Just put your feet down, child

[j4]

Yesterday I drove into work, on my own. After work I drove to the dojo, in Cherry Hinton, on my own. After my karate lesson I did a nifty manoeuvre to get out of the dojo carpark (it's just a small forecourt, so it involved reversing into the space between sensei's car and a lamppost, then doing a U-turn from the forecourt into the road to get out) without hitting anything -- without even scratching anything! -- and then drove to Sainsburys, where I did the shopping, on my own. Then I drove home, and got the car back into our drive, again without hitting anything. On my own.

I'm a real grown-up at last! At the age of 24!

On the other hand... yesterday I was wearing yellow-and-black stripy tights, black skirt, and my supergirl t-shirt. Today I'm wearing black combat trousers (size: Age 13), and my Little Miss Giggles t-shirt (size: Age 3-4). Okay, so not all of me is grown-up.

(The Little Miss Giggles t-shirt emphasises the bits of me that are grown-up, though. And it's worth having a slightly chilly bit of stomach where there's a gap between the t-shirt and the trousers for the sake of watching software engineers drool as I walk past.)

Comments

[kaet.livejournal.com]

Yay! I still really hate driving (apart from motorways), okay, so I don't have to do it often, but still, I know what you mean about grown-up-ness. I've got to drive to IKEA soon, and I'm not looknig forward to do it, though I'm determined to do it myself.

The water is only waist-high.

[simonb.livejournal.com]

Yay! Well done on having fun driving :)

As for the clothing... I see nothing wrong with it :) Its only the fact that we occasionally have foreign dignitaries being shown around this place that I'm wearing a pair black jeans with a black shirt... otherwise it'd be purple jeans or combats with a random t-shirt :)

[simonb.livejournal.com]

Which IKEA ? The one at Thurrock is relatively nice to get to, although the route from the M25 junction is a little convoluted, I did manage it easily enough the first time I drove down there in a transit van o-doom :)

[kaet.livejournal.com]

Yes, Thurrock. I dislike the M25 roundabout exit. And before they widened the pickup point it was a nightmare. I find parking hard in a van (I've only been on my tod) in their carpark and their pickup point. Probably to do with me driving <200 miles per year, :).

[simonb.livejournal.com]

I don't find that I have that many problems with manuovering transit vans; there again I've used them quite a bit in the past and actively enjoy driving them around :)

[j4.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't say that I had fun driving, I still find it stressful; but I'm pleased that I managed to do it at all. I doubt if it's something that I'm ever really going to enjoy -- I don't particularly enjoy cycling in and of itself, though I've been doing it for years and can do it without thinking now -- but being able to drive competently and confidently will hopefully give me more freedom to go and do things that I really do enjoy.

And I don't see anything wrong with the clothing either, but you have to admit it's not exactly grown-up! Given that none of it except underwear is intended for people over the age of about 13. Even my shoes are childsized. Oh, and I'm wearing my sister's old grey school socks, as well (because they're warm!).

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

I've only been on my tod

*happy sigh* *goes off on a dialect headtrip*

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

I found driving got a lot less stressful once I got better at it. A month or so after I started commuting to Hatfield for my MSc, I even heard the call of the open road. Shame I was behind the wheel of a clapped-out Austin Metro at the time ;-)

[sphyg.livejournal.com]

Show off ;P

[j4.livejournal.com]

It's "showing off" to feel "grown up" about things that most of my friends have been doing since I was 17? Or "showing off" to point out that software engineers at our place are mostly sad, desperate single blokes?

Anyway, sorry for being a bit pleased about something for a change. Normal self-hatred will resume shortly, hope it makes you feel better.