Traffic Cameras Are Quite Effective

Well folks, I can now say from personal experience that those inconspicuous little cameras perched atop traffic lights do indeed work and that when you see a light flash from them expect to receive a lovely little letter with some free pictures of yourself in the near future. Even if say, hypothetically, you had missed the yellow light by a nanosecond, there were absolutely no cars or pedestrians around/in danger, and you were turning right (NOT going through an intersection).

Maybe it was my mom’s voicemail that started out very seriously, “Now Anna, don’t panic, but we received a letter from the Oakland Police Department… ” (yikes, would NOT want to be a parent receiving such a letter), or the realization that I (a pretty law-abiding citizen) have a court date, or quite possibly that I now can’t seem to get Jason Bateman’s face out of my head (PLEASE indulge me and watch this short clip for your daily comic relief), but I can’t help but have a good laugh over the whole situation. Yes, it’s a pretty crappy feeling knowing that I did something wrong, was caught, and have to pay for it. And don’t get me wrong, I’m taking it seriously and will make a more concerted effort to drive safely. But, ultimately, its frustrating things like this that we can either let ruin our entire day/mood or we can choose to just not give them that power. And hey, I’m going to see Augustana tonight, one of my favorite new band obsessions, and let’s be honest, no traffic violation is going to ruin my excitement for that.

SO, here’s the first of many triple L’s (Life Lessons Learned) that will be periodically popping up on this blog:

ONE: No, you cannot make that yellow light far far in the distance, so just slow the heck down.
TWO: .Missing the first 5 minutes of the Bachelor will not be the end of the world – Plan to leave earlier so no rushing is required and the full 2 hours of the Bachelor can be watched with all of the viewing pleasure it brings.
THREE: Traffic cameras need an upgrade. From my mom’s explanation of the pictures the lighting in them is just too unflattering :)

My apologies to my in-car witnesses Mr. McCall and Ms. Farabee, I am forever indebted to helping you work through the trauma of experiencing this.