Behind The Wheel! (Or "On The Road Again!")

This last weekend I helped direct people into their positions in our city's annual parade; much like I've done for the last 10+ years... My father & one of his best friends have been doing the setup for the parade as long as I can remember; and I started helping myself once I was old enough to. This year was the first year I convinced Smurfette to give it a shot; and I'm happy that she gave it a go! It was a breeze, although there were a few little SNAFU's; but nothing major! The only issue I had (as usual) was the FUCKING SUNBURN!!!!! OH WHY?!??!?!? WHY CAN'T I EVER REMEMBER TO BRING/APPLY SUNSCREEN BEFORE STANDING OUT UNDER THE SCORCHING SUN FOR 5-6 HOURS?!?!!? WHY!?!!?!? -If you can't tell, I've got a fairly pale complexion (no, it's not because I'm an indoor recluse who shuns the sun to spend time with his computer; it's because my father's pretty much a god-damned ALBINO, and I managed to get those "burn to a crisp anytime he's in sunlight"-genes... I can't tan, I just burn... *sigh*

So, on another note: Today was my first official day of behind-the-wheel training. Apparently, that training was *supposed* to be 15 hours, but because I've driven before, I get to cut that in half!

Today we reviewed the Pre-Trip, where you check just about *everything* on the bus to make sure it's functional and working properly. Going out for a drive proved uneventful, but in this case; that's a *good* thing! When we arrived back at the Bus Garage/Terminal, I practiced my backing. This consisted of a 90* left turn into a 'street' made up of cones, and I'm supposed to stop with my rear bumper in an area no larger than two feet deep... Pretty hard to do when you're rusty (or a newbie), but I managed to pull it off w/o much of an issue. -I still needed the practice though, since the second time I tried it I wasn't lining up right, and my second try I'd come to a stop WAY too early...

Now, believe it or not, this is part of the road test; but I don't think I'd *EVER* done anything along those lines out on the road... The most I'd ever done was having to back up enough to get clear of an unexpected obstacle, and the other time I had to back up about 3 blocks' distance because I'd come to a dead end on a road out in a new development...

But, if it's on the test... *sigh* I should do well enough, but I've still got another day or so to practice anything I've got concerns about before I take the test itself... Fun Fun Fun!

Outside of that, my sales thread on TFW2005 is going strong, and has expanded onto another board I visit, this one a Midwest Transformers fan group... Pretty small, but I've already had two people show an interest in a figure or three... And that package I mentioned last week containing 2 Rhino DVD sets and a WHOLE bunch of toys? The buyer sent me $65 via Paypal and I just got confirmation that he has shipped out the MISB Masterpiece Starscream & some G1 Jetfire Armor & Gun Clips! The money was nice, as it was spent on a little more food, gas for the car, and whatnot... I don't know if I'm more excited about Starscream or the bits to bring my Jetfire to near-completeness!

The only sale that's been giving me trouble is the one destined for Ireland. The buyer didn't want to spend more than $30-35 total (including shipping), and wanted 3-4 figures (The main one was a junker for parts, and the other were for 'filler' to make the shipping costs worthwhile). No matter what I did at first, I just could *NOT* get the shipping under $21, while he was looking for a magical number of $13. After the second try at it, I repackaged all but one figure he wasn't sure about into a smaller, lighter box, wrapping each one in a sheet of newspaper, and put just a few other pages around the figures to keep them from shifting during shipping (and I hope still provide enough padding/protection). Bringing it *back* in to the Post Office, I was given a price of $15.92, so we'll see if that will work for the buyer...

Now, if I could only find a couple Bumblebees for Smurfette... She'd complained about me getting Transformers and she being unable to get anything for herself, but she's recently upgraded her cell phone (even though it was supposed to me *my* upgrade!)... So I think we're even... :D However, when I *do* manage to put some money in the bank, I am planning on surprising her with a 'new' Bumblebee figure... I just don't know which one yet...

Anyways, I'm going to hop off of here now, I'll be sure to update again either when I get my Starscream, or when I pass the Driving Test!
-Wish me luck on both!