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

[Satellite 1]

Uh....yes....but not sure what your point is. Like I said - I have a 5 year reprieve before having to fulfill my end of the agreement. After that - let the misery begin.

Just giving a cautionary warning in case you change your mind at the 5 year mark.

In other news, congratulations to Alaska on becoming the nation's first state to surpase on average $4 a gallon gas! As long as we are on the topic of driving

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080515/us_nm/...ine_alaska_dc_1

Edited May 15, 2008 by Satellite

[stardusted 0]

I had been driving in Bangkok for a couple of years before getting a license in St. Louis, MO. I learned with an instructor because there was no way I would learn with a friend or family member, and I learned on a stick so that made driving an automatic easy. When I moved to St. Louis I had Chris sit in the car (Dodge Neon) with me and we drove in a nearby parking lot so I could get used to the gas/brake. Then we took to the streets so I could learn which side of the street to stay on and how to turn. (I still get that confused now that I'm back in Bangkok. Until a car comes towards me and I'm wondering why it's in the wrong lane. I also still turn on my wipers regularly when signalling to turn.) Chris was patient and let me practice and take my time. No criticism, no pressure.

We went to the center together for my test but I was missing a letter from work so I couldn't take the test that day. I took the handbook home to study, though. (I was testing for a Class E license for work.) I returned myself the next day and passed the written test for the regular license. I asked if I could take the test for the Class E and was told that even if I failed, I'd get the other license. So I took the second test and passed. Then drove in the rain, in my flip-flops (I am from Thailand after all) and though I got points cut for rolling stops, I passed. Then I got very lost trying to find my way home.

The first time I ventured out on my own, with directions from GoogleMaps, I was lost for two hours, had driven halfway across town, and was bawling my eyes out in a parking lot somewhere. I was terrified of the highway so, after stopping and asking many, many times, found a road that led me home. The next day Chris came with me when I drove to work and I never got lost after that. I learned to love the highway. We shared one car so I was always driving from his work to mine, then back to his to pick him up. I think driving in America is loads easier than driving in Bangkok.

[eekee 182]

AkDiver... don't you think that the fact your wife learned so quickly had to do with the fact that Alaska isn't so populated and there aren't that many cars around? Isn't it one of those places where kids learn to drive their parents' truck at like, 14? I know people who have been driving for thirty-odd years who flat-out refuse to drive where I live because they're too scared.

[akdiver 3]

In other news, congratulations to Alaska on becoming the nation's first state to surpase on average $4 a gallon gas! As long as we are on the topic of driving

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080515/us_nm/...ine_alaska_dc_1

Yeah, it's funny how that works, considering the gas we use here comes out of the ground and is refined here.

AkDiver... don't you think that the fact your wife learned so quickly had to do with the fact that Alaska isn't so populated and there aren't that many cars around? Isn't it one of those places where kids learn to drive their parents' truck at like, 14?

I'm just curious if you have ever been to Alaska - or if you just believe everything you see on TV.

[eekee 182]

In other news, congratulations to Alaska on becoming the nation's first state to surpase on average $4 a gallon gas! As long as we are on the topic of driving

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080515/us_nm/...ine_alaska_dc_1

Yeah, it's funny how that works, considering the gas we use here comes out of the ground and is refined here.

AkDiver... don't you think that the fact your wife learned so quickly had to do with the fact that Alaska isn't so populated and there aren't that many cars around? Isn't it one of those places where kids learn to drive their parents' truck at like, 14?

I'm just curious if you have ever been to Alaska - or if you just believe everything you see on TV.

Anybody with access to wikipedia knows that there will be less traffic in even the biggest city in Alaska than in New York City. Good luck finding even an empty parking lot in the Bronx to drive in, unless you enjoy getting up at 4 am. Alaska has comparatively more open space and less cars.

[Ban Hammer 13,283]

why does the russian woman need to learn how to drive anyways?

[slim 1,523]

I'm just curious if you have ever been to Alaska - or if you just believe everything you see on TV.

The whole state is Northern Exposure, right? (Or maybe 30 Days of Night.) I like Snow Dogs, personally.

why does the russian woman need to learn how to drive anyways?

See, that's why Charles is always welcome in the Russia Forum. Big Bravo, sir. Bravo.

[akdiver 3]

Anybody with access to wikipedia knows that there will be less traffic in even the biggest city in Alaska than in New York City. Good luck finding even an empty parking lot in the Bronx to drive in, unless you enjoy getting up at 4 am. Alaska has comparatively more open space and less cars.

Well, gee, if you want to use extremes - sure. The surface of the sun is hotter than than ice cube. Duh! But that hardly means that "there aren't that many cars around?" Nice try though. In any event, the answer to your question is a clear "no".

why does the russian woman need to learn how to drive anyways?

Well, it is a useful tool for driving the store and getting my groceries, picking up my dry cleaning, and bringing me home from the nudie club after I've had a few too many. Oh wait - what am I thinking? This is ALAKSA!!!! THere are no cars up here!!! I have to teach my wife to drive my moose - being sure not to hit my pet penguin when she pulls into the driveway. Edited May 15, 2008 by akdiver

[Ban Hammer 13,283]

Anybody with access to wikipedia knows that there will be less traffic in even the biggest city in Alaska than in New York City. Good luck finding even an empty parking lot in the Bronx to drive in, unless you enjoy getting up at 4 am. Alaska has comparatively more open space and less cars.

Well, gee, if you want to use extremes - sure. The surface of the sun is hotter than than ice cube. Duh! But that hardly means that "there aren't that many cars around?" Nice try though. In any event, the answer to your question is a clear "no".

why does the russian woman need to learn how to drive anyways?

Well, it is a useful tool for driving the store and getting my groceries, picking up my dry cleaning, and bringing me home from the nudie club after I've had a few too many. Oh wait - what am I thinking? This is ALAKSA!!!! THere are no cars up here!!! I have to teach my wife to drive my moose - being sure not to hit my pet penguin when she pulls into the driveway.

she's not supposed to drive anywhere, it's your job to drive her!

[eekee 182]

Anybody with access to wikipedia knows that there will be less traffic in even the biggest city in Alaska than in New York City. Good luck finding even an empty parking lot in the Bronx to drive in, unless you enjoy getting up at 4 am. Alaska has comparatively more open space and less cars.

Well, gee, if you want to use extremes - sure. The surface of the sun is hotter than than ice cube. Duh! But that hardly means that "there aren't that many cars around?" Nice try though. In any event, the answer to your question is a clear "no".

Considering that the largest city in Alaska has less than 400,000 people, I think that there are definitely less cars in Alaska than most places in the US. So maybe learning how to drive in a month is feasible when you're not dealing with ten lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic like you would deal with in many of the major metropolitan areas of the US. That's all I'm saying.

Edited May 15, 2008 by eekee

[akdiver 3]

Considering that the largest city in Alaska has less than 400,000 people, I think that there are definitely less cars in Alaska than most places in the US. So maybe learning how to drive in a month is feasible when you're not dealing with ten lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic like you would deal with in many of the major metropolitan areas of the US. That's all I'm saying.

Sigh.....

First, 400,000 people is a lot of people! In any case, USAToday puts us at #66 on the list of most populated U.S. cities. That puts us ahead of a LOT of other places (year unknown, but if the list is more than a year or 2 old, I'd say we're closer to the top based on recent population boom).

Second, the number if people doesn't really matter as much as the number of vehicles per mile of road. In other words, vehicle density. Compare road capacity to number of vehicles actually ON the road to get an idea of what the traffic is really like. Given that we have an incredible lack of roads up here (relative to the land mass) and that everyone in my neighborhood seems to have at least 3 cars sitting in their driveway, I bet our ranking is higher than not.

Third, even if Anchorage is "under vehicled" relative to much larger cities, that hardly means that "there aren't that many cars around" here. Not by a long shot. Maybe there are less cars, but there are also less places for cars to be! Your argument is simplistic and hardly convincing.

Fourth - there isn't much to driving in bumper to bumper traffic 10 lanes wide. You've got lots of room! Crawling along at 2 mph is hardly challenging relative to driving 65mph+ down an icy, snowy 2-lane road which is full of frost heaves, pot holes and moose - not to mention that it is incredibly poorly maintained - and oh by the way, it's also dark most of the time AND the highway, being the ONLY road into or out of town, is packed full of other vehicles who seem to think getting to work is a sprint race, regardless of weather conditions. FYI - I've driven to work on the Capital Beltway for years and I can tell you that wide traffic lanes running at any speed is much easier to drive in than what we face here in Alaska - by a long shot.

Fifth - as for places to park - if you think downtown Anchorage has anyplace to park, you've got another thing coming. It is WAY over-saturated with vehicles - and unlike someplace like NYC, there are not taxis coming along every 3 seconds, a subway, or decent bus system to pick up the slack. Everyone drives everywhere - esp. when it is cold and snow outside (primarily because the sidewalks are rarely cleared - plus, hey, it's freakin' cold).

Yeah - sure - Alaska has plenty of open space, But you know what? That space is where no one lives! There are no roads or people out there. Why? Because most of the land is owned by the federal government and locked up from development or other useful purposes because the people in the rest of the country think Alaska should be one great big pristine national park - and #### the people who live there - who should be forced to go live like cockroaches in someplace like NYC, LA or Chicago.

The general argument of "Anchorage is much easier to learn to drive in because there are not many cars" is just completely bogus, no matter how you want to slice it.

Even so - the implication that there is any correlation between learning or knowing how to drive and getting a driver's license is ALSO bunk. A short drive around any city in America should be enough to demonstrate to you that one needs no driving skills whatsoever to secure a driver's license. Fact is, a DL is nothing more than an identity card, primarily designed to prevent minors from buying alcohol and to implement a police state. Papers, please?

Cheers!

akdiver

Edited May 15, 2008 by akdiver

[eekee 182]

Sigh.....

First, 400,000 people is a lot of people! In any case, USAToday puts us at #66 on the list of most populated U.S. cities. That puts us ahead of a LOT of other places (year unknown, but if the list is more than a year or 2 old, I'd say we're closer to the top based on recent population boom).

Second, the number if people doesn't really matter as much as the number of vehicles per mile of road. In other words, vehicle density. Compare road capacity to number of vehicles actually ON the road to get an idea of what the traffic is really like. Given that we have an incredible lack of roads up here (relative to the land mass) and that everyone in my neighborhood seems to have at least 3 cars sitting in their driveway, I bet our ranking is higher than not.

Third, even if Anchorage is "under vehicled" relative to much larger cities, that hardly means that "there aren't that many cars around" here. Not by a long shot. Maybe there are less cars, but there are also less places for cars to be! Your argument is simplistic and hardly convincing.

Fourth - there isn't much to driving in bumper to bumper traffic 10 lanes wide. You've got lots of room! Crawling along at 2 mph is hardly challenging relative to driving 65mph+ down an icy, snowy 2-lane road which is full of frost heaves, pot holes and moose - not to mention that it is incredibly poorly maintained - and oh by the way, it's also dark most of the time AND the highway, being the ONLY road into or out of town, is packed full of other vehicles who seem to think getting to work is a sprint race, regardless of weather conditions. FYI - I've driven to work on the Capital Beltway for years and I can tell you that wide traffic lanes running at any speed is much easier to drive in than what we face here in Alaska - by a long shot.

Fifth - as for places to park - if you think downtown Anchorage has anyplace to park, you've got another thing coming. It is WAY over-saturated with vehicles - and unlike someplace like NYC, there are not taxis coming along every 3 seconds, a subway, or decent bus system to pick up the slack. Everyone drives everywhere - esp. when it is cold and snow outside (primarily because the sidewalks are rarely cleared - plus, hey, it's freakin' cold).

Yeah - sure - Alaska has plenty of open space, But you know what? That space is where no one lives! There are no roads or people out there. Why? Because most of the land is owned by the federal government and locked up from development or other useful purposes because the people in the rest of the country think Alaska should be one great big pristine national park - and #### the people who live there - who should be forced to go live like cockroaches in someplace like NYC, LA or Chicago.

The general argument of "Anchorage is much easier to learn to drive in because there are not many cars" is just completely bogus, no matter how you want to slice it.

Even so - the implication that there is any correlation between learning or knowing how to drive and getting a driver's license is ALSO bunk. A short drive around any city in America should be enough to demonstrate to you that one needs no driving skills whatsoever to secure a driver's license. Fact is, a DL is nothing more than an identity card, primarily designed to prevent minors from buying alcohol and to implement a police state. Papers, please?

Cheers!

akdiver

I disagree. 400,000 is small, especially considering the population density. but then when i lived in st. petersburg i felt it was a tiny city too.

there is definitely bumper-to-bumper traffic on highways/turnpikes/bridges with lots of lanes. that is why there are so many lanes in the first place. and when traffic is actually moving, it is moving very fast and people are constantly merging and switching lanes.

[slim 1,523]

she's not supposed to drive anywhere, it's your job to drive her!

Just when I think you belong in the Russia Forum....

Even so - the implication that there is any correlation between learning or knowing how to drive and getting a driver's license is ALSO bunk.

Extra points for using the word "bunk" in a sentence.

Fact is, a DL is nothing more than an identity card, primarily designed to prevent minors from buying alcohol and to implement a police state. Papers, please?

But it's so pleasantly unintrusive! It's almost like we're not even submitting to it at all... it's like they're doing us a favor. Driving is a privelege, after all!

And down with those dirty terrorists! National Security should come first, no matter what!

I wish we had a national ID card instead of just a state ID. That way the Federal govt. could better protect us from terrorism.

(Did you guys see McCain's attempt to label Global Warming as the newest threat to National Security? HA! Colbert was keeping his fingers crossed that maybe we could defeat Global Warming in Iran....)

[Ban Hammer 13,283]

she's not supposed to drive anywhere, it's your job to drive her!

Just when I think you belong in the Russia Forum....

now how else are you gonna treat her like the princess she is if you don't chauffeur her around?

[slim 1,523]

now how else are you gonna treat her like the princess she is if you don't chauffeur her around?

I called my wife "My Princess" one time. She immediately corrected me, "I am not princess... I am queen!"