Kept you waiting, huh?
The 1990 Chevrolet Caprice Classic wagon above is similar to the one I first drove in high school when I took driver’s ed — one in white, one in the same shade of reddish-brown as pictured (I drove the latter). Both wagons were to have been replaced by Chevrolet Astro minivans the year I took the course, but the signs made for them were too large; thus, the wagons were called into duty one last time.
While I passed the knowledge portion of the course with flying colors, accomplishing the same feat behind the wheel didn’t go so well. Mom herself didn’t have a license at all, we didn’t have the money to buy a car to keep ready for the day when I would drive, and — after an issue involving one of their children driving — our neighbors weren’t able to lend their vehicles and experience to help. The best anyone could do was an arrangement where I would walk from home to the school district’s vehicle yard next to one of the elementary schools, then take the wheel with the instructor to the high school parking lot to pick up the rest of my group for the day’s lessons.
Despite the extra help, I only managed Cs and Ds throughout the driving portion of the class, earning a single B on the final day upon pulling into the front yard/driveway of my home. My final overall grade for the course came to a C-, enough to obtain my first license, which then was left unused until years later when I made the then-reasonable, now-stupid decision to voluntarily give up my license.
This was the status quo when I began writing here in April of 2012, and continued to be so when Aaron took over the daily news from me this summer.
Until now.
On an early September morning, I took the bus up to the Defensive Driving School branch near my home to take the $25 knowledge test for my permit. The branch was located on the second floor of a building housing a nail salon, an Indian sweet shop and restaurant, a beauty salon, and a travel agency on the first floor. Their training vehicle — a second-gen Honda Insight — was parked under the building’s signage, hiding behind maintained bushes from the street in its white, yellow and blue livery.
Inside, around 12 individuals — all much younger than I and the test proctor — were already seated and filling out the rest of their paperwork. Oh, how I would have loved to have snapped a photo to shove in the faces of those journalists, reporters, and bloggers who keep going on and on and on about how today’s teens and young adults care more about their smartphones than about driving at all. Not every child lives under the gleaming crystal and steel towers of Manhattan, dearest brothers and sisters of the Fourth Estate, where power-injected black cars, checkered taxis of tomorrow, and ancient subways carry all to and fro. Nor is car culture solely the province of older generations protecting their manicured lawns from the technohipster youth army, my darlings. The sooner this is realized and accepted in full, the better for us all.
Once all the paperwork was gathered, testing commenced. I had 25 questions to answer on the version (out of three) I was given, 25 minutes to complete the test, and needed 20 correct answers to pass.
Fifteen minutes later, I passed with 22 out of 25 questions answered correctly, for a score of 88 percent.
A couple of weeks and an additional $25 later, I received my plastic permit in the mail. And though it is good for a year, the path toward driving destiny won’t be too long, my dearest B&B.
Photo credit: Greg Gjerdingen/Flickr/CC BY 2.0 and Cameron Aubernon/The Truth About Cars
good luck and welcome back
Thank you so much!
Congratulations, Cameron. That is a wonderful accomplishment.
Thank you! I can’t wait to move forward to the ultimate prize!
SCCA competition license?
Perhaps. ;)
Yes, congrats. getting a license really is a big deal, and I know you will take it more seriously than others.
May your tank be full, and your spare never needed.
:-)
Thank you for the kind words!
That nail polish, tho…
Congrats!
Blue nail polish . . . I bet she listens to Lana Del Rey.
Only a handful of songs; this is more my speed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLoytewvn0g
Thank you! As for my nail polish, it’s an old, limited edition O.P.I. dark metallic blue shade from The Amazing Spider-Man Collection, called Into The Night. I will need to replace this shade, however, with Zoya’s similar shade, Prim, as O.P.I. hasn’t brought Into The Night back since its limited introduction in 2012.
Ha, all the boys love your nails but don’t say squat about your snazzy handbag.
I bought it and a clutch wallet from the same brand at Macy’s last year to replace the handbag and wallet I ruined after drinking one too many gin cocktails at a gin workshop up in Ballard.
Free hint: keep a reusable grocery bag on hand for inebriation-related purposes.
Looks like Dodge B5 Blue to me.
What about this one, which will replace my current shade: http://www.zoya.com/content/item/Zoya/Zoya-Nail-Polish-in-Prim.html
I have always been of the fan of your ability to handle snark, yet today in paragraph #2 you have outdone yourself. Oh how it dripped from your fingers as you wrote those lines (and thank ghod civilization is not just turning into bearded dweebs tasting craft beer), how it lovingly made its point.
Handle snark? Nay, my dear, today you are snark!
I am the Empress of Snark rarrrr!
Pretty nails…
Mom taught me to drive and declared: You drive like your father.
Dan taught sis to drive and declared: You drive like your mother.
I adore blue metallic shades reminding one of all things winter and twilight.
You were mentioning OPI and limited editions… are you one of those people who collect “rare” nail polish? I recently only discovered that “Collecting Nail Polish” is a real thing….
I don’t collect polishes; I’d rather use ’em.
What a lovely suburbian nightmare photo; I’ll rank that a close 2nd to the Beer movie’s synchronized K-Car station wagon scene.
Great to read you here again.
Hey a 1990 B-body wagon is the pinnacle of square B-body wagon. :-)
I do love the B-Bodies, although these days I’d be itching to update their powertrains with a 5L50/LS3 swap; improved fuel economy and big power to boot.
Weren’t you telling me that ya don’t want a 1990 because they had single year trim changes, and also door mount seat belts (making door cards unobtanium)?
And I bet that one is almost as stripper spec as the ones we had in my college motor pool.
Thank you so much!
Congrats! Don’t sweat it… I didn’t get my license until I was 24. Didn’t get first car (truck) until I was 26. Just wasn’t a big need for me, considering how and where I was living at that point in my life.
I won’t lie though; I did miss out on a few job opportunities due to not having it. I could have gotten out of the minimum wage rut a lot sooner. It all worked out in the end I suppose.
I missed out a few opportunities, too, by not having the license, let alone a capable vehicle. I guess we’ll see what happens now.
How do you get a driver’s license without a picture? I know when I renewed my FL drivers license I practically had to undergo a NSA investigation.
It’s only a non-photo permit, which must be presented with my photo ID when necessary; when I do regain my license, it will have my photo.
In NC when you get or renew your license they give you a non-photo paper license good for 30 days and mail you your real one. They did it to increase security because people were breaking into remote DMV offices and stealing the license-making equipment. Now it’s all done from a central secure (in theory ) location.
Up here, I can either do what I did, or have a photo permit; the latter would also serve as my ID, since I would have to turn over my original ID upon obtaining the photo permit.
Here’s hoping more auto journalists take the time to actually get a driver’s license. This way, they can drive themselves home after a long day at the office rephrasing automaker press releases.
Luckily, I don’t have to drive myself home, as I do all of my writing from my IKEA POÄNG chair with my Acer C720 Chromebook on my lap! ;)
Those are the best chairs! I wish I could work out of one. Instead I get mystery chair-du-jour depending on the kindness of the clients I visit.
Way to go! smartly manicured nails and all!
Thank you! I have my nails done at Le’von Nail & Spa in Kent; had them done yesterday, as a matter of fact.
Cue the Almost Live!/The 206/Up Late NW jokes about Kent in 3, 2, 1.
Hope your hair was to regulation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JOQbwVJjxY
Of course the blue is more of a Lynnwood thing.
I actually live near Caveman Kitchens. As for my hair, I usually wear caps. ;)
And of course, you’re going to post your driver’s license photo once its taken. So we can: a. See you without a cap, b. See how bad you’re capable of looking.
I’ll likely hit up Sephora for a makeover before getting my photo taken. That said, I look better with my glasses on than without, as mandated by my state for biometric purposes.
I actually live near Caveman Kitchens. As for my hair, I usually where caps. ;)
You’ve made my day. Your courage to publicly share this journey is commendable.
Happy to have been of service. :)
Get your permit, a manicure, and Indian takeout in the same building. Ah, what a world.
I’m slightly jealous of the people who get late-model cars for driver’s ed. Mine was a 15-year-old Volare.
What a world, indeed.
I’ll be enrolling for driving lessons at the school when more funds come along. Whether the Insight will be available when I drive is a whole other matter, as the school also has an Accord of similar vintage.
I would have preferred a big nice wagon with AC and V8, to the awful base model 02 Cavalier I had to use.
Just six years later, my brother got a Five Hundred Limited AWD. I was quite jealous.
We have that in common, I too had a Crapalier as my Driver’s Ed car, 1983ish vintage (I took driver’s Ed in ’84). I did it at a private driving school. My High School had a pair of K-cars for the class. But private took 4 weeks, HS took a semester and they both cost the same amount.
Though I had actually learned to drive quite a few years earlier on my Uncle’s RHD Series Land Rover in the woods of Maine. Was odd to drive from the left seat on the road…
Interesting, in my case here the high school did the program which was IIRC four weeks in summer, three or four times a week in the mornings, til lunch time.
It was always cheaper than a private option because the school sponsored it.
The worst days were when I had to go to driver’s ed from 8-1130 or whatever, then my mom would pick me up and take me directly to Kroger for my shift as cashier from 1200-800…
For $5.25/hr before union dues. Fack that.
’85 Sunbird Sedans from the local Pontiac dealership for my D/E; donated, I believe. Took summer driving, and classroom after school the previous spring; don’t recall how often during the week or how long the classes went.
It’s a crying shame public schools have dropped D/E, as I assume the private schools cost a king’s ransom and vary in quality from one to the next.
Nice piece Cameron.
Thank you!
Excellent, glad you’re back.
Do you recall the 3 questions you missed?
I do not, alas.
“Oh, how I would have loved to have snapped a photo to shove in the faces of those journalists, reporters, and bloggers who keep going on and on and on about how today’s teens and young adults care more about their smartphones than about driving at all. Not every child lives under the gleaming crystal and steel towers of Manhattan, dearest brothers and sisters of the Fourth Estate, where power-injected black cars, checkered taxis of tomorrow, and ancient subways carry all to and fro. Nor is car culture solely the province of older generations protecting their manicured lawns from the technohipster youth army, my darlings. The sooner this is realized and accepted in full, the better for us all.”
Reading this made my day.
Much of what passes for legitimate analysis in journalism is actually the writer’s wishful thinking. There are people who simply think we’d all be better off if we’d all just move to the city and use public transportation or bicycles to get around. My wishful thinking is that 15 years of “Fast & Furious” movies and other, similar, Pop Culture touchstones have had an effect similar to what Jan & Dean and The Beach Boys had on their generation. Your observations at the DMV match what I’m experiencing with my two sons, and an increasing number of younger people at the few car events I’ve been able to take in this year. Just my opinion.
That said, congrats on your permit – and especially your willingness to share about it.
I think my wife would give kudos for the blue nail polish. I see it and wonder if it would be a nice shade of blue for my ’57 Chevy Handyman project.
I know you’ve resumed your role at TTAC a couple weeks ago, but welcome back. Your perspective and depth are welcome and appreciated.
^^^^^ This!!! Welcome back Ms. Aubernon!
Thank you both!
Budda, I was told up above the shade is similar to Dodge’s B5 blue, though it may be closer to the brand’s Jazz Blue, as well.
Is that one of those shiny new communities of cheaply-built lower income or Section 8 housing? One which has not yet experienced the rapid blight and erosion that befalls such planned communities?
Could be; the Caprice photo dates from 4 July 2011, and was shot somewhere in Minnesota.
Minnesota is cold, rusty, and snowy and is no place for vintage rare RWD wagons. This is known!
Good job, well done. So which questions messed you up?
I don’t remember. I likely forgot as soon as I left the building.
cameron it seems no one else has noticed – happy belated birthday
and two thumbs up on checking the donor list.
Thank you for the belated birthday wishes! And yes, if I can be of service upon my passing, why not? :)
Congratulations!
Welcome back.
When I learned to Drive it was in a 70 something Buick with two steering wheels. Do the new cars have two wheels and pedals?
My Daughters have 6 years to go before they can get their permits, I look forward to teaching them, and at the same time I am scared. Sadly we live on the other side of the Sound fro Seattle, and public transportation doesn’t exist outside of Mom’s Taxi Service.
I’ll let you know when I enroll in driving class. The Caprice I drove in high school had a brake pedal for the instructor, but not a second steering wheel.
I don’t think they can really do the double steering wheels any more with the complex steering on modern cars, and (probably even moreso) airbags. Those old two-wheeled systems were just what, rigged up by the dealer? It would be a major manufacturer modification now.
In 2002, the emergency brake the instructor had was just via a temporarily attached pedal, with a cable running right under the carpet. When you sat at the rear left you could feel it moving under your feet when he used it.
Things which feel hot: 2002 Cavaliers in the summer in Indiana, driving through hilly back roads with four passengers.
Driver’s License ~ ! YAY ! .
We’ll be expecting many more great posts from you now .
-Nate
Not yet; this is only the permit phase. Next comes driving school! :)
Nice Metal Gear Solid reference.
I figured it would be appropriate here, all things considered. ;)
I’ve concluded Cameron is well liked. Not saying other people are or are not, but Cameron certainly happens to be.
*blushes*
You’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, it speaks for itself.
Bravo! This piece makes my case that there are enough good and interesting perspectives to write about cars without requiring that the writer have a drivers license.
Hold on to your fresh perspective a long as you can!
I will certainly stay fresh like Callie and Marie for as long as I can!
Forget ‘ fresh ‘ and just write well .
The subject isn’t important if you make reading a pleasure .
-Nate
Indeed. :)