November 18, 2008 – Repeat Offender Traffic School

           Today I went to traffic school, again…

            I get to go again tomorrow for an additional 8 hours.  I’m not your typical traffic offender.  I’m a “Repeat Offender”.  The class is twice as long as the traditional traffic school (8 hrs) but it costs 3 times as much.  Surely a punitive measure.  It seems silly to me to have a bunch of grown ups circled around a table playing trivia games related to California’s “Rules of the Road.”  Like were back in high school, in drivers ed.  Most of the people in here knew exactly what they were doing, they just weren’t worried enough about getting a ticket to not do it.  Me, well I was just following the flow of traffic.  Unintentionally speeding.

            I was pretty angry about the whole thing.  I had a fare in the car, my speedometer wasn’t calibrated, and the light on the dash that illuminates all of my gauges was burnt out.  I actually thought that I may have been going too fast and had started slowing down.  The offices solution – well it was to put a sticker underneath the dial for the speedometer stating “Car goes faster than speedometer states.”  Nice fix.   No expense spared here.  I pointed this out to the officer – he didn’t care.  I don’t much care for the California Highway Patrol. 

My dash lights.  The check engine light is always on. 

July 10, 2008 – Do You Know Why I Stopped You

            Of course I do…

            Today I got a speeding ticket.  I wasn’t trying to speed, I was just following the flow of traffic.  We’ve all done it right?  Of course I couldn’t see how fast I was going since my dash lights were still burnt out.  Oh, and because the speedometer doesn’t work.  I didn’t expect any leniency from the CHP.  The shitty part was just before I got pulled over, and before I saw the cop I might add, I thought that I might have been going too fast and was slowing down.  I should send the ticket to Catherine and have her pay it.  I don’t know how many times now I’ve asked her to fix these problems with my cab.

            I didn’t even want to be out in El Cajon.  I was doing a favor for a regular customer by giving his friend a ride home for less than half of what the meter came to.  On top of that his friend was running his mouth for no reason, and saying that I was taking him the long way, although when I asked which way he would like me to take he had no suggestions.

            I enjoy picking up Jake though, he’s one of my “regulars.”  He probably calls every few days, and unlike most of the sailors, he tips.  I even went out and grabbed a beer after work with him once.  Real down to earth guy.  The officer who stopped me, well, he wasn’t so amicable.  Surely I’ll be visiting traffic school again in no time…

June 25, 2008 – Another Traffic School

            They called it “Laugh for half” traffic school. Only 39.95, what a steal!  I would have called it “Feeling down and out, go ahead, frown and pout.”  I think that everyone should to go to traffic school at least once.  It’s a right of passage, a lesson in humility.  I don’t recommend that people attend half a dozen times like me.  I feel like I should be the instructor.  Whatever though, I deserved it.  Live and learn right.  After all, what could be better than being in La Mesa in a business park on a Saturday afternoon for 8 hours...