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

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

We bought a set of bunk beds at a garage sale but they turned out to be stolen so a man from the bunk-o squad came a took them away.

Stolen bunkbeds? Heh. How did they end up tracking you down?

Well the bottom bunk had lo-jack (sorry I couldnt resist)

[slim 1,514]

what the.... oh... LOW jack.

Budump, chhhh!

It was funnier if you were there.

[slim 1,514]

Update:

Finally got the license yesterday. We were supposed to be there for a 2:30 appointment. We showed up at 2:32 after doing some last minute practicing in the local neighborhood. "Sorry, you're late."

We were only two minutes late but come to find out, we were supposed to be 15 minutes early to register and then start driving right at 2:30. Since I didn't double check the appointment sheet (should've known better, always double check what the wife tells you) and didn't remember from last time because we were so early, they added her to "the list." After almost two hours she went to take her test and the administrator from last time said, "Hey, make sure you stop at all those stop signs." The guy administering the test this time took her around the neighborhood and informed her that if she didn't come to a complete stop the police would give her a "phat ticket."

She came back about 10 minutes later (putting us at over 2 hours in the BMV waiting area) and then we headed next door to wait (another 20+ minutes) on them to process her license.

So, now we're done. With the BMV at least. Now comes the next step. Tire changes, procedures for accidents, police stops, road hazards, bumper-to-bumper traffic and all the other little delights that come with driving in the U.S.A.

We're going to return our practice cones to an abandoned parking lot this weekend. If you guys make it down this way, KazanTiger, you can have them. We're passing the torch. Although, maybe we'll keep them for a high-speed slalom course or a good braking/manuevering obstacle set up. Now we can have some fun!

[Okiebollweevil 0]

Update:

Finally got the license yesterday. We were supposed to be there for a 2:30 appointment. We showed up at 2:32 after doing some last minute practicing in the local neighborhood. "Sorry, you're late."

We were only two minutes late but come to find out, we were supposed to be 15 minutes early to register and then start driving right at 2:30. Since I didn't double check the appointment sheet (should've known better, always double check what the wife tells you) and didn't remember from last time because we were so early, they added her to "the list." After almost two hours she went to take her test and the administrator from last time said, "Hey, make sure you stop at all those stop signs." The guy administering the test this time took her around the neighborhood and informed her that if she didn't come to a complete stop the police would give her a "phat ticket."

She came back about 10 minutes later (putting us at over 2 hours in the BMV waiting area) and then we headed next door to wait (another 20+ minutes) on them to process her license.

So, now we're done. With the BMV at least. Now comes the next step. Tire changes, procedures for accidents, police stops, road hazards, bumper-to-bumper traffic and all the other little delights that come with driving in the U.S.A.

We're going to return our practice cones to an abandoned parking lot this weekend. If you guys make it down this way, KazanTiger, you can have them. We're passing the torch. Although, maybe we'll keep them for a high-speed slalom course or a good braking/manuevering obstacle set up. Now we can have some fun!

Congratulations, and welcomce to the thrill a minute club. Now you will hear about covers for the steering wheel instead of the toilet seat, and I predict it won't be long until the call for her own car comes out.

[Turboguy 6]

Yea, we are going through the "Her own Car" thing even though she does not have her liscense yet.

Lets see, these are the cars she likes. VW-Beetle, Toyota Yaris, Smart ForTwo and Jaguar. She just went on the Jag kick yesterday.

If she buys something low like the Jag I might strangle her. I am just finishing up selling my Pontiac Solstice which to me was my favorite car I have owned even though I rarely drove it because it "sat too low" about the same hight as you sit in a Jag.

I got myself into some hot water with the wording of my eBay add for the solstice. She never read the ad until the last day it ran. I talked about the equipment the car has and then in the ad I said:

"I got married not long ago and the wife says either the car goes or she goes and I can not find a catagory for her on eBay"

She did not like that wording all that well. One if the guys who messaged me back suggested I see if Craigs list had a catagory for her.

[Satellite 1]

She did not like that wording all that well. One if the guys who messaged me back suggested I see if Craigs list had a category for her.

I think craigslist does have such a category. Ebay is really against selling humans and human parts, if you recall the Kidney incident. I think the right spot on craigslist would be in the miscellaneous sub category of personals.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/msr/

Although the immigration officials may not appreciate it:

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/ar...losangeles1.htm

[slim 1,514]

I'm already a step ahead of you guys in the "her own car" department.

We bought her a brand new car about three months ago. She would not drive my Jeep because it was too difficult and she "needed" a small car with an automatic transmission so she could "practice" driving.

I wasn't against it because now she also can "practice" paying monthly bills associated with it. (However it was a joint loan because of her lack of credit. I'm kind of surprised they approved the loan with me on there as well but the old saying holds true for my credit, "bad credit is better than no credit at all.") Plus, it's nice to have two vehicles and a small car is a lot better on gas for running errands and for "practicing" driving. So, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I have encouraged her to pay for 100% of it. Well, at least relate how much I'm spending on it to how much she makes every month. (We recently had the "doing it all on your own" talk after some heated arguments and when I factored in all the monthly payments necessary to sustain a single-income household, she magically didn't want her own place anymore. But, that's a completely separate issue...)

Anyway, once again, Satellite is right, there is a place on Craigslist to sell the wife or the car. Craigslist and E-Bay are both funny to me in that it's perfectly acceptable to find a NSA same-sex partner for some "weekend fun" or to sell a french fry that looks like Abe Lincoln, but you can't list a rifle or shotgun because it's bad for society.

Either way, I would suggest getting the wife a "car of her own" so at the very minimum she starts taking some responsibility if she hasn't already. Also, that way she doesn't wreck your car (or truck!) into someone's front porch.

I highly encourage that if she wants her own car, she should pay for her own car.

[Okiebollweevil 0]

Yea, we are going through the "Her own Car" thing even though she does not have her liscense yet.

Lets see, these are the cars she likes. VW-Beetle, Toyota Yaris, Smart ForTwo and Jaguar. She just went on the Jag kick yesterday.

If she buys something low like the Jag I might strangle her. I am just finishing up selling my Pontiac Solstice which to me was my favorite car I have owned even though I rarely drove it because it "sat too low" about the same hight as you sit in a Jag.

I got myself into some hot water with the wording of my eBay add for the solstice. She never read the ad until the last day it ran. I talked about the equipment the car has and then in the ad I said:

"I got married not long ago and the wife says either the car goes or she goes and I can not find a catagory for her on eBay"

She did not like that wording all that well. One if the guys who messaged me back suggested I see if Craigs list had a catagory for her.

Yeah, I bought two PT cruisers at once and she didn't have her license yet, but she likes the stick, and the car was an incentive to her to get her DL, which she did first shot! My wife is a very careful driver, sometimes to the point that it drives me nuts. Shedrives everywhere we go locally (my cars are too dirty) and I drive on long trips. Wouldn't add to your misery by advertising on Craig's list. I have noticed that what we use as a sense of humor doesn't go over to well with the Russian ladies. Well, maybe over the course of time they will get acclimated to our peculiar brand of humor.

[akdiver 3]

...wisdom as usual...

Slim:

I'm just so blown away at these issues you're having with your wife. I dunno what I would do if my wife had a similar attitude. Ugh. But FWIW, she got the loan for her car in her own name - but we don't really have his & her money - I make sure all the bills get paid, one way or another.

In other news - I didn't know you were also a Jeep owner. You're even wiser than I thought you were. A picture of my Jeep is attached. If you look closely, you can see my wife too (:

Cheers!

AKDiver

Edited June 9, 2008 by akdiver

[Turboguy 6]

I think the smartest thing I can do is avoid the "brand new car" for a while. The idea of her driving on her own still scares me to death. I think it is going to take a wreck or two as part of her learning experience. She does good about 95% of the time but still has problems with things like 3 way stops and not seeing a stop sign every once in a while. She still hugs the right too much too. Zipping along with poles and cars passing a few inches to your right has turned me into a seat belt believer.

Right after the guy came to check out my Solstice he bought on eBay she wanted to take a last drive in it with the top down. I said I didn't think it was a good idea but relented. I was really glad when that ride was over and happy it turned into a short ride.

Is it just my wife or do other wives seem to have a lot of difficulty figuring out where there are and where the way to go. Like going to English classes (she drives there) I have to tell her most every turn even though we have gone that way a million times. She is going to be helpless without either me or GPS.

[Okiebollweevil 0]

I think the smartest thing I can do is avoid the "brand new car" for a while. The idea of her driving on her own still scares me to death. I think it is going to take a wreck or two as part of her learning experience. She does good about 95% of the time but still has problems with things like 3 way stops and not seeing a stop sign every once in a while. She still hugs the right too much too. Zipping along with poles and cars passing a few inches to your right has turned me into a seat belt believer.

Right after the guy came to check out my Solstice he bought on eBay she wanted to take a last drive in it with the top down. I said I didn't think it was a good idea but relented. I was really glad when that ride was over and happy it turned into a short ride.

Is it just my wife or do other wives seem to have a lot of difficulty figuring out where there are and where the way to go. Like going to English classes (she drives there) I have to tell her most every turn even though we have gone that way a million times. She is going to be helpless without either me or GPS.

It must be a Russian thing. My wife can't find her well you know what behind the wheel. interestingly, she won't drive to church by herself, but will drive to the mall alone. Some correlation here? I think the reason she takes me is for navigational purposes and to not get hit on which bothers the he!! out of her. I try to tell her to take it as a compliment and she responds with a dirty look. Oh well. The idea of a used car is a good idea, and even though the insurance rates are higher I would get the lowest deductible possible as this may be either a blessing in disguise or preventive medicine. My wife has only been involved in one accident where she was rear-ended and she called the kid that did it a bunch of interesting names. She loves her car, and the cracks he put in the paint of her plastic rear bumper were inexcusable. But when his insurance paid off the claim she pocketed the money and decided she could "live" with the cracks. She did hit some curb protectors frequently causing some 1,800 damage ($1,000 deductible so you know who coughed up the moola for that!) Now she wants a bigger SUV type car, and is hinting around for a Rav 4. I told her we were not going to get rid of the PT becasue I could drive it back and forth to work a heck of a lot cheaper than my pickup.

[Ban Hammer 13,112]

I highly encourage that if she wants her own car, she should pay for her own car.

that was talked over here and agreed to. nessa also pays for the insurance and gas.

[slim 1,514]

Yes, driving is still rather scary and most of the time, even though she knows where we're going, she still asks which lane she should be in and if she's going the right way. I think she'll do just fine on her own as she has a pretty good sense of direction. I'm worried about dents and dings in parking lots because we always end up crooked in the spot. She's made significant improvement and it looks like with some practice she'll do just fine. The only thing is, "I will be do my way how I want" doesn't work out there on the road and it darn sure doesn't work in the downtown neighborhoods that she'll be driving through daily. As long as she can follow the rules and be a (ha!) courteous driver, she should do just fine.

Time will tell. I'm actually quite encouraged by what I've seen so far. She's made a lot of progress since first starting to drive. And now that I'm not required to be in the car anymore, we'll see what happens.....

The first time my wife tried to move my Jeep, this is what happened.... maybe that's why she wanted a car instead. The next pic is from a happier time. Excellent pic above, AKDiver. The scenery from Cincinnati isn't quite so awe-inspiring, but this is what we've got, high atop the hill overlooking the urban jungle. Probably not going to make it into the Jeep magazine, but still one of my better "me & my Jeep" photos.

Edited June 9, 2008 by slim

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

Awww, come on Slim! I postively love the Cinci skyline coming north through the "cut in the hill" in Covington at night.

Yes, driving is still rather scary and most of the time, even though she knows where we're going, she still asks which lane she should be in and if she's going the right way. I think she'll do just fine on her own as she has a pretty good sense of direction. I'm worried about dents and dings in parking lots because we always end up crooked in the spot. She's made significant improvement and it looks like with some practice she'll do just fine. The only thing is, "I will be do my way how I want" doesn't work out there on the road and it darn sure doesn't work in the downtown neighborhoods that she'll be driving through daily. As long as she can follow the rules and be a (ha!) courteous driver, she should do just fine.

Time will tell. I'm actually quite encouraged by what I've seen so far. She's made a lot of progress since first starting to drive. And now that I'm not required to be in the car anymore, we'll see what happens.....

The first time my wife tried to move my Jeep, this is what happened.... maybe that's why she wanted a car instead. The next pic is from a happier time. Excellent pic above, AKDiver. The scenery from Cincinnati isn't quite so awe-inspiring, but this is what we've got, high atop the hill overlooking the urban jungle. Probably not going to make it into the Jeep magazine, but still one of my better "me & my Jeep" photos.

[Turboguy 6]

I have to agree with Kazan. When my wife and I have cruised down the interstate she always comments about how beautiful the skyline of Cincinatti is. She does not say a word when we cruise past Columbus or Louisville.