A Different Perspective

It dawned on me (with a friend’s help) that “The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim” when translated completely to English is: The The Angels Angels of Anaheim”

Couldn’t we just call them Los Angeles of Anaheim?

Or better yet, why not.. the Anaheim Angels. Gee, why didn’t they think of that one?

Yep. I took the plunge. Again.

Proposed on a secluded beach outside of Malibu last night.

More details to come… No date set, yet, but it could be as early as the end of summer.

Edited: Sorry, this was an April Fool’s joke. I posted a comment saying “read the date” when my friend Mike fell for the ruse, but I realized if you don’t read the comments, you’d still think it’s legit. This was posted on April 1, originally.

Sorry to be a pain

I’ve seen Zito pitch twice. Once he threw a complete game shutout against the Angels in Anaheim (and I was in the city of Anaheim’s box… and I invited an A’s fan who happened to be wearing his A’s stuff when I called about an extra ticket…). This time, it was the Giants who got shut out and got beat 5-0 with Zito giving up four runs. I don’t think his fastball ever clocked over 85 mph the whole game.

I love it!

Update: Embedding has been turned on and off on this short, and it seems now it is back on. If you can’t get the video to play, click the link in the comments.

I’ve had that changed version in my head all week. Singing, “I fought the law, and I won!”

Yes, I won. I went to court on principle. I came to a complete stop before turning right on red, and I was not going to pay the ticket unless I was found guilty at trial.

And the cop showed up. Nobody wins when the cop shows up, right?

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I received a small amount of justice yesterday.

It appears that Van Nuys Superior Court Commissioner Martin Wegman thinks I deserve the chance to be innocent…

I posted earlier about the possibility that I could not afford to be “not guilty.” It was going to cost me $381 to have my day in court. Evidently, the L.A. Superior Court thinks it is okay to coerce you into pleading guilty by offering you six months to pay a reduced fine (almost always reduced when you go before a commissioner), but if you want to plead not guilty you have to pay the full amount of the fine within seven days and then you get it back if you win your case.

Innocent until proven guilty? Hmmm…

But when I went back to court, seriously considering pleading guilty because I felt I could not afford to tie up almost four hundred dollars until my trial (and then who knows how long it takes them to send me a check…), I asked to be allowed to come to the trial based on my own recognizance (they call the fine amount “bail” to justify taking the full amount before you even get to trial).

Commissioner Wegman said because I showed up to court the first time and the second time I was given a new date without problem, he didn’t feel I was a risk to not show up and granted my request for O.R.

I just did a web search for Martin Wegman, and he seems like a decent guy. Here’s Martin Wegman’s personality profile.

I went near the end, so I heard him deal with quite a few people. He kept the mood of the court light but still professional, and he was very fair. The only requests he denied were from people who had continually failed to appear for court dates or who had done some other stupid things which negated his normally generous demeanor.

I’m sure it’s a tough job being a superior court commissioner, and I’m glad Martin Wegman is on the job in Van Nuys. Still have issues with the system, but at least I know there’s a possibility of justice even if you don’t have the money.

Heath Ledger is found dead in US

My girlfriend asked me a couple of days ago if I would choose to be a famous director/actor if it meant we had to break up. I said no, and not just because that was the right answer to give your girlfriend.

Success does not guarantee happiness. Sometimes, the cost is too high. I don’t know anything, obviously, about the personal life of Heath Ledger. I feel for his daughter and ex-girlfriend in this time, but I certainly do not know if it was an intentional overdose, or an overdose at all for that matter, that lead to Heath Ledger’s death today. Whatever the circumstance, his talent and fortune did not seem to lead to contentment and happiness.

I don’t think it is actually an either/or question, though she had in mind what happens if she has to leave Los Angeles. Do I go with her or not. Too early in our relationship to answer that question any way, but I do know that the chance at success or fame with directing, writing, and acting will not weigh as heavily as the value of my relationships.

If that situation ever arises, I’d look at what relationships I would sacrifice by leaving Los Angeles. When I left Indiana, I believed I should lay down roots in Los Angeles. I did not want to be another transient passer-thru in L.A. That does not mean I would never consider leaving, but I do know that I would have to be convinced it is the right move to make. I do not take leaving my network of close, personal relationships lightly.

And, of course, it would matter if my girlfriend still has “girlfriend” status at that time, or if there’s another designation…

Many of the wonderful things in life go by unappreciated.

A kind word, a smile from a stranger, the gentle breeze on a hot summer day.

What was once wonderful often sinks beneath the muddy waters of routine.

The faithfulness of a friend is too often forgotten even before the next trial begins.

But arising from the ruins of mistakes made manifest come wisdom, joy, and strength.

The past shines light on the present bringing hope for tomorrow.

Appreciation for each day grows stronger than yesterday’s sorrow.

Today means more than the next.

Tomorrow becomes today soon enough.

I just spent a good chunk of my morning in traffic court. I’ve always plead guilty and hoped for a reduced fine when faced with a traffic ticket. But this time, I didn’t do it. Really.

I was ticketed for not stopping at a red light while turning right. The particular intersection has the line before the stop light pretty deep from the intersection, so I stopped at the line like you are supposed to. Then I looked, and I saw that I had time to go. I accelerated (quickly, but not too fast, no screeching tires or anything).

The next thing I know about a quarter mile down, I’m being pulled over by a motorcycle cop. He was cocky, like a lot of cops are (here in Los Angeles, any way). He asked me why I did it even though there were a group of cops talking in the Denny’s parking lot. I told him, I didn’t, and he must’ve looked up while I was accelerating through the turn. He actually admitted to me that going through the light caught his eye, so he wasn’t looking at me the whole time. But he was convinced I had never stopped, so he wrote me the ticket.

Today, I went to court to plead not guilty. I find out that in order to plead not guilty, I have to pay the full amount of the fine which gets refunded to me if I’m found not guilty. But here’s what pisses me off: You get six months to pay a reduced fine if you plead guilty, but in order to have your day in court you have to post an amount about THREE TIMES what he would actually fine you if you plead guilty. It’s coercion to plead guilty.

Out of principle, I’m going to have my day in court. I’ll pay their little extortion money, and even if I lose it, I’m not going to say I’m guilty for something I did not do.

Update: I am seriously considering paying their extortion. Having four hundred dollars tied up when I could pay it off for $150 seems really tempting. I have issues, though, with having to lie in court. I guess I could plead “no contest” and then it wouldn’t be lying. In good conscience, I can’t say I’m guilty. I’m not.