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As I was driving to Canyon Lake the other night, I was pulled over by a cop near Podunkville, Texas. One of my front lights was out, and I had been hyper-aware of it for a few days already. I was on a state highway: notorious for cops driving slowly on the shoulder skimming for traffic-related infractions.
I'm sure you all know that "oh s*^%" feeling when a cop turns around suddenly from the other side of the road. Like a snake spinning around at scent of prey, and you the mouse, wide-eyed, knowing you're a goner. I knew he was going for me. Damn.
He turned his lights on, and there was nowhere safe to pull over - no shoulder, nothing. So I turned my blinker on and kept going, but much more slowly. This was a mistake. The cop sounded the siren and turned his spotlight on me, conveying to me his irritation. So I made a bigger mistake - I suddenly changed lanes and pulled into a parking lot on the other side of the road.
The cop quickly got out of his car and switched his flashlight on me and is looking in my car. Looking no doubt for the 10 kilos of cocaine and cache of machine guns in the backseat (shhhh...).
I apologized that I took longer than normal to pull over (5-10 seconds is an eternity in cop-time), and that I was just looking for a safe spot. He was peeved, and told me that he thought something was going on in the car (note to self - Raoul Duke is a terrible role model). He also said he didn't appreciate my "stunt" to get into the parking lot.
He seemed to loosen up a bit when he saw that I was actually a polite person. But then, two more "infractions": my insurance card was expired by a week, and my address wasn't current.
I thought that maybe the cop would go easy on me, because it was pretty apparent that I was your basic law-abiding citizen. Except when I don't notify DPS of my change of address. He was, for some reason, very upset about that. The cop didn't cite me for the headlight (my big break, I suppose) but he sure as hell was pissed that I didn't change my effing address.
The town of Martindale, Texas, is also apparently very upset when the DPS is not notified of a change of address. In fact, they are so threatened by my "failure" to notify that they are inclined to charge me $157.
I also got a ticket for my expired insurance card, but that's easily fixable.
I would hate to be a cop, because I would just hate to issue citations. Especially to people who aren't interested in giving you attitude so you can justify it. How do you...deliver a ticket to such a person?
This guy returned from his car and was extremely cheery and polite. He asked me to "sign here" as though he were closing out a sale at JC Penny's. And then the parting...thank you? Do you say thank you? Have a good night? This dude just gave me two tickets that value over $400 combined. What do I even say? Hey man, thanks for the fine! I hope it helps pay for that brand new courthouse! *ding*
What an awkward situation.
So now...I've got to cough up $157. We all know how exasperating it is to spend that kind of money on those kinds of things. Don't worry, though, lesson learned. For crying out loud, don't forget to notify the frikin' DPS when you move!
QWERTY was just a place-holder. And not...the best. Suggestions?
I've been trying to make it out to the barn on a regular basis (regular basis means once a week), 'cause it's so good for my sanity. This weekend was no exception. I went out this morning and rode a couple of horses - Samson and Tucker.
Samson and I had a pretty good ride, as usual. He started out a bit nervous, though, because the owner of the place is now leasing a huge pasture behind the barn (and the cross-tie area). This means that while the horses are being groomed and such, the horses enjoying the new football-sized pasture are tearing around and kicking their heels up. Everyone will get used to it, but in the meantime, it was lots of whinnies and nervous energy.
Ol' Sam tho always irons himself out. By the time we got to the arena he was fine. But then, on to another challenge - the lawn mower. The barn hand tried to turn it off as I went by, but I signaled to him to keep it on, thinking Sam would be fine. Sure he was. We were doing some trotting exercises nicely around the arena, and we were pretty well in sync. Then, asking for the canter on a circle, he stepped into a stride or two, then promptly spooked to the side to avoid going near the lawn mower (which...was on the opposite side of the arena). I kept riding the circle on some sort of imaginary horse, and landed nicely in the sand with a soft thud.
Of course, every time you fall off, the horse looks down at you like "what are you doing down there?" Sam is certainly no exception, but he had such a sweet look on his face that I just laughed and patted the poor guy. Then I hopped back on and we went about our way.
Honestly, it was nice to fall in such a good way, because I was way overdue for my next. Thank goodness for sand arenas!
Then on to Tucker, who is a young 'un who just loves to test you to see if you'll let him leave hoofprints on your back. We had a wonderful ride, after getting a few things straight. Funniest thing was his canter. He wasn't too interested in trying to balance a rider on his back, so his canter strides were more like bucking-strides. It was actually kind of fun (cause his bucks are so manageable), and a good lesson because he learned he couldn't get out of it by bucking. After a few tries, we got a nice canter in. Then a long rein and a pat of gratitude.
The after-ride process is just as gratifying as the riding itself. It's always nice to know you are showing the horse how appreciative you are of him; to give something back. The rub-down, hose-down, and hanging out with him while he grazes. Then the final pat before you two go your separate ways until next week.
Now the rest of the week will be a little brighter.
Last week my mom and I spent the week in Colorado - Boulder and vicinity. We had bigger ambitions, but my mother's body protested quite a bit when we got too high up in the mountains, so we cancelled the second half of our trip and just hung out in Boulder.
It actually turned out to be a nice misfortune. I managed to get to the mountains every day to go hike and sit in the quiet.
As is likely to happen when you spend days solid around someone, my mom and I had our share of disagreements. After a particularly rough one, I decided to get some perspective in the mountains.
Sometimes, getting away is exactly what you need.
I went to the usual park off Flagstaff road, where there are endless trails to explore. As I was driving up the mountain I noticed a storm brewing in the distance, but wasn't about to let it deter me. I parked the car and started exploring a new spur of the trail.
I hiked for a good long while, all the while seeing deer, squirrels and hundreds of woodpeckers. My mind was starting to calm, and by the time I reached an intersection of trails, things were starting to look better to me.
I followed a randomly selected fork, and hiked along not sure where I was going (the best feeling ever in the mountains - when you're not terribly lost, that is...) The trail started getting significantly more difficult. I kept going, though, enjoying the challenge.
After hiking up an incline, the trail seemed to circle back on itself in front of a large group of boulders. Not wanting to stop, I looked around for anything resembling a trail. My efforts paid off, and I followed a jagged trail up the boulders.
My mind and feet were distracted negotiating the rocks, so I didn't realize immediately when I was at the top. With no more boulders to climb, I looked around me.
I had come to an open area that led to a sharp dropoff. The wind was howling. In the near distance, I could see the storm festering.
I watched it. Somehow it seemed possible to reach up and touch it. It sat there trapped over the mountains; I could hear it discharge its energy in the distance. The sound lingered as it reverberated between the slopes of the mountains. I closed my eyes for a little while and let the wind blow on my face and my ears absorb the sound.
Then, as though this moment couldn't get any better, I opened my eyes and looked up to see a golden eagle soaring with its offspring. I followed them across the sky with the wind as a backdrop until they landed on one of the thousand trees.
I knew with a touch of sadness that I couldn't stay forever. I finally rose and started walking back. Disappointed at having to leave, but knowing that the place was burned in my memory.
Whew. These first two week days have been rough. After spending a week in Colorado, work was a challenge. Maybe it was the thin air, or a week with absolutely no engagement of my mind, but my brain was just not working. Still not cranking too smoothly even as I write.
Previous vacation returns haven't been too bad, but I think that's because they weren't for an entire week. Love the week, but it makes going back all that much harder.
So today I was writing a memo to explain to x person y situation and how it pertains to z. Normally, I can bang those things out and feel satisfied that I am making my point clearly. This one, though, took me about twice as long; I printed it out to edit as usual. After reading the first paragraph, I was...surprised. Lots of choppy sentences, over-explanation, and very very repetitive.
Me: "did I actually write this crap??"
Hence the lack of blog entries since my return. Sorry, all, or um, the five people that actually read this page. I'll get back on the ball this week. Promise.
Anyway, entry to come on my trip to Colorado, once I muster the brain power and inspiration. Pictures, at least, will be up. In the meantime, wish me luck with work.
