Victory is Mine!

Now playing: Corner Stone Cues feat. Christopher Tin - Madokara Mieru
via FoxyTunes


I FINALLY took my behind-the-wheel drivers test, and passed of course. The story is a long one, but it bears repeating. Long, long ago, during my first summer back at home in the bay after my freshman year at UCD, I decided it would be a good idea to get my license. Now, given the set up of Davis, CA, a car really wasn't necessary. Everything one needed could be gotten to by bike, and for anything else, there was the bus, which was free to students. It was more out of simple practicality that I was going after a license, but all that summer I read up my drivers hand book, got my permit, practiced every day. I scheduled my behind-the-wheel test for the last day I was in the Bay, I literally would be driving back to Davis the minute I got out of the test.

At this time, my pop had just gotten a brand new Prius, which was really awesome. I had been learning on his old '83 Toyota Tercel, which had been a really good car back in the day, but had gotten so old that the people in charge of the clean air comission included that make and year as un-salvagable for the it's emission standards. Consequently, they paid him to get rid of it, and I ended up using the Prius from then on. Now, it was so new that we hadn't yet got the paperwork for the insurance, but we brought the old insurance card for the Tercel, because it's all we had. We got in to the DMV, went up the right window and the lady checked us in. She did stop when we told her that the car we were driving didn't match the model on the insurance card, but she nodded and let us go when we explained. She handed us the slip of paper to give to the person who would test me and told us to pull around to the back.

So we drive into the queue of cars waiting for the behind-the-wheel test. Get up to the front, and a different lady comes out to administer the test. She comes up, I hand her the paper and our registration and insurance. "The insurance doesn't mach," she says. We explain ourselves. "I'm sorry, but the insurance doesn't match." And she walks away.

Needless to say, both my mom and I were hopping mad. We didn't have enough time to reschedule due to me having to go back to Davis, and the final insult came when my mom contacted the insurance company. They told us that the DMV could call them and they would fax the insurance info straight to the office where I would be taking my test. Over the next 3 years I was too busy at Davis, either with school or with summer work (that began the day after finals ended and ended the day before classes began) to try again. I did have some friends offer their time and their cars to get me back up to speed, but I just didn't have the drive (rimshot) or the time.

So, when I finished out my degree and returned to the Bay not a month and a half ago, I resolved to finally get the damned thing. Luckily over the past few years I've never had the need to drive, either as a relief driver on legs of a journey or to cart drunk friends around, as I've had the fortune to have more throughtful folk for the latter. But being back in the bay has reminded me that having wheels very much expands what one can do. My folks have also agreed to chip in for my own vehicle, so hopefully I'll be even more free in the near future. However, that also means I'll have no excuse to look for a real job.

On that topic, my pop has been nice enough to give me some paid coding work in relation to his job, and I think I won't get a better rate in any other job, even if it is more up my alley. Still, I'll be looking around now that I'll be more mobile.

I also paid a visit to the local comic shop, which I have been going to since I was a wee one. I hadn't been there since they moved, wonder of wonders, about five blocks from my house (when I lost interest), but I was pleased to meet an old friend of mine currently working there. We caught up and I bought a few comic collections of old favorites. I'm going to be sure to visit again, as it was great to see ol' Robert Marrujo again and it's nice to have old friends in close proximity.

I miss my girl in SoCal, but am hoping to see her sometime next month in her new place. I'm also scheming to get our parents to meet, which my folks are eager to do. It'd be nice to finally be down in LA with both sets of moms and pops present, I'm sure they'd get along quite well, and always love an excuse to hang out in the bibliophile's-dream of a house that is the abode of the 'taubs. I'm sure my girlfriend is tired of hearing it, but I always like to say that the main room of her folks house gives me a whopping case of bookshelf envy (along with almost every other room, in point of fact).

I also miss my Davis friends, and hope to contrive a reason to come up and visit. As some shout outs, I'd love to spend a night on the town with Toes, Alex and the incomparable Danger. I also get a happy grin on my face when I think about bringing Rome Season Two up and regaling my old fellow classics-nerd and friend Cindy with more medeterranian antics. Though I despise current slang, I can find no better exhortation than this: Holla back, folks!

Thats enough from me, time to savor the dulcet tones of the Men of the Robert Shaw Chorus as they belt out old sea shanties.


Enough, More Later.
- James