Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Man, and I thought The Simpsons was supposed to piss off those damn Christians.
He's the evangelical next door, and that's okily dokily among many believers.
He's the evangelical next door, and that's okily dokily among many believers.
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Yesterday I get my traffic ticket reduced by two-thirds. Today I scam a nice new flatscreen monitor out of an empty office to replace the fuzzy monstrosity I've been stuck with for the last 21 months. This is looking like a good week...
Monday, October 27, 2003
In an hour and a half I have an appointment in traffic court. Did I already tell what happened? Cycling to work I came to the four-way stop at Aloha and 12th, determined that there were no cars, and zoomed right through. Like you do. And then a cop pulled me over and gave me a $101 ticket. Of course I decided to go to court.
Foolishly, it seems, I checked the box that said, yeah, I committed the infraction but here's my mitigating circumstances. So I'm going to argue that, yes, technically I didn't come to a complete and total stop but I'm an upstanding citizen, non-bike messenger-type rider so come on judge, do us a favor and knock off some of those bucks. We'll see what happens. I have this fantasy where I go all Al Pacino on the court and start screaming "Attica! Attica!"
****UPDATE****
So I get to the courthouse 15 minutes early, fully expecting to have to wait and wait and wait. Shocked, therefore, am I to find the waiting room empty; even more shocked when the magistrate (or whatever he is) ushers me into an office 10 minutes before my appointment.
I thought I'd have to stand in court and all that but no, it's just him behind a desk, typing away at a computer, me sitting on the other side, acting the good citizen. I give him my spiel - he doesn't seem to care much. He knocks my ticket down to a $35 parking violation and I'm very happy, especially when he tells me - and this is just nuts - that a traffic violation while I'm on my bike would count as points on my drivers license. Then he admonishes me sternly for still holding a California drivers license after having been in Washington almost 3 years and tells me if the cops stop me while I'm driving a car it'd be a $500 fine. So I'm going to the DMV this week to finally get legit.
Oh, and I broke as many traffic laws as I could on the ride back to work.
Foolishly, it seems, I checked the box that said, yeah, I committed the infraction but here's my mitigating circumstances. So I'm going to argue that, yes, technically I didn't come to a complete and total stop but I'm an upstanding citizen, non-bike messenger-type rider so come on judge, do us a favor and knock off some of those bucks. We'll see what happens. I have this fantasy where I go all Al Pacino on the court and start screaming "Attica! Attica!"
****UPDATE****
So I get to the courthouse 15 minutes early, fully expecting to have to wait and wait and wait. Shocked, therefore, am I to find the waiting room empty; even more shocked when the magistrate (or whatever he is) ushers me into an office 10 minutes before my appointment.
I thought I'd have to stand in court and all that but no, it's just him behind a desk, typing away at a computer, me sitting on the other side, acting the good citizen. I give him my spiel - he doesn't seem to care much. He knocks my ticket down to a $35 parking violation and I'm very happy, especially when he tells me - and this is just nuts - that a traffic violation while I'm on my bike would count as points on my drivers license. Then he admonishes me sternly for still holding a California drivers license after having been in Washington almost 3 years and tells me if the cops stop me while I'm driving a car it'd be a $500 fine. So I'm going to the DMV this week to finally get legit.
Oh, and I broke as many traffic laws as I could on the ride back to work.
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