driving mr. lazy

P.J. O' Rourke loves cars.


So do I.

P.J.'s most recent book (Driving Like Crazy) is a love story -- between a boy and his standard transmission.  I highly recommend it.


Here is a taste:

Cars fulfilled the ideal of America's founding fathers.  Of all the truths we hold self-evident, of all the unalienable rights with which we are endowed, what's most important to the American dream?  It's right there in the Declaration of Independence: freedom to leave!  Founding fathers, can I have the keys?

With the exception of two short splint-handicapped jaunts in Melaque, I have not driven a vehicle since I drove north to Puerto Vallarta to zip across canyons -- and meet my medical destiny.  It was a nice four-hour farewell to driving.  Five months ago.


Since my return, I have been dependent upon the kindness of friends to cart my ever-increasing body from place to place.  To work.  To the doctor.  To physical therapy.  To shop.


But that may all be coming to an end.


As of yesterday, I am back in the driver's seat.


I borrowed a friend's car to drive to Safeway to fill a prescription.  I could have walked.  But I wanted to see if my ankle was ready for chauffeur duty.


It is.  At least, I had no trouble on that short drive.


Two concerns kept me out of the driver's seat: lack of motion in my ankle and discomfort with pressure.


I learned to drive an automatic transmission using only my right foot.  Moving between the accelerator and the brake pedal.  The problem was what might happen if I needed to use foot pressure with emergency braking.


So, I waited.


Yesterday I decided I was ready to fledge -- I thought.


On Friday, I am driving over to Bend with my mother to spend the weekend with my brother and his family.  I intend to use my best litigation skills to persuade her to let me drive.  (And that sentence shows an extreme lack of judgment.  As you know, my mother is a frequent reader and commenter of this blog.  Hi, Mom.)


If my next post is from the hospital, you will know just how it turned out.