Housebound

I am feeling super housebound because I don't have a car. Well, my brother and I actually share a car but it has been in a shop in Northern California since mid-June when it blew a head gasket on our way up to the Father's Day Bluegrass Festival. It's a 1984 Toyota and apparently, they don't make some of the parts anymore. My dad (our resident mechanic and car-maintainer) finally found the right part in a junkyard and then the owner of the shop broke his collarbone and can't work at the moment. It's too costly to have the car towed down here. My brother has a motorscooter but I don't really have another means of transport. I can't afford to buy my own car right now because I'm going to school for the next two years. My brother and I have worked it out so I can take the car to class and he'll use it the rest of the time (he drives his motorscooter to work anyway so he doesn't have to pay for parking). The other vehicles in the family (VW camper, Ford truck and two Volvos) are either stick shift or the carseat doesn't work in them. And yes, James owns a car (one of the Volvos) and he's not here right now so I could be driving it...if it weren't stick shift as well. I have tried a million and one times to learn how to drive it and I just can't. I am semi-okay until we get to hills and then the car rolls backwards and refuses to go forward and then I have a panic attack and James gets frustrated with me and I start crying and James has to drive us home and then the lesson is over and neither of us are talking to one another. My dad has tried to teach me too, as has James' father. There's no way I'm shelling out $180 for a 2-hour lesson at one of the local driving schools and quite frankly, I think I'm over trying to learn now anyway. All cars should be automatic...what the eff is the point of stick shift???? I saw a pretty nasty accident (we're talking body parts all over the road, really gruesome) in 2001. Since then, I've been rather wary around cars anyway, even automatic ones. I mean, I drive and all but I am probably a more cautious driver than most. So, I think we'll leave it.

Anyway, back to the point of this post. The point is that I'm feeling housebound without a car. Quite often it's okay, because I love long walks. So when Dorian is in a good mood and cooperating we just walk a half hour to the store or the BART (subway) station. I was going to do just that this morning. But the stroller is gone!!!! I realized my mom must have left it in the car when she babysat yesterday and my parents are out today. ARGH!!!! We have a running stroller but not only does Dorian not like it (still!), the basket on the bottom is way too small to hold any groceries. So, we will play on his piano for the billionth time and perhaps rip up some paper and chew on some wooden spoons. Poor little guy. He must think I'm punishing him for something. When Daddy is home, we go on all these fun trips. But when I'm watching him, I suck the life out of him. Dorian is going to be so ready for James to take over full-time parenting. Actually, maybe this isn't a bad thing. I think I'll make a point of boring him for the next 2 and a half weeks. Then maybe he won't miss me at all while I'm gone every day!