Court!

So if you haven't heard... I lost in court today. I was sentenced to 15-20 days in prison, which is why I'm writing now from jail. Thanks, American tax payers, for maximum-security's high speed internet connection!

No, I'm kidding: I only had to pay the fine. And speaking of fine, so am I. Really!

Backstory: In case you didn't hear, I got a citation (forever ago: it was May 30th!) when I was a passenger in my roommate's car, for not wearing a seatbelt. Yeah, it's taken this long for Logan to get around to making me pay it!

I left my first class a little early and arrived a tiny bit late to my later class, but overall it fit nicely into my schedule. When I first got there I got to see the video from the cop car (I'm a movie star!) and was pleased to see I had remembered what he said almost word for word. Then I went up and spoke to the judge.

I was really surprised to see that it was just like on TV - without a jury of course, but I sat at a desk, there was a bailiff, the judge was a middle aged woman with crazy bushy hair and those same frumpy robes. The cop's prosecutor even asked questions with the same slippery jargon as on those shows, and I even got to call up my roommates as witnesses.

Lisa swore in for me, and Jenny did too (after the trial, she even swore for me literally! Woot!). They both told it like it was and I couldn't be more grateful for their help. Well, Lisa would disagree - she wishes she could've helped out more. I was up there and couldn't think of anything more to ask them as witnesses, nor any cross-examining questions to ask the officer. Afterwards Lisa said she would've represented me. I definitely think she should be a judge. After she's a teacher. ;)

Really, I was so much more calm and together than the first time, when I'd gone in to make my plea. I wasn't nervous; I wasn't even mad. I think it was because of the high volume of praying I had done the previous 24 hours, but I decided beforehand that I was fine with whatever happened. Sure, I could've just paid the ticket and not had to go through all this, but it was definitely worth the try. I remember thinking, even as the prosecutor was going through his schpiel, that this was great just for the experience. Another notch on the List of Things I'd Never Done! (It's going great this summer!!)

There just came a point when I realized that it was more important for me to be nice and possibly lose than win with the price of being mean. I guess that plays my hand - I'm really just a softie at heart. But I didn't feel good about fighting. Instead, I felt great, sitting in front of the judge, prosecutor, and police officer, smiling, friendly, calmly stating my position.

The officer said that it was dusk, around 9:15 or 9:30 when this happened, and he had a good look into the car and saw my seatbelt hanging loose. (Actually, it was at least 10 pm, since that was how late we'd left from getting our hair cut, so it would've been dark by then, and my seatbelt was never hanging loose - it was clicked the whole time. It was only the shoulder strap that I adjusted lower.) The prosecutor was really good with words though, and ran a nice circle around me. I couldn't even think of anything to ask! Honestly, I felt pretty intimidated by the judge, who had told me off when I first got there for talking when I didn't know I wasn't supposed to talk yet. Sigh.

The judge finally decided that I wore the seatbelt lower on my shoulder than normal, meaning I "failed to wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety belt."

I'm not going to get mad. Well, the only thing that was insulting happened after I explained why I was wearing it low - I'm short, so when I wear it the way it comes out it cuts into my neck, so I push it down lower, but still high enough that, I believe, it would still save my life. Then the judge looked down at me and said, "Not to be mean or anything, but that's why they make booster seats. My granddaughter has the same problem." Ouch. Ok, I'm short, but I don't need a ...a booster seat! I smiled and thanked her for the advice. I also felt bad for the cop who had to take time out of his day to come repeat his story in what must have seemed like a trivial little matter, and even apologized (really quickly and quietly) as he walked out. So I can't be mad, really. Even the prosecutor was kind to me afterward.

Luckily I have a few roommates that can get mad for me. It's like when Harry Potter feels happy even when bad things happen to him, because "Hermione's and Ron’s indignation on his behalf was worth about a hundred points to him... his heart felt lighter than air." Thanks, friends!!

So, yes, I paid the $45 fine. It's the same amount of money I spent on Monday buying a single textbook for one of my summer classes. Ah, it's great being a college student.

Incidentally...I had been feeling bummed lately, a little nostalgic, about leaving Logan. I don't feel that bad about it anymore. ;)

In the end...believe me when I say I'm glad this happened. It was an educational experience and I'm glad I could learn about the court system on something so small. I hope I never have to do this again!