Listen to the episode
Driving Profile: Shira & Arielle
(sneak peek)
SHIRA: I drove back from Jackson which was about 18 hours to my parents in New York, and it was completely fine until I hit the tri-state area. And I was so stressed.
(intro music)
BHAVNEET: Welcome back to Drive With Us, a podcast where we bring on a new guest every episode to talk about the crazy things they experience on the road, who they are as drivers and how they became the driver they are today. I’m Bhavneet.
TARANJIT: And I’m Taranjit.
BHAVNEET: And this is the last episode of season 2.
TARANJIT: Noo. I’m kind of sad, but then at the same time like I cant wait for the next season.
BHAVNEET: Yeah, it’s super exciting that we made it to the end of season 2. Woooo. And we have even I was going to say greater. Even greater.
TARANJIT: We have even greater cuz we can talk.
BHAVNEET: Yes, we have even greater content for season 3. Wooo. Yeah. So this is the last episode of season 2. So be sure to follow us on Instagram @DriveWithUsPodcast for updates on season 3.
TARANJIT: Yeah. Today’s drivers are Shira and Arielle, who have been friends since 2015 since their first job after college and are host of the counter programming podcast. Today they shared with us there many road trip stories. Like what happened on Arielle’s drive from California to New York and driving over your neighbors lawn.
(transition music)
BHAVNEET: Welcome back to Drive With Us Podcast, a podcast where we bring on a new guest every episode to talk about the crazy things they experience on the road, who they are as drivers and how they became the driver they are today. I’m Bhavneet.
TARANJIT: And I’m Taranjit.
BHAVNEET: And this is the last episode of season 2.
TARANJIT: Nooo. I’m kind of sad but then at the same time I can’t wait for the next season.
BHAVNEET: Yeah, it’s it’s super exciting that we made it to the end of season 2. And we have even a I was going to say greater. Even greater.
TARANJIT: We have even greater cuz we can talk.
BHAVNEET: Yes, we have even greater content for season 3. Yeah. So this is the last episode of season 2. So be sure to follow us on Instagram @DriveWithUsPodcast for updates on season 3.
TARANJIT: Yeah. Today’s drivers are Shira and Arielle, who have been friends since 2015 since their first job after college and our hosts of the Counter Programming podcast. Today they shared with us their many road trip stories, like what happened on Arielle’s drive from California to New York and driving over your neighbors lawn.
(transition)
BHAVNEET: Welcome Arielle and Shira. Thanks so much for joining us.
ARIELLE: Thank you for having us. We’re so excited to be here. So glad you reached out
SHIRA: Yes. Thank you guys.
TARANJIT: I can’t wait to hear your driving stories because I know Arielle was in LA and now you’re in New York, so you probably have some crazy ones from there. And then on top of that you guys worked in Mississippi, which you said you drove a lot. So the first question we love to ask all our guests is what is one of the most craziest or most memorable driving experiences you have had?
ARIELLE: So I think she ra and I can tag team this one. We have many stories within the larger of experience of our first job after college.
SHIRA: Yeah. So we worked for a nonprofit in Jackson Mississippi. Shout out to The Institute of Southern Jewish Life. And part of our job was to travel to different Jewish communities across the South and so we drove anywhere that was within 8 hours of our home in Jackson.
TARANJIT: Wow. That’s a lot.
ARIELLE: So it was a lot of driving and we actually when you reached out to us, we were like did they see our blog post that we wrote in 2015 because we should send that to you.
But basically we wrote…
SHIRA: We wrote a blog post called driving ourselves crazy and it was a breakdown of everything. We did hour by hour to keep ourselves sane on 8 hour drives. So the podcast we listened to, the show tunes we belfted out, that moment where you start feeling a little bit like agitated and crazy.
ARIELLE: The moment where you start talking to yourself. It’s all there
SHIRA: Yes.
BHAVNEET: Oh wow. I definitely need to read that now.
ARIELLE: Yeah, Definitely. We will send that to you after. It’ll be a great supplemental material for the listeners to check out. But I think overall, you know, there were some times where we would drive more than 8 hours a day if there was traffic or if there was some sort of unexpected weather event. So we really had experiences on these car rides like major flooding in the New Orleans area and sometimes even in lower Louisiana in general. And it was pretty nuts. Like we we definitely have been through it all in terms of driving. Good experience for your first job.
SHIRA: My I think my craziest memory is my drive from Jackson to Dallas in the middle of a snowstorm.
ARIELLE: That’ll do it.
SHIRA: I’m from New York and people in the South truly, no offense, do not know how to drive in the snow. And there were 17 accidents on the highway. Like that’s what Google was telling me what the delay was. They were like you’re delayed because there are 17 accidents.
ARIELLE: Geez.
TARANJIT: Wow.
SHIRA: And there was I remember someone in front of me I guess they didn’t know that you have to clear off the back of your your car with the snow so you can see out your back window and I was just like this this person is going like we are going to get in an accident.
BHAVNEET: Isn’t that like kind of obvious?
SHIRA: Right.
BHAVNEET: Like don’t’ you want to be able to see?
SHIRA: That was right. Cuz that was I don’t think it was heavily snowing at that point.
It had snowed. And I I called the congregation tha tI was going to visit and I was like, I’m going to be late because I’m going to drive as carefully as I can and I’m very scared and I will get there when I get there.
BHAVNEET: That’s crazy. Like yeah, I don’t know. It’s like in the South it’s like people are like they see snow and they are like, what is this foreign substance?
SHIRA: Yeah.
BHAVNEET: But 8 hours every oh my gosh, that’s crazy. Like I know 8 hours for like a vacation trip, it’s like okay. You’re fine.
ARIELLE: Yeah. At least you’re going somewhere. This time it was work on the other end. So it was hard.
BHAVNEET: How far of a radius can you get from there in about like 8 hours?
ARIELLE: That’s a great question. My longest drive was from Jackson, Mississippi to Augusta, Georgia. So really the end of Georgia. And there was a time change, so really it was as if I was driving 9 hours. It was nuts.
BHAVNEET: Wow.
SHIRA: My longest I think was to Bentonville, Arkansas, which is the very top of Arkansas at the border of Missouri. And so that I think that was like 7 1/2 hours or so, but that most of our drives were closer to 6 hours I would say.
ARIELLE: Yeah. On average.
SHIRA: But the second you go over 6 hours it really is exhausting. Cuz you also have to leave early. Like we would leave on a Friday and we drive all day Friday. Then we’d work Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. And then we drive back Sunday and you get back to Jackson Sunday night, and…
ARIELLE: There is truly no tired like the tired of I just driven myself all over the South and talked to only myself in the car.
BHAVNEET: I bet. Oh my God.
TARANJIT: I was going to ask if you guys took turns driving but it sounds like you made the trips yourself or you were the sole driver?
ARIELLE: So I feel like in order to explain this fully so that listeners will understand. We will have to give them a more in-depth understanding of the company that we worked for. And I feel like they should just sponsor it at this point. Shira would you like to give a little low down on the Institute of Southern Jewish life?
SHIRA: Yeah. So it’s a wonderful organization that helps bring Jewish resources to Southern Jewish communities of varying sizes and in very in various parts of the South. So some of the Jewish communities are in large cities like Houston or Dallas and some are in really small areas like Bentonville, Arkansas. And we visit as we were education fellows and part of our job is to visit these communities 3 times a year. So during the summer we traveled together and then we traveled with other fellows. And these were very short visits like more for them to meet us and for us to meet the community. And so we would try to fit like 4 different community visits into a week. So we would go you would go to Atlanta and as a group you would visit like 4 different synagogues in Atlanta or in the Atlanta area
and then during the year during the fall and the spring you would travel to these communities by yourself and you’re spending extended weekend with just one community.
TARANJIT: Oh. Okay. That makes a little more sense.
ARIELLE: That about sums it up. And I guess the overall point of the organization is that in larger mostly Northern Jewish communities there’s a lot of resources, a lot of Jews and in the South it tends to be that there was a big Jewish population at one point and now that has dwindled, but there are still Jews they are. And older Jews who want their grandkids and kids to have access to Jewish resources. And that’s why this exists. It was a cool first job. And definitely I learned so much about driving.
TARANJIT: I’m sure. Especially with all those long drives. So has having to drive that long made you hate driving or love driving more?
SHIRA: So I really hated driving. I pretty much did the bare minimum in high school. Like I got I did the hours I needed to get my license, I got my license and then I went to college and pretty much did not drive for 4 years. And then somehow I decided that this was a good fit for job-wise, and then I would figure out how to drive. And so I got to Jackson and I leased my first car and you like in Jackson you have to drive everywhere. It’s not a walkable city. And our office was on the other side of the highway from where we lived. So I got I definitely got more comfortable with driving. I will say now I live in Manhattan, so I really don’t drive anymore. And that initial driving anxiety definitely comes back because I basically go on a long drive by myself like once a year now, and I’m so not it’s not like I’m driving everyday. And I feel like when you drive everyday you kind of get used to it and it was a really cool way to see the South. So at the time I think I like it made me like driving to a point. Like the 6 hour drive I could do and once you went over that I got very like antsy and tired.
ARIELLE: Yes and for me, I drove after the fellowship ended for me in 2016. I drove to California. So Jackson to California. Then just about a week ago, I got back from a road trip where I drove from, California to New York. So I I enjoy driving. I like to drive by myself because I really like to listen to podcasts and I like to overload podcast listening
like just too much to the point where like, I might not even remember what’s real life and what’s podcast, but that’s fine with me. I would say, you know, I was driving this most recent road trip with my sister which was good. But it was also, you know, you don’t really get to do what you want in the car. Like you have to you have to take somebody else into consideration, which is good and bad
SHIRA: Good practice for being a human. But you know.
ARIELLE: Yeah. No it’s good to consider other people I guess. So anyway I would say overall yes. I still have a good relationship with driving. I would much rather do a long drive then like first of all living in LA was just truly the worst type of driving. You know, you’re going 5 miles and it literally can take an hour sometimes and that is just such a miserable thought. So I would rather a long drive any day.
SHIRA: Also driving in the South is really wonderful because you go for long stretches where there’s no traffic in the same way that there is in the northeast or in LA
and so it’s not the same stop-start like it’s not as frustrating an experience. Like you’re really just on open roads for a long time and that has it’s own cathartic practices, especially when it’s light out. I feel like when it was dark out that made me anxious. Like you don’t see a street light for you know, a 100 miles and you don’t see another car.
SHIRA: I want to shout-out Los Angeles from the month of March to early June for there being no traffic on the road. It was amazing. It’s like the biggest secret to drive during that time. It was unreal. I also want to shout out me in 2015 when I decided when I decided that I want to pee while driving.
SHIRA: Oh my God.
ARIELLE: Because I really had to pee and I thought now would be a fun time to try peeing while driving. And I hope this doesn’t ruin any potential job prospects for me in the future.
Just know that I’m a truth-teller and I like to be honest future employers. So yeah one time wanted to try to pee while driving. I was driving alone. I was on I-20 somewhere between Anniston, Alabama and Birmingham, Alabama. Really had to pee. Had an empty big cup and decided that I would put the car in cruise control and I successfully peed while driving. The only problem was that I then did not know what to do with the cup.
SHIRA: I was the one who picked you up from dropping off your rental car that day and you were so excited about that. And I was just like, okay. And you have to get in my car
and I was like, just get in my car. I’m horrified by you.
BHAVNEET: Oh my God.
ARIELLE: Well I didn’t pee on myself. I was actually very good at it.
TARANJIT: That’s a story you want to tell everyone.
BHAVNEET:That’s a skill for your resume.
ARIELLE: I’m genuinely proud of it. And what happened was that like I got yes. I remember this, too. I remember Shira picked me up and I was like, hehehe. And she was like, what? And I was like hahaha. I have to tell you something. Snd she was like, what? And I was like I peed while driving.
SHIRA: Oh my God.
ARIELLE: Very ridiculous. Can’t not tell that story on this podcast though.
SHIRA: It’s exclusive for you guys.
ARIELLE: Yeah.
TARANJIT: So while you’re driving across the country, how was that? Did you experience anything crazy or like unexpected?
ARIELLE: Yes. So a few things. My sister and I left Los Angeles July 2nd and we made our way North the first day. We went to Berkeley. Then the next day we went East. We went to Lake Tahoe. And somewhere between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, we noticed that the car was losing gas extremely fast. Like faster than normal. We are worried about it. We had no idea why this was happening. So we’re like, okay, no big deal. We’ll pull over whenever. So we’re driving, but the road is so windy and up and down. So every time we would push the gas in order to continue along the road with everybody else at the same pace, the gas goes down like way faster than it should of. And I have a little reader on my car that says how many miles till empty. So we were at something like 20 miles till empty and the nearest town was 22 miles away. And we didn’t even know that the town would have gas. So we were you know, we were just kind of like resigning ourselves to the fact that this early in the trip we would have to call AAA and be like, can you just take us to the nearest gas station? We messed up. So we were just ready for that. But somehow the car stuck with us and we we made it to a gas station with 3 miles to go and we were like, we’re never going to let this happen again. So from then on we were very very careful with our gas consumption and we filled up pretty much every time we saw a gas station to the point where we were filling up when we had like 98% of a full gas tank. It was ridiculous. But at the same time, a light went on in my car that told me that I needed to get service immediately and that light we took it to a few Ford dealerships along the way and they just kept telling us, oh you’re fine. You might get stranded in the middle of nowhere but if you continue like you’re fine. And we were like we’re going to take those odds and just keep going. And so we finally got it fixed in Minnesota. So like 2000 miles later. But when we were on our way to Minnesota between South Dakota and Minnesota, we were driving on a two-lane road and a car opposite us passed us, and the second it passed us, a rock flew into our windshield and shattered the windshield.
TARANJIT: Oh my gosh.
ARIELLE: It was terrifying. We pulled over and there was nothing to do. There was there were no windshield repair. It was Sunday afternoon. Nobody was open. But even if they were, there were no places for 100s of miles. And that’s what made me think there needs to be some sort of uber but for car repair because like if the windshield we could drive on it thankfully, but if not, we would have been stuck in some town where there were no hotels and I genuinely don’t know what we would have done.
SHIRA: I kind of had a similar well sort of similar experience. My car was broken into in a parking lot when I was visiting my friend in Austin. And they shattered my whole passenger seat window and so I couldn’t have driven back to Jackson. Cuz I’m not driving 8 hours on a highway with like you know that terrible feeling in your ears if your window is open
ARIELLE: Yeah.
SHIRA: And also glass just like everywhere in my car. And I called so many places near us where we could potentially come tomorrow to fix it. Like I didn’t find it until like 11 p.m. the night before I was supposed to leave. And then we finally found a place that could service the car, but it was like a 20 minute drive away. So my friend just sat in the backseat screaming directions at me as we’re driving on the highway with a seat full of glass. And cuz we needed like a professional vacuum to clean it up so we didn’t cut ourselves. And just like the terrible drumming on your ears from the window. Very scary. So I’ll support your Uber like venture.
ARIELLE: We need Uber for broken cars. We do. And you heard it here first people. We need it.
BHAVNEET: Exactly.
TARANJIT: They now have tires like fix you tires on wheels. I think Goodyear has it. So they should make that for like all types of car repairs where it’s on wheels.
ARIELLE: I’ll be honest as a woman. I know that I should have learned a few more car safety skills along the way. I don’t know how to change a tire. And I didn’t learn how to what the safety protocol is when your car gets broken into and all that kind of stuff. But I just think we have technology for so many other things, we should have technology for this. There should be somebody willing to drive up to my car and fix it right then and there with a bunch of different glass panes in the back to replace my windshield. I just think it’s possible.
BHAVNEET: I agree. I definitely think it’s possible. Maybe someone will hear this and be like, all right. We’re going to invent it. And then you can get credit.
ARIELLE: That’s right.
TARANJIT: I can only imagine how much gas you bought on this whole trip across the country from constantly just filling up.
ARIELLE: I do not want to know. I’m not interested in doing that math right now or ever.
I don’t want to know how much I spent.
SHIRA: I actually I drove back from Jackson which was about 18 hours to my parents in New York. And I did it over 3 days. So not nearly as long as Arielle’s cross-country trip. And it was completely fine until I hit the tri-state area and I didn’t have an EZ Pass cuz I forgot about tolls. Because there’s like no tolls in Mississippi. And I got so turned around on the GW Bridge and I ended up driving in circles and ended up back in New Jersey.
ARIELLE: No.
SHIRA: And I was so stressed. It was truly one of the most traumatic driving experiences.
ARIELLE: And just when you’re almost at the end of it. That’s so sad.
SHIRA: Yeah. The first like 2 1/2 days of driving were completely fine because it was driving in less populated areas, even like I guess I was kind of near Baltimore and DC so slightly more populated but still fine. I’m telling you once it once I got to New York, traumatizing.
BHAVNEET: So all these places that you have been ,our next question is there is typically stereotypes that are associated with drivers in different areas. Were there any particular ones that you’ve noticed in the places that you’ve been like New York or LA or anywhere that you’ve driven through?
ARIELLE: Yes. People in the South don’t know how to handle winter weather. And I can back that up because one time I was in Atlanta, I was driving through Atlanta and there was an ice storm and people could not move. And it was really dangerous. Like what I was parked I think for like 2 hours on one stretch of highway just waiting there for whatever emergency crews were putting salt down on the road. But for some reason they didnt have an emergency protocol, even though global warming is in full force and there’s extreme weather events. Okay, that’s my rant.
SHIRA: I definitely second that. I think well New Yorkers are notoriously more aggressive drivers, which is why I don’t think I really taught myself to drive in Mississippi not in New York. And so I am a Mississippi driver. And I was very glad I still had my Mississippi license plate when I first drove back into New York because I feel like people were slightly more compassionate towards me even though they were still annoyed. They’re like, okay this person is from out of town. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. Let her in. It’s fine. And I was just like, thank you. Please help me. I’m so scared. I’m in New Jersey and I don’t want to be in New Jersey.
TARANJIT: So what was your most favorite state to drive through and what was your least favorite state to drive through?
ARIELLE: Oooo. I would say I think the interesting thing about driving through the country is that every state has something different from the one before it or after it
and I think that’s the beauty of it. And I also think coronavirus because literally Americans are not allowed to leave this country gives us the opportunity to explore some of the beauty within this country. So I wouldn’t say I liked one state over the other, but I will say that some cities in some states have terrible roads to drive on. And one of those states and cities is Jackson, Mississippi. I had to replace my tires so many times because of potholes and that was not pleasant. But at the same time in Los Angeles 2 months ago, I also had to replace my tire because I drove over like 6 nails in the parking lot and my tire just deflated.
TARANJIT: Oh my God.
SHIRA: Well Jackson part of the reason the roads are so bad is they’re built on I hope I get this right because I did I do love Mississippi. It’s built on Yazoo clay which cracks really easily and then when it cracks they just like put more Yazoo Clay on the road which then also cracks. So the potholes are just wild.
ARIELLE: The ground was just constantly breaking down
SHIRA: Yes.
ARIELLE: Everywhere.
SHIRA: I surprisingly though did not get I dont think I popped I had a flat tire while I lived there. I loved my car.
ARIELLE: Honestly. It was probably my fault. I’m learning this about myself.
SHIRA: I I will say driving through the upper half of Arkansas is one of the most beautiful Northwest Arkansas is absolutely beautiful.
ARIELLE: Oh it’s a treasure.
SHIRA: And I right. Like that was some of it is that I didn’t know how beautiful it was going to be and so it was truly like a breathtaking experience the first time I drove through I guess that’s technically your driving through the Ozarks.
ARIELLE: Yeah. I think so.
SHIRA: And it’s it’s just really beautiful. I don’t know if I have a least favorite place to drive through, but I think was it I-20 Arielle that goes through Louisiana?
ARIELLE: It does in some parts and I-10.
SHIRA: Right. So I-20 in Louisiana, Louisiana has some very beautiful parts. The part that I usually drove on to get from Jackson to Dallas was very bare.
ARIELLE: That would be I-20. By the way ladies, I love the interstate system. So you picked a great guest.
SHIRA: If she does say so herself.
ARIELLE: Yes. I am a great guest.
SHIRA: But that it just wasn’t a particularly beautiful stretch. Nothing against Louisiana. It was just very bare.
ARIELLE: And I’ll say my favorite drive that we did was between you know, there’s some rides there’s some drives where you’re just going straight at 80 miles an hour. We were in Montana for miles and miles and miles and the speed limit is 80 so you can like, you know, you can get it get away with doing 86 approximately. So we had a good time driving there, but it gets boring after a while. So I’d rather a road that goes up and down and threw some tunnels and all that kind of stuff. The drive from Pittsburgh to New York is actually really exciting because the road kind of gets smaller and the lanes get tinier so you have to pay attention more. And you cannot doze off or think about something else because you will veer into the other person’s lane. And that is ill-advised.
SHIRA: Just a disclaimer. You should never doze off while driving.
BHAVNEET: Just in general.
ARIELLE: Thank you Shira.
SHIRA: I just in case people are listening to this while driving, then please don’t doze off.
ARIELLE: Yes. Also don’t text and drive don’t do you have to give me these disclaimers when you put out this podcast?
TARANJIT: We might have to on this one.
BHAVNEET: I think we do now.
ARIELLE: Look I’ll say I don’t advocate for texting and driving. I did have a driving partner. So she would change the podcast when the when the one we were listening to was done. She would respond to my work emails if necessary. My sister. But you know every once in awhile, you might pick up the phone to turn up the volume or turn down the volume and I would say if you’re driving from Pittsburgh to Westchester New York, don’t do that. And also never do that. But also you go through such cool tunnels. So I would say that’s my favorite stretch that I remember of recent times.
TARANJIT: What I’ve learned from this is to not get in a car with Arielle because she causes flat tires.
ARIELLE: Yeah Truly. And other other road issues.
TARANJIT: So just avoid it I guess. I guess you just a magnet for those things.
ARIELLE: I think so. I think it honestly it what I’m learning about myself my character flaw is that I don’t read very carefully until something has happened to me and then I’m like, oh I see why this happened.
TARANJIT: So we’ve kind of got an idea of what kind of drivers you are. Would your family and friends describe you in the same way?
SHIRA: I think my family would still describe me as an anxious driver. I like to think that I actually believe I’m a worst driver than other people think I am, but everyone would agree that I’m an anxious driver.
ARIELLE: Yeah. Yeah. I know you as an anxious driver.
SHIRA:Like I sit fully upright and I’m like two hands on the wheel like as if there is a pole going through my back. Like I am fully erect.
ARIELLE: And let’s quote that out of context. Shira is fully erect. I think I’m a better driver than I am. I’ll admit that
SHIRA: A confident driver shall we say.
ARIELLE: Like, for example, I always want to drive my car. I always want to be the one driving cuz I like control. But then I can’t tell you how many times I went on the wrong way on a one-way street during this last road trip. Like at least 7 times. And one time I fully was looking. I was not distracted at all and I almost went through a red light.
BHAVNEET: Oh my God.
ARIELLE: Like had to slam on the brakes at the last second. It made no sense. It didn’t. I didn’t know where it came from. So anyways, I think I’m a good driver, but I’m pretty sure if you ask most people who drive with me they’d be like, she is a dangerous driver and I feel uncomfortable with her in the car.
TARANJIT: You truly do need to read the signs.
ARIELLE: I do.
BHAVNEET: So then let me ask you this. Have you ever been a passenger in a car where you were like, Oh, man. I wish I’d never gotten in?
ARIELLE: All the time. And that’s why I think I’m a good driver.
SHIRA: Well, I’ve been a passenger in Arielle’s car before so.
ARIELLE: I one time remember being in a car with somebody who I like to give space between if I’m on the highway and if it’s like a relatively crowded highway, but you’re still moving. I like to give space between me and the person in front of me. Like at least 10 car distances if possible. But I was in a car with somebody who was giving like 2 car distances between and had to stop short every single time that they that the person in front of them put their brake lights on. And I was like, there’s an easy solution here. Just slow down. Back up. My stomach was clenching every single time cuz I was like we’re just going to hit this car.
It is an inevitability. But they didn’t.
SHIRA: I actually am I’m a bad passenger as well. Like for someone who doesn’t prefer to drive, like I’m fine with someone else driving and me being a passenger. Except that if I don’t feel like you’re stopping on time, like I’m putting my foot on the brake of the passenger side
like theoretically, and like I’m holding onto the side. I’m like taking a deep breath out like a deep exhale. I’m not great with cars. I would say.
BHAVNEET: See. I love driving, but I do the same exact thing if I’m the passenger and like Taranjit’s driving. She tends to drive a little bit closer to cars in front of her than I do and every time I’m like, oh my God, please stop. And I’m like pushing the brake, too. So with all the crazy drivers that are out there. Do you find yourself being someone who tends to honk at other people?
ARIELLE: I’m not a honker unless somebody does not move at a red when the light turns green and then I wait 2 seconds to see maybe give them the benefit of the doubt. And then if they’re still not moving then I’m like, let me give him a little honk.
SHIRA:That is clear. That’s a honker I would say.
ARIELLE: Really?
SHIRA: You’re honking at red lights? That’s an absolute honker.
ARIELLE: No not red lights. When it turns green.
SHIRA: Yes. That’s the honker.
ARIELLE: Really?
SHIRA: I would honestly wait for the light to turn red again before I honked, I think.
BHAVNEET: What?
ARIELLE: No you wouldn’t.
SHIRA: No. I probably wouldn’t. I’m not quite that patient, but I I’m a very timid honker. I think it’s cuz I am learning to drive in Mississippi. I have that southern hospitality in my driving.
ARIELLE: I’m not I’m not an angry driver. Like I’ve been in a car with people who when when somebody cuts them off even if it’s like not a cut off at all, they’ll be like, what the heck? That was unacceptable. That person should not be on the road and I’m like, let’s all relax here. They didn’t mean to. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.
SHIRA: They might be having a bad day.
ARIELLE: Yeah.
TARANJIT: Since you just mentioned a little bit of road rage. Have you ever had a situation where you had someone who had extreme road rage towards you or you had road rage towards them?
SHIRA: I have occasionally gotten very frustrated in my car when someone does something that is truly unsafe. Like not when they cut me off, but when they’re going like 30 miles per hour faster than their supposed to be and they’re speeding. And you just know something bad is going to happen even though you haven’t seen it yet. Like, you know, that’s not what they’re supposed to be doing. That makes me really angry. But again, it’s like anger in my car and I’m not going to do anything about it.
ARIELLE: I have had people flip me off in very mean ways. Or I’ll do something that is not a good driving move. So, you know cut somebody off without realizing and then you have to be at the red light next to them. And I’ll purposely look straight ahead and try to not make eye contact with them so that they don’t get to be mean to you. You know what I mean?
BHAVNEET: Yeah. It’s like I can’t see you. You’re not mad.
ARIELLE: Yeah. I don’t want to look.
BHAVNEET: So what would you say is your biggest driving pet peeve?
ARIELLE: No blinker is too easy. But I don’t like when people don’t use their blinker. It’s just so easy to do.
SHIRA: No blinkers up there for me because why didn’t you turn your blinker on? Like why are you…
ARIELLE: There’s no reason.
SHIRA: Right. Like that’s why I know it’s an easy one, but I agree. It’s just like, you didn’t have anything better to do and it just would have made everyone’s life easier. It’s all you have to do is hit the thing
ARIELLE: You’re in the car. This is your responsibility. A driving pet peeve that I have it’s more when I’m in the car with somebody else and either they’re driving or I’m driving. So we’re listening to the radio or a podcast and I turn up the volume and I turn it to a number that is I just turned it up like based on how much louder or quieter I want it to be and the person that I’m in the car with, my sister was doing this a lot, would turn it to an even number. I don’t care. Why does that matter? That’s a pet peeve of mine.
SHIRA: Mine is also about music. It’s when I can hear music from another car. That is just I find that disrespectful. Like we’re all in our own little pod and you can do whatever you want in your pod, but you have to be mindful of other people And like I can’t hear my podcast when you’re blasting music and that’s not fair.
ARIELLE: I don’t want to hear the base of another car from 10 cars away.
SHIRA: Ooo. I have another one related to music when songs have sirens in them. That should I think it should be illegal.
ARIELLE: Oh. Hey. I agree.
SHIRA: Right. Like my heart skips a beat. Like I get so scared. I don’t know where the sirens are coming from. I am never 100% sure if it’s in the song or not, and I don’t want to do the wrong thing. And I’m terrified that something is coming behind me. It should be illegal.
ARIELLE: With you on that.
TARANJIT: That and like when you see police or cars that look like police cars and you’re like, is it? Is it not?
ARIELLE: Terrifying.
TARANJIT: So the blinkers point I feel like that’s a big pet peeve we’ve heard from a lot of people and it’s just so simple. It’s like the car has this feature built-in to notify others of where you’re going, you can use it.
ARIELLE: To help you be a safer driver. That’s it. That’s all we’re asking.
SHIRA: It’s especially frustrating when you’re waiting, let’s’ say to make a left turn and they don’t sit like someone is coming straight, but they don’t signal that they’re about to make a right so you could have gone. Like you would like you wouldn’t have even run into each other, but they didn’t have the courtesy to signal. So now I have to wait and look again to see who’s coming and what’s happening.
BHAVNEET: But then it’s also scary when like people leave their blinkers on and then youre like, I don’t know if you actually are turning or can I go or you’re just going to keep going straight.
SHIRA: No. Yeah. That’s a fair point.
TARANJIT: When you were mentioning the even numbers, it just reminded me of Bhavneet because…
BHAVNEET: Hey.
TARANJIT: She literally has this like I don’t know why she needs things to be even or like I don’t know. I don’t get it.
ARIELLE: Oh, you do that, too?
SHIRA: I have never heard that before.
BHAVNEET: I do. So when I turn the volume up or down, I don’t know why it’s just like I click twice.
ARIELLE: That’s so funny.
SHIRA: I’ve never heard that before. It’s so interesting that we now have 2 examples.
BHAVNEET: So I’m not the only one.
TARANJIT: Now that we heard who you are as a driver, let’s go back to your driving firsts and how it all began. How would you describe your very first driving experience and who was it with?
SHIRA: Oh God. So I I’ll dive into this one. I think it was just me and my dad in the car and it didn’t make sense to me driving. That sounds really ridiculous and I know for so many people it is something that is intuitive. It really wasn’t for me. Like I had trouble figuring out which way to turn the wheel to get it the car to go the way I wanted. I honestly thought that you put both feet on the pedals like the whole time. I didn’t know you had one on the ground which also makes no sense
ARIELLE: Makes no sense. What are you supposed to do with that other foot?
SHIRA: Right. It was confusing. And so I it’s so funny cuz I’m I’m I’m staying with my parents right now. And so I run by this other house everyday. And my dad and I drove around our cul-de-sac, then we drove down our block and we turned onto another street. And then we were turning onto like a main road. Not like a crazy busy road, but definitely a main road from our neighborhood roads. And I just like made the turn to I didn’t stop turning and I drove over these peoples lawn. And you can see and they have like 4 rocks kind of lining their their grass and I one of the rocks got like pushed in because of a car drove over it. And so my dad I was like mortified and just sat in the car and then my dad went to the house and was like, I’m so sorry. My daughter is learning to drive. And now everyday I run by that house and I see one of the rocks is I don’t know if the same people live there, but one of the rocks is still not exactly where it was supposed to be.
BHAVNEET: Oh my God.
TARANJIT: I wonder if they remember who you are if it’s the same people.
SHIRA: I do get nervous. Like I’ve seen I saw someone outside once and I like kind of I went to the other side of the street. I’m sure they don’t remember cuz I didn’t even go into the house or like up to their door, but I don’t even want to risk it.
BHAVNEET: Wow.
ARIELLE: My first time driving experience was with my mom in the front seat with me. She is extremely nervous when anybody else drives and my sister was in the backseat. She was a little kid. So she was just having fun. And it was a lot of me not understanding how hard to push the gas in order to make the car move and then not understanding how sensitive the brake was. So a lot of shortstops. Yeah. That was my first experience. But I did take the driving test. Do you want to guess how many times?
TARANJIT: Is it a lot? Like the way you’re…
ARIELLE: 3. 3 is the answer and I had to go to a different county to get it done.
SHIRA: So I this is actually a very ironic point I would say. I only took the driving test once and I passed but I took the permit test 3 times.
ARIELLE: Wow.
SHIRA: I’ve never I really like I didn’t share that fact until maybe a year ago cuz I was so mortified. But, now the whole world will know.
BHAVNEET: Hey you passed. That’s all that matters right?
SHIRA: Exactly. And I passed the driving test on the first try and I feel like that’s harder.
BHAVNEET: Yes. Definitely. I think it’s harder. So speaking of driving tests, how was your first driving test experience? So we know that you passed on the first try and then Arielle you had to take it a couple of times, but how how was the actual experience?
ARIELLE: Yeah. So I scheduled my first driving test at the same DMV that my dad took his driving test cuz I thought it would be a nice father’s daughter moment, but it was not. I got in the car and was just so nervous. I was not confident at all during this time. I have since gained a lot of confidence as you know from me calling myself a good guest. But at the time I was so nervous about like everything that I did including this test. And I got in the car and I think the guy could smell it on me. Actually, it was a woman. Yeah. It was definitely a woman. She could smell it on me that I was just so nervous and I couldn’t. Mostly where I got points off was parallel parking and nervousness around stopping and then do you let another car go. That kind of thing. Just a lot of not being sure of the next move. So when I was obviously not given my passing grade, I cried so much, went to my grandma’s house. We are having dinner there and she was like, grow up. People fail. I was like, okay. Thank you.
SHIRA: That’s grandma with the wisdom.
ARIELLE: Yup.
TARANJIT: What a nice talk.
ARIELLE: Yup.
SHIRA: I let me start at the beginning. So I go to get my permit and driving is I find the whole concept of driving is really stressful to me. So I’m getting my permit and I psych myself out, fail the test three times blah blah blah. Finally, I pass it. It’s like that’s not even funny to tell. Like everyone fails their driving test, but no one fails their permit test. So it’s this is like a dark secret that I’m harboring at this point. So I passed. I had to take driver’s ed. And thankfully I got put in the driver’s ed car with two of my friends, but the driver’s ed instructor, and honestly in his defense rightfully so, hated me because I couldn’t drive. And like I don’t think I ever achieved the level where you were allowed to go on the highway Like my friend Ben…
ARIELLE: I didn’t either.
SHIRA: He was allowed to drive us on the highway then we get to a small neighborhood and it would be like me in the car and Rick the driver’s ed instructor just being like, you know drive. Do what you’re supposed to do. I will say he did let us stop at Carvel to get ice cream.
ARIELLE: That’s so nice.
SHIRA: Yeah, I think he wanted a smoke break, but I still got ice cream. So that’s okay. So I finished driver’s ed and I’m absolutely not ready to get a license and I’m very scared about getting it. So my parents hired and I never want to be a parent who has to teach my kids to drive. Like I don’t think I have the emotional capacity to do that. And so my parents because it was just not working with them teaching me to drive, they hired like a private driving tutor to prep me for the test. And so at this point, now I’m about to graduate high school and I know that if I don’t get my license before I leave for college, I will never get a license or it will like it’ll just take me forever. So I went on the day of my prom which was the day before my graduation ceremony, a crazy thing that my high school did, and I miraculously passed, losing only a few points for not checking in all directions when I was making my three point turn.
TARANJIT: Wow.
BHAVNEET: So did you have to do parallel parking?
SHIRA: I did okay on the parallel parking because that is what my private tutor focused heavily on because I couldn’t do it.
ARIELLE: Wow.
SHIRA: He was a very nice man.
TARANJIT: Your driver’s ed instructor kind of well yours let you stop for ice cream. Mine zoned out and then forgot to tell me where to turn so we just like almost missed our turn.
ARIELLE: Driver’s ed is something that I I almost forgot about until you just mentioned it, Shira. It was such a so for us I went to a Jewish school for from kindergarten through 12th grade and the one opportunity that we Jewish kids at Solomon Schechter had to interact with the school literally across the street from us was that we took driver’s ed with them. And it was Maria Regina. It was an all-girls Catholic school. So it was like this rite of passage when you’re in 11th grade and can go take driver’s ed at Maria Regina. And so like we would get put in cars with a combo of Maria Regina girls and our own classmates. And I remember my my car being just filled with nervous people. And our our teacher, Mr. Kovalevich, he also fell asleep during drivers ed and even in the car. Except when I was driving and that’s when he would use the brake a lot. His brake. You know how they have their own brake?
BHAVNEET: Yeah.
ARIELLE: Yeah. So that was fun.
SHIRA: Right. Like I under I just don’t think I could teach my kid to, I don’t have kids, but I don’t think I’ll be able to teach my kids to drive especially not being able to have that brake. But then again I’m also like if I had that brake, I would use it too much.
TARANJIT: You wouldn’t even let them drive.
SHIRA: Exactly. We would just be like stop start. Stop start.
BHAVNEET: Why isn’t the car moving? Oh. I don’t know.
SHIRA: You’re just not a very good driver I guess honey.
ARIELLE: Honey.
TARANJIT: I didn’t know that for a driver’s ed like here for our driver’s ed we only went ourselves and the driver’s instructor. I didn’t know you went with other people in the car.
ARIELLE: Oh, yeah. We had like a full car filled with nervous and sweaty 16 year olds.
SHIRA: There were 4 of us in my car. And we would I think it was like I want to say was a two-hour window once or twice per week and everyone got like about a half hour of driving.
BHAVNEET: Oh. Wow. We had to do 2.
SHIRA: Honestly, it’s probably better. You were supposed to practice for x amount you need x amount of hours outside of the car of driver’s ed to practice with your parents, which was I’m sure traumatizing for mine.
BHAVNEET: That’s really interesting. Like we had to do 2 hours…
TARANJIT: 6. 6 hours.
BHAVNEET: 6 hours but in 2 hour increments with a driving instructor.
ARIELLE: Wow.
BHAVNEET: Just you and the driver.
ARIELLE: That’s a lot.
SHIRA: I think that’d be scarier.
ARIELLE: Also to be alone with scary men.
BHAVNEET: I think it would be scary with a lot of people in the car just like, oh wow you suck at driving.
ARIELLE: True. Yeah.
SHIRA: Well, it the nice thing about it was that the half-hour while you were driving was very stressful, but then you had an hour and a half to just like hang out in the car with your friends. And like they strategically not like they didn’t strategically do the cars, but you kind of signed up in groups with your friends. And so it was sort of done at random, but like you you knew you were going to be with some of your people.
ARIELLE: I was not. I was with the boy that I had my first make out with.
TARANJIT: That must have been awkward.
ARIELLE: It was terrible, and he was really smart and good at driving and I was not. So I hated that.
BHAVNEET: But now you’re great. So.
ARIELLE: Now I am a great guest on his podcast. I am not necessarily a great driver.
SHIRA: But a confident driver.
ARIELLE: That’s right.
TARANJIT: Well Arielle if it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only one who had to take the drivers test multiple times.
ARIELLE: Yeah.
TARANJIT: I had the same problem with the parallel parking, too.
BHAVNEET: And she also had to go to a different DMV to get it.
SHIRA: Are you only allowed to take it you’re only allowed to take it a short amount of time that a certain DMV, is that the rule?
TARANJIT: I think you have to wait a certain number of like weeks or months between, but you can still go back to the same one. At least here. I don’t know about there.
ARIELLE: Same here.
BHAVNEET: It’s just the one we went to is notoriously like harder and she kept getting like the one person they said don’t get so.
ARIELLE: I was only able to pass when I had a man that I feel like I could kind of be like stupid cute with. You know what I mean? Which is terrible and sexist, but…
SHIRA: What a comment on society.
TARANJIT: Yeah. The lady I got she first was going to take points off because she couldn’t fit in the seat belt
ARIELLE: What? That’s not her that’s not you.
TARANJIT: And she’s like, you need a you need a seat belt extender next time you come. And I was like, what?
BHAVNEET: Uh. I don’t think so.
ARIELLE: Oh you do you do it in your car. I forgot about that.
TARANJIT: Yeah, and then she failed me for my parallel parking because the flag blew in the wind and touched the car.
ARIELLE: That is not fair. The system is messed up.
TARANJIT: Yeah. That was my parallel parking, but a lot of drivers’ tests are removing parallel parking as requirement. I don’t know if they removed it up where you guys are. Do you think that this should be still a requirement on the test?
ARIELLE: No. Not on the test. I feel like even after I took the test, I avoided parallel parking for just years until I felt comfortable with it. So I feel like it’s something you can learn on your own.
SHIRA: I don’t know. I feel like well no. I guess I don’t parallel park that much. So not super helpful. Well maybe it shouldn’t be worth so many points. Because I think if you fail parallel if you like lost all the points on parallel parking, you wouldn’t pass the driving test.
ARIELLE: I think that’s right. Yeah.
TARANJIT: Yeah.
SHIRA: It brought the score down so much. So maybe make it less points.
TARANJIT: That was the first thing we had to do. So if you failed parallel parking and even get to do anything else.
SHIRA: Oh that’s crazy. I feel like I did I feel like I was towards the end. And so I was like so nervous waiting for it. And then I kept waiting for her to be like, and you failed. So thank you.
ARIELLE: Thanks for your time.
SHIRA: I was floored that I passed.
BHAVNEET: My driving instructor like I was parallel parking and I was going to keep like adjusting and she was like, stop right there. And then she opened it and she’s like, you’re good. You’re good. Stop moving. You’re good.
ARIELLE: I do not want to be in this car anymore.
SHIRA: What a scary job.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. It must be so scary.
SHIRA: I have too much anxiety for that.
BHAVNEET: Bonus question time. Are you guys ready?
ARIELLE: Ooo. Yeah.
SHIRA: The surprise.
BHAVNEET: Yes. If you could make one new driving law, what would it be?
ARIELLE: Ooo. That’s a really good question. I have so many directions I feel like I could go in.
BHAVNEET: Anything you want.
SHIRA: I would like to see an implementation of the European light laws. Have you seen this? Basically in a lot of different European countries you know, how for us, it goes green light, orange, red. In Iceland, for example, after its red, it’ll turn orange again before it turns green so that you can get ready to get started. You have a warning before the light turns green so that you’re like, okay it’s time for me to start moving the car and I really like that. So I would like to see that.
BHAVNEET: I feel like people like look at like here it’s like or I do this too, but like I look at the other side light and I’m like, oh. They’re turning red.
ARIELLE: Me, too.
BHAVNEET: So that’s my signal. But now they started making these weird lights where you can’t really tell what color it is until you get like right on it.
ARIELLE: Oh. I’ve seen that, too. Yeah.
SHIRA: This isn’t so much a law, but I think that any anywhere that you can’t turn on red should including a full city that has that rule or a full state like Hawaii…
ARIELLE: Oh my God. Good call.
SHIRA: Better signage. It should just be like a attached to the light. It should say like, no turning.Like sometimes you have to look for it.
ARIELLE: Yeah, New York City apparently in the entire city, all 5 boroughs, you cannot turn right on red. But if you’re coming in from Westchester or Long Island where you can sometimes the line where Long Island turns into Queens or Westchester turns into the Bronx, how do you know?
SHIRA: Well and also when you’ve been turning on red like I don’t drive in the city that often it sometimes you forget. And so it should just be required to be made abundantly clear. I know there are signs now, but I am the kind of person who, this is an example of being an anxious driver, I assume that every red light I can’t turn on red and I wait until someone honks at me basically.
ARIELLE: Me, too. Me, too.
SHIRA: I’m a terrible driver.
ARIELLE: That’s the permission.
SHIRA: And then I’m like, well if that guy says I can then I guess I can.
TARANJIT: Yeah, I feel the same way or if I I wait until I see someone else turn on red and I’m like, okay. It’s good.
SHIRA: Yes.Absolutely. So I feel like I need better signage there.
ARIELLE: Oh. I would like it to be easier to obtain vanity plates and to design your own license plate. This is not a rule that I want or anything, but I think that there should be some sort of organization that honors beautiful license plates because there are really beautiful license plates in this country.
SHIRA: Arielle actually has a collection of license plates.
ARIELLE: Yes. I collect license plates. You really found the perfect guest, ladies.
SHIRA: If she does say so herself.
BHAVNEET: Jackpot.
ARIELLE: Man. So yeah, I just think New York has a new license plate, Shira have you seen it?
SHIRA: I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard about it.
ARIELLE: It’s gorgeous. Just the thing is it kind of looks like New Jersey from afar so you have to get a little closer, but it is beautiful and understated and I just think that there should be awards for license plates.
SHIRA: Well, why don’t you tell them what your favorite license plate is, Arielle.
ARIELLE: My favorite license plate is the blue, the turquoise technically New Mexico license plate. It is gorgeous.
BHAVNEET: Oh yeah.
ARIELLE: It has a yellow accent. I I would tattoo it on my body.
BHAVNEET: Oh. Wow.
TARANJIT: That’s how much you love it?
SHIRA: One time Arielle and I were driving in LA or maybe we had just parked to go on a hike and I was visiting her. And you saw a New Mexico license plate and just really lost it
like that was towards the beginning of your obsession and I guess you haven’t seen one in person in a while and I was worried that you were going to steal it from that person’s car.
ARIELLE: So that that was my reaction at the beginning. Now every time I see a blue New Mexico, I just go I just give a kiss from afar.
SHIRA: You walk right up to the car and kiss the license plate.
ARIELLE: No. I just like I sit in my car and I’m like, oh memories and I’m like, mwuah.
BHAVNEET: I know what license plate you’re talking about and those are definitely I think one of the best ones.
ARIELLE: Gorgeous.
BHAVNEET: Yes.
SHIRA: It is really pretty.
TARANJIT: Do you guys have any final thoughts or any tips you want to give other drivers?
SHIRA: So this is tip that most people probably know but I do not know. I did not know. When you are pulled over your supposed to pull over on the right side. I one-time accidentally, the only time I’ve been pulled over let me actually rephrase that. The only time I’ve ever been pulled over, I pulled over to the left side of the road and the officer was like it was for speeding by accident. The officer was like, what were you thinking? Like what? It was on a road in the middle of nowhere. But even on a one way road, you’re supposed to pull over to the right. Yeah. My one and only speeding ticket. Knock on wood.
BHAVNEET: That’s really interesting that you thought to go to the left.
SHIRA: I was so stressed when I realized I was being pulled over that I honestly I think I just like blacked out and didn’t know what to do. And the next thing I knew I pulled over to the left side of the road and the officer was like he was very nice. He did still give me a ticket because he was probably just like this girl is…
TARANJIT: She needs a ticket.
SHIRA: Is not okay. What is she doing driving here? So word to the wise, always pull over to the right.
ARIELLE: My advice to drivers is I think it’s a skill to learn. How to drive more than 4 hours in one sitting. And the biggest I would say, I almost think it should be on my resume that I can drive that much without stopping. I would say advice if you are looking to up your stamina for driving podcasts. So that’s my advice. Just listen to podcasts. Find podcasts to listen to. You could check out the podcast that you’re listening to. They have a great archive to check out as well as so many others. And that has really helped me up my stamina for driving. And every time I have to make a long drive like I made it from the Harrisburg, which is the capital of Pennsylvania, to Westchester, it was just 3 ½ hours. Nothing crazy, but it did feel like a real accomplishment to do in one shot and that’s fun. That’s a fun thing to do. So podcasts.
SHIRA: Another good recommendation if you ever feel tired while driving, blast show tunes or something that you can belt out too and just sing your little heart out.
ARIELLE: But tired driving is distracted driving so pull over if you need to.
SHIRA: Yeah. Take a nap once you pulled over.
TARANJIT: You guys are full of tips. You mentioned having a driving resume. I feel like your driving resume, it would be so filled and so interesting.
ARIELLE: Thank you.
SHIRA: You should create that, Arielle.
ARIELLE: I really should. I really should. Thank you.
TARANJIT: So speaking of your podcast, where can listeners find you?
ARIELLE: Listeners can find our podcast which is Counter Programming with Shira and Ariel. You can find us on Instagram, we’re @counterprogrammingpod. And that’s really the only social media we have, but you can check us out anywhere that you listen to podcasts.
BHAVNEET: Thank you both for coming on. You guys have some crazy stories and now I know never to get in the car with you.
ARIELLE: Yay.
SHIRA: I would not recommend it with either of us for different reasons.
BHAVNEET: Thank you so much for coming on.
SHIRA: Of course. Thanks for having us.
ARIELLE: Thank you for having us. It was super fun.
(transition music)
TARANJIT: Listening to Arielle’s stories of driving I was just like I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless. But her first describing how she really always wanted to pee while driving.
BHAVNEET: Why was that a bucket list item?
TARANJIT: Yeah. Like your bucket list was honking.
BHAVNEET: Yeah, but that’s not as weird as I want to…
TARANJIT: I can’t believe that she really wanted to do this and then she did it.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. Alright. Next story.
TARANJIT: Why is that a thing? Like I feel like I would just be like, okay. I’m going to pull over somewhere and go to like a rest stop. She’s like, na. I’m not stopping.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. I don’t know what to say to that, but driving cross-country. And the fact that they had to drive so much every day for their job. Like 8 hours or around the south.
TARANJIT: Yeah. Do you think that would make you start hating driving?
BHAVNEET: I don’t know. I mean like I guess that long by yourself is not fun
TARANJIT: If you’re with someone it might be more enjoyable. Yeah. That’s true.
BHAVNEET: Yeah.
TARANJIT: But her drive across from California to like uh. I was about to say California to LA like that’s across the country.
BHAVNEET: Oh wow.
TARANJIT: From California to New York and how her car I guess I think this is not the first time we heard a car having an issue with like the gas and brake pedal. Like when she would hit the acceleration her gas gauge would go down. That’s so scary.
BHAVNEET: Like guzzle gas.
TARANJIT: I want to know if she was actually losing that much gas or her gas gauge just wasn’t reading right and was just like reciprocating. Like, oh you hit the gas pedal this much, that’s how much I’m going to go down on the gauge.
BHAVNEET: That’s really weird. Like you would have the worst gas mileage.
TARANJIT: Yeah. So her having to literally fill up. Imagine how many times she had to stop on her drive across the country.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. It was not like a short little day trip. It was a cross country trip.
TARANJIT: And then to add on top of that her check light came on and the mechanic was like, oh the worst thing that can happen is you’ll get stuck somewhere. Like, no duh.
BHAVNEET: Oh. Why thank you. That was the exact worst thing I didn’t want to happen.
TARANJIT: But like thanks for pointing out the obvious.
BHAVNEET: Captain Obvious
TARANJIT: And then a car drove by and broke her windshield.
BHAVNEET: Yeah. What? I’ve had so many things pelted. It’s like, what? A rock broke your windshield? Now I’m like more terrified of like if one thing hits it wrong.
TARANJIT: I always thought like, okay. The windshields are made strong enough where it shouldn’t easily crack.
BHAVNEET: That just terrified me. Cuz it’s like I get pelted by little rocks and things and bugs.
TARANJIT: You’re the worst person to tell that story to because you worry about every little thing. And now that this idea is in your head, you’re gonna constantly think of it.
BHAVNEET: Why are you telling me how I feeling?
TARANJIT: Because I know you.
BHAVNEET: That’s not really how I’m feeling, but thank you. For telling me how I must feel.
TARANJIT: That’s how that’s you. I know who you are.
BHAVNEET: Oh. I wasn’t actually worried about it. But thanks.
TARANJIT: Oh, sorry. Well now I put the worry in your mind.
BHAVNEET: Yeah.
TARANJIT: I thought you would have because that’s how you are. You worry about everything.
BHAVNEET: Thank you.
TARANJIT: And they you make me worried when I wasn’t even thinking about it.
BHAVNEET: Thank you. It’s a compliment apparently.
TARANJIT: But Shira on the other hand her sharing her story of driving over her neighbor’s lawn when she was first learning to drive.
BHAVNEET: Oh my God.
TARANJIT: I can’t imagine if I if we are in the car with our dad and we did something that I like it would not have ended as pretty. Like I feel he would….
BHAVNEET: He would not have gone up there to be like, oh we’re so sorry.
TARANJIT: No. Not that. First of all, I feel like he would have sent us and second of all, he would have been so mad and be like, get out. Like I’m driving back.
BHAVNEET: He wouldn’t have even been like, go say sorry. Be like, get go. I don’t know.
TARANJIT: He’s like, get out. Get out of the driver seat now. You’re not driving anymore. That’s what would have happened. I feel like that didn’t came out wow I can’t talk.
BHAVNEET: That didn’t came out.
TARANJIT: Woulda woulda woulda. I can’t talk.
BHAVNEET: No. You’re just so upset that this is the last episode of the season.
TARANJIT: I know. You haven’t had any incidents of when you were first learning to drive that was like like that intense like that, right?.
BHAVNEET: I don’t think so because I didn’t really get to drive.
TARANJIT: Oh, wait. I remember your instance.
BHAVNEET: What?
TARANJIT: I remember something you did that freaked us out. When we were pulling into a parking lot. I think it was in Walmart. You are such a fast turner that we’re like, oh my God, you’re going to go right into whatever was there.
BHAVNEET: Okay. Also you guys like I feel like this is a thing like when anyone’s a new driver everyone just over exaggerates every little thing.
TARANJIT: No.
BHAVNEET: Like, oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
TARANJIT: Okay. But you seriously are a fast turner. So
BHAVNEET: Uh. No I’m not. That was in the beginning. I fixed it. But yet still every time I turn you just like automatically like, oh my gosh. She’s a fast turner. Ahhh.
TARANJIT: You do. Okay. I don’t know if its just your seats are slippery then or what.
BHAVNEET: My seats are slippery so your butt just slips off.
TARANJIT: Because everytime when we feel like you’re making a fast turn, I literally slide
and I’m like, woah.
BHAVNEET: Okay, I don’t even turn that fast anymore. I consciously made an effort to make it like to turn better because I’m like, oh my God. Yeah that was fast. So I don’t do that. I try to improve myself, okay?
TARANJIT: As we are arguing on the podcast.
BHAVNEET: Yes last episode. We gotta argue somewhere.
TARANJIT: And be sure to follow our Instagram page where we will keep you updated on when season 3 releases.
BHAVNEET: And you can follow us for extra content off the road until season 3 releases.
TARANJIT: Thanks for driving with us!
(outro music)
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