Joe

Before I lived in Los Angeles I lived in Europe, in a relatively small town in south Tipperary and in London. I have actually lived a quite a few locations over the years, mostly to do with work. once upon a time.
Of course one had to drive in Ireland to get anywhere, although public transportation around the country isn’t bad, it’s easier if you can drive!

My first experience driving was with my sisters husband, I think I was around 16 and the car was a Hillman Hunter. I was outside town and the small road was clear of any other traffic and might remain that way for days!

I was a bit wobbly but I managed to get the steering to a place I didn’t create too much fear in my passenger. After I left Ireland and headed back to London I went about getting Professional driving lessons. I was able to get the help I needed by a friend who taught divers out at Heathrow airport. Being a Irish community it will come as no surprise his name was Sean. So I went about getting a driving lesson every week for quite a while. Thing was after a bit we got the whole driving thing down it was more of a social thing every week. We would go for a drive and try some new things, then off to the pub for a couple of pints before he drove me home.

Before I took my driving test in England there was a permanent move back to Ireland due to family issues. So I am back in Ireland and it time to get a driving license. I applied and took the test and passed, Yay! I have a license and have the freedom of the road.

Well after you passed a test at that time 1980, you were presented with a certificate which was valid I think for fourteen month’s. Somebody in my family who will remain nameless said “why don’t you wait and use that time before you get the full license?”

So I did just that! And I waited until the cert had been used up before going for a full license. But being a cert and not a full license after it had expired (by a bloody day), it couldn’t be used to get a full license. So had to go take the bloody test again!!

I applied and yes of course I got the same instructor for the test. he was a bit surprised to see me again. Well it’s not something you would expect, but after I explained what happened he was going to make this as simple as possible.

First he asked me questions about road signs & we moved briskly out to the vehicle.
I did the required moving mirrors and making sure we were both strapped in. (Dangerous country roads you know). So he asked me to drive around the block, I did so without incident. We pulled in and he turned to me and asked “have you forgotten anything since I last saw you? I said “no” he said you passed, now go and get a bloody license!

I did!

The Year is about 1996 and I drove a beat up escort with only two seats, sometimes people mistook it for a mustang, but believe me when I say it wasn’t! I was living in Korea town because apartments were cheaper in that area at that time. I had to pay for parking in a LOT that was beside the building that was also used for public parking during the day and had attendants.

It was early evening and I had shopped for groceries and pulled into the parking LOT heading towards the rear where I liked to park. I wasn’t paying too much attention to what was actually going on in the LOT, minding my own business kind of thing. I parked and retrieved my two bags of groceries intending to head to my lovely single apartment. I turned and a few things happened pretty much at the same time!

First I heard the screeching as the police cars drove at speed into the LOT! I see them stop and get out pointing weapons at a group of maybe a dozen asian males in the center of the LOT. There was a helicopter overhead with the bright light beaming down upon the group of males, oh I forgot to mention that were all dressed the same, dark long pants but no tops on! I figured it was either a weird topless gang or a boy-band!

So there I was standing on the edge of this drama waiting patiently with my grocery bags in hand, trying to figure out what my next move will be. I had to walk by this drama to exit the LOT! Well to cut a short story even shorter the Gang/Boyband decided to prostrate themselves on the ground under police guidance. When they had complied to the extent that I figured I could remove myself from the situation I did so.

Peace!

I would be the first person to tell anyone I am not a writer, I have opinions like any other person. But writing is not my Gig. Why do you have a blog then? I hear you say!

Originally I started my blog, long ago under another name because I wanted to talk about technology and computers and internet freedom, you get the gist!
I am reasonably acquainted with html, css, javascript, I speak mac, windows and linux, and my studies continue. I don’t seem to find the time to sit down and write about it, and I have always struggled with what to say. I hear that happens to actual writers as well!

My wife Susan is a poet, she has a way with words that I admire and respect, to manipulate words like a good poem shows me how the words being the bricks can make so many different walls. It’s a gift I do not have, and I am ok with that, we all have to be different or the world would be very boring. I am the anti-poet to her poet, where she is the writer I am her tech support. It works really well and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I am a Lord of the Rings Tolkien nut, and I could at one point in my life recite poetry in either Sindarin (low Elvin) or Quenya (high Elvin) languages. While I love poetry and love how words can be manipulated to express visuals in so many ways, I have always found it difficult to express why I like a certain poem or not. The vocabulary to detail what is good or bad about some writing is missing in my head. I am not saying I am in some way stupid or inferior because even if I was I probably wouldn’t know it!!
I feel my head is just wired differently, which takes me back to why I am writing this today. I bet you were wondering about that!

I wrote a blog a few days ago, my monthly post. And Susan read it and made a lovely comment, because she is my biggest fan! And I went about my days knowing I had done my duty to wordpress and the blogging world in general. Two days later I went on wordpress and to my surprise I had comments to my post. You may think I am crazy but I hadn’t expected that, I don’t know why but it just wasn’t in my field of view. I felt a bit bad because I write a post then head off into the wilderness and I didn’t want anyone to think I was intentionally being rude. And through Susan I have met some very exquisite people in the blogging world. So to you I would say this, if I like your post I really mean it, but I may not comment very much. And if I go missing for a few days, it’s because I am in the other room!

Peace