learn how to drive stick-shift

...I’m calling this one done. No, I still can’t really start on hills, so I’m no expert. But I’m pretty confident aside from that, which is a huge improvement from where I started.

I’m pretty confident with this now, as long as I’m driving on flat surfaces. But starting on a hill… I have yet to do this successfully. Don’t think I can call this done quite yet.

Went around the block four times tonight, and only stalled twice! I even got in and out of the driveway.

This is a big improvement.

I get frustrated after three stalls in a row and can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t—I haven’t yet figured out why.

Went around the block one and half times… but I also stalled about 400 times. Can’t seem to get the hang of how much gas vs. how much clutch. But I’m gonna try a new approach tomorrow morning.

At least I didn’t hit anything!

the boy took me out in the stick shift last night, a few times around the block. I sat in the driver’s seat and tried out the pedals, then called them out as he drove. Clutch then break! Put it in first, foot off the break, let up on the clutch, give it some gas. When the engine whirs, clutch down and shift into second. Then clutch and break! Back to neutral.

But I still haven’t driven. He didn’t want me driving at night, but there are so many people around during the day!

My brother just asked if he could store his car in our driveway for a month. It’s not a big driveway, so it’s kind of a pain, but on the plus side: it’s a stick shift! And he left me the keys. So it looks like I get to work on this goal this summer.

I wonder if I can kinda teach myself. I don’t want to suck up the boy’s time for driving lessons.

I’ve actually been taught to drive standard transmission a couple of times, once by a cute Italian boy who kept confusing the words “break” and “clutch”. The problem is, I’ve never driven one consistently enough for it to stick with me.

I think my next car will be a stick, preferably a Karmann Ghia, and then I’ll finally get the hang of it. I think it’s gotta be a sink or swim kind of thing.