View Full Version : how do you remain sophisticated when.......
tezz7628
25-02-2005, 20:13
you drivers go to the passenger side of the car by mistake, expecting to go on with your journey :)
what reason do you give the family?
Cruella DeVilla
25-02-2005, 20:19
Just checking for punctures!
I always do this, especially on the first morning when I have been to Wal-mart.I thought it was only me![:I]
I pretend to be checking the tyres or sometimes go round the car to the boot(trunk).
Glad to know I am not alone. Look out for me in July.......I will be the one circling the car in Wal-mart trying to look [msncool]
Perhaps you are being polite and opening the door for your passengers!
My reason is "I thought you might like to drive this time", never works though especially when I have the keys in my hand.
It is even more embarrassing when you are on your own through. [:I][:I]
Nostromo
25-02-2005, 20:51
Nothing embarassing about doing this in a rental car. But I've tried to get into the left seat in a taxi on a few occasions in Europe & the USA! It was embarassing to see the bewildered expression on the driver's face.
chrizzy100
25-02-2005, 21:06
I'm always doing that and I've lived here over 5 years..........I also now close my eyes when watching a brit show when you are inside a car.....because the feeling of being on the wrong side of the road is very strong now....
You think that's bad. I do it at home too. I pretend I'm looking for something in the door pocket then casually shut the door and walk round to the driver's side!
Ray&Sarah
25-02-2005, 21:31
Just checking to make sure all the wheels are still here![msnwink]:D
steph_goodrum
25-02-2005, 21:55
It's always advisable to do a "walk round" of the car , especially a rental, so if there is any damage you can report exactly where it was when it occurred, so you just throw a quick glance along the body and then stroll back to the drivers side (of course checking front or back of car as you go round.
Well at least if I drove that would be my excuse, but as I'm not it's more difficult to explain why I think hubby and I should be in the same seat.:D:D
It's something I've never done - when I'm in Florida, I'm totally in US mode! :)
Nostromo
25-02-2005, 22:45
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by blott
when I'm in Florida, I'm totally in US mode! :)
[/quote]
I try to be too, much to my wife's chagrin. I annoy her by saying 'right' for 'yes', 'appeciated' for 'thanks', 'bathroom' for 'loo' and so on. But the one thing that I cannot bring myself to do is to keep saying 'Have a nice day' when it clearly isn't.
My favourite is 'momentarily' as in 'come and look at this' with the response 'I'll be there momentarily' and it drives my mother up the wall! :D
Another good one to drive everyone crazy is 'oh no, precipitation!'. :D
Cruella DeVilla
25-02-2005, 23:38
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nostromo
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by blott
when I'm in Florida, I'm totally in US mode! :)
[/quote]
I try to be too, much to my wife's chagrin. I annoy her by saying 'right' for 'yes', 'appeciated' for 'thanks', 'bathroom' for 'loo' and so on. But the one thing that I cannot bring myself to do is to keep saying 'Have a nice day' when it clearly isn't.
[/quote]
I am always in trouble for being "Americanfied", however Mr CDV slips up occasionaly:D
I don't worry when I make a mistake, the family are so used to making an idiot of myself they take no notice.
Except for the first time in Publix when I asked the cashier if PUBLIX was pronounced (<span style="color:red">pub</span id="red">ic)<span style="color:red">pub</span id="red">lix. Hope that makes sense as it is hard to describe vowel sounds by typing.
My girls were so embarresed they walked away. Well they say everything else different to us so I thought I better ask. The cashier had tears running down her face
As hubby drives a Pontiac here he never makes that mistake but I try to get into the drivers seat instead of the passenger all the time here.
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
26-02-2005, 01:26
I do it in the US and in reverse in the UK and usually just own up to it - look a real fool if it's just me and a neighbour sees me. I then do the glove compartment or tyre thing [msnwink]
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Except for the first time in Publix when I asked the cashier if PUBLIX was pronounced (pubic)publix[/quote]
My Husband calls it this all the time. Its ok here but he's liable to forget the next time we're over. Not great when he's telling the neighbours we're off to Pubix [:O][:O][:I]
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Lisa C
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Except for the first time in Publix when I asked the cashier if PUBLIX was pronounced (pubic)publix[/quote]
My Husband calls it this all the time. Its ok here but he's liable to forget the next time we're over. Not great when he's telling the neighbours we're off to Pubix [:O][:O][:I]
[/quote]
One of my girls called it that on our first trip and it has stuck,we all call it that all the time.
poohbear
26-02-2005, 18:43
i do it all the time in florida i go to get in drivers seat and hubby says are you driving today:(:(he never slips up
Stuart has not done this since we went to Portugal a long time ago and he took the car out to get some petrol. He filled up and went inside to pay for it got back to the car and sat in the passenger side wondering where the steering wheel had gone to. Like John he did the look in the glove compartment thing and then made a big show of getting out of the car with the handbook and checking the tyres. Would have got away with it but for two small boys who thought it was a hoot and told Mummy as soon as they got back to the villa.
arnie the armadillo
30-04-2005, 17:05
Once I got completely confused when I got home to the UK!![:I]
I managed to drive the wrong way round 2 roundabouts and along the wrong side of the road - very scary! (luckily it was on a quiet industrial estate)
Wierdest thing was we'd been home for a couple of days - maybe I'm just cracking up![msntongue]
DisneyDreamer
05-05-2005, 00:23
Whenever one of us does that when we are away I chuckle, it makes me think of an episode of Absolutely Fabulous where Edina and Patsy went abroad and Edina thought someone had stolen her steering wheel ... it's these little things that amuse me!:)
Am still gettting into the wrong side of the car, and we've been home a week -AND I didn't drive in the US. (perhaps that is a good thing I hear you say.. [msnwink]
Oh dear![msnembarrased]
depends at what point you realise you have donkeyed, but,
you can stop, tilt the head, look at the door panel, point, move closer, rub the imaginary scratch, move back, point again, raise hands to the air, motion with open palm, look over alternate shoulders, keep shaking head, look to the floor, move back looking under ones own feet, keep shaking head all the while muttering to yourself, move back round to the correct side of the car, glancing back all the time, select the correct door, get in ,switch on the air con and collect the oscar. phew[msnwink]
pieman790
06-05-2005, 09:58
I must do this several times when i am in Florida.
It is quite funny to see how many people actually do it when your in the Walmart car park and how they react when they have done it.
I'm glad others have the same problem.I usually walk round to the "passenger" door in the US and then realise my mistake.
It usually happens in Walmart car parks, when I am by myself, except for the people watching me !.
Like Trev I usually make a point of checking the Tyres or similar and then walk round to the drivers door, confident that I have checked my vehicle all around, .......
....only my bright red face gives away the truth [msnembarrased][msnembarrased]
nicholson
07-05-2005, 03:03
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Mr G
I'm glad others have the same problem.I usually walk round to the "passenger" door in the US and then realise my mistake.
It usually happens in Walmart car parks, when I am by myself, except for the people watching me !.
Like Trev I usually make a point of checking the Tyres or similar and then walk round to the drivers door, confident that I have checked my vehicle all around, .......
....only my bright red face gives away the truth [msnembarrased][msnembarrased]
[/quote]
That one rings a bell with me too![msnembarrased]