YES! I just saw a segment on the Today Show where they reported pilots who have had their vision impaired for weeks after being hit with a green laser light. They also reported on a teenager suffering from temporary blindness after a friend had pointed a strong laser pointer at his eyes. Evidently there is a green light that can be purchased on line that is a higher power than what we can buy in the store.There are many incidents where kids have pointed these high powered laser pointers at airplanes and helicopters and have impaired the vision of the pilots. It is actually against the law to do this. 

Even the less powerful laser pointers can cause some eye damage.

 The reason the law requires you to wait til your 16 is because they want you to be safe and feel driving takes a certain amount of maturity and responsibility not found in younger people.  The fact that you have disregarded the law and your parents shows that maybe you are not ready to understand how important it is to obey the law and respect authority.  When you do get your permit I would doubt that they would allow your sister to be in the car with you without a parent. This is to protect both of you.

Driving is serious business, it is never a game of what you can get away with. I think you should reconsider your actions and be grateful nothing worse came of it.  If you want to show your father that you are ready to drive than let him know you are aware you didn't use good judgement on taking the car without permission, disregarding the law and including your sister.  Let him know you will be ready when you are 16 to take the responsibilities of driving seriously and that you can be trusted.   The only way to do that is wait til you are 16 and let him know you get it and he is right and you were wrong.

Good luck and be safe.

 Your father wasn't over reacting. If you want to learn how to drive ask your parents to take you to a privately owned area and drive with them. If the police caught you underage driving without a permit, you wouldn't be able to get your permit and probably be charged with having your younger sister in the car with you. I know a fifteen year old who did the same and hit the gas instead of the brake and landed on his football coaches front porch with the car. Luckily no one was hurt in both cases but nice touch with the wave! 

 No Kayla, I don't think he is overreacting.  Driving without a permit is illegal, you need to learn to drive with an adult.  If you get caught, the police will charge you with driving a stolen vehicle, since your parents did not give you permission to take their car.  Your poor father! You are lucky he didn't crash his own car seeing you!  If it's that important to learn to drive, convince your family to move to Vt. You can get your learner's permit at 15 and you can even arm yourself with a hunting rifle.  Of course, you will also be expected to drive a tractor and work the farm.  Wait darling, you will have the privileges of being an adult soon enough, and all the responsibilities that come with them.

OH MY GOD! .... Really?

I am afraid for you. You could get into huge trouble if you just don't come to a complete stop at a Stop sign and get pulled over. You will not be able to get your license until you are 18 then if you are arrested for driving underage. It is almost as bad as being caught drinking and driving. Some one I knew had their license revoked for 3 simple  traffic violations at 17.   He hadn't opened the letter from the DMV yet when he got stopped for speeding again, he was taken in to the station and the car was towed and impounded. It cost a lot of money to get it out and he was put on probation for a year by the juvenile court. he was treated as a criminal ... like he had committed theft or was driving drunk.

Another thing is that you think you can drive? That doesn't mean that you know what you're in for. There are too many scary driving situations that can not be anticipated ... it takes practice. It isn't always you. You may be a good driver, but we learn to look out for the other driver.

You are GROUNDED! That is what I would say. For two months! ... and to risk your sister's safety also is very irresponsible. You would never forgive yourself if something were to occur to endanger both of you.

Relax and slow it down. You want your license, so do all that you can to find time to drive with your parents. Right now I would make you wait another couple of months. I could go on but I'll stop here...

Please be careful, but even before that be smart about it... and be honest with yourself and your parents if you want them to trust you in the future.

 Don't mess around with a gas grill.  Call a repair man first.  You probably have some corrosion in the lines and they would need  to be replaced.  Always turn the gas off when you're working on the grill.  I once had the glass  blow up on me.  Luckily, I had just walked away from it.

Bummer! Could be anything. Sometimes corrosion can occur when you aren't using your barbecue and when nothing is passing through the line to keep it open, corrosion can block the line. You may need new parts like hoses and gauges, or you may have a handy friend who knows how to clear the line with a thin wire or by forced air like with a compressor. Be very careful that you have turned the gas off. Disconnect the gas from the barbecue before you walk away from it. You can try to figure out the part that isn't working, but calling a repair person is the best idea. If you have an inexpensive barbecue, a new barbecue may cost less than the time and energy and parts it takes to repair the old one.

You're right to be scared. There are attacks that happen in garage lots. First, always park in a well lit lot. Find a friend to go with you to the lot. Always have your keys ready in your hand. Unlock the drivers side only, get in and immediately lock the doors. Make sure your interior light works and look into the back seat as you're unlocking the car. As you approach the car, look underneath to make sure there isn't someone there. If you feel uncomfortable, listen to that and go to the security person and have them walk you to your car. Check out roadand travel.com for safety tip.

I hate to be such a paranoid person but I actually had a bad experience with this when my daughter was a toddler. Some guy started walking and talking beside me while pushing a carriage with a little girl. I thought it was weird and could feel the little hairs on the back of my neck go up. He wouldn't leave me alone and plopped down beside me at the beach and proceeded put his hand down his pants. I grabbed my daughter and ran the whole way home and called the police. Turns out he was a habitual hands down the pants guy! What I should have done was go directly to the police station. This was also before cell phones-now you'd get away and call 9-1-1.

It is always good to have a strong magnet around the house. Take a clean handkerchief and wrap the magnet around it and hold it over the open eye and the magnet may gently pull the metal piece(s) out of the eye. Use some mild eye drops to sooth the eye and be watchful of how it feels. If it doesn't feel better rather swiftly and by the next day, then it would be wise to have it checked out by your doctor.

 If you are worried then timers to turn lights on and off are a great way to look like someone is there.  Make sure your lawn gets mowed so that your house doesn't stand out in the neighborhood.  Lock it up good and if you hide the key...find a better place than under the mat.

Buy a few timers for your lights, make sure the door and window locks work properly, clean out your refrigerator if you're going to be gone a long time, have someone picking up your mail or stop your mail at the post office and take care of your pets. Cats inside with a litter box, water and plenty of food will be okay for a few days but dogs need someone to care for them whether it be a kennel or someone staying in your home.

Be sure that you have a friend stop by your house daily if they can to pick up your mail and newspaper. I never remembered to cancel the paper back in the day when I had it delivered.... now I barely read it as I watch morning shows that have the news and sometimes an evening news show and so much is available online....It is a sad thing that local newspapers are in such a decline... Anyway.... Some one who will stop by to feed the cats and water the plants and pick up your mail. Sometimes a porch light or some indoor lights on a timer is a good idea also.

If you have a friend who would spend a few nights at your place that is useful on longer trips. Cat's can be OK left inside with a litter box and a self feeding food dispenser and water dispenser for a few days, but sometimes they have attitude about being ignored when you return home. Dogs will need to be left at a kennel or you will need a friend to stay with them at your house or at theirs.

Do not leave that key under the doormat or under a pot by the front or back door.... that is the obvious place for thieves to find it. Even the "fake rock" key hiders are obvious. Put your hidden key in a less obvious place for your friends to use. Not where the nieghbors can see them getting it when they come by to pick up the mail daily.

• keep electrical appliances away from the sink or standing water
• make sure the cords of your appliances are in good condition
• keep sharp knifes in a separate area of your drawer or in a knife block
• don't leave glass dishes on top of the stove (they can explode with heat)
• be careful over micro-waving foods and liquid-they also can explode in the micro wave
• don't use damp or wet pot holders to remove hot pot from stove-the heat will travel quickly through the fabric and give you a steam burn
• keep cleaning products in a cabinet away from food and locked if you have children in the home
• NEVER mix different cleaning products-they can be extremely  explosive
• never put your finger in a blender while it is plugged in
• don't have stuff all over the kitchen floor while your cooking-tripping with a hot pot of water is not a good idea
•  

 It's a good thing to get a passport now.  Any travel outside the US requires a passport.  A picture ID such as a driver license or a government issued card is also advisable.  Make a copy of your passport and keep it in a safe place in case you ever loose it.

You will need a valid photo ID such as a driver's license, state identification card( which you should have if you do not have a driver's license), and/or a passport. I like to always have my passport with me. Now you must have a form of picture ID with you for all air travel and to get in and out of our neighboring countries, Canada and Mexico. I lost my wallet a few years ago in Breckenridge, Colorado and I would not have been able to fly home if I had not also had my passport with me. It is a good idea to have a passport so you won't be missing any spontaneous vacation invitations out of the country. You never know when you might need one...