Just no hills, please

I may have neglected to mention in the new car entry that my car is a stick shift, manual, whatever you want to call it. Therefore, I have to learn to actually drive a stick shift in the next few weeks, having never touched one before.

Today I had my first lesson, and it went surprisingly well--for me, anyway. I'm not particularly coordinated or gifted with the machines--and I was a sucky driver for the first two or three years of my driving life. My poor little brother tried to find after-school activities so he would have an excuse NOT to ride home with me. But I only got in one (minor) accident, so maybe I was better than he thought.

Anyway, I practiced. Make sure it's in first, Clutch, brake, release the brake, release the clutch, foot hovering over the gas, wait for it--wait for it--now let the clutch out fully, give it gas, go, foot off the gas, press in the clutch, shift down into second, etc. I have to talk to myself like this as I do it.

There's much more I haven't practiced, for example, 1) actually driving on the road and 2) gears 3-5. But hey, first things first . . . or rather, first gears first.