Jenny Swartzbaugh

I had to learn on a 1983 yellow Toyota Corolla! It shifted like a huge bus or a plane or something! If I could learn on that thing, anyone could!

The trickiest thing is getting to know how the clutch handles because every car is really different. My boyfriend’s truck is a 2003 and the clutch releases very high, and I’m not used to that.

Just learn in a parking lot or on a deserted road in case you stall out. It’s best not to do that in traffic! I learned that the hard way.

Good luck to everyone learning to do this. You’ll be better for it and will be able to drive any vehicle from now on!

Actually, my long lost friend found me yesterday! She was an exchange student from Germany at our high school and we became very close friends our senior year. We hung out all the time, and when she moved back to Germany, I actually was able to go and visit her and we had such a good time. We were close and kept in touch, but because of life and crazy schedules, we eventually lost touch.

I was married at the time, but recently changed my name back, and created a Google account so old friends could search for me. No one knew me by my married name, so I made sure people could find me by the name they knew. And lo and behold, my friend found me yesterday after almost 10 years! I was thrilled and about fell over when I realized it was her.

If you are searching for someone, or hoping someone can find you, be sure to create or update a Google account. You can put your name and city you’re currently living in (just so people will know it’s you) but don’t have to put anything personal like address or phone number.

I would definitely recommend doing this to anyone looking for a long lost friend!

I’ve become a nightowl since I’ve been unemployed. Actually, I’ve always been a nightowl (funnily enough, I saw two owls last night!). It’s just that when I was working, I was always exhausted and now I can sleep in.

For some reason, I just love being up late after everyone else has gone to bed, and I have the house (and computer!) to myself. I can concentrate, and I feel much more creative. Plus, there’s lots of good TV on at night!

Case in point, I’m staying up till about 2:30 tonight. I keep telling myself I really need to go to bed earlier, but honestly, without the pressure of something I HAVE to get up early for, I’m just not going to do it!

I’ll go to bed early when I get a job.