Visit the kelpforest....

I can't possibly say it any better than Neil (and probably even less well than you):

From his journal:

I know it's bad form to repeat yourself, but I was about to list all the things I hope for the readers of this blog in 2005, and I realized I'd already written it back in 2001, when I said...

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't to forget make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

And I really still do.

A lot to live up to. And yet really, not so very hard. Best, happiest and most importantly, healthiest, of New Year's to all of Us.

*put here because LJ would not let me comment*

I learned to drive in high school. I don't know if they still do this - it might have been the victim of many school budget cuts. The first time I ever got behind the wheel, and tried to make a left turn, I drove up a curb, knocked over a fence, and put a big dent in a tree in someone's yard. I stepped on the gas instead of the brake, and even though the teacher had a brake on his side, the gas pedal overpowered it. It was one of those succulent type of desert trees (like a yucca), and if I had been going very fast, the whole thing would have shattered; as it was I only got the bumper green. The next day, I heard one of the teachers talking on the phone to someone at another school - "Yep, right up the curb. Knocked over the fence. Uh-huh. Right into the tree...." I wanted to sink into the floor, and yes, I never wanted to get behind the wheel again. (Edit: Happened by this house just recently - here are some pics of the site after ~30 yrs.)

At the end of the class, they gave us a mock driving test, and for some reason, I had to do it in a stick shift which I had never driven before. I had to make a three point U-turn, and when I went to back up, I went too fast and hit the curb, causing the spare tire to fall out from under the car and drag in the street. They were trying to put the tire back while the car was crosswise in the street!

While I still had my learner's permit, my father allowed my to drive on a family trip to see a great uncle. Before I even made it to the freeway, I made too tight a right turn, went up another curb and dented the intersection's signal control box.

Obvously, the curbs and I were not seeing eye to eye. Only logical, since they were about 5 feet 2 inches shorter than I was.

Later, my dad had me pratice with our old VW bug, and I eventually got it down, and the curbs and I came to terms. I did get my license, although it took me two tries, and, despite a bumpy beginning, I have been a relatively safe driver for about 23 years. When I bought my first truck, it was a stick, mostly because it got better gas mileage (and it was a truck because I never knew when I might have to throw a dead porpoise in the back, which just would not have worked with a sedan).

It will take a little while, but you will get the hang of it. Soon it will be second nature. Keep trying. *Sends waves of encouragement*

Because bakayaro_onna is a very wise woman.

I know some of you are going through some very rough times right now. I want you to know that although I may not know you all that well, you have been generous enough to share your thoughts and moments in your lives with me. I care about you and you're never far from my thoughts.