3.13.02

Man! What a week.

So as you know, I moved to Missouri in December of 2000. Well, my Illinois plates were still good through September 2001, so I figured I’d just hold off getting my MO plates until sometime closer to September. Next thing you know, it’s March of 2002 and I still have my Illinois plates and, yes, they’re still expired. Don’t ask how I’ve been lucky enough to drive for so long, making at least four trips to Illinois and to New Orleans and back, without getting caught.

Now let me remind you where I work – City Hall. I, literally, park next to cops’ personal cars on a daily basis and there are constantly police officers in our parking lot because that’s where they work too. So I made it all these months on expired plates, only to be thwarted today on my way to work. Luckily, though, the cop who pulled me over was a City cop.

I’d like to make it perfectly clear that I in no way used my employment for the City to get off with a warning – that was all his doing. He pulled me over, asked why I hadn’t gotten my plates and I told him flat out “Because I haven’t had the money.” He replied, “You can’t come up with something better than that?” I wasn’t going to bullshit the guy, so I just said, “Nope. There’s no excuse other than I’ve been too broke to do it.” So I think my honesty with him was a helpful factor in his decision to give me a warning rather than writing me a ticket, but my employee-issued “Team O’Fallon” jacket probably didn’t hurt. He let me go saying, “The next person who pulls you over might not care where you work” and I swore to him that I’d get the plates taken care of Friday when I got paid.

So the Monkey dodged a bullet there, kiddos. The moral of the story: Make sure your plates are current or at least make sure you work for the city that you get pulled over in.

Last weekend was, as I was hoping, a nice, relaxing weekend at home. Friday night I rented three movies, watched them one after the other and then watched one of my own as well!

Speaking of the movie I own, if you ever get the chance to see a Japanese film called “The Ring”, for the love of all that is holy make sure you see that film. Especially see it before Dreamworks remakes it (which they are). Frankly, it’s the best horror film I’ve seen in years. The Ring is creepier than The Sixth Sense and more intelligently written than Dawn of the Dead (don’t laugh until you’ve talked to me about the underlying social commentary behind that one). Definitely a kick ass Japanese film and I highly recommend you check it out.

Other than my movie extravaganza Friday, the rest of the weekend was spent writing. I didn’t finish the story that I was talking about last week, but I did get a big chunk of that third act done. I feel really good about it, too, so you might just see this somewhere someday.

Don't have class this week - Spring Break, I guess. Sucks when you have to be a grown-up and the week of Spring Break is just like any other throughout the year.

Been looking for a DVD this week - "Night of the Living Dead:The Millennium Edition" (Wow...lots of George Romero references today). It just came out Tuesday, but I have yet to find it at Best Buy or anywhere else I can think of. Probably going to have to go online and get it. I hate waiting for shipping. Other than that, it’s been a pretty boring week.

Now this weekend, on the other hand, looks to be interesting to say the least! Besides getting registered for my Missouri plates this Friday, I’ll also be spending the night at some friends’ place so I can go out with them at the butt crack of dawn on Saturday to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. We are literally hoping to have our butts on a barstool by 6AM drinking green beer. No clue what’s going to happen for the rest of the day, except for the obvious fact that we’ll be pissing green, though I hope a nap is in order somewhere in there.

Sunday looks to be either Hang-Over Awareness Day or another relaxing Sunday doing, hopefully, writing. I know - I live such an exciting life. Next week doesn’t look to have much going on either, so get used to it! I know I have (sadly).

Space Monkey X