Last week I got my first pullover and subsequent ticket in, oh, 14 years. Ugh. I was so annoyed with myself!
It was in an area where I never speed (can't say that anymore), and I was cited for 11 over the speed limit (36 in a 25), which I guess means it will effect my insurance.
I was driving from a friend's house, was in a good mood, had my Christmas music blaring (it was 4 days before Christmas) while I sang along loudly; I wasn't paying any attention to my speed, but I quickly realized I was going too fast (it looked like 40mph on my speedometer). I immediately slowed down, and that was when I saw the police car. Too late. I had literally gone 2 blocks.
He pulled out into the road, flipped on his lights, so I pulled over and hoped he was getting the guy behind me instead. If only I were so fortunate. Instead, he stopped behind me, and I reached down for my purse. It wasn't on my floorboard where I usually keep it. I looked in the back. Nope.
Ugh. It was at my friend's house.
I figured that I was going to really get a huge ticket for not having a license on me. Luckily I had just put our new insurance card in my car (our policy renews the beginning of every December and June). He gave me a pass on the no license thing, but I did get a $154 ticket. Did I mention that was 4 days before Christmas? Who sets up a speedtrap 4 days before Christmas in a tough economy? No mercy, I tell ya. Well, I guess there was a little mercy.
I vacillated between laughing and nearly crying over the whole thing.
I plan to ask for a deferment, and I hope the judge will agree to that.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
whoosh
...and it's gone!
December is nearly done, and 2010 is pretty much behind us.
My goal of daily blogging fell flat before I even began, but that's okay. It was a whirlwind month of stress, anxiety and sadness that culminated with great release and relief at about 5:30am Christmas morning. I cannot express clearly my stress leading up to the Christmas and how relieved I was on Christmas morning when everything fell into place as I hoped. The children were happy wi ththeir gifts; I was thrilled with mine. Wayne accepted his gift from me with a polite smile (it was a heart rate monitor and iPod armband for working out and the new Deadmau5 CD). He out-gifted me, as usual: a NookColor. I love it! I haven't been the voracious reader that I have been in the past, but I hope the NookColor will remedy that. I am reading a couple books now on the Nook:
Everything I Needed to Know About Being A Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, which isn't as good as I hoped it would be. It's a collection of short autobiographical stories from popular female authors, and some of them read like English 101 essays. Some are really good, but some are just meh. I think the concept is fabulous because it's such an accurate thesis. I mean, didn't we, the women in my age group (40-ish), grow up learning all we needed to know from Judy Blume's characters? Don't we all consider her a Goddess of YA fiction authors? I know I do. But one of the authors (can't remember which one) made a good point about Judy's books: they aren't as relevant to YA girls today. I can't get Maya to Read Are You There, God? It's me, Margaret. She loved the Fudge books, but I read them to her a few years ago. She re-read them last summer, but she wasn't inspired to move on to any other Judy Blume books. It makes me sad. Kids today are too savvy--and possibly too cynical-- to enjoy Judy Blume books without rolling their eyes and thinking the content is dated. I can't speak about any of Judy Blume's other books, but the Fudge series has been updated to include cell phones and iPods in an effort toward relevance. I wonder if Margaret is still talking about using a belt with her sanitary napkins (who ever really called them that?! That was a dated reference even when I read the book). But the burgeoning sexuality of the characters in Judy Blume's books is what I really remember and think was so important back then. Breasts, periods, wet dreams, erections, masturbation, actual intercourse and blow-jobs...all that she put out there for us to learn about before actually experiencing any of it. It was some kind of awesome.
Okay. I have to go. Maya is itching to run to Target and GameStop: gift cards burning holes in her pockets!
December is nearly done, and 2010 is pretty much behind us.
My goal of daily blogging fell flat before I even began, but that's okay. It was a whirlwind month of stress, anxiety and sadness that culminated with great release and relief at about 5:30am Christmas morning. I cannot express clearly my stress leading up to the Christmas and how relieved I was on Christmas morning when everything fell into place as I hoped. The children were happy wi ththeir gifts; I was thrilled with mine. Wayne accepted his gift from me with a polite smile (it was a heart rate monitor and iPod armband for working out and the new Deadmau5 CD). He out-gifted me, as usual: a NookColor. I love it! I haven't been the voracious reader that I have been in the past, but I hope the NookColor will remedy that. I am reading a couple books now on the Nook:
Everything I Needed to Know About Being A Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, which isn't as good as I hoped it would be. It's a collection of short autobiographical stories from popular female authors, and some of them read like English 101 essays. Some are really good, but some are just meh. I think the concept is fabulous because it's such an accurate thesis. I mean, didn't we, the women in my age group (40-ish), grow up learning all we needed to know from Judy Blume's characters? Don't we all consider her a Goddess of YA fiction authors? I know I do. But one of the authors (can't remember which one) made a good point about Judy's books: they aren't as relevant to YA girls today. I can't get Maya to Read Are You There, God? It's me, Margaret. She loved the Fudge books, but I read them to her a few years ago. She re-read them last summer, but she wasn't inspired to move on to any other Judy Blume books. It makes me sad. Kids today are too savvy--and possibly too cynical-- to enjoy Judy Blume books without rolling their eyes and thinking the content is dated. I can't speak about any of Judy Blume's other books, but the Fudge series has been updated to include cell phones and iPods in an effort toward relevance. I wonder if Margaret is still talking about using a belt with her sanitary napkins (who ever really called them that?! That was a dated reference even when I read the book). But the burgeoning sexuality of the characters in Judy Blume's books is what I really remember and think was so important back then. Breasts, periods, wet dreams, erections, masturbation, actual intercourse and blow-jobs...all that she put out there for us to learn about before actually experiencing any of it. It was some kind of awesome.
Okay. I have to go. Maya is itching to run to Target and GameStop: gift cards burning holes in her pockets!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The annual hunt
Well, my December attempt at NaBloPoMo is already a total BUST, but I am okay with that. Who the hell tried to do daily blogging (while not getting paid) during the holidays? Crrrazzzy.
Today we got our Christmas tree. Every year (with a couple exceptions) we go to the same place: Cox Christmas Trees in Eatonville. We've been going there since, I swear, 1992. My parents moved to Eatonville in 1992, and I think that's the only place we've ever gone for a tree. The people who own it are so cool.
The weather held out for us today: it was warm (50*) and sunny, which never happens for us on a tree hunt day. We got it home, stood, lit and decorated in record time. By 6:15pm, we were sitting down to eat dinner, and the tree was all done.
This was the first year that Paige wasn't with us to get the tree and help decorate it. It was a little bit of a bummer, but it's okay. I'm prepared to only take Maya with us next year to get a tree.
Paige and Harrison have leased and apartment and will be moving in January; next Christmas Paige will be finding and decorating her own Christmas tree! I'm proud of my kid; she's taking good care of herself. I just wish she would get her ass back to school.
Wednesday is the day when I go visit my grandpa. It's our standing date, and he looks forward to it every week--as do I. The holidays are hard for anyone who has lost a loved one; today was three months since my grandma died. While people all around him are putting up their Christmas decor, my grandpa has chosen to not do any of that. No tree, no lights, nothing. I know my grandma would be very sad to know that he's checked out of Christmas this year, but I get it.
He's trying to figure out what to do for Christmas this year. My grandparents' usual Christmas eve was spent at their church's candlelight service, then they would go home and exchange gifts and then just chill out around the house until we all arrived Christmas day.
This Christmas looks to be a very lonely holiday for my grandpa.
My mom invited my grandpa over for Christmas eve dinner, which is always spectacular. He's of course welcome to come over as early as he'd like on Christmas day, too. I'm kicking around the idea of having my family attend the church service with him on Christmas eve, too.
My grandma dying has changed everything holiday in my family.
Today we got our Christmas tree. Every year (with a couple exceptions) we go to the same place: Cox Christmas Trees in Eatonville. We've been going there since, I swear, 1992. My parents moved to Eatonville in 1992, and I think that's the only place we've ever gone for a tree. The people who own it are so cool.
The weather held out for us today: it was warm (50*) and sunny, which never happens for us on a tree hunt day. We got it home, stood, lit and decorated in record time. By 6:15pm, we were sitting down to eat dinner, and the tree was all done.
This was the first year that Paige wasn't with us to get the tree and help decorate it. It was a little bit of a bummer, but it's okay. I'm prepared to only take Maya with us next year to get a tree.
Paige and Harrison have leased and apartment and will be moving in January; next Christmas Paige will be finding and decorating her own Christmas tree! I'm proud of my kid; she's taking good care of herself. I just wish she would get her ass back to school.
Wednesday is the day when I go visit my grandpa. It's our standing date, and he looks forward to it every week--as do I. The holidays are hard for anyone who has lost a loved one; today was three months since my grandma died. While people all around him are putting up their Christmas decor, my grandpa has chosen to not do any of that. No tree, no lights, nothing. I know my grandma would be very sad to know that he's checked out of Christmas this year, but I get it.
He's trying to figure out what to do for Christmas this year. My grandparents' usual Christmas eve was spent at their church's candlelight service, then they would go home and exchange gifts and then just chill out around the house until we all arrived Christmas day.
This Christmas looks to be a very lonely holiday for my grandpa.
My mom invited my grandpa over for Christmas eve dinner, which is always spectacular. He's of course welcome to come over as early as he'd like on Christmas day, too. I'm kicking around the idea of having my family attend the church service with him on Christmas eve, too.
My grandma dying has changed everything holiday in my family.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
December One
...and I am beat.
The Wednesday from hell has finally come to an end.
Car trouble, dentist, meeting, party, meeting.
Dinner at 9pm, and now I'm off to bed, so I can spin in the morning.
Reminder to self:
mean girls blog post must be written. Tomorrow?
Such Zeitgeist! I still haven't looked up that word. Oy.
The Wednesday from hell has finally come to an end.
Car trouble, dentist, meeting, party, meeting.
Dinner at 9pm, and now I'm off to bed, so I can spin in the morning.
Reminder to self:
mean girls blog post must be written. Tomorrow?
Such Zeitgeist! I still haven't looked up that word. Oy.
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