Drive Fast and Take Chances

A few weeks ago I got a traffic ticket in my subdivision for not coming to a complete stop. Getting a ticket in your subdivision is bad enough, but the policeman pulled me over in my own driveway! My son was playing nearby and there was some other drama going on about a dog and a rabbit that my son was much more interested in, to the point that twice he ran right past the policeman and me standing in our driveway without even looking over at us. The policeman says to me, “Got you on your way home, huh?” and I responded in the affirmative, thinking this would trigger some sort of fairplay clause where he would tell me that he was going to let me go this time with a warning, being as how I have such a clean record and all. Apparently that was as likely as Officer Obie giving Arlo Guthrie and his friends a medal for being so brave and honest on the telephone.

I paid the ticket today. $125, thank you very much. Apparently I could have gone to traffic school instead of paying the fine. But that’s a pain, and you have to go up to the court to elect that. I have a work thing on my scheduled court date, so I just decided to just "pay the fifty dollars and pick up the garbage", in a manner of speaking. Really, I didn’t decide anything—Wife encouraged me to pay the ticket because she knows otherwise I'd let it slide and then wind up with a warrant for my arrest. She bought the money order, prepared the envelope and told me where to sign. She’s trying to keep me out of jail.

So, if you are in my subdivision, “drive real fast and take a lot of chances” so Officer Obie will have you pulled over when I come rolling on through that stop sign.

It’s Friday, and everyone needs a good happy song on Friday. Hopefully I’ll have “Don’t It Make You Want to Dance” in my head all day long. I have a co-worker who tries to fill my head with pop ditties, like the “doohdoohdooh…” from Sugarland’s “All I Want to Do” song.

Actually, that Sugarland song doesn’t suck.

Kind of makes me want to dance. Makes me want to smile.

But maybe I just like that Jennifer Nettles.