ice creams and misdemeanors

yesterday i ate astronaut ice cream for the first time in about fifteen years. it was exactly as i remembered it. granted the only thing that makes it cool is that the astronauts ate it, and it doesn't taste like shit, which is more than i can say for tang, which is closer to the filling for a fun dip pouch than it is to o.j.

this morning i spent two hours in the providence municipal court to contest a $100 dollar parking ticket that i got in january. it had since tripled to $300 and therefore worth my time to show up. when i used to watch people's court i always thought that what i was watching was complete bullshit, but rest assured that this is the one program on television that does a fair job in representing the other side of america, the side that would surface if you were ever to do a core sample of the public at, say, a food court in a large mall. not to mention this is providence, which makes everything more interesting. you would think that this state was founded by religious and social outcasts from other states.....oh wait!

there are times in my life where is become hyper-aware of just how grateful i am to have the good fortune of my education and background. you would think that most people would know to address a judge as your honor, or to speak up, or to maybe wear more than a wife beater and baggie pants to a court appearance. my favorite part of the morning was when there was a teenager, again, with pants around his ankles and a wife beater, who was joining us that morning as a result of three counts. the first was eluding a police officer, the second was disorderly conduct, the third was resisting arrest, here is my best attempt at the actual conversation flow:

judge: this is ridiculous. you almost hit someone with a car and you get disorderly conduct? it should be attempted manslaughter, what do you have to say to yourself?

kid: well, you see, i was running away from the police for a really good reason...(pause)

judge: be careful what you say next!

kid: ummm, well, you see there is a really good reason. the officer was hostile...

judge: oh, and i am sure that he was really calmed down when you ran away from him.

kid: (silence)

the kind of sad part of this was that he plead guilty, she threw him a bone and gave him a reduced fine. when he walked away, he stopped, turned around, and nervously leaned over the microphone.

kid: "ma'am, is this a felony."

judge: "no son, it's not a felony. you'll be ok."

that, i admit was kind of heartbreaking. but it was reassuring to see that beyond her playful and sarcastic wit, that she actually cared.

i felt a little over prepared with my brooks brothers shirt, notebook, and pictures of the “tow zone” that didn’t have a sign. my entire hearing lasted about ten seconds and i was on my way. she wouldn’t even let me finish my sentence. i felt like a geek, i felt lucky, i felt out of place, i felt grateful for that.