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This last Tuesday I passed my driving test. I am now a fully licensed driver, which I find somehow amusing. Getting a license feels like something you should have to put a lot of work in to; it feels as though practising by just going out and driving for a bit shouldn’t be enough to let you pass, yet somehow it is. But I’ve enjoyed the bits of driving that I have done, and I’m looking forward to one day having a car of my own. And until then I will get my kicks out of driving my friends’ cars 
The driver’s test was stressful. The only thing that I sometimes struggle with when driving is reverse parking / alley docking. I did some practise parking before my test, where I did the alley docking perfectly: I turned the car at the correct time, straightened out fine and neatly reversed into the bay. Then came the yard portion of my driver’s test. Everything here went well except for the alley docking. Every time I straightened out of the turn the car was either too far to the left or to the right of the bay. But I managed to wiggle the car into the bay without hitting any of the poles (which would be an immediate fail), a feat which made me very happy at the time.
And now the whole testing affair is over! Now I get to enjoy the act of driving without worrying about whether I’ll make it through some test or not. Yippee!
Today was one of those days when you do a number of different things for the first time. One first: I got behind the wheel of a car and drove on the road. That was exciting and stressful. I was out at Greenpoint with a driving instructor, on some small, residential roads, in a car which seemt expensive and like something I didn’t want to ding too much. But it went OK, even though when I got behind the wheel everything I’d been trying to remember about the clutch, K-53, and how sensitive the pedals were, kept on fading from memory. But I managed to pull out and do some really slow driving. And all this without any unwanted dings and pedestrian fatalities.
Another first: a cop (not a traffic officer, but a real police officer) asked to see my license. Talk about combing stressors: first time on the road, first time asked for a license by the Law. I wasn’t even doing anything illegal, I was just stopped at a stop street.
Another first: I ran across UCT campus today. Just like being stopped by the cops, this isn’t a first that I wanted to do, but it did stop an umbrella of mine from dissapearing in the nasty clutches of some undergrad. I’d just got off one of the UCT shuttles only to realise that I’d forgotten my umbrella onboard. By now the shuttle was already driving away along ring road. I’d already lost it once already this year (thanks Simon for finding it!), so I ran after it – cutting across campus to run up the stairs (and hill) behind the food court to reach the West Side shuttle stop.
Only the shuttle had already moved on – I hoped only to the next stop, but I was worried it and my umbrella were already on their way to town.
I’d already run half the length of campus, and now I ran the remaining half. I was really relieved that from there on it was all down hill. And yes, the shuttle was still at the South Side stop, and I found my umbrella being kept warm for me in the arms of an undergrad. I was probably a disturbing site: out of breath, slightly sweaty, and really short on words. But I was damn happy to get that umbrella back.
And I really don’t want to do that run again.
I took a fall tonight. Unfortunately it wasn’t anywhere exciting: I was carrying a bunch of groceries, had just got into my apartment block, and then proceeded to trip on the very first step leading up to my flat.
My left arm was pinned down by my pack of groceries (in left hand), and one of those huge packs of toilet paper (under left arm pit). It’s odd how I had enough time to think: “Bugger, no way to stop myself,” and then, “Fuck, gonna break my groceries.”
Thankfully, all the groceries were just fine. And so was I! Except that a nail I began tearing last week now tore completely into the quick, and was bloody (no pain, thankfully).
Now I just feel stupid for tripping on stairs.
And also let me back in, without a key. Because last night I walked out of my flat, and as soon as the Yale lock clicked closed, I knew: I didn’t have my keys on me.
I was off to see my father on his birthday, and I knew that either my mother or my sister had my spare keys, only they were — as are all spare keys — unfindable. After considering climbing up to my kitchen window on the first floor, and possible even tying a safety rope to the balcony above it, I gave in and just called a lock smith.
Who arrived this morning (saving me R200 from calling him out in the night), and now I’m back in my apartment. Yay!
Last night’s spare key debacle left me so cranky. I need to make some more sets and distribute them.
Eggs sound awesome when they crack open on tiled floors. They also feel funny when they bounce off your feet. Bouncing off your feet does not, you will be pleased to know, crack them open.
I’m slowly getting back in to the swing of work. Today I finished off my tax return, which was thankfully quite easy and fairly quick to do. And I cleaned up most of my flat, which I haven’t done properly for the last few weeks. Throw in a visit to campus, and suddenly most of the day is gone.
On the Yay!-side of life, Vera has kindly given me a bookshelf that she no longer wanted, so all the books that were previously sitting on my floor are now neatly packed away on the shelf. Even better, the shelf still has some free space left, so I can start bringing in some of my other books that’ve been waiting for me at my parents’ house.
Off to nap, and then to do proper work. Adieu!
Just got back from spending some time at Greyton with Monique, John, and Monique’s roommate, Julie. It was interesting to see how well-off people do semi-rural living, where homes have septic tanks, brown coloured hot-water, an army of mosquitoes, but also Internet connections, security alarms, and a large collection of modern art. Monique’s place has a really great hammock: large and made from wooden slats, just perfect for lazing on with a blanket and some pillows.
Got some good stuff for Christmas: the comic Breakdowns by Art Spiegelman, and the album Opheliac by Emilie Autumn. I also got a hand-powered paper-shredder. Not entirely sure what to do with it, but I’ve had a few moments of fun shredding bits of defenseless paper and then chuckling like a loon.
Argh. I hate being sick. I managed to get a cold sometime in the last few days, and it’s getting into fill swing. I think I got the cold from my sister: I was at her place on Christmas and she and her kids all had a cold – and I’m sure having the youngest one sneeze on me wasn’t all that Good a Thing (TM).
*sniff*
This weekend was a good one. Friday night Vera and I had our Halloween party at her place. I was worried that most of the guests wouldn’t dress up, but almost everyone did! And they all had good costumes as well. We also had some group efforts: Simon, Adrianna, Philip and Jo came dressed as the Four Equestrians of Doom: Famine, Death, War and Pestilence, complete with little paper horse heads as trusty steeds. Although I do have a photo of Famine eating something – hmmm.
Helen and Adam also came as a group costume: Helen a giant spider, and Adam the can of Doom.
Another thing of note: I have couches! I have officially inherited Dave’s couches now that he’s living in the states (if you’re not following his blog, you can read a bit about his first month across the pond over here). Various people helped me move them over to my place this evening, and it turned out to be a lot easier to carry them up and down all the stairs and around all the tight corners than I thought they would be. Thank you Dave and Ilda 
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