Cherries and Blueberries

Much to my dismay, I was pulled over for the first time since moving to California today. Actually, I think I was pulled over for the first time since leaving Wisconsin. Both previous times I had the good fortune of not receiving a ticket of any sort. The first time I had a tail light out, and I totally deserved a ticket for another offense that we won't talk about right now, but the cop took pity on my sorry 17 year-old ass and sent me home to get a new tail light. I swear, that thing was always going out. The second time, I was definitely speeding down a County Highway on New Year's Eve, but the holiday, and the fact that I wasn't drunk driving, must have put the cop in a good mood, and once again I was let off with just a verbal warning. Back to today's story, I didn't figure that I'd have the same luck of not getting a ticket a third time. The thing is, I really didn't think that I had done anything that wrong. It's a little hard to explain the story without graphics, but the gist is that I ended up a little far out into an intersection at a traffic signal. So I got pulled over; I really should have known it would happen because there were about 8 million cops out today for some reason. So the officer came up to the window and asked me what happened. And I have this embarrassing complex where cops really just freak me out. So I was all shaking, and I couldn't tell my story properly for anything. So he took all my relevant information and went to his car to run it. He came back a few minutes later and informed me that generally, under the circumstances, they would issue a ticket for running a red light in this situation. But given my story, he'd let me off. Still all worked up in my officer-panic complex, I muttered some sort of "thanks" and "sorry." I'm guessing that it really paid off the way I fixed up my hair and lip gloss before he came back to the car to tell you the truth. Okay--I'm totally kidding there, totally kidding. I think he just thought I was a big moron. I do feel just a tad bit ripped off though, since I was not pulled over by Eric Estrada on a motorcycle. Or even just an officer on a motorcycle. Maybe next time. For now, thank you Mr. Officer for not making me pay $300.00 to the state of California. I really didn't mean to run the red light, and I promise to do better next time.

My Inspiration

In all honesty this probably should have been my first post. But what can I say; I'd hate to do anything in the order it was meant to be done in. This is the Furby that guarded the carport outside my apartment. He sat there for quite awhile, as you might be able to tell from his weathered appearance. For several days, I didn't actually even realize that he was a furby. I drew a picture of him, and I showed it to everyone I could think of. They all thought he looked familiar, but even with my incredible abilities in artistry, they couldn't place him. I then had a phone conversation with a predictable and amazing friend (that's half true,) and I described the creature to him. And right then and there, he just said, "Oh, that's a Furby." I was beyond impressed. So the creature became my Carport Furby. Sadly, not long ago, the Carport Furby disappeared. Hopefully he went traveling like that Gnome in Amelie or something. He will be missed.

If You Want To Move A Box

Courtesy of a strong and brilliant woman---a good friend of a good friend, of course!
I had to move a really heavy box the other day. I was wondering how I'd manage it by myself. Then I remembered an excellent box-moving technique for those who may not be able to lift their box alone, but are also determined not to ask for help. So, I pushed my box down two flights of stairs, end over end. And then down the sidewalk end over end. It's a lovely way to move a box that is simply too heavy to lift. Now, I'm not completely opposed to asking for help, so I do have to say thanks to the wonderful guy and exceptional woman who observed my box moving charade and then kindly offered their assistance, first getting the box into my car, and subsequently getting it into the postal store. But, if you want to go it alone, I highly recommend the end over end method, courtesy of S&BW. By the way, I've heard this method is also effective for moving large screen TV's.

Yum Yum Fly Salad

I once was eating a chicken tostada salad at a restaurant. I found a fly in said salad. Upon returning it to the cashier, she looked at the fly and responded, "Oh, yeah, that's from the lettuce." Comforting.