So... this topic of my life has been going a lot better since Jess came to visit in November and I got near-daily driving practice for two weeks. By leaps and bounds, even. Even during the winter, when I tend to not have lessons due to weather/traffic/various crap coming up.

I have since driven (during winter, i.e. in the last two months):
(a) in downtown traffic in my little town at night
(b) in the rain
(c) have attempted practicing parking next to a car on the side of the road (okay, need more of this).
(d) on the freeway nearby my town around 6-something p.m. when it was relatively quiet
(e) on the freeway to Sacramento and back, and drove around Sac in general, from about 11:45 p.m.-1:45 a.m. to avoid the crazy traffic. Kinda freaked Elsa out doing that a bit, but nobody cried, screamed, or hit anything.

Now, yonks ago back when I started lessons, I said I'd like to get my license by age 32 (for those of you not counting, that's the end of next month). My permit also runs out a few days after my birthday, adding to the ah, awkward timing. I can't say that I exactly look forward to retaking the driver's written exam again, especially after I barely passed it the first time and they let you miss a lot less questions when you retake it. (Gulp.)

So...

I have a DMV appointment booked (not at my town DMV, at the other county DMV, which Merry swears up and down has the easiest test ever and her son was done in like 2 minutes) for April 20.

Am I ready for this or not? Ehhhhh... I don't quite think so, maybe about 80%, but that's the paranoia talking. But if I'm not crying and screaming on a freeway, how much better is it going to get than that, folks? I'd be more confident about being at 100% if I was likely to get behind the wheel of a car between now and oh, test day (though I am going to take the entire day off work and Elsa said we'll practice for hours beforehand, yes, I'm using her car), but oh well, there's time crunch going on, I don't have non-screamers to practice with closer to home, and that can't be helped. I guess it'll depend on how picky they are on the exam. If they're not too picky and I don't blank out and mistake the gas for the brake, it could be good.

Oh, who the hell knows. I guess we'll find out!

I'm not telling my mother about this until after it's done, though. Or at least I'll try to avoid the subject when I see her until then. Wish me luck on that too :P

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