MSPSL

Had another 2-hour go at the Driving Simulator today.

Perfecting Gears didn't go too badly, but I absolutely sucked at Accelerating and Braking.

Not that I didn't brake "firmly and progressively," as the well-modulated female voice said of my performance, but because I kept taking too long getting to (and correctly changing gears to reach) the desired speed, which in my case was 60 mph. But my foot was pushing the gas pedal as far as it could go, and my gear change speed wasn't too bad, I think. I must've done the exercise a dozen times, wasting precious time, until I finally asked the staff for help, and she gave me a few tips to get around the machine's limitations. Finally, I was able to hit 60 by the time I passed my first post, maintained speed, braked at the second post and stopped and secured the car on the target spot on the road. But I was so frustrated at the time wasted, grrrrr! Simulators really are useful only up to a certain point, compared to actual on-road driving with an instructor, as you can't ask questions or ask your instructor to show you how it's done properly. So you're doomed to learn from your mistakes by trial and error, and hooray for you if you're a fast self-taught learner.

Then it was Emergency Stops, which was a piece of cake, as my reaction times were consistently quicker than average and my braking distance was shorter than was typical. I tried to make it make me feel a bit better, but then I thought, how many times in my life will I need to stop "as in an emergency," anyway? If you ask me, I'm hoping never.

Then it was Turning Left, Turning Right and Turning Right with an Oncoming Car, using the acronym MSPSL:

M-irror
S-ignal
P-osition
S-peed
L-ook

Some creatively-challenged person must've really hurt himself coming up with such a dorky acronym, I thought to myself. I mean, how much harder can it be to remember? I pictured myself on the road, trapped, driving past turns I should have taken, unable to turn because I couldn't remember the acronym that was supposed to make it easier to remember how to turn in the first place... Ummm, was it PSLMP? LPSPM? PSSP? MYMP? PPM? Waaahhh, I need to turn! There goes my son's school round the corner!!... Well, maybe my imagination needs a shorter leash, and maybe the "dorky" bit was unfair and hyper-critical of me, I admit, but I was having a frustrating session and needed to vent some bad vibes, remember?

So MSPSL, were you to blame for a bad run at the Simulator? Or maybe it was just my PMS?

Oh well. Till my next and last Simulator date on Thursday.

And then, come Saturday--- heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's on-the-road we go!