Dec 7, 2009
What’s the first thing you did when you got your driver’s license?
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The book Bowling Alone caught my eye recently, since that’s what I did the first night I could drive.
What about you?
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© 2012 Abuyo. All rights reserved.
You are SUCH a dork!
Hey, you have to answer the question in order to earn the privilege of maligning the author. :)
Fair enough… I talked my mom into letting me “drive around the block”, then proceeded to the house of a good friend some fifteen miles away to show off my license (he was a little younger than I). Driving home, I passed my father who was out looking for me and he revoked my license ON THE DAY I GOT IT for one week. So now who’s the dork?
I went to my prom.
So you got that license just in the nick of time, then?
Went to a comic book store.
I drove my sister to the vet to pick up her dog.
I just drove, as Chuck Berry would say, with no particular place to go.
I suppose, to be clear, I did go get my mom a ladle or a spatula or something from the store first.
Then I went bowling.
She was livin’ my dream! I can’t WAIT for my kids to drive (to get me stuff).
amen and amen, jennapants!
I went to a basketball game in the neighboring town. I took Hector. He thought we might pick up chicks. We failed.
Even with a sexy license and your parents’ car?!
What is it with women?
Hector kept asking, “Which one should I go for next?”
I might have picked up more chick bowling alone.
I took my uncles car for a drive (which I had learnt in) and very very nearly trashed it.
I ran over a rabbit on my way to help a church member set up her new VCR.
I went to a babysitting gig ten miles away, and hit two birds engaged in reckless flying.
That was so long ago, I can’t remember!
I went cruising… Quite the event my little Indiana hometown:)
On another note, I first read Putnam’s work as an undergrad when they were still journal articles. The book is more polished, but the conclusion is still the same.
What do you think of his work?
Mike
I’ve only gotten as far as the title. :)
Wait, are you discarding books if the title doesn’t grab you, instead of the first sentence, or paragraph, or whatever?
:-)
Well, when you get to it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Even though I’m a pastor instead of a history instructor, I keep coming back to his findings regarding fellowship, discipleship, and connecting with God.
Mike
I got pulled over for swerving! The cop gave me a warning, I cried, and drove home to sulk a while longer.
I went to the fabric store. What can I say? I was homeschooled and that was basically going out on the town.
Hahaha. Funny.
My cousin and I went to the closest town that had a movie theater and on our way I ran over a mattress (which I didn’t realize got stuck under my pickup) We then proceeded to drive around all of the places where the other kids hung out with our windows down thinking we were really cool. Turns out we weren’t.
When we finally stopped some old guy yelled at us to tell us we were dragging something. We sheepishly went in and watched our movie and then went home.
My brother, best buddy and I spent the day in the Dodge Caravan in town and ate pizza for lunch and went to see a movie – $0.55 matinee price at the old dollar theater!
I drove (my mom’s van) to the 2nd performance of the high school musical I was in (I think it was The Wiz. Which makes bowling look pretty BA.
I served as a sort of designated driver for my parents, who wanted to go to a Mexican place and have margaritas.
Charles are you kidding me? lol. that is absolutely hilarious!
LOL!
Drove a couple blocks to pick up a pizza for my family.
I went to my job and picked up my paycheck…Lame.
I’m sure it didn’t feel lame at the time.
I went to pick up a Washer and Dryer for a lady at the church. When I got there she told my friend to drive my truck because I had no previous diving experience.
Ouch.
I got a lift to a friend’s house who sold me an O-L-D car and I drove it back to my parents’ house in the rain on a highway that had heavy construction at the time. VERY scary for a new driver! I was elated – I had my first car – even if none of the windows rolled down and the paint was almost completely gone!
I went to toys R us with a friend. We bought lego.
I think my first drive was a worthwhile one!
Nothing like a shopping spree at Toys R Us to prove you’re old enough to be a driver!
did you get your license when you were 8 years old??
I can’t remember, but odds are I went to the grocery store for Mother, which was more exciting than it sounds because I had a crush on one of the bag boys. And somehow (true confession), most trips to the grocery store also involved a detour to stop at a girlfriend’s house for quick visit.
Yes, but you need to tell everyone what your driving test was to GET your license. I believe standards have changed a bit over time.
For probably the only time in my life I offered to go to the store for Mom. She managed to come up with something she needed.
I was 14 (farm permit). So my twin brother and I got to start driving to school in 8th grade. We could drive to anything school-related or farm-related, and to youth group 20 min away. We drove a LOT to the “big” town 30 min down the highway, too.
My mom sent me to the store on errands. It was her way of acknowledging my new status in the family. I think she waited by the front door and the phone the whole time.
I got pulled over for not having my lights on. Was pretty embarrassing with a car load of friends. Thankfully, the cop let me go. I think he felt sorry for me.
I unintentionally played bumper-cars with the car in front of me…i lost…
I drove to The Loop and got a Thai coffee at Cafe Chaos. And, by the way, I drove a Ford Tempo. jealous??? It was hot. reeeal hot.
Jenna – I drove a 1981 Oldsmobile 98-Regency. A big, navy-blue boat.
I actually AM jealous.
I drove my brother to basketball practice. I think my parents were happy to have someone else to share in the chauffeur duties. I remember my brother cranking the radio pretty loud – something that didn’t happen with mom in the car. :)
That is a great book…very insightful. We had to read part of it for a critical thinking class and I thought it was very interesting.
For me though, I drove myself to play some football with friends…just because I could.
I probably drove to church and whipped in the parking lot a little faster than normal…you know…to show off to everyone else that already had their license.
The library. I still remember the route even though I don’t live in that city anymore!
Ran a red light!!! (It was an accident, naturally)
I drove two of my sisters to town (50 miles away)… Behind my mom in her 15 passenger van… It doesn’t get much cooler than that.
Went with my mom to pick up my girlfriend in the family conversion van. Awesome. My girlfriend was so impressed that now she’s my wife!
got into an accident. (not to celebrate and not on purpose, of course.) but it’s the first interesting thing i did with the car within hours of getting my license.
I honestly can’t remember… Probably because I had a late bday and all my friends had their licenses waaaaay before me.
I drove my brother (then age 7) into town in the family station wagon to get ice cream.
Well, the first time I took my test, I failed for driving on the wrong side of the road. Yes, they really fail you for that! My dad took me for a consolatory lunch that time. When I passed the test months later, I drove to my orthodontist’s to get my braces off. (in a huge banana-yellow 1974 Ford LTD)
I failed on my first try too! Something about failing to yield to traffic at an uncontrolled intersection…psh, i made it thru. that’s what counts, right?
I drove a carpool….
I hopped in the car and drove my then seven year old brother to his swimming lesson at the YMCA. The whole way there I shushed his happy little chatterings, maintaining that I could not hear ANYONE talking, because it was too distracting.
He got so scared that he finally quieted down. Even then, he was sure we’d crash and die. He refused to drive with me for awhile after that.
Things have changed a lot since then. :)
I drove to the Winn Dixie (2 miles from our house) for a gallon of milk and filled the car up with gas on the way home. Oh, and all of that was done with my parents’ money.
I actually did have my own car (my brother’s 1984 Honda Civic hatchback hand-me-down), but couldn’t drive it yet b/c it was a 4-speed (yes, I said FOUR-speed, not FIVE), and I hadn’t learned on a manual, so I made my maiden, solo voyage in my parents’ 1989 Caprice Classic. And oh was it CLASSIC!
I picked up my mom at work, which then became a daily activity for the next two years.
I went 4 wheeling in my parent’s Jeep in a feeble attempt to impress two girls (never got a date with either of them). In the process put a dent in the hood from a falling tree limb, and got a flat tire. Spent the entire next day washing it so I could take it to get the dent fixed.
Forgot to mention that I got my license at age 15 in Montana during the no speed limit (okay, “Reasonable and Prudent”) phase. I don’t think I ever broke 70mph until I unintentionally sped up to 85 or 90 on the day the new numeric speed limit took affect.
i drove myself back to school.
I drove to basketball practice. It wasn’t very exciting.
I drove to school and nearly blocked the whole road cos I parked so far from the curb. My dad never let me have the radio on while I was learning, so when I drove home I put it on full blast. Whilst changing the station I found myself driving up on the curb, much to the horror of the pedestrians. Oops. Thanks dad for not letting me practise that one!
I checked out the photo… hey you have to look good for up to ten years!