a car approached the intersection.  I turn the wheel and let my arms cross and punch it almost hitting the other car.  My Dad lunges over and grab the wheel and turns the car in the nick of time to avoid oncoming traffic while yelling at me.    We get out to the intersection and make it to the next stop sign.  I put the car in park and switch with my Dad. 

Normally I would feel awful as my Dad was yelling at me, but in this case, I was proud as hell.  I was the only 9 year old I knew of who's father tried teaching them how to drive. 

I'm hoping to teach AKV when he's 6.

Currently playing: BC:Rearmed [Online Game Code] Release date: 2008-08-13

Note: This was originally posted on MySpace with comments at http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=16074757&blogId=516556374

Parental Advisory

Over the last few months I've begun to notice a shift in my own life regarding what I consider important and what I don't.  It's kind of weird because I feel the old me fighting to remain right where it is vs. the new me taking over.  As Biz Markie says, "Me me me me me me me me me me me me me me vs. me".

This week I canceled my first audition ever in the last 4 years due to an unforeseen family scheduling conflict.  The weird thing was that I knew it was the right thing to do, and I paid no attention to the consequences of doing it on such short notice.  I called them at the theatre company, left a mesasge, and sent an email notifying them of my absence.  It was rather liberating operating out of love vs. fear.

I've also have been falling in love with Son-Son more and more everyday.  He's becoming more of a man everyday and I just want to be with him more and more!  It's an awesome feeling to have him look up at me and get a huge smile and holding his arms up to have me pick him up and twirl him around.  I've been taking more time off from the computer and TV and just hanging with him unadulteratedly.  I feel closer to him than ever.

The weird thing that caught me off guard was my strong reactions to hearing stories on the news or reading news online regarding harm to children.  I get all worked up thinking about any harm coming to AKV.   What am I going to do when I have a girl?  Are the pole dancers going to see my occasional patronage discontinued? 

When I was told repeatedly "Everything changes when you have kids", I knew that I was ready for a change.  It's nice ot see that change be so natural and welcomed.