my run-in with the law

I haven't had too many experiences with law enforcement. If I remember correctly, I've gotten two tickets since I've had my driver's license: one for speeding and one for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. I was brought up to believe that law enforcement is for our protection and that we need to respect officers. I have had a conversation with one person who "hates" law enforcement officers because of a previous bad experience, so I know that opinion is out there as well.

A couple of nights ago my sister said she didn't have any gas in her 4Runner. I offered to go and fill it up. I have driven this vehicle once before, and I didn't mind driving it again. It's got a cool gps system that keeps me occupied while I'm driving (think cat looking at a laser dot - I know, unsafe). Anyway, I get to the gas station and try unsuccessfully to open the gas tank door thingie. I try to figure out how to open it for a few minutes and finally swallow my pride and call my sister. I have an early recollection of me trying unsuccessfully to turn on a lawnmower at my uncle's house. I had to get him to help me and his words have stuck with me ever since: "You have to be smarter than the machine." I wasn't smarter than the 4Runner this evening.

I get the gas tank full and start for home. I get to a stoplight and turn left. I notice the cop car in front of me waiting for cars to go by. I check to make sure I'm going at an appropriate speed and I realize I don't have the lights of the 4Runner on. I frantically try to figure out where they are (I did have them on on the way to the gas station), but once again the 4Runner is smarter than I am and I don't figure out the lights until after I pass the policeman. By that time he is behind me with his lights on.

I don't want to stop on the road - there really is no shoulder - so it takes a while for me to come to a place where I can turn in. At this point, I'm thinking the officer is going to be mad because I didn't stop right away. I pull into the first parking space I find which happens to be a handicapped spot. At this point, my mind goes back to 20 minutes before when I thought to myself that I should get my wallet from my truck, but decide not to because I'm just going to the gas station a few blocks away and my sister has given me her credit card to pay with. So, I park the vehicle and to be polite or because of some other unknown reason open the door of the 4Runner. If you don't know, you're not supposed to do that. The officer was yelling at me to not come out of the car and to stay where I was. I think I instinctively put my hands in the air (insert crude racial joke here). The officer comes to the now open door, introduces himself, and says he needs to see my license and registration. I reply, "I'm sorry - I don't have it with me. This is my sister's car and I just went to fill it up with gas. My wallet is in my truck." The officer then asks me for my sister's name, and I give it to him. He tells me to wait in the 4Runner.

As he's walking away, I begin to shake my head because I realize I gave him my sister's maiden name and not her married name. Thoughts of me spending the night in jail begin forming in my head. A few minutes pass and the officer comes back to where I am. He asks, "What did you say your sister's name was?" I correct my mistake and tell him that she recently married. He then says, "That's better." He tells me to never get out of the vehicle when I'm being stopped because it freaks officers out. He then asks me if I have the lights figured out. I say yes. And then he asks how far I have to go to be home. I tell him a couple of blocks. He lets me go.

He never asked my name. There's really no moral to this story or reason for me to tell it other than I was really lucky and I still thinks cops are pretty good people.

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Damn Little House on the Prairie

OK, I admit it. I love Little House on the Prairie. I have read all of the books about two times. I think I've read some of them three times. I believe I have seen every single episode of the series, and I got excited the other day when I was in Hastings and saw that you could buy the different seasons on DVDs now (think Christmas and birthday presents!). I read a biography about Michael Landon when I was in middle school because I loved the show so much. I remember it used to come on at 5 p.m. on channel 39. I watched it every single day.

Today, I watch 4 hours (you read that right) of LHOTP. Channel 27 and the Hallmark channel run episodes at 2 o'clock. The Hallmark channel runs another episode at 3 p.m. Tonight, the Hallmark channel ran the two hour special where Albert gets diagnosed with a virulent blood disorder and is told that he is going to die. Not kidding when I say I cried at least three times during the special. That one as well as the one where the towns-people blow up the buildings of Walnut Grove are the two saddest episodes in the Little House series.

Anyway, just had to let everyone know. I love them!! Not ashamed - OK maybe a little bit embarrassed, but I love them!

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resignation

I resigned from my job this morning. The whole process wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I was afraid that my boss would be mad, and that I would have to keep apologizing for leaving. Thankfully, I have a sister who knows a lot more about this sort of thing than I do. She helped me with my letter of resignation and also coached me on what to expect. I'm excited about new opportunities in my future. I'm not excited about cleaning out my office.

Thanks for reading.

Finally...something to blog about

Summer I is over and so is eight hours of ethics each week. I had thought about posting the paper that I wrote in that class on here; it was entitled Counseling Ethics and Illegal Immigrants: Factors for Consideration. I even went so far as to copy and paste it and then save it as a work in progress, but I decided against it at the last minute. Anyway, nothing exciting happening until tonight.

I was driving back from seeing Pirates of the Carribean (it's alright, but a little bit lengthy) and I went to Wendy's to get some supper. It was about 11 p.m. I know, I know...I shouldn't be eating that late. Anyway, I order a #9 chicken nuggets meal and then drive around to pay and pick up my order. I see these two boys pass in front of my truck and stand about 10 feet in front of it on my side. I get the feeling they're going to ask me for money. I have a few minutes to think about this as I wait for my food to be handed to me.

I get my food, pull forward, and they wave me down. They ask me if I can give them a ride home. They say they're brothers. I say, "Really?" because one is African-American and the other is Caucasian. The taller kid says, "step-brothers." They tell me they can just lie in the back of my truck and I can take them where they need to go - which is about 2 miles away. I say that is fine with me, but I would feel a lot better if they got into the cab of the truck (by the way, both of them look to be around 11 or 12).

I ask them if they want something to eat. The shorter, Caucasian boy immediately says yes, and that he would like fries and a Dr. Pepper. I tell them that I am going to park and they can both get something to eat. They tell me the restaurant is closed (just the drive-thru is open). So, I tell them to get on in the truck and we can get them something, and then I will drive them home. The guy in the drive-thru window looked kind of amused because he had just given me my first order. Anyway, I get them their food and then drive them to where they needed to go - a store which they said their house was behind.

On our way to the store, I ask them about where they attend school and what their names are. I ask them what they had been doing. They said they had gone to the dollar movie, and that their mom had forgotten to pick them up. I ask them if they called her, and they said they had but that her phone was off. I asked what they were planning to do. They said they were just going to find a ride with whomever they could. That made me sad.

I pulled up to the store and told them I wouldn't mind driving them to their house. They said they were fine and got out.

My sister says I'm going to die if I keep picking people up. I say those boys probably needed to see that there are some people that care in the world. I'm glad that God put me there tonight to be the person they could ask for a ride. It makes me think that I'm an OK person when I do stuff like that - heaven knows I usually feel completely broken and unusable. It's funny - I could tell you tons of stuff to convince you that I'm a sinner and in Satan's grip. God reminded me tonight that there is still a glimmer of Him in me too. In this drama that I call my life, I pray that God wins.

Thanks for reading.