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Tag Archives: Cars

The Book Of Thank You ~ Post Four: Thank You Mr. Driving Instructor

23 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by duckykoren in Automobiles, Communication, driving, Uncategorized

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Tags

Cars, communication, language

 

When my husband and I were first married in 1977, our first car was a Pontiac Astra.

This car had a standard transmission.

From time to time my husband Frank, would try to teach me the fundamentals of how to drive a standard vehicle. For whatever reason, I could never get the car to go forwards. I could only make it go backwards.

All these years later, that still mystifies me.

Shortly after I started working at the post office in 1988, it became apparent that a second family car would be needed. My husband had set his sights on purchasing an economic vehicle which came with a standard transmission.

I needed to immediately learn how to drive this vehicle.

It was decided that the best course of action was to get some professional help and hire a driving instructor to teach me how to drive a car with a standard transmission.

I, of course had my doubts. It was now over ten years that I had been trying to understand how to get the car to roll forward while in first gear. The problem was that I could not understand how one instinctively knew when it was appropriate to step on the gas while easing up on the clutch.

It just didn’t make sense to me.

Enter Mr. Driving Instructor who in the end was successful in getting me moving from a full stop while in first gear. Even better, I was able to go from first gear into second.

Through his skillful tutelage I finally saw the proverbial light.

How did he do it?

Easy.

All he had to say were two words.

Those two words were:

“Friction point.”

It was in that moment when I first heard those two words that I fully understood the importance of clear and concise language.

Thirty minutes later, after driving a few laps around some local city blocks I exited the driving instructor’s car and thanked him.

In the next several days, after arriving home from my night shift at 4:00 a.m. I would practise my new skills by circling the pre-dawn city streets over and over until I could change gears without even thinking about it.

That was 28 years ago.

That was my first lesson on the importance of well chosen words. Those two words superseded the thousands and thousands of words I had to listen to over the past ten years until I finally and clearly could understand how to drive a standard transmission.

Ever since then, whenever I am trying to explain something to someone as a mother, union representative, health and safety advocate, or friend, I am always confident that my listener will be able to understand anything that I am trying to convey, as long as I choose the right words.

The fewer words the better.

Now twenty-eight years later, if it were possible, there are two words of my own that I would like to say to to my well spoken driving instructor.

Those two words would be:

“Thank you.”

 

❤

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 144: Driving Through The Winters Of Our Discontent

15 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Cars, driving, Weather

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Tags

Adventure, buick, Cars, driving, greenwood, Italy, Kentville, maritime, Nova Scotia, Rome, snow, Storm, Tests

Today, the thoughts of Canadians are with the people in the Maritime provinces as they face yet another powerful winter storm. As if this winter has not been brutal enough, weather forecasters are predicting another 30 – 45 centimetres of snowfall.

I remember the cold winters in Nova Scotia very well as I participated in three of them, from 1977 to 1979.

It was my last winter in 1979, that was the most memorable for me.

That was the winter when I got my driver’s license.

At the time my husband was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces and we lived in a tiny little house next to Base Greenwood. The closest city was Kentville which was thirty miles away.

It was on a very frosty and snowy February morning when my husband drove me in our 1973 Buick Electra to Kentville for my scheduled road test.

A powerful storm had hit the night before and only the main road through the city had been plowed.

No doubt, this was frustrating for the nice man giving me the road test.

In the end, it was all over in less than five minutes.

That was long enough for the instructor to tell me to drive a block down the road, turn around and come back. Then he quizzed me on the parking brake. His final comment to me before he handed me my driver’s licence was that I went over the train tracks a bit to fast.

That was it.

Three months later Frank decided to leave the forces and that we would be moving back home. Home, to Ontario where the traffic in incredibly more intense than the sleepy little village of Greenwood Nova Scotia.

It would be several more years before I could call myself a confident driver, but not until after I had driven through Toronto a couple of times. That was when I felt that I had truly earned my motoring wings.

There is however one more challenge that I hope to face one day, and that is to be able to drive through the streets of Rome Italy.

Roman drivers are quick to tell you that anyone who can drive through Rome seven times is given an honorary Roman citizenship.

Bring it on.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 111: Revisiting The Jetsons

10 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Science Fiction

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Tags

Cars, Expo, Expo 67, Future, Jetsons, Montreal, Silver Lamé

Remember how when we were kids, we were told the marvels of the future?

Well, there are those who would say that their dreams of the idealized 1960’s visions of the future have been utterly dashed.

Take my friend Mitch for example who visited Canada’s World Exposition, otherwise known as ‘Expo’ held in Montreal Canada during Canada’s centennial celebrations in 1967.

With the eyed wonder of a nine year old, this grown man told me all about Expo’s vision for the future and its impact on agriculture, society and yes, even space travel.

Indeed, it was wondrous for him to behold as a young child. However, in the end reality did not quite pan out as the wise ones expected.

Mitch’s biggest heartbreak is that we are still far away from any Jetson lifestyle that included flying cars, houses that cleaned themselves, robot maids, and silver lamé business suits.

My heart goes out to Mitch, and those who share his disappointment.

I have been more fortunate.

My dreams of the future have been realized.

Unlike Mitch, I did not aspire to silver lamé or flying cars.

What I had my eye on was far better.

It was 1975 when I went to see the movie ROLLERBALL on the big screen.

It starred James Caan and was about a future world in which disagreements between governments were settled in an arena in a deadly game of rollerball.

In the opening scenes of the movie, you see a tall elegant woman walking in her living room.

She approaches a wall unit filled with square boxes, much like a bookcase.

She removes one black square from a shelf then inserts it into a mechanical machine.

Then, she proceeds to sit down.

After a few moments a movie begins to play on the large screen in front of her.

“Whoa,” I thought to myself.

What a concept!

A movie library in your own home, to watch any movie whenever you wanted.

Less than ten years later, VHS tapes were available and in high demand.

Fast forward to the present and it is now possible to download movies and store them without the need for little plastic boxes.

And so my futuristic dreams have become reality and I am content.

However…

A jet pack would be nice.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 102: Talking About Walking

01 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Cars, driving, Fitness, Health, Stories

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Cars, driving, Family, hospice, joke, kidding, Mother, parking lot, poker face, Shopping, shopping mall, Stories, walk, Walking

My Mother, as I knew her could be funny and challenging on multiple levels.

She had such a good poker face that there were times I couldn’t tell if she was being funny or serious.

Take the following story for example:

After her husband went into hospice care Mother got an apartment of her own.

It was a nice place and right by to a little shopping mall where she bought her necessities of life: paper towels, printer ink, orange pop, and prescriptions.

When I was visiting her in Vermont, I liked going to this shopping mall because it had all kinds of pretty little things that I couldn’t get back in Canada.

Once, when I told her I was heading out to the store she asked me if I wanted her to drive me.

I could only look at her and stare.

“Mother,” I said to her…

“It’s only a hundred yards from the front door.”

She would just shrug her shoulders and raise her arms at me as if to say:

“Okay… okay!”

Not wanting to let the matter go, I pressed further and asked:

“Don’t tell me that you drive to the store….”

Ever since she moved into the apartment I worried about her being too sedentary and not getting enough exercise.

The drive would have taken less than ten seconds, as you were only driving from one parking lot into another.

Her reply to me was that yes, she did drive her car to the store.

Then it was my turn to shrug my shoulders and throw my hands in the air.

It was about a year after she moved into the apartment building that she got her own underground parking spot.

That’s when I got a phone call from her.

“Guess what?” … she asked me.

“What?” I said, instantly afraid.

“I walked to the store today.”

“You actually walked to the store?”

… I was happily surprised.

“How did that happen?” I asked in return.

“Well, I figured it out,” she began explaining to me…

“Remember my new underground parking spot that I told you about?”

I told her that I did.

She continued…

“Well, believe it or not, when I worked it out, it’s a longer walk to the underground parking lot than it is to the store.”

I wish I could have seen the look on her face as she was telling me this so I could maybe have some indication of whether she was kidding me or not.

Either way, I was very grateful that she couldn’t see my face because I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She always loved reeling me in like that…

In fact…

It amused her to no end.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 65: “Big Mama”

19 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Automobiles, Cars, Poems, Poetry

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Automobiles, Carnivals, Cars, Chesapeake Bay, Chicago, Mama, Music, Poems, Poetry, Rhymes, Songs, Tissue Flowers, Verse, Virginia, Wedding Chapel

In ’72 my Mother bought herself a sweet Grand Prix
Biggest car you ever did see
We knew that we were in for lots of fun and drama
The day my Mother told us that she named her:

“Big Mama”…

Way back in the summer in ’74
Big Mama took us cruising on the Chesapeake shore
My four Carroll Sisters were the sweetest little cuties
As we raised the car roof while singing to the Doobies…

Quiet Kim could always put our hearts aglow
We begged baby Sister Doe to give us a little show
How we laughed till we cried when she sang us “Disco Duck”
Pappy called us all trouble
And we didn’t give a cluck…

And then there was the time in fall ’75
Up to the Fair Big Mama did drive
I talked up all the Carnies and flirted all night
While Cindi and Crystie danced in the moonlight…

On the last summer days of ’76
We had rum on our tongue and smoke on our lips
And Big Mama’s stereo was cranked good and loud
To Chicago’s chart topper
“If You Leave Me Now”…

To me, Summer ’77 was Big Mama’s finest hour
It had nothing to do with her size or her power
Pappy dressed up in tissue flowers and she looked so fine
And then she got me to the wedding chapel on time…

Well, Big Mama got old and she’s now long gone
Sister Cindi asked if I could write Big Mama a song
It took two days for me to write these little old rhymes
So we could remember Big Mama and all the good times…

❤ * ❤ * ❤ * ❤ * ❤ * ❤

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 59: A Christmas Car Story

15 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by duckykoren in American Civil War, Automobiles, Battles, Cars, Christmas, Decorating, DIY, Gettysburg, History, Holidays, Nativity, Pennsylvania, Safety

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Automobiles, blogs, Car Safety, Cars, Christmas, Civil War, Decorating, Department Stores, fashion, Gettysburg, Highways, History, Jesus, Nativity, Parking, Pennsylvania, Religion, Safety, Shopping, Silly, Stories, Style, Wise, Writing

It happened one Christmas in Gettysburg.

My husband and I decided to do some Christmas shopping during our visit to this quiet little Pennsylvania town best known for their epic three day American Civil War battle that took place in July 1863.

We pulled into the parking lot of an average mid-sized department store.

We parked directly behind your average mid sized car.

However there was nothing average about this car.

Attached to the roof of this car was a large platform covering the entire length of the vehicle.

Set atop of this car-roof platform was an elaborate nativity scene.

I’ll repeat that:

Set atop of this car-roof platform was an elaborate nativity scene.

It was huge!

The attention to detail was exemplary.

The scene was even complete with artificial snow and a Christmas tree.

I have never seen anything like it.

“Why would someone do this to their car?”

…I asked myself

Then I asked myself:

“How does it stay up there?”

I considered that a valid question as the wise men stood what looked like three feet tall.

Even though everything looked stoically stuck up there, I certainly wouldn’t want to take that show on the road. I’d be in fear for that poor sucker caught behind me getting pelted by the three wise men not to mention Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus.

Eventually, I was able to turn my thoughts back to Christmas shopping and we headed inside the store.

Entering the store, I wondered who among these shoppers owns that ridiculous car?

There would be no way to tell who it was.

Certainly, the car owners would look like everyone else…

Then, after we pulled out our buggy and started heading down aisle number one, we caught sight of the owners of said car.

I had no doubt whatsoever that these two people, a man and women owned that Christmas car outside in the parking lot.

How did I know this?

Both of them were wearing almost an exact replica of their car roof ornament on their head by way of incredibly elaborate Christmas hats that towered at least eighteen inches into the air.

Big, larger than life, and unforgettable.
The circumference of each hat appeared to be double that of a Mexican sombrero.

In other words, these hats were pretty flipping big.

Intense even.

Further, I would say that each of these hats were at least eighteen inches in height.

The last time I saw this couple, they were heading towards the hunting and sporting goods aisle…

And they didn’t look happy.

At that point, we decided that we had encountered more than enough Christmas spirit for one day and decided to call it quits on shopping.

And so, if you ever find yourself in or around Gettysburg…

Or anywhere else…

During the Christmas season, keep a wary eye out for these two people and their car.

And should you happen to see them on the highway, please remember to keep a safe distance.

We all know that the three wise men came bearing gifts.

I just don’t want them to become part of your radiator, or have any of the wise men crashing through your front windshield.

Be afraid.

Merry Christmas.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 13: Orange

13 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Colour, fashion, Shoes

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Tags

Cars, Colour, fashion, Orange, Shoes

Several years ago, I bought myself a brand new pair of running shoes.

They looked comfy and sturdy enough, and I thought that they’d do the trick. I even liked the orange trim which I thought added a glint of something different.

A ‘Joie de Vivre’ of sorts.

You see, for a decade or two, the colour orange had been given a bad rap.

People rarely wore orange anymore.

Anyway…

I didn’t give my choice of sneaker apparel any further thought until a co-worker friend of mine made a comment as she walk by me one morning as she arrived for her day shift.

Staring at my feet as she walked past she said:

“What’s with the orange shoes?”

Then as she walked away, she added…

“Must be some mid-life crisis!”

Hmm…

Did I reply with a nasty or hurtful comeback?

No.

Did I show the least bit or anger?

No.

Instead, I took it all in stride.

There is a saying that my father taught me, and I invoked it as I turned the other cheek:

“The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they do grind.”

Now, I am very pleased to tell you that this story has a very happy ending. (At least for me it does, as I cannot speak for my anti-orange co-worker.)

Three months later, as I am walking to my car after a long shift at work I observe Ms. “Must Be Mid-Life Crisis” pulling into work.

And look, she is driving a brand new S.U.V.

Make that a brand new ORANGE S.U.V.

And in the distance, I could hear the noise of the god’s mills beautifully grinding away.

It had a groove and great “Mid-life Crisis” kinda beat.

And I could even dance to it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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My.Daily.Diversion ~ Post 7: Ugly Earbuds

07 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Apple Products, Entertainment, Technology, Television

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Apple, BBC, Car Races, Cars, Ear Buds, Ear Phones, Muscle Cars, Music, Race, Top Gear, WalkMan

One of our families favourite television shows is BBC’s Top Gear.

The greatest of this show’s features are when the three hosts are subjected to gruelling car races through dense jungles, unforgiving deserts and all other sorts of incredibly difficult terrain.

If anyone’s car is breaks down and is thus rendered useless, they are automatically defaulted to drive the…

‘Car of Shame…’

A car so disgusting and awful that no one would want to be seen near it let alone drive it.

So, where am I going with this, you might be asking yourself?

Only that this gave my husband the wonderful idea to try the same ploy on his own family.

This idea came to him after experiencing frustration whenever he went to his desk drawer to retrieve his apple ear buds.

Of course, they were never there.

They were just too handy for the rest of the family whenever someone broke or could not find their own apple earbuds.

So what did he do?

He bought a pair of the ugliest ear buds he could find.

The earbuds had what looked like bright neon yellow gum pieces glued to them.

If you were to insert them into your ears, you would look like you had gum sticking out of them.

Embarrassing to say the least.

And that is why his plan was so brilliant:

Because they continue to sit brand new and unused to this very day.

And of course he’s giddy with delight that he’s never had to buy another pair of Apple ear buds again.

There have been times when out of desperation, we open the dreaded desk drawer to reconsider using them, but inevitably we close the drawer with the earbuds still inside.

Instead, we would find ourselves at the computer store picking up yet another pair of Apple ear buds.

The shame of others seeing you listening to your tunes with gum bright neon yellow pieces of gum sticking out of your ears is just not worth it.

Yes, they are that ugly.

End of story.

Thanks for reading.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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