That upside downside thing
Well, I passed my blue belt test. Which, as I told Sensei, is a funny thing - when I started, I thought blue belts knew stuff. Now that I am one, I realize they don't know anything. I think I did ok - not fantastically well, but I got out there and pretty much did what I needed to, so I'm satisfied.
But my temporary feelings of elation were stifled quickly when, on the way home, I was cutting through a neighborhood and apparently inadvertently blew through a stop sign. The neighborhood streets are a mix of stop, yield, and unmarked intersections, all more or less randomly distributed. I didn't even notice the sign I apparently ran, and I wasn't distracted or fiddling with anything or doing anything but driving straight. So I either get to pay $125, or spent four hours at traffic school and only have to pay...$85. Yeah, not much of a discount. My guess is that they assume most people will consider their time worth $30 and just pay extra, but goddamnit, I'm poor and I will sit in a four-hour class to save thirty bucks, I guess.
Hell of a way to celebrate an accomplishment.
But my temporary feelings of elation were stifled quickly when, on the way home, I was cutting through a neighborhood and apparently inadvertently blew through a stop sign. The neighborhood streets are a mix of stop, yield, and unmarked intersections, all more or less randomly distributed. I didn't even notice the sign I apparently ran, and I wasn't distracted or fiddling with anything or doing anything but driving straight. So I either get to pay $125, or spent four hours at traffic school and only have to pay...$85. Yeah, not much of a discount. My guess is that they assume most people will consider their time worth $30 and just pay extra, but goddamnit, I'm poor and I will sit in a four-hour class to save thirty bucks, I guess.
Hell of a way to celebrate an accomplishment.