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February 2004

Tuesday, February 03, 2004

My name is Seth and I’m a speeder. There, I said it. And later this afternoon when I stand before the Police Court of the Palisades Park in Alpine, New Jersey, I’ll say it again. Yea right, like I’d ever have that kind of nerve. But the truth is I was speeding, and today I pay for it. I endangered my life and the lives of motorists around me...I can hear it already. And for that I will have to pay a fine in the sum of…and get on with life. Or will I? What’s the worst thing that happens? I lose my right to drive in New Jersey for 30 days? Big deal, I should be paying them to do that.

I joke and I joke but when push comes to shove I’ll be scared out of my mind, probably in tears, with stains on my knees from the begging I’ll be doing. But the truth is I have slowed down, to more moderate speeds like 75-80. Kidding again.

And so such is life. We’ll see how it goes. If I’m lucky the judge will have arthritis. At least he never lost a relative to arthritis. But knowing my luck...

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Just goes to show – the world cares about the craziest things. This month it’s Janet Jackson’s right boob, and the boob standing to her left at the Super Bowl halftime show. But I can’t help but ask myself – what about the homeless? What about the kids who don’t have health insurance? What about the adults who are reading at a 4th grade level? What about the people dying in Iraq because a couple rich white men want to get even richer?

And what about my pain? Why doesn’t the world care about that? And the pain that millions of other people are suffering from. Isn’t that a little more important than what our kids can or can’t see on Super Bowl Sunday (that virtually every other child around the world has already seen – in commercials!)? It’s angering. It’s frustrating. And it’s a relief to finally write the word ‘boob’.

Friday, February 27, 2004

I never thought I’d say these words, but this morning it really dawned on me how much I miss driving in New Jersey. Since "the incident" where my license was "temporarily put on hold" in the State of New Jersey (for "driving faster than the posted speed limit"), I have had to drive the super-long way up through the Bronx and Yonkers to get back to Rockland County from Manhattan. I actually don’t mind driving to and from work in the morning, it’s actually quite fun. For one I’m going against rush hour, so I get to drive along without the added anxiety. Also it’s a time when I can’t be bothered and I get to turn the radio up. You know, for "that sweet sound".

Bad 80s songs aside, it’s going to be a long 90-day suspension at the rate I’m going. Then again, I should be paying them for the punishment of staying out of Jersey. Wait a minute – I did pay them. The least they can do is send me a voucher for cheaper gas in New York – which ultimately is the greatest punishment of all.

I complain and I joke but the reality is I feel like a better person having a few extra minutes in the morning and in the afternoon to think about what my day is going to be like. Or what my night has in store. Or things I could have done differently during the afternoon. It’s actually very reasonable and I think it’s a shame people going the opposite direction – at a quarter of the speed – don’t have the opportunity to relax because of the anxiety rush hour causes.