The Family Curse

According to my cousin, Chris, there is a curse on McElgunn women. It spans over four generations, plauging every one of us. It's the curse...of bad driving. Now, if you are male, you are probably thinking, "No, Natasha, women are just bad drivers". Stop being sexist.
Chris would tell you the curse involves tailgating, stopping rapidly, and an inability to park.
I would be quick to refute this 'curse' theory, but I am not the best driver on the block. I have been in about eight accidents in the last five years. Six of those accidents were in the first six months of having my license. Two of them occured within two minutes of each other, and two of them were in my own driveway (totaled my mom's and hit the housekeeper's). But all the cars I hit were stopped. Oh, and two were not my fault. To my defense, I drove a '67 Mustang. The hood is long and it's difficult to park. Luckily, people in Sebtown aren't terribly materialistic, so insurance was not involved in most cases. Once I thoroughly understood parking, driving became a little easier...and safer for everyone else.
Most guys who find out I drive a stick-shift are very impressed. I then proceed to tell them that I have been driving a stick every day for two years now, and still stall about once a month. Driving a stick in LA sucks. Shifting on the 405 is a nightmare, and none of my roomates can drive my car, so I have to move it all the time.
As to the tailgating accusation...when people are driving too slow, I like to encourage them to speed up. Don't they know I'm in a hurry? Even if I do tailgate a little, I am never late.
As far as stopping rapidly...I am optimistic the light will turn green by the time I get there. If it doesn't, then there's just a little extra excitement to get your heart beating faster.
I suppose there are worse curses to have on your family...

Quote:
"...throw some poker chips in the dryer with the sleeping bag to maintain loft."
"Isn't that money laundering?" -Tommy to The North Face rep

Joke:
A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel down his pants. The bartender says, "Doesn't that bother you?". The pirate says, "Arrr, its driving me nuts". -an Anastasia's customer
(I thought this was hilarious, but nobody at REI did)