tuesday september 4

today i drove my mother's car for the first time. the drive itself was mildly eventful, as i spent nearly half the trip attempting to properly adjust my seat, the windows, and the stereo system. however it wasn't until i reached my destination that my entire lack of knowledge about the car truly shone through. i parked in a driveway, mere feet from an onlooking girl, who sneaked not-so-subtle glances as i struggled attempting to close all the windows and shut down the car. when i went to take the key out of the ignition, it wouldn't come. i pulled and twisted, almost starting the car again once, but it was stuck. with the girl still looking on, i rummaged around the car seat with one hand for show, feigning a search for some item that i needed to bring with me, while with the other hand i fiddled with the key. finally, with some relief, i was able to wriggle the key free from the icy grasp of the ignition and, attempting to give the impression that i was leaving the car at my leisure, head for the porch next to where the onlooker still sat. as i handled my key, though, intending to lock the car, i realized that this key did not, in fact, come with a handy auto-lock button, and that i'd have to return to the car and lock it from the inside. i briefly considered pretending to have forgotten something that i needed in the car, but ultimately just swallowed my pride and, after finally locating the 'lock' button on the inside of the door, was done with the car for the evening. all in all, an embarrassing two minutes.