one of the most important parts about driving cross-country is learning how to drive a stick shift. the last time i drove a stick was when i was 16. i stalled at the top of a very steep hill and the car (containing two young children in the back seat) started rolling downhill. unfortunately, we ended up in the wrong lane staring at traffic staring at us.....needless to say, i decided to stick with automatics from then on. but now we have a stick shift, and i have to learn how to drive it.
step 1: thorough research into the theory of driving stick shift. i read, i took notes, and i drew pictures.
step 2: a disguise. who wants to be seen lurching around a parking lot in a big tan van?
step 3: practice to become perfect. i actually managed to not stall in the parking lot. nor did i hit any bicyclists or parked cars. so all in all, not bad.
