Women are bad drivers. Yes, you read that correctly. Women are bad drivers. I used to argue with this sentiment until the fateful day last Friday. It was then, on Friday the 13th, that Phil and I bought our first car together. Now, don’t misunderstand me. This car is awesome. It is a silver Saturn SL1 with three (count them, one-two-three) doors. One of them is a backwards door, and if you look at the picture closely, you will be able to see where it is.

Saturn

It is also…. a manual. This is where the problem comes in. I had never driven a 5-speed before. There is so much coordination involved!! I make sure that my left foot is firmly planted on the clutch while using my right hand to shift into gear. My left hand is on the steering wheel to make sure that I don’t accidentally hit something (or somebody!). My right foot is on the brake. I look in my rear-view mirror to make sure everything is clear. Then I slowly release clutch while quickly moving my right foot from brake to gas in a gentle manner. (Trust me, I know that it doesn’t like it if it is not gentle!) If I don’t stall (which is hopefully the case), I have to start all over again just to switch from reverse into first gear!

Today, however, I had a break-through because today was the first day that I drove to and from work on my own without Phil. I only stalled once!! And I recovered quickly!! (Although I don’t think that I will ever love hills again).

Hopefully, this woman won’t always be a bad driver. But beware! I do plan to frequent Imperial Highway during rush hour.