Driving Coach

My workplace activities adviser wants to pass her driving road test, and asked a bored fella at work to share with her the secrets to pass. Well sweetheart, I will give you a chance however it feel almost alien to be advising someone I've always know to be the smartest person, well up to the last time I saw you.

Why me? The answer to that question might be i'm now the smartest person she knows :) but on a serious note, I believe I will be an excellent driving instructor/coach and I have some stuff to back it up.

Firstly, I have done this road test before and scored a big fat zero, it was my first time and I was pretty nervous. I did not even score a point. In an exam that probably means that I suck but in my road test examiner's mind I was a driver  who had already graduated from the student level. And this is what the driving test is all about, it shows to the examiner that you don't need your hands held and  you can make the decision necessary to be a safe and defensive driver and I aced it.

Proof to come later (exhibit A).

Secondly, I have been told that I am a pretty reckless driver, i'm not proud of it by any means as I have paid (literally money and time) for my actions but driving at higher speeds meant that you need excellent spacial awareness and maneuvering skills.

TIP: being able to put you car in a spot 100 ft ahead of you means that you have to be able to judge the length and width of the vehicle.

As you start off driving it can seem like a complicated task Ms. activities adviser, and it is but with some time in the driver's seat, you get accustom to the act of defensive driving. As time goes on, you almost do things unconsciously.

So lets go to the car, you first get in and get comfortable, adjust your seat and mirrors. On the day of the exam, I suggest you do this even if everything is already set. It shows the examiner that you are going by the book and that you must have had someone experienced grind this in you. Also, I kinda think this reassures the examiner that you have been driving for a while (and will not kill them), if done naturally, this can build on that illusion.

Don't try to shake there hands or start up a conversation, these people are not there to be your friend, as a matter of act, I reached out my hand for a shake and was left hanging. You are there to prove that you're a driving so show them what you are.

They can not shake your hand as examiners are accused of being bias and are now striving to neutrality.

Once you have greeted them and checked everything, be prepared to listen, maybe take a look at their seat belt and ensure it is buckled. If not, you can politely ask him/her to wear their seat belt,

Now, listen listen listen, no more talking from you until you can show you're a driver. The examiner will tell you everything you have to do so wait until you are told to do something. Once you are told to take the car out of park your exam commences.

"When its safe to do so, please proceed" ... take a deep breath, relax your nerves and just drive, it is as nature to you as breathing! Put your turning signal on look at your mirror and blind spot and confidently turn out, keep your speed up but under the speed limit. Listen for your next instruction.

"Please make a right at the light" ... remember to signal and you stop before the white line but not so far as you can still see it. When turning into a two-way street, use the S from "Stop" road marking as your guide, go as close to the S without touching it. If it is one way, stay in the middle.

If you are asked to make a left turn, most student driver get nervous but you are a driver so turn your signal on, wait for the light to go green and touch the gas confidently, if there are no cars in the opposite direction, tip the brake in the middle of the intersection and turn. If there is traffic, go to the middle and stop, keep your wheels straight and turn when its safe to do so. Remember, if it is busy you can stay in the middle until the red light stops for vertical traffic.

There is no point to get nervous while waiting, once you are in your lane and your foot is on the brake, you aren't going to kill anyone nor are you going to be penalized for it. Having said that, do not stand there after the light goes red as you will be blocking traffic from the horizontal flow.

You will be asked to make a broken U turn and parallel park during the test, lets tackle the broken U first, "Please pull to the corner and turn around" maybe the verbiage will not be the same but you get an idea when they mean broken U turn. Some key points here are signalling, number of wheel turns, head movement and not hitting the curb.

For every turn you make, follow this sequence:
1. Signal
2. Look (if you can look and turn the wheel at the sometime, even better)
3. Turn the wheel
4. Slowly move the car

When making a broken U turn, you signal that you are going to pull into the curb, signal that you are leaving the curb ;) ensure that it is safe to pull out and not an inconvenience to drivers in the opposite direction. Turn your wheel all the way to the left and go forward 3/4 of the way, stop, signal, turn the wheel all the way to the opposite direction, look and move 1/2 way back, then finally, turn the wheel three times, signal, look, then proceed.

It seems more challenging writing about it but let give parallel parking a shot, I personally am not the best at parallel parking but the key here is to practice and remember your "V" Try doing it a few times and remember the space between the side of the car and the curb, I consider this the V, If you can notice anything else that will help, like the backdoor handle try to remember that spot too.

You have done parallel parking before so no sense going over the details but once you have practiced and found that sweet spot, you will be hitting perfect again and again. Try to get half a foot to a foot away from the curb, no more, no less.

If you did well, you'll know before the results are handed to you. It should be all smiles, big grins and satisfaction of all the hard work you've put in. When you pass, lets drink and drive :D.

Be the nerd I know you to be and show me you're a driver, I know you can do it, and I think being able to drive will make a pretty big change to your lifestyle.

Exhibit A:

.. Drive Safe .. 

Weekend Projects

Whether we chalk it up to being lazy or just being irresponsible, starting a task and seeing it through all the way seems like a daunting task but it can done.

It start with an idea, a bulb that shines light on a solution, a solution that is so amazing, the end result will be mind blowing! You get excited by the thought of your new project and you are anxious to get started and jump into the thing. This anxiety brings ideas you can add to make the finishing better, you are happy inside and then comes the planning, oh the planning! 

We send hours and hours of our time considering what we want the end result to look like, how will it fit in, whether it will match or no, how will it perform and how fast can we get to that point
(I am very guilty of this, and many times would go as far as rendering digital model to get a sneak peak, I've done models for cars, houses even of a simple task of tinting windows).

After considering all the possibilities, coming back to reality is where the project starts, it is at this point that the fun idea beings a task and I feel like stop writing :D but with some persistence, a few minutes of procrastinating and the guilt of never seeing something through, you continue. 

Lets start with competency, are we skilled enough to complete the task at hand? maybe, or not, its not a bad idea to do some research. Nothing is too difficult for you to complete if you have the right information, remember information is power and with power all our limitations are subdued. Be prepared to read the manual, it might be boring and sometimes very confusing but being able to identify the different screws and bolts can be the difference between finishing the project and returning the thing.

Another important part of getting information is by going to the world wide web and search places like youtube.com or simply using google.com to find howto videos. These make understanding the assembling process easier as you get to see someone bring the thing to life. It should not be an alternative to reading the manual, think of it as the "pre-practical" part of the training. Take as much time as you need here, if you are up to it go as far as developing electronic model so you get an idea of how it will fit into your setup. When I mentioned this before, it might seem funny but it is after this step that you start un-boxing and categorizing everything, if you do not like your model, put the manual back in the box and return that item ! must likely you will still have everything in its original packing and most stores will not give you any hassle.

Alright, so you think you know what has to be done now, you think you can take an exam on that manual and pass with an excellent grade, that is awesome but lets hold on to it for a little bit. Most manuals have pictures  and that will help with our next step.

You can now get dirty with it, carefully review your manual and sort and label the different pieces. Separating them out and correctly labeling will reduce panic when you start assembling. Consider this, you are working with something that includes screws, you have started assembling it but have not sorted anything, many screws look alike but have subtle differences. You may not have reviewed all the screw to notice this difference and as a result, you have been using the wrong screw. This will lead to confusion and will result in prolonging the project. Please sort and label !!

Start assembling in parts, usually the manual will have you work on smaller pieces at a time then you will bring them all together, again please follow the manual. At this point avoid all shortcuts, if something needs to be wiped, cleaned, pasted, sanded etc, ensure that it is done as it will make the finishing even more mind blowing. The key here is to focus on details and ensuring that everything is of the right dimensions which will ensure maximum durability and effect.

Stay motivated, once you have completed this project, you will have a renewed sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Completing this project means that you have acquired skills that you no longer have to pay for, it means that you can see something through the end and most of all, you have blown your mind with what is possible with little effort. This will only  build your confidence, the confidence which will fuel the fire to your next project.

We can only accomplish what we believe is possible and I believe you can do it so finish it !