Which is why fire engines are red. Back in the day, all fire brigades were volunteer, and they were very competitive. They began painting their stuff red as a show of pride and to demonstrate that their brigade could afford the best of the best.
I'm 48, and have heard it referred to as "three on the tree" for as long as I can remember. Maybe it's a regional thing? I'm with you, though, I prefer to say "three speed column shift."
I use the same contraption and love it. Got sick of cutting off the circulation of my fingertips by wrapping floss around 'em, and the handle on the new contraption makes it easy to reach far back.
And yes, I wave both as a driver and as a pedestrian. It's how I was raised. Most wave back in my area, but many do not. I don't let it bother me, though.
It's humorous until two people trying "out-nice" each other cause a backup. There's a reason traffic rules exist. If it's a tie coming to a 4-way, the person to the right has the right-of-way. Follow the rules and keep traffic flowing.
A buddy of mine has a few parts for his chopper at Royal Plating in Tucson. You might consider them, as well as Capital Metal, if you're going out of state.
The fact that he told the truth and admitted what happened speaks volumes to his character, and how he's being raised. Sounds like you're doing a great job.
Sorry about the car, glad nobody was hurt.