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Maybe there's a better way to do this diagram.

In another first to report, I drove a manual transmission car yesterday. One of the other field engineers and I went over to some industry-related company for lunch yesterday because they were giving out food to get people to come see their wares. (This would be the same FE who took me shooting.) I can't remember how it came up, but I remarked on the way there that I had never actually driven a stick before so he offered to let me drive his Wrangler back. It was a little odd, especially since we were on actual roads with actual cars, though we took a back road with less traffic. Shifting from one gear to the next while gaining speed was pretty easy. It was starting from a stop that proved a bit trickier for me. Even downshifting to make turns was easier. I really wasn't used to the idea of using the clutch like a brake pedal. That also came up when it came time to park in our lot where we must face outwards so I had to back in to a spot. And I am definitely not used to letting off of a pedal slowly while climbing onto another one. My instinct was to just let completely off before pressing down on the next one. Hey, give me break, I drive with one foot like any other reasonable automatic transmission driver. Well, I successfully made it the mile back to the yard without crashing or totally ruining his Jeep.

I leave tomorrow for Tulsa for another work-related training course. While I won't be on AIM, I'll be reachable via all the other communication channels I never use anyway.