Blah. Just Blah. And book fun!

I wish I could say there is something hilarious, exciting, etc going on.

But there's not.

I did get the new Adele CD (21).

It's REALLY good. Pick it up if you get the chance..or download it--whatever. I have a jank tastic Ipod that is a piece of junk...so I'm doing it old school this time. It's not that I'm against digital..but I'm kind of against digital. It's nice to have something tangible that you can pick up and look at and say "MINE". Especially books. I'm just saying "NO" to the digital reader for as long as I can. I like books on shelves. I love the smell of the paper, remembering where the book has (literally and not) been with me, finding what I was thinking or random phone numbers written in the margins. Nothing tops that sense of personal history--period.

Moving on for a bit. What's been up with me?

Hmmm...let's see. I've been arguing with the the po-po (someone might have to come bail me out of jail before this is all done), trying to pay for my plates (thanks State of Indiana for taking away every possible convenient option for those of us who forget until the day the stupid things expire....). I guess you don't even get your sticker day of anymore? They mail it to you? Is there that much freaking fraud in this state that I have to put a piece of paper in my car until the sticker gets to my house? Cause it's so hard to duplicate a piece of paper. Sigh.

Oh! And I paid my bills this morning. Who's sorry now? That would be me.
                                                                         
                                              Bye-bye money!
                                         I'm gonna miss you so!
                                              Bye-bye money!
                                         Why'd you have to go?


I'm no Ann Margaret, so please..don't imagine me singing. It will only make you cry...the tears of the tortured.

I am excited that the first volume of Mark Twain's autobiography is waiting for me at the library..but that's because I'm a big nerd--which should not be news to anyone at this point. I'm too cheap to buy it (before I read it, anyway), but if you are interested..click here: Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1

I also REALLY want to read Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra: A Life, but I am still waiting for my copy to come through the library. I'm number 58! Woo-hoo. Needless to say, I'm trying to stock pile stuff to read on my trip to California (I think airplanes speed up my reading time by about 10...On the way to Hawaii in 2007, I read back to back (shamefully) Gone With the Wind AND Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind", (which I found at Goodwill for like 2 bucks! Score!). And I finished them both before I landed in Kahului. By like an hour and half. So I was forced into conversation with a 22 year old sorority girl who was "Like SOOOO excited!!" to be getting married in Maui. If I had had my wits about me, I would have shotgunned baby bottles of Wild Turkey (the only brown booze left by the end of the flight). Trust me--I was that desperate.

I don't want this to happen again, so I think I'm okay so far on the way out with Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played with Fire (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) (I haven't started it yet...cause I know it will go fast. These books? So. Good.). I also have a fun book about Charles Schultz that Beth gave me--and another Schultz biography I might finally finish (but I have the hard back which is bulky, but doable on a plane) Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography. It would also make my day if this next book came my way before I leave..how fun does this sound? Chick Lit and Postfeminism (Cultural Frames, Framing Culture). Doesn't sound fun to you? Pish. You just don't know what fun is!

So I have my trip out planned...working on my trip home. What to read, what to read?

Don't worry. I'll figure it out.

                                                                      

Dear God--Please Just Take My Damn Money!

So...if you care to remember, about a month ago, I received a lovely little present from the people of Whitestown.

A speeding ticket.

I was told to call the court to figure out how much I owed, etc--which I did the very next day. Because there was no notation on the ticket that I was given that said 1) How much to pay 2) How I could pay or 3) Where to pay.
Pretty awesome, right? I know, I know...in theory, it seems like a great way to make sure you get money from people....

So I called the court the first thing on Monday morning.

But they don't open until noon.

In fact, they are only open from noon until 5 pm. How they manage such sweet hours is beyond me...but I'm jealous.

So...I called back. Spoke to a lady who told me where to mail my check to and that it would be $155.00.

$155.00!! What the flaming hell! Do you people think I crap gold coins? (This too, would be awesome. Especially since gas is probably going to be $4.25 a gallon by summer...which means if I don't find a new job closer to home--SOON--I'm going to have to figure out a way to survive on tap water and government cheese.)

Being a good girl (for the most part...let's put it this way--I REALLY would prefer to stay out of a police database), I promptly copied my ticket, wrote out a check to the Whitestown Court, and dropped it in the mail.

But then, the check didn't clear. And didn't clear. So--I called them, because the nice lady at the court told me they had to have my payment by March 1st, or they would issue a warrant for me. (They don't fool around in a small town people.)

The nice lady in the court? A total idiot. I talked to the SAME woman. (How do I know this? She kept calling me 'hon' and 'sweetie'...I'm sorry, do I know you? No? Then knock it off!) And this is what she told me:

My check is coming back to me. They don't take checks. (Really? That's not what you told me the first time I called.) Also--the payment isn't due until March 31st. (Again--do you just make up things as you go?)

So now I have to go get a money order like some poor person at a gas station because I refuse to pay 12.00 for a certified check from my bank when I have perfectly good checks in my checkbook that work just fine. It's not my fault that the general public are too moronic to make sure they have enough money in their bank accounts to cover tickets. I am a responsible grown up, damnit and just because I was doing the state mandated speed limit on a county road, well, that doesn't make me a bad person. (FYI: It may be 55 on a county road--but it's 40 anywhere that Whitestown has incorporated..so be aware if you drive in Boone County, because these jerks don't have signs!!) So off to the gas station I shall go...

But not until I get my check back in the mail. I'm not THAT stupid. They aren't getting a dime from me until March 31st. So ha!