So.... how are the driving lessons going?

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

Alla is anxious about the prospect. I remember the look she gave me when we saw some kids doing doughnuts in the mall parking lot in Kazan' in winter 2007. I asked, should I teach you this too? Her response, "It is useful?"

She's never driven before and has no desire to learn. But, driving is a key skill in the US (as Jeffrey mentioned upthread). So, I have to figure out how to convince her...

Wow! Nadya wants to drive in the worst way. Pretty sure that's the first thing she's going to want to do right after she gets off the plane.

I'm pissed about that too. All phones were supposed to have video screens to see the caller and cars were supposed to fly. I believe they had all that planned to commence way before the 21st century began!

But it would be nice if she learned... And maybe it'll take two years for me to persuade her and then I can save on gas by buying her one of the new air-cars that are coming out in 2010...

Yeah. I'm still waiting on the flying car they promised me when I was a kid.

[shikarnov 7]

<OFF TOPIC>

Well, in fairness to the flying cars and video phones -- the flying cars did come to exist, but they got quashed because the safety issues were too great. They operated on tech similar to that employed by the magnetic skateboards in Back to the Future II (which actually do exist - but, again, safety problems)... I'll admit that video phones are a little slow on the uptake, but as internet based communications proliferate, I'll bet they'll be around soon. I already communicate with most of my customers - and with Ira of course - via voice/video using Skype or iChat.

The air car, however, is already on the market in India and France. So unless Exxon buys the patent and disappears it, we should be seeing these things pretty soon.

</OFF TOPIC>

Z

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

Some where, years ago, I heard the deal with the video phones, was more that the general public really did not want them. An extreme example I remember was the fear a child could answer to find a new breed of obscene caller with his "equipment" displayed. On the silly side of the equation, I have this image of people walking around holding their mobile out in front of them so the camera can capture their image and they can see the one being displayed. That would be a bit awkward!

<OFF TOPIC>

Well, in fairness to the flying cars and video phones -- the flying cars did come to exist, but they got quashed because the safety issues were too great. They operated on tech similar to that employed by the magnetic skateboards in Back to the Future II (which actually do exist - but, again, safety problems)... I'll admit that video phones are a little slow on the uptake, but as internet based communications proliferate, I'll bet they'll be around soon. I already communicate with most of my customers - and with Ira of course - via voice/video using Skype or iChat.

The air car, however, is already on the market in India and France. So unless Exxon buys the patent and disappears it, we should be seeing these things pretty soon.

</OFF TOPIC>

Z

[eekee 182]

yeah i remember video phones exisiting, but they never caught on.

Some where, years ago, I heard the deal with the video phones, was more that the general public really did not want them. An extreme example I remember was the fear a child could answer to find a new breed of obscene caller with his "equipment" displayed. On the silly side of the equation, I have this image of people walking around holding their mobile out in front of them so the camera can capture their image and they can see the one being displayed. That would be a bit awkward!

<OFF TOPIC>

Well, in fairness to the flying cars and video phones -- the flying cars did come to exist, but they got quashed because the safety issues were too great. They operated on tech similar to that employed by the magnetic skateboards in Back to the Future II (which actually do exist - but, again, safety problems)... I'll admit that video phones are a little slow on the uptake, but as internet based communications proliferate, I'll bet they'll be around soon. I already communicate with most of my customers - and with Ira of course - via voice/video using Skype or iChat.

The air car, however, is already on the market in India and France. So unless Exxon buys the patent and disappears it, we should be seeing these things pretty soon.

</OFF TOPIC>

Z

[Turboguy 6]

My one word of advice is to not rush things. I found that out the hard and expensive way. The only thing I think she ever drove before coming to America was when we drove go karts in Barnaul in my first visit and she could not go 10 feet without crashing into the walls for most of the time then she got to where she was going around the track at about 4 mph while the rest of us flew past her.

Well in PA you have to take the written test first and she aced that. She seemed to be doing well so I was letting her go on city streets that were not busy. On her third driving lesson she crashed into some ladies porch. I did not want to turn it into my insurance company and start her off bad so I paid the $ 4800 repair bill on my pickup out of my own pocket. Ouch. Ever since I have kept her in parking lots and away from any city streets.

[slim 1,533]

On her third driving lesson she crashed into some ladies porch. I did not want to turn it into my insurance company and start her off bad so I paid the $ 4800 repair bill

OUCH!!!

I was going to do some street driving... guess we'll hold off for a little while longer.

I was thinking about driving my Jeep next to her while she drove through a parking lot to get her used to driving in traffic that doesn't belong to someone else. But, after reading the repair cost, I think we'll just stick to a big empty lot.

And welcome back!

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

My wife has an international drivers license that she got prior to coming here. She claims to have gone through an instruction course although I've demanded several times that she get her money back.

"Reverse" is a foreign concept.

"Turning" is a foreign concept. (Slowing down before turning is also a foreign concept.... but let's not celebrate it.)

"Yield, Right-of-way, following distance, braking distance, signalling, parking, merging, changing lanes..." and just about every other necessary operation seems to have been left out of the core curriculum of her driving school.

And don't get me started on things like seat belts and blind-spots.

Wife didnt have a problem with any of those things just simple things like watching the massive potholes and hitting them which made me gringe. She almost kicked me out of the car because I panic when she drives over every one. I cant blame her I do get panicky in the car when I watch my life flash before my eyes and its a rerun!!!! They say those that can do and those that cant teach. Well I cant teach, never claimed to be able to teach so I pay someone else to teach and save more money by not getting high blood pressure medication.

It also seems that "encouragement" works better than "instruction."

I agree 100% but I still cant teach!!!!

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

But it would be nice if she learned... And maybe it'll take two years for me to persuade her and then I can save on gas by buying her one of the new air-cars that are coming out in 2010...

Z

Ill be very curious to see this air car because that is what I do for a living, build components for pneumatic manufacturing equipment. You know what that means free replacement parts for me and all my friends, the boss will never know where that missing inventory went, plus I can upgrade like speed shop and make air powered hot rods.

[Turboguy 6]

Thanks Mox. I can't say it has broken my heart that we have had too much snow for more driving lessons. Perhaps once the paint dries I will feel more comfortable with her behind the whee. We are going to stay with parking lots for a while yet before we try the streets again. I guess it could have been worse. It could have been someones porsche instead of someones brick porch (undamaged)

[russ 1]

Each time she failed she had a female instructor, she had a male instructor the time she passed. Don't know what that means, draw your own conclusions...

Third time was the charm here. Though to be fair, the first two times were in a stick shift, and the failure was for "improper shifting." Passing was easy in an automatic.

Good reminder - we need to go to the DMV to renew her license this week.

The debate over the new car has been going on for a while. Key issue is stick shift vs. automatic (I hate automatics). I'm not a big fan of car payments either, so the debate may go on for a bit longer.

We have the S4 Audi, that mainly sits in the garage, and the 92 Celica, the fuel efficient beach wagon. Living downtown, across the street from the university, we never drive. Which is nice. Gas prices don't bother us much, haven't bought a tank of gas in 3 months.

[slim 1,533]

Wife didnt have a problem with any of those things just simple things like watching the massive potholes and hitting them

That's because in Russia there is no avoiding potholes. She'd have to hit them there, there are just too many. Why not hit them here too?

They say those that can do and those that cant teach.

That is the dumbest saying ever. I've heard it before and it never really made sense to me because I'm the type of guy that if you can't do it, or haven't done it before, then I'm not going to give you the credibility to teach me to do it. I've seen it so many times. Brand new guy is going to "teach" us how to do our job because he just got hired in to teach us.

Riiiiiight.

Or even worse, someone flunked out of the class or whatever and now they're the instructor. Couldn't pass the test but they're good enough to present the material to me?

Get the flock outta here.

Third time was the charm here. Though to be fair, the first two times were in a stick shift, and the failure was for "improper shifting." Passing was easy in an automatic.

Good reminder - we need to go to the DMV to renew her license this week.

Gas prices don't bother us much, haven't bought a tank of gas in 3 months.

I don't understand how people (girls) from another country, a country where over 75% of the vehicles are stick shift, can come here and complain that driving a stick is "too hard" and a new car, equipped with automatic transmission, must be purchased simply for ease of driving and passing the test.

What a bunch of balogna.

But, who's really the sucker? I've got a new car, equipped with automatic transmission, sitting out in the driveway. We needed another car payment like we needed an "upgraded" USCIS.

Not buying gas would be awesome. I think my Jeep eats almost as much as I do.

[eekee 182]

I don't understand how people (girls) from another country, a country where over 75% of the vehicles are stick shift, can come here and complain that driving a stick is "too hard" and a new car, equipped with automatic transmission, must be purchased simply for ease of driving and passing the test.

What a bunch of balogna.

But, who's really the sucker? I've got a new car, equipped with automatic transmission, sitting out in the driveway. We needed another car payment like we needed an "upgraded" USCIS.

Not buying gas would be awesome. I think my Jeep eats almost as much as I do.

That confuses me too. Technically, it's illegal to get a license in Russia without knowing how to drive stick shift.

[slim 1,533]

I don't understand how people (girls) from another country, a country where over 75% of the vehicles are stick shift, can come here and complain that driving a stick is "too hard" and a new car, equipped with automatic transmission, must be purchased simply for ease of driving and passing the test.

What a bunch of balogna.

But, who's really the sucker? I've got a new car, equipped with automatic transmission, sitting out in the driveway. We needed another car payment like we needed an "upgraded" USCIS.

Not buying gas would be awesome. I think my Jeep eats almost as much as I do.

That confuses me too. Technically, it's illegal to get a license in Russia without knowing how to drive stick shift.

And my wife has a license issued in Russia. She says she passed the test there with a manual transmission. But yet here, it's "impossible to drive this masheena" with a stick shift.

I had an automatic pick-up truck before, but it was "too big" to drive. It's almost like the "inability" to do it is directly connected to the "desire" to drive a car of her choosing. But, that may not be true either as the small automatic new car isn't exactly aiding her in driving well. It does make her feel better though... and when the wife is happy, everyone is happy!

[Blues Fairy 0]

I don't understand how people (girls) from another country, a country where over 75% of the vehicles are stick shift, can come here and complain that driving a stick is "too hard" and a new car, equipped with automatic transmission, must be purchased simply for ease of driving and passing the test.

That confuses me too. Technically, it's illegal to get a license in Russia without knowing how to drive stick shift.

I've driven stick for a month while studied for my license in 2000, on an antediluvian kopeika, then passed the driving test and immediately started driving an automatic shift. Later bought my own car with an AT which was quite handy in Moscow traffic jams. To drive stick again, I'd have to at least spend a few days remembering how to do it.

BTW, I noticed here in Raleigh DMV, they offer learner's books in Spanish but they don't have any in English. What's the official language in this country?!!

[eekee 182]

BTW, I noticed here in Raleigh DMV, they offer learner's books in Spanish but they don't have any in English. What's the official language in this country?!!

There isn't any.