A successful experiment

[klwilliams]

Today seanan_mcguire had a signing, music, and cupcake party at Borderlands Books in San Francisco and I really wanted to go. For the past few months I've been avoiding driving to San Francisco, because my car was old and my legs were weak. However, the medicine has been working well, I got lots of exercise in Paris, and, yes, I have a new car(!). So, I drove myself to Borderlands, and had a great time (mostly hanging out in the coffee shop, where I ran into a guy I'd been on a panel with at FogCon) and got my Toby Daye books signed and ate cupcakes and said hi to Seanan and Jude and Emily and Jeremy and Deirdre and Rick and all sorts of other people whose names I don't remember or can't spell.

But. The really cool part is that I had no problems driving there and back. (OK, I did manage to go up 280 instead of staying on 101, because I didn't remember which one had the exit I wanted, and that had me driving around parts of San Francisco I don't normally go to which meant at one point I desperately needed to find a bathroom, but these things can happen to anyone. And I'm definitely getting a GPS system. Suggestions are welcome.) The really really cool part is my car. She's very lightweight, and practically flies down the highway. I was startled several times to see how fast I was going. (The rest of traffic was going that fast, too, and there weren't any cops. Whew.) And I have new bookses.

Comments

[aberwyn.livejournal.com]

Gosh, I wish I'd known about that.

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

Yes, it occurred to me belatedly that I should have called you up and brought you along.

[aberwyn.livejournal.com]

Well, if I'd only actually read the Borderlands website, I would've known enough to call you and ask to go along. :-)

Next time, mayhap.

[galeni.livejournal.com]

You rock.

[lifeofglamour.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[threeoutside.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the successful adventure! I think I've driven in SF three times and oddly, it got progressively more difficult and confusing with each trip. Or, maybe the first time was just beginner's luck.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Somebody was telling me the other day that there is an actual scientific cause for beginner's luck.

There's probably an actual scientific cause for driving in SF, as well.

[threeoutside.livejournal.com]

Huh. You'd think if they'd found a cause for it, we could figure out how to make it happen all the time.

;^>

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

Yes, but why would you *want* to drive in SF all the time? It's one of the few towns in the US with public transportation.

[threeoutside.livejournal.com]

Er, I wouldn't. It was more the consistent, predictable use of beginner's luck I was referring to. ;^>

[branna.livejournal.com]

I am so glad that the driving went well for you! Getting those parts of your life back is a big thing. Also, your new car sounds awesome :)

[edanam.livejournal.com]

One thing I've learned from Top Gear is that engine lose horsepower over time. As much as 50% of the original potential. So it's not surprising that your new car is a ton faster than your old one.

What have you named him or her?

[kahnegabs.livejournal.com]

Good luck on the GPS, sometimes they lie, but they are very useful. I have taken to carrying a map for "just in case." One night 237 was closed because of a big-rig accident, and when I was forced off that highway, the GPS would NOT lead me around it. I finally lied to it and told it I wanted to go to a place in southern SJ, where I knew I could find a highway that would lead me home.

I did learn something though, if you know the name of a place that would be a better starting point, you can lie to the robot lady and she will never know. Reeeeee-calculating!