No contest, your honor

What a day.

Court time was 8:30 am. I left at 7:40 or so, giving myself plenty time to get downtown, find a parking spot, and find the courtroom. Well, that did not happen. 45 southbound was a parking lot. 40 minutes later, I was at the zoo. That's normally a 10 minute drive, folks. Apparently there were accidents all over, AND some motivation conference (read: schmucks stealing other people's money so they can tell them they're nice and popular) that everyone in Wisconsin was going to. I couldn't find a parking spot anywhere, and since there was this fabulous conference going on, all the lots were jacked up to $10 bucks. No thank you. I was already paying $164.30 to the City of Milwaukee, and I was NOT about to tack on another 10. I found a meter a couple blocks away and shoved some quarters into it. It's now 8:45. I book it to the Municpal Courthouse Building, running up 2 flights of stairs, and falling flat on my face in the process. Luckily, tons of people were coming down the stairs as I was falling up them to witness it. A few of them offered to help and I tried to play it cool. Like I meant to do it. Well, I get to the top and the secrity guard tells me I'm in the wrong building. I need to go back down the cursed stairs and two blocks west, THRU the jail and to the courthouse over there. So I run the two blocks, certain my case has already been called and I'm screwed. I'm running in heeled boots, in a sweater, and I'm dripping sweat like it's nobody's business. Good thing I use Degree. I go through security again, and the guard tells me to go up to the next floor. So I go up and head in the direction of the Courthouse, like the signs point. Certainly not towards the Safety Building, like the other sign points. So I am searching for room 221, with no luck. The rooms stop at 215. I ask the lady in room 215 where 221 is, and she tells me it's in THE SAFETY BUILDING. You're kidding me. So I trudge back through the looooongest corridors ever over to the safety building. I find the right room, and go in and check in with the registrar, or whoever. She asks if I can pay today, which I said I could, which meant I would go near the beginning of the hearings. Whatever. It's now 9:00. The judge comes in. I sit down. Perfect timing, I guess. I ask the guy sitting next to me what the difference is between "guilty" and "no contest" so he tells me, and he doesn't whisper. I hate that. I'm trying to be quiet, especially when there's signs saying that if you're loud or use your cell phone your case will be called last!!! I never should have talked to him, b/c then he talked to me the whooooole time. Finally my case was called and I went up to the stand. The guard asked me to remove my sunglasses. Oops. The judge was nice and reduced my ticket to a parking citation with no points on my record and I just had to pay the fine. Done and done. I had already planned what I'd say to defend myself but he didn't even ask me. Oh well.

Did I mention that I got my new WI license in the mail? I was worried about the picture, since I have a tendency to blink during pictures. Yes, in the 1/1000th of a second it takes to take a picture I find I must blink at that very instant. But, the picture is decent, my eyes are open, and I don't look like a zombie. I'll even show it to you if you want, that's how much I don't hate it. Bonus: Only the middle initial goes on the card, not the whole name. Isn't that weird? Wisconsin is a jacked up state, that's for dang sure.

I think of things all day to blog about, and when it comes down to it, I forget what they were. I'm going to have to start keeping a list, just like the list I keep when I remember something I need to get at Wal-Mart next time I go shopping. I'm pathetic. But I know it, and I love it.

For the sole purpose of hopefully having a fabulous anniversary, take a second and head over to Josie's blog and vote on her poll. If we're lucky, maybe her husband will read it and do something nice for her. :)