The Art of Driving

Last year, I would drive myself to school every day. Not only would I drive to school, but I would drive myself to work, the mall, sports practices, and my friend’s houses. Everywhere I went I drove. Now that I’m at college with no car, I’ve learned to appreciate driving. Walking to all my destinations can be a drag, and I’ll admit sometimes I hesitate going places because of the distance.

                Driving is a process. One has to earn the right to drive by passing a written exam, qualifying age wise, and completing a physical driving test. Every state has different requirements. I’m from New Jersey, so I will be writing about the process of receiving a driver’s license from a New Jersey perspective.

                If an individual has the desire to get their driver’s license, they need to complete a semester course called Auto Safety. Most Auto Safety classes are required classes that sophomores have to take in high school. The course consists of learning the basic road rules. For instance, yield at all yellow triangular signs and knowing the left lane on the highway is used as a passing lane only. At the end of the course, each student is required to take a written exam. As a student, it is possible to get a discount on car insurance if the student receives a score of 90% or higher. If the student passes, a card is assignment to them, giving him or her permission to get their permit at the age of 16.

                After turning 16, the student is eligible to take a 6 hour course with an instructor teaching how to drive. Typically the student will sit in the driver’s seat and is talked through how to start the car. As he/she drives on the road, the instructor constantly provides assistance and gives advice on what to do in unusual circumstances. Once the six hours with the instructor are completed, the 16 year old receives their permit. A permit allows a teenager to drive with an adult whom is older than 21. There are certain restrictions being that only one other passenger is allowed in the car, not including the adult. A driver with a permit is not able to receive their 17 year old license until six months has passed.

                On their 17^th birthday, the birthday boy or girl has to go to their local DMV and take a state driver’s test. The course takes a total of five minutes if done correctly. Within the course, there is a section for parallel parking, K-turns, backing up, and standard driving. The test is said to be so easy that it most people mess up on basic sections like stopping at a stop sign.

                Once the test is completed, the student can then go retrieve their driver’s license and roam the roads at their own will. Of course there are restrictions: A 17 year old can only drive between the hours of 6am-11pm and have one other person in the car. Last year I took my car for granted. Now that the holidays are approaching the only thing I can think about is going for a long drive.

Freebie Concert

Jack Johnson is a pretty famous artist and songwriter, so if you have never heard of him I’d be quite surprised. Jack is known for performing his soft rock and acoustic songs. Any fan can tell you that he is from Hawaii and is big into surfing. As for me, I have always been a huge fan of his music. Not only are the melodies catchy, but the lyrical aspect is as well. His music is slow which is perfect for whenever I’m in a mellow, studying mood. So when I found out that he was coming to Penn State, I became very excited. As if his presence would not be enough, I learned that admission was free! I hoped that I would score a good seat, but a part of me knew that about 1,000 other people were hoping for the exact same thing.

                Of course there was a line stretching for what seemed like miles. I knew that I was not going to get the opportunity to be up close, but I quickly accepted that once I began to realize I would be lucky if I even got a ticket. As soon as my roommate and I caught hold that there was no longer a line, we rushed to the Eisenhower building to retrieve our $0.00 ticket for the evening. 

 

  As the night quickly approached, I waited in line with some friends and unfortunately found myself in what would be considered as the nose-bleed section. I was not about to complain because for starters, this concert was free and the Eisenhower auditorium was relatively small. My distance was considered decent if I were to be at Madison Square Garden. Like all concerts, there was an opening performance. G-Love did the honors of opening up for Jack Johnson. The opening performance was rather slow and almost painful to watch because of how antsy I was to see Jack Johnson’s performance. When he finally came on, I don’t think my smile ever left my face. He was just as good live as he was on the radio. He strategically played all of his most well-known songs consisting of “Better Together”, “Banana Pancakes”, “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing”, “Taylor”, and so on. There’s always some comfort in being able to sing along to every song at a concert.

Jack Johnson is so musically talented that he was able to switch among three different guitars. Acoustic, he noted, was his favorite to perform. Along with his music, Jack took the time to explain the premise of what each song was based on. He went into personal anecdotes that helped inform all of us what the message of the song was. Jack Johnson made his performance at Penn State feel more personal rather than just some obligation of his. I thoroughly enjoyed my time, and I don’t think the smile on my face ever disappeared.