traffic court

ok, so i finally went to my traffic court hearing on thursday. i don't know why i was feeling so nervous about going...wait, yes i do - it's because i've never been to court before! i went through my closet the night before b/c i realized in a panic that i had nothing to wear (i find myself saying that a lot), but i managed to pull something together. i know it sounds really shallow to talk about what your going to wear, but when you're as self-aware about everything around you as i am, these little details tend to screw with your head. i realized while i was piecing things together that i really don't have any sensible shoes. there are some women that own 20 pairs of black dress shoes - i, on the other hand, own 6 pairs of sneakers. i don't know why, i don't know how it happened, and i don't know how i've been able to get away with this for so long. usually i find that my blue sauconys suffice, and that's just what i wore to court.

when i got to my division at superior court, there was a long line of people waiting to get inside the courtroom. i was the only asian girl there. the line mostly consisted of burly and intimidating hispanic men and older, questionably mental men with uncooperative hair. what killed me the most was that when we finally got inside, we had to be seated in alphabetical order. i don't know why i've been cursed with the first letter of a last name that is near the end of the alphabet, but i have been - and as usual, i was seated last with about 30 people ahead of me. the judge actually turned out to be really nice, incredibly fair, and quite funny too. i found myself stifling a few giggles from time to time at his humorous remarks. what struck me about him was that he didn't take his job too seriously, yet he knew the serious weight of the law and every consequence that follows in affecting peoples lives. of the people that went before me, i couldn't believe how many of them didn't have a driver's license, insurance, or car registration. these are the people that i'm driving alongside, before, and behind everyday?? the judge moved things along really quickly, and when we got closer to my row, another judge stepped in and offered to finish up for him. "NO!!!" i was thinking in my mind. it was everything i could do inside of me to jump up and yell,"Don't leave! This other guy isn't as funny or as fair as you!" wait, what? why would i think that? aren't all judges supposed to be fair?? anyway... The second judge was a little more no nonsense, but to my amazement, he whipped through each person very quickly and made it as quick (and painful) as possible. "Tricia, how do you plead?" i managed to say, "Very guilty, your honor!" was that a smart response? probably not, but with the way things were going, my inner comedienne couldn't help myself. however, i was thankful that the judge let me qualify for traffic school and that i didn't have to cite the sorrowful speech that i had been rehearsing in my head for the past couple of weeks. my bank account is still weeping right now from having to pay for my speeding ticket, but at least the experience was worthwhile.