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Friday 1 October 2010

Square One

alarm clock
alarm clock by EureekasWindow*

If this blog has taught me anything it's to do things sooner.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I am LOVING my blogging experience right now and I don't want to take anything away from it.  However, I wish I had started it sooner!   How much farther down the blogging road would I be if I had started a year ago?  I suppose I will know in, well, a year.

But blogging isn't the only thing I wish I'd done sooner.  I wish I had taken my driving test at 17.  In fact, I wish I had taken it at all!  Driving is something that has never quite happened for me.  I can drive a car, if ninjas forced me, I could get a car from my house to where ever it may be the ninjas wanted to go.

learner brooch
Learner Brooch by PayneDesign

But I cant do it legally.  My test has always alluded me. I have only booked a test once.  The morning came round and I sat nervously on the edge of my bed waiting for my driving instructor to turn up, snapping: "YES I'M FINE!" to anyone who dared poke their head around my door (I'm not good with stress).  It wasn't long before his little red Corsa pulled up, and with my stomach sitting on my tongue I ventured out into, what I hoped, would be a new world of automotive freedom.

I hadn't even sat down in the front seat by the time my mum came running out with the news:  my examiner had called in sick and my test had been cancelled.  I cannot understate how much this rocked my confidence.  Convinced that that day was the only day I would ever possibly pass my test, I never re-booked.  My lessons fizzled out and two years later I still can't legally drive ninjas anywhere.  Every time I have to sit on a packed bus on miserable, rainy days, I think about that examiner and imagine all the ills that may have befallen him that day.  It is the only thing that gets me through the coughing, the fidgeting, the sneezing and the smell of my fellow passengers.

I also wish I had kept up with my guitar playing.  At secondary school I had the usual classical lessons which I found mouth dryingly tedious. I stretched my little fingers over scale after scale and knew more Russian folk tunes than I knew what to do with. But as tedium turned into a deep depression regarding anything to do with my lessons, I gave up. But, of course, NOW I wish I had carried on.  Now that I have been gifted a wonderful flowery guitar I wish I could play something on it.  But all those scales and all those Russian Folk songs escape me.  I am back at square one.

On my track record I think I will make Square One my new forwarding address. I am the Queen of Putting Things Off which is a rubbish empire to reign over; No-one makes the bed, no-one washes up, no-one plays the guitar and no-one can BLEEDING DRIVE!

Hopefully this time next year my blogging will still be bubbling along nicely.  Chances are I still wont be driving.  But I will endeavour to learn a tune on my guitar.  An actually tune.  One that I like and know all the words to.

Who needs a car anyway?  I'll walk to Square Two.



* This is just the cutest isn't it?  Are you handy with a crochet hook and fancy recreating items like this one?   Visit  the creators Etsy store for patterns HERE.

4 comments:

  1. Good for you! Best bit of advice I can say as one of those smug gits who can play the guitar (my old man is a guitar teacher so I had a head start!) is to practice for 30 minutes each day. It might not sound a lot but it is far more productive than frustrating yourself for an hour trying to play a C diminished! (spoken like a true guitar bore!)

    Post videos on a Youtube channel when you've achieved something, no matter how simple it is. People will find it and give you encouragement. I find it useful anyway for the Dobro and tenor guitar.

    Also, you should have learnt Russian folk tunes on a balalaika. Bad schooling!

    x

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  2. I'm rubbish at doing things too. I aimed to learn how to do at least one vintage hairstyle nicely but can't even do good victory rolls yet! I'm too impatient and get annoyed when I can't do it first time...or even in the first 5 times.

    I also have no motivation to exercise even though my Wii Fit is in my front room staring at me all the time. It's looking at me riiiiight nooow...

    Don't worry though, it's not just you. We should have a doing things (and completing them) year next year! And your writings are so good you can't stop! If you do I'll cut off your hands and have them for my own. xxx

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  3. At least you can claim to have been able to play the guitar at some point. I have had a guitar for 6 years and still haven't progressed passed Kumbaya! The problem I have is that every time I try, I realise I too have to start at the beginning again and I am awful at it. I understand practice makes perfect but practice is so time consuming and I want to just be perfect!

    Also, loving the alarm clock picture, but crochet is another thing that was a little too difficult and I still haven't progressed past granny squares!

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  4. Dave: I live with a guitar teacher now and I'm still struggling!! I would never have the guts to put anything out on youtube! One bad comment and Id stay in my bed for a week! But maybe I will, maybe I should be more "To Hell With It". Dont know why I capitalised that, it now looks like the title of an autobiography by some New York chat show host.

    Stef: You should keep trying! Everywhere I look online about vintage hairstyles always goes: Oh its so easy, blah blah blah! But i thinks they lie! It will be so worth it though!

    Rachel: Dont underestimate the power of a good Kumbaya! But I totally understand where you are coming from! Everytime I start something I just want to be able to do it NOW, not in a YEAR, NOW! As for the crochet, ditto. Im looking at the arms and belly of a bear I started about 2 months ago. poor little thing! x

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