Everything comes together in just over one week...
Bear with me here. The events of the past week-and-half in near-real-time detail...
Things are stabilizing. All at once.
To start with, I had semi-planned to get away to a retreat in Delaware last weekend, while Husband and a friend of ours vacationed in San Antonio. I booked the room with two beds just in case I could find someone that wanted to ride along. The day before the conference was the pretrial on the traffic ticket from last September. Two days before that I get an offer to start a job running CNC Swiss machines in a small machine shop, not great pay but not unemployment either. Working 2 pm to 10 pm, so there is still time in the mornings to interview for real jobs...
Still following all this? Really, I've never tried writing a soap opera, and never realized I was living one until just now.
OK, let me try to continue to connect the dots here...
So last Friday the prosecutors offer the option of the minimum fine for the ticket. I decline since that would constitute a guilty plea, and get a hearing date of Friday / yesterday.
On the ride home from that I get a call from a person that is only recently sober, staying in a homeless shelter in a nearby community. Difficulty in the environment, most people staying there are drinking / drugging enough to cause difficulty. He needed to talk, figure out his options. His timing couldn't have been better. After he arranged with his case worker, I picked him up the next morning for the retreat. Should've been so easy. We get almost to the NY state line, he starts checking for some prescription. The staff sent him out without it. All the way back, then to the nearby ER to get an emergency refill. He was quite apologetic, but it was certainly not his doing and I assured him that we would still get to the retreat and get what we needed from it.
By the time we got there, the workshops were through; the only meetings left were open to anyone. Fortunately I didn't pre-register (all the time I I hadn't known myself if the court issue was going to kill the trip budget). We were invited to enjoy the remainder of the retreat at no cost to either of us. I made a small donation and we enjoyed the speakers and quiet spaces.
The next day (Sunday) we came back to find that his case worker had neglected to confirm the trip with the shelter management. Thus, no place for him. He came to stay in our guest room for a couple nights until arrangements could be made.
Meanwhile...
Monday I started working at the machine shop. Again, it is keeping me busy, but I hope something more to my background comes along relatively soon as the concrete floor is not doing the best by my lower back. I'll hold my complaining on that there, because there's enough people out there that would love a job to bitch about.
So that kind of brings me up to yesterday. After letting my new boss know that I had to go to traffic court, I went to see what would happen there. Again the prosecutor offered the option of a reduced fine, informing me the ticketing officer was present and ready to testify. Again, I stated that I would prefer the trial.
Waiting in the courthouse lobby, quiet prayer and thinking and thumbing a medallion that shows the length of time since last drinking.
About 2:30 my case was called before the magistrate. Officer testifies, reading from her notes in reply to the prosecutors' questions, then answers a couple of mine. I had to think later that it is so unusual of me to actually do any more than just listen to authorities; however for some reason I wanted her to fully detail the event (which she was not quite accurate in).
Then I testified a few minutes as to the situation as I experienced it. Still seems strange, feeling very calm, not throwing out accusations or anything. One question from the prosecutor as to the color of the light when I passed under it, and back to the table for the decision.
To hear the magistrate state that I was not guilty, and free to leave was very affirming after all that had gone into it. Granted, a red light ticket might not seem like much to some...certainly not the most severe crime around...but being primarily in field service and needing a clean license to get any job -- and considering this one ticket was the only blemish on my record in easily a half-million miles or more of driving (50,000+ is what I consider a low year -- anyone in field service can probably identify) -- it's like I can live again, not being held back by any skeletons.
Late last night Husband arrived home from Texas. He's worth staying up for no matter how late it may seem.
Wow, did you really read all this?
Things are stabilizing. All at once.
To start with, I had semi-planned to get away to a retreat in Delaware last weekend, while Husband and a friend of ours vacationed in San Antonio. I booked the room with two beds just in case I could find someone that wanted to ride along. The day before the conference was the pretrial on the traffic ticket from last September. Two days before that I get an offer to start a job running CNC Swiss machines in a small machine shop, not great pay but not unemployment either. Working 2 pm to 10 pm, so there is still time in the mornings to interview for real jobs...
Still following all this? Really, I've never tried writing a soap opera, and never realized I was living one until just now.
OK, let me try to continue to connect the dots here...
So last Friday the prosecutors offer the option of the minimum fine for the ticket. I decline since that would constitute a guilty plea, and get a hearing date of Friday / yesterday.
On the ride home from that I get a call from a person that is only recently sober, staying in a homeless shelter in a nearby community. Difficulty in the environment, most people staying there are drinking / drugging enough to cause difficulty. He needed to talk, figure out his options. His timing couldn't have been better. After he arranged with his case worker, I picked him up the next morning for the retreat. Should've been so easy. We get almost to the NY state line, he starts checking for some prescription. The staff sent him out without it. All the way back, then to the nearby ER to get an emergency refill. He was quite apologetic, but it was certainly not his doing and I assured him that we would still get to the retreat and get what we needed from it.
By the time we got there, the workshops were through; the only meetings left were open to anyone. Fortunately I didn't pre-register (all the time I I hadn't known myself if the court issue was going to kill the trip budget). We were invited to enjoy the remainder of the retreat at no cost to either of us. I made a small donation and we enjoyed the speakers and quiet spaces.
The next day (Sunday) we came back to find that his case worker had neglected to confirm the trip with the shelter management. Thus, no place for him. He came to stay in our guest room for a couple nights until arrangements could be made.
Meanwhile...
Monday I started working at the machine shop. Again, it is keeping me busy, but I hope something more to my background comes along relatively soon as the concrete floor is not doing the best by my lower back. I'll hold my complaining on that there, because there's enough people out there that would love a job to bitch about.
So that kind of brings me up to yesterday. After letting my new boss know that I had to go to traffic court, I went to see what would happen there. Again the prosecutor offered the option of a reduced fine, informing me the ticketing officer was present and ready to testify. Again, I stated that I would prefer the trial.
Waiting in the courthouse lobby, quiet prayer and thinking and thumbing a medallion that shows the length of time since last drinking.
About 2:30 my case was called before the magistrate. Officer testifies, reading from her notes in reply to the prosecutors' questions, then answers a couple of mine. I had to think later that it is so unusual of me to actually do any more than just listen to authorities; however for some reason I wanted her to fully detail the event (which she was not quite accurate in).
Then I testified a few minutes as to the situation as I experienced it. Still seems strange, feeling very calm, not throwing out accusations or anything. One question from the prosecutor as to the color of the light when I passed under it, and back to the table for the decision.
To hear the magistrate state that I was not guilty, and free to leave was very affirming after all that had gone into it. Granted, a red light ticket might not seem like much to some...certainly not the most severe crime around...but being primarily in field service and needing a clean license to get any job -- and considering this one ticket was the only blemish on my record in easily a half-million miles or more of driving (50,000+ is what I consider a low year -- anyone in field service can probably identify) -- it's like I can live again, not being held back by any skeletons.
Late last night Husband arrived home from Texas. He's worth staying up for no matter how late it may seem.
Wow, did you really read all this?