Pep in my Step

Three things have me in a good mood this weekend:

1) It's a bank holiday weekend and I have Tuesday off to boot so four day weekend baby!

2) The clocks go back tonight so I get an extra hour in bed tomorrow (very important).

3) I got paid.

I also have plenty to be excited about for November. There's my upcoming trip to London to see Lady Garden perform at King's Place on the 15th. I'm really looking forward to this trip because it's the first time I'm going to London alone and I won't have to do any of the touristy things. Not that the tourist attractions are boring, it's just that I've always gone to London with people who have never been before and end up doing the same things each time. At least this time I can do the things I want to do and visit the places I've never had time to before! It's all ME ME ME honey!
I have plans to meet up with Christos, a guy I know from my time in Athens. He lives in London and it's almost a ritual that I meet him whenever I'm in London. (This will be the fifth time in two years). I'll also be meeting Rachel, blogger extraordinaire CLICK HERE for her musings on life in London and the theatre, as well as some other lovely ladies for the Lady Garden gig. It's going to FABULOUS!

Thing 2 to be excited about is seeing Muse live in the O2 in Dublin on the 3rd. The tickets had arrived in the post and were waiting for me when I got home yesterday. Joy! This should be an amazing gig, I absolutely LOVE Muse! My uncle saw them live in Seattle a few years ago and he said it was an unbelievable show. Can't wait!

Another thing I wanted to jot down is my progress in driving since my last post. Well things are going swimmingly thanks for asking! I've had four more 'official' driving lessons taking my total to six (I have to take 12 driving lessons with an official driving instructor and wait six months from the time I got my learner's permit before I can sit my test- boo!). I've also driven a little bit with my friend James who graciously let me behind the wheel of his new Volvo C3 and just today I covered roundabouts (which are a bitch!) with my lovely patient father. I didn't even kill anyone. Not a SINGLE person! So that's good. Anyway, that's it for now. Modern Family season 2 isn't going to watch itself now is it?

First Driving Lesson

I had my first driving lesson today. Well actually my first two lessons as it was a two hour session. Didn't know to expect at all- I knew that driving a car would be involved in some capacity but that was about it!
My driving instructor Jim had been highly recommended by a friend of mine who has had many a lesson with him. I gave him a call on Monday and arranged a lesson for today (Wednesday).

So I met Jim at the filling station opposite my apartment building as we'd agreed. It was spilling rain which probably wasn't ideal for a first time on the road but not much could be done about that. I hopped in the passenger seat, we shook hands, he asked me what level I was at, I said 'utter beginner' (best to keep expectations low. No room for bravado here!). He brought me to some quiet small roads to start. I learned about the controls in the car from the clutch to the indicators, the handbrake to the accelerator. And off we went from there!
No seriously, OFF WE WENT! When he pulled out of the filling station at the start of the lesson he told me I'd be driving us home. I thought he was JOKING. Well he wasn't joking it turns out. Madness! Before too long I was driving in the city. In the rain. With a disgusting amount of traffic.
I conked about five times and Jim had to brake for me once when a stupid kid cycled right into the road but overall I didn't do too badly. It was a little nerve-wracking, but also exhilarating and hugely confidence-building.
So anyway, I'm far from being a pro but it's great to get started all the same. Have booked another lesson for next week. Anticipating it already!

Is it too early to yearn for this?