earlier today i did some research regarding a traffic ticket i received a couple of months ago. i made a right-hand turn onto hillsdale boulevard against a red light. my picture was taken by the automatic traffic cameras and was issued a red light violation. this was no my first time at that intersection. there's a whole foods in the nearby shopping center that i've been to numerous times and i've often turned against that very same red light. for some reason or another, this was the time the camera caught me and i got a ticket. after dealing with the company that manages the cameras, i finally got a ticket from the county of san mateo. a few weeks again after that ticket was received, a notice of bail was sent to me explaining how much the fine was and when it was due. i was being fined $421 and it was due next tuesday. after talking to a few people around here, and marshall, everyone has told me i should try contesting the charge. so, in order to bone up on my "case", i decided to revisit the intersection to make sure i wasn't in the wrong. like i remembered, there is NO sign that states that you cannot make a right turn on a red light and i witnessed many cars going through that red light, even from the left right-turn lane (when i made my right-hand turn, it was from the far right lane, closest to the curb). i even saw cars in front of me making the same turn in front of a cop, who was waiting to make a left turn. i wasn't able to take any pictures today, though, although i know pictures would help solidify my case. the one thing that keeps nagging me, while i try and run through my argument, is that they will tell me that i didn't stop before making the turn. the situation was that the light was green as i approached the intersection and i made the right turn. as i approached, i scanned the intersection and saw that it was clear and i proceeded to make my right turn, which happened after the light turned red, and i did not stop before making the turn. now, i notice in my picture there is another truck who was IN the intersection when the light turned red, but i know that my car was the one they wanted, because i had rolled over the line and into the intersection when the light was red. the intersection was completely clear when i entered and when i completed the turn. i understand that i SHOULD have paused, but the light was green when i approached the intersection and proceeded without stopping. it's possible i'm over-thinking this and i have a case, but i keep doubting myself.
i wanted to see if there were any further instructions for people who contest their traffic tickets, so i went online to the county of san mateo courthouse. i went through their FAQ's and found that i could request a 30-day extension for bail and court appearance. honestly, i don't have the money to pay a $400+ traffic ticket right now and if i had to pay it now, i don't think i would've had any money leftover for my bills, groceries, and gas. i learned that you can look up your traffic violation online (they even offer a service to PAY your traffic ticket online), so i looked up my ticket. using my CADL# i find my red light ticket, as well as a fix-it ticket i received a couple of weeks ago (i'll get to that one). on the page with my ticket information were buttons for an extension, paying the fee and traffic school. i requested an extension and received an extra 30 days to appear and pay bail. that sets my mind at ease slightly, although i'm still doubting my case. what i also learned, while reading the FAQ's is that i can come in at a certain time to post my bail and tell them i would like to contest my ticket. they will then schedule me a date in traffic court, which allows the citing officer to appear. even though it was a photo that gave me the ticket, an actual officer signed the actual ticket i received in the mail. the thing is, i KNOW that if there was an officer at that intersection when i made that turn, i would NOT have been pulled over for running a red light. anyway, it's THEN i'll make it into court, but it's going to be sitting on my record until then that i'm awaiting a court date, but that i HAVE posted bail. if the traffic judge waives the charges, my check is returned to me within 4-6 weeks after the court date. i hate bureaucracy.
about my fix-it ticket... i received a fix-it ticket on the way to work a couple of weeks ago for a broken headlamp and a non-functioning taillight. i knew about the taillight, but i didn't know about the headlamp. both of these are easily fixed and i managed to fix the headlamp myself that same week. i tried the taillight, but i think the whole panel isn't working because the back-up light had burned out. i took the bulb out and i need to replace it. the citing officer told me if i get pulled over for it again, i can wave my ticket to show them i'm working on it. he gave me a month to fix it, which is fine, although i still haven't gotten my courtesy notice, which is mailed out after a ticket has been issued. because i was able to find my citation on their website, tells me i should receive my courtesy notice soon. what pissed me off, though, was that in the description of my citation was an additional fee of $199 WHEN I MAKE THE FIX. last time i had a fix-it ticket, i showed my updated insurance to the clerk at the traffic office and was done. apparently since i was issued a ticket with the county, i'm now subject to a $199 fee? oh, if i don't fix it, i have to pay $321. in their FAQ's the mechanical fix-it tickets are attached with a $25 processing fee per violation. under THAT rule, i'm subject to a fine, but it should only be $50 total. it still sucks, but it's not $200! i don't understand how a fix-it ticket, which shouldn't result in ANY fees, states that i owe $200 for a broken taillight and headlamp. now, that's only online and not in any official court documents that have been mailed to me (the red light ticket online showed that i owed $446, when i really only owe $421), but it still frustrates me that i have to pay that fine. i'm getting it fixed, what else do you want me to do? the only thing i can think of which is why i owe this much for a fix-it ticket is that i have another open citation with the county. that's the ONLY other thing i can think of which would result in a fee that high. i also don't understand how i'm supposed to have an authorized traffic authority sign off on my working headlamp and taillight. do i just find a random officer at starbucks and say "hey, i have this fix-it ticket - could you look at my car and sign off on it, please?" that seems rather silly and utterly impractical, given the situation. they should have a department at the courthouse, where you can bring your car, have them look at it there and THEY can sign off on it. it just sounds so stupid. anyway, i have to wait until i have the notice before i can move on this. i have until 4/5/10 to get it cleared before the DMV can put a hold on my registration/license and a warrant is issued for my arrest; or before they multiply my fee by 100 and send it off to a collection agency.
*sigh* this sucks.
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the weekend was otherwise a fine one. marshall and i stayed in friday and saturday nights, which was nice. we finished our thank-you notes, but we need silver-ink pens to address them (black envelopes, you see). the two times we were at my mom's, we forgot to grab them. friday night we went and saw "alice in wonderland". i'm a total sucker for any alice story and i really enjoyed this one. it was an interesting spin on the wonderland story and combined both stories into one, similar to what disney did with their version. they did incorporate more nuance from "through the looking glass" than the old disney version, which i liked. most take-offs don't acknowledge the looking glass, even though they often take characters (like tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum) from the store and integrate them into the wonderland story. in any case, i really enjoyed it. i also thoroughly enjoyed the visuals and the 3D wasn't too distracting. it enhanced the story, like it was supposed to have done and it did it well. i absolutely LOVED the casting and the voice casting. stephan fry as the cheshire cat was inspired and alan rickman as the caterpillar was SO AWESOME. johnny depp did what he normally does and although it's a little distracting towards the end of the story, i was able to get past it. i really do recommend this film. :)
saturday we went to a few bike shops to look at a new bike for me. we went to trail head cycle shop, near L&P's house. they had a few road bikes, but most of their inventory was geared toward mountain biking. i did test drive the
specialized dolce triple. it was listed at $810. it was a nice ride, but it was the first bike i've ridden in a while, so i couldn't really make an informed decision. we moved on and stopped at REI. i found the bike they have online for $799 (
scott contessa speedster). i didn't feel like test driving it, so we moved onto to sports basement. after talking to the very informative salesperson, he put me on a jamis model (i THINK it was the
ventura elite). right before he took it into the shop to adjust the tire pressure and seat, i noticed the price: $2000. this bike was certainly OUT of my price range. it road as good as a $2k bike should. the shifters were smooth and it was actually whisper-quiet. i flew on it and it was incredibly comfortable to ride. it's so out of my price range, though... there are a couple of jamis models IN my price range (the
ventura comp is within a price i could afford), so if i can find another jamis dealer with more models to look at, i'll be sure to keep it on my list. in any case, i won't be able to buy one until my tax refund shows up, which won't before another week, i'm sure.
sunday afternoon my mom hosted a party lite candle party. she got together with BFF-sarah's mom and they put one together to take advantage of the free shopping opportunities. BFF-sarah hosted one in november. there are a few things they have that i would consider buying, but their prices are really high. sadly enough, they're one of the only candle retailers out there, since illuminations has since closed their doors. but even illuminations was expensive, too. anyway, there was free food and drink, even if i did have to sit through a sales pitch. we stayed longer than i originally thought, but only because i was having fun with sarah. after the sales part of the party was over, we headed up to san francisco for kathleen and terrance's housewarming party. although we caught only the tail-end of the party, it was still nice and their apartment is great. they've (read: kathleen) done a lot of great things with the place and it's warm and inviting. it was also nice to hang out with them, who we don't get to see very often, outside of birthday parties. we stayed until about 9:30 and we started the long drive home. it didn't take as long as i thought and we were home to relax before going to bed and waking up for work.
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this week is jam-packed with stuff. tonight we have to go grocery shopping, since we didn't get the chance yesterday. tomorrow is chandani's birthday party in SF. wednesday might possibly be an appointment to meet with out photographer to go over our photo album. thursday night is a fundraiser at a local night club for nic's sister's department at school. i'm not one for clubs, but i'll go and dance for a good cause. they have a dress code, which means dressing up, which i don't like to do, but i'll find something to wear. friday night will consist mainly of prep work for saturday night's dinner with
spitemeat and his wife. we're having them over for coq au vin, to christen my new dutch oven. :) i'm looking forward to it, but i've created a rather elaborate menu. i'm pushing myself, but i know i can get it all done, if i plan correctly. i'm definitely looking forward to this meal and to having our friends over. i just hope i can keep my sanity until then. :P