Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Wait, this ain't California?

Lately, Jennifer has started to take an interest in driving. I have answered her questions about cars and driving where possible and even let her try shifting gears on my car a time or two. However, I have yet to break the news to her that it will be some time until she can actually start learning how to drive.

As I drove her to school this morning (she ended up missing the bus because we had a "shoe crisis"), I started to wonder how old she had to be in order to legally drive with a learner's permit. In California, you can have a learner's permit when you are 15 years old (though I don't know if they've changed that since we left).

As I started to ponder this next dilemma, a scene from the movie Elizabethtown came to mind. It's the scene where Orlando Bloom's character, Drew, is trying to make a case to have his father cremated. At one point, he gets all huffy and says, "And that's the word from California!" What had me break out into hysterics was what came next in that scene. Where he realizes his mistake and says, "Sh*t. OREGON." Everybody laughs and he laughingly adds, "You know, we really are from Oregon."

I was laughing so hard over this because it so applies to us. Sometimes, it's like I forget we are in OREGON, not California, so California laws no longer apply here. It's the Oregon laws we have to think about.

So, I checked this out later in the day, and, yes, she can get a learner's permit when she is 15 years old.

And that's the word from Oregon!

6 comments:

Millie said...

LOL! Well, I haven't seen that movie yet but it looked cute. I can see how you could get confused about the laws because it's not something you think about everyday or see posted somewhere. But shit, how could you confuse being in Oregon for Cali? Pine tree vs. Palm tree- easy as that! lol

Dawn Wilson said...

LOL I KNOW! And if I WAS in Cali, at least I could visit you guys! And I also imitate Drew freaking out and going "did I miss 60B??!" whenever I get lost, which happens a lot, as you know. I love that movie. It's so cute and it has quite a few funny moments. Reminds me a lot of OUR family. I think I quoted this movie on the Greenwolf page. Well, I went out and bought it after I rented it. I could watch it all day. That's how much I like it! :)

Dawn Wilson said...

Forgot to mention: That scene of the movie is funny because during the earlier part of the movie, when he's visiting his relatives in Kentucky, they all keep saying he's from California and he keeps correcting people, saying he's from Oregon. The kid, Samson, reminds me of Little Brent, but his dad reminds me of Darrin!

Anonymous said...

in Washington you can't get a learners permit until
1. You are enrolled in a drivers ed program which costs $375 through the high school
and
2. You are 15 and a half.

Therefore my daughter being 16 and 1 month old is just now applying for her permit because she has not been able to fit drivers ed into her crazy full AP class filled curriculum!

Hopefully the laws are different in OR. I know in CA they still offer the class in school for free and also in North Carolina.

Now I know the meaning of "the high cost of living in WA" Everything everyone else gets free, we have to pay for!
I think we should move!

Dawn Wilson said...

Nancy, that's outrageous! Yeah, Driver's Ed is FREE in California. However, my dad still hired a private driving instructor for both me and my younger brother, I guess to compliment our driving instruction from school. I don't know if they charge in Oregon. I will have to find out. I hope not. They shouldn't charge for that. That's crazy.

Dawn Wilson said...

On another note: You have to pay if you want to enroll your child into preschool in Oregon. But in California, preschool is FREE!