What I've been doing

Post butt-surgery
Originally uploaded by 10bagspacking

Sorry for being lame and quiet 'n' all. I'm here, at work (at 12:30 a.m.) on election night, which should mark the apex of my lameness.

Meaning tomorrow, I should be un-lame, right? Here's hoping.

A quick story:

OK, so a good portion of my night tonight was spent waiting -- SO MUCH WAITING! -- for elected officials to climb out of their fancy hotel rooms and into the fancy hotel ballroom to celebrate being reelected. I was supposed to leave, to return to work and write my story, by 9:30 p.m. By about 9:15 p.m., I started getting nervous, and began pestering every city staffer I knew to see if they would help me connect with my office-seekers.

No dice.

They finally showed their faces at 10 p.m., said a few things about a city full of optimism and such, thanked a laundry list of supporters, etc. Meanwhile, it was 10:30 p.m. Shit.

I had to get out of there.

So, I busted ass, ran to the parking garage, got my car out and sped down the city streets, going nearly 50 mph in a 35 mph zone. At a certain point, as I zoomed under traffic light as it turned red, I began to think I should maybe slow down.

At almost the exact moment that thought made its way through my caffeine- and carb-addled mind, I noticed a car stopped at the light I was approaching. More precisely, I noticed the police car stopped at the light I was approaching.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I slowly pulled up alongside the car. A light flashed in my peripheral vision. It was the driver, trying to get my attention. He motioned for me to roll down my window. I did it.

"Are your headlights on?" he asked.

Uhhh ... Happily, they were, at least according to my dashboard.

"Yep, they should be -- do I have a headlight out?" I asked.

The lights were on, but looked dim, he said. That's probably because I have a cheap Korean car, I replied.

To that, he made a confused sidelong look at me and his fellow officer, and then, as the light changed, let me go.

Whew.

The end.