Jason's Daily Notes

Christmas day! And we woke up very cold. Apparently the heater hadn't come on. But I was too sleepy to do anything about it; I just snuggled up tighter in my blankets.

We didn't exchange gifts or anything this year, and it was great - less to worry about anyway! :)

We had some breakfast (coffee and pastries) and then set off. Our goal for today: Give me enough practice driving so that I can drive comfortably. It really bothered me that I couldn't drive a stick shift. I had tried it twice already (and failed both times), and it really bothered me that I couldn't get it. I mean, so many millions of other people can drive manual cars, but I can't?! That was simply unacceptable to me. (If you know me well enough, you know that I do not like missing out on things or not knowing things.) The most insulting thing was that everyone told me "it's so easy; it's so fun; I can't believe you prefer automatic Jason." It really taunted me and bothered me. So, I was determined: Even if it would take all day, I would learn how to drive.

My uncle drove the car around the corner, parked the car, and I took over the wheel. I adjusted my mirrors and made sure I was comfortable. (By the way, it's very weird that the rear-view mirror is on the driver's left side. It took a long time before I would start looking there to see behind me.) I started the car and drove ahead. I made sure to pay very close attention to what I was doing with the clutch. That was the secret: Holding/releasing the clutch is what kept the engine from dying and what allowed the gas pedal to move the car forward.

And it worked! I drove around the block several times. Since the streets were small, I couldn't shift above 3rd gear, but nevertheless, I did it! With a refreshed but still humble confidence, I drove the car toward the center of the village, looking for somewhere to practice. And with perfect (really perfect) timing, there appeared a large parking lot for visitors. It was completely empty and large enough for me to practice! There, I practiced starting and stopping. I practiced for at maybe 30 minutes, diligently paying attention to make sure I could get a feel for the car (and specifically, to get a feel for the point where clutch releases). I also wanted the process of starting the car to come naturally to me. And it started to do so!

I could do it. I could drive. I felt so happy. I drove us into the village (maybe 2 minutes away), and we walked around and took in the really pleasant sights of Bourton-on-the-Water. The main village center lies on a small river with picturesque bridges crossing it (but at this time, the river was overflowing from all the recent rains). We took some pictures and then headed back home to have some brunch (eggs and toast).

Next, we had the day free, and the rain had let up, so I drove (!!!) us to Broadway Tower, a nearby attraction. It's a free-standing castle tower atop a hill with stunning views of the Cotswolds. We had to jump a fence to get to it (this almost deterred some other visitors, until I showed them that the fence was easily hop-able). At the tower itself, it was windy which made it feel very cold! But the view was really nice.

We then started driving home, but it was still the early afternoon, which gave us a couple hours left of daytime. So we decided to go to Oxford! I drove there; it took about an hour on the narrow country roads. But I was getting comfortable behind the wheel, so I could shift up all the way into 6th gear - awesome! (But I still would stall the car many times when we came to a stop. Oops!)

We arrived in Oxford, and I had to figure out where to park the car. I was slightly disoriented, since it had been 5 years since I was there, and since I was also confusing Oxford with Cambridge. So I thought landmarks were in different places than they really were. I did manage to find a parking space, and from there we walked around for 1 hour. My uncle was particularly impressed; he was touching the buildings just to feel the history and prestige of Oxford University! We saw the Radcliffe Camera (which had a big tour group walking past it, wtf!) and walked to Christ Church, which unfortunately was closed so we couldn't see any of it at all.

We returned to the car at 16:00, as the daylight ended. I drove back home, with the route this time taking us on faster highways. I only stalled once, at the traffic light near our house (which was a particular challenge, because it was on an upward incline - but I did it! Good practice). Got home quickly and soon settled in.

Our Christmas Day dinner was steak (with grilled onions), mashed potatoes, stuffing, soup, and steamed vegetables. It was far more food than we could finish, but it was delicious. I tried to download Love Actually but it was taking too long. Oh well. It was a merry Christmas anyway. :)