Maura's Illuminated Manuscript

M'boy took his ACT today. For folks outside the US, that's one of the two standardized college entrance tests, the other being the SAT. Since he's got a learning disability, Aspiring Ex et al. arranged for him to have extra time to take the test, which is apparently a customary accommodation. He was taking the test on the UW campus from 0845 to 1430 today.

The ACT is in several sections. You're not allowed to skip back and forth between sections, but you're allowed to decide for yourself when to put down one and start another. You know where this is going: despite the extra time, my son didn't even start on the writing section.

Executive function, my son. Executive function.

I told m'boy, calmly even, that this wasn't good, and that he has probably hurt his chances of getting into a four year school. Since the writing section was technically optional - most students take it - and someone else (Aspiring Ex, I assume) signed him up for it, there ensued the Wendling's characteristically maddening attempts to spin things to make it seem as if it wasn't that bad. I don't buy it, and I don't think he buys it either anymore.

ETA: M'boy later insisted on looking up the UW's application directions, and they do indeed require the writing section. It looks as if AX was on the ball, as usual.

My poor son. He made a reasonable effort today, but he admits he could have practiced more to get up to speed on the other sections. He'd been told that time management was a big factor on the ACT, but he seemed to have forgotten that.

rigel_p pointed out to me this past spring that he doesn't seem to understand that something bad might happen to him if he doesn't learn to cope with (or better yet use) his various brain quirks. At least today might mark a turning point.

We went out for Korean food afterwards, because I'd promised him earlier and he didn't eat his snack until the test was over. (!) He demolished a plate of bulgogi and a bowl of green tea ice cream, and is currently asleep; he was up at about 0615.

Icing? His learner's permit for driving expired on October 9th. That's right: unbeknownst to anyone, he's been driving illegally for the last two weeks. He's got to renew that before he can get his regular license. Now that the ACT is done, he'll have time to study for that.

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For better or worse, I can't find any episode of Magnificent Century with English subtitles after season 1. I think that's Allah God telling me to stop watching it.

My son failed his final driving test for driver's ed. (This is distinct from the test to get his regular license.) His mistake? Picking the wrong lane while turning left. If you'll recall, I had a heart-stopping experience with that while riding shotgun with him. I feel for his instructor.

Poor boyboy. I think he wants to get his license almost as badly as his parents want him to, and he did practice a fair amount. I tried to get him to talk about what happened during the test - no yelling, even - but he didn't want to. He was probably just having a bad brain moment, and that's something you can't afford to do when you're driving. I told him he'd pass it next time, which is likely, I think.

You want to see me get all helicopter-y & freaked out? Wait 'til he does his first solo drive across Bellevue.

He'll be spending the weekend with me. There shall be either pizza, burgers, or pho for dinner, followed by the first episode new Cosmos as promised. M'boy's shift at work is in the early afternoon, and tomorrow night is Aspiring Ex's boyfriend's record release party; he does techno that doesn't suck too badly.

I logged many miles in the Sanctimobile yesterday. The agenda:

1. Pho with m'boy for lunch. I didn't have dinner with him Friday night because, well, I had a date. Yes, I messed up the scheduling and yes, I feel guilty about it.
2. Driving practice in the parking lot of his high school, specifically backing into parking spaces. He still doesn't have the motor skill of pointing the car where he wants it to go when he's reversing. He also keeps trying to rely on the backup camera, which is a big no-no, especially in tests. There will be more such practice in the future, I hope.
3. Tea and Stilton at chez kathrynt. She had lipstick that she wanted to get rid of, and I had a need of lipstick I can wear to work. It was about the closest I come to being nostalgic for the days right before Full Time. I left with a couple of suggestions for non-work lipstick, of course.
4. I stopped by the Agora. The occasion was gfish's open shop. I didn't have any projects, but I did get to be social with folks I wish I saw more often.
5. The holiday party for StartupCo, which was all lovely with the eats and drinks and gussied-up people. Despite being bare-legged, I didn't freeze to death to or from my car. I skipped the afterparty. My excuses? It was freezing outside, and I'm still trying to get over the cold I caught over Thanksgiving. And get off my lawn.

And in a nice bit of synchronicity, coming back from the Agora I saw signs telling me that Aurora was closed downtown. Had I not seen them, I would have been miffed, to say the least.

But first: on the way from driver's ed back to the old place, the Wendling almost creamed a Beemer while turning left from Redmond Way onto 148th. For those of you who don't know 425-land, there are two left turn lanes, and he was in the right one. Yeah, there are handy dotted lines in the intersection, but he tried to do the Aspie thing and obey the rule about making left turns into left lanes, forgetting about the car to his left that was turning inside him. There was some yelling, but it wasn't as bad as my reaction to his earlier disco move while trying to find the brake.

I'll give my son this: his mistakes are original.

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My Aspiring Ex signed m'boy up for a collision avoidance course this afternoon so that we could get a much-needed break on his insurance. He needed a parent and a car, and since it was my weekend with him, I got to take him down to a giant parking lot near the Emerald Downs racetrack.

We spent most of the two and a half hours doing three exercises:

1. Slalom through traffic cones - after the first trip through the cones, the instructor at the far end would signal us when to skip a cone. The part of this that made me laugh hysterically was when we did it backwards. We were nearly driving backwards in circles much of the time, instead of through the cones as intended. My poor son really needs to practice reversing.
2. Emergency stop - go as fast as you can, then stop as hard as you can. The point of this exercise is to get the kids used to the feel anti-lock brakes.
3. Emergency stop plus maneuvering - directed by an instructor at the far end with nerves of steel, apparently. Best part: when my son got a cone stuck in the right front wheel well. I had to get down on the asphalt and kick it loose. (Good thing I wore my less-nice boots.) The instructor called me a "tough person".

Which leads me to another thing: the instructors assumed I was m'boy's mother. He started to explain to them while he was about to do one of the exercises, but I stopped him. There were, after all, five or so cars behind us. But really, something about that instructor's vibe said ex-military. Even if I'd had time, I'm not sure I would have explained the whole situation. He did at least see all the queer bumper stickers on my Sanctimobile.