Miracles

Here's something I wrote about 3 years ago. I was going to post it just before Thanksgiving, but I guess that one incident I wrote about distracted me. Anyway, I feel that since we are embarking on a New Year, and a new Decade, this would be a good time to re-post this true story.


At one time, the City of Los Angeles was short on staffing Paramedic (PM) Rescue Ambulances (RAs). Paramedic Rescue Ambulances (PM RAs) were shut down or downgraded to "Basic" (Non-Paramedic) EMT ambulances on a daily basis. This was one of those days.

I was at my regular Fire Station, waiting for another PM to work with, because we work in pairs. No one was available, so I was sent to another Fire Station to man another RA that also had only one PM. The PM I worked with was someone I knew, and we both worked at the same Fire Station prior to the ones we were at now. We ended up being one of the few PM RAs in the Downtown LA area. The surrounding 3-4 PM RAs were either downgraded, or just shut down.

Not long after getting to the other Fire Station, we received a call from the MacArthur Park area to a traffic accident on Figueroa St near the 101 Fwy. Just before we got there, we were canceled because there were no injuries.

We took a short detour, towards City Hall, and got a call near Vermont Ave. and Pico Blvd. It is far, but we are the closest, since the closest PM RA was downgraded, and others were not available. This area (Pico/Vermont) also happened to be the area we both worked together before, so we knew the area well, exactly where we were going to (Adult board and care) and the fastest route there from 1st St. and Broadway in Downtown LA.

I wasn't driving, and my partner ended up taking Olympic Blvd. instead of Pico Blvd. I thought to myself that I would have taken Pico Blvd, because it would have been a little shorter in distance, so therefore shorter in time too. One block before we get to Vermont Ave. to turn left, a careless driver decided to turn left right in front of us at the street before Vermont Ave. To avoid the impending collision, my partner turns left at that street, right next to, and with the car.

Side note: On that street is an Apartment house, where earlier that day, someone was causing trouble for the occupants. So the same LAPD unit there that morning, decided to come back to check up on them and make sure the trouble makers didn't return. At about the same time, we are turning onto that street.

As we drive down the Street, my partner notices that the Officers are running towards the Apartment building, looking concerned. Just as we get there, my partner notices that a young girl is caught in the automatic wrought iron fence that is opening for the garage area, and is crushing her chest. The two Officers are trying to pull back the gate to try and free her, but are really just keeping it from crushing her even more. We stop, my partner gets the bolt cutters that is in the compartment right behind the driver's door, and heads for the Apartment to cut the mechanism and free the girl.

I get on the radio, ask for a replacement for our original call, get us reassigned to this emergency, and ask for another unit to assist us, just in case we have to do CPR. As I finish and get out of the RA, the girl is carried to me and I place her on our gurney.

I assess her, she is alive but unconscious, and is not breathing on her own. I start to "bag" her and then hand it off to the unit that came to help us. As I check the rest of her vital signs, she starts breathing on her own. We take her to Children's Hospital in LA. Later that day, they told me that the little girl had NO injuries and was sent home. Not one broken bone, nothing! I never saw that little girl again.

There were so many variables in this scenario, that if any one thing happened differently, the outcome could have been different. You can go about 5 mins without breathing before you become brain dead. There was never a 911 call. The LAPD Officers came by at the perfect time. Somehow we were guided to that street and my partner was able to free her right away.

You may or may not believe in a Higher Power, but on that day, we were the puppets and someone was pulling our strings.

I believe in Miracles, some so small you don't even notice them. If you don't, it's okay. But maybe this will make you think twice about it.

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas!

I am at work today, as I have worked nearly every Christmas day for most of my 17 years on the job.

Be safe, and I hope you all have what you need, and have the opportunity to get what you want.

People Make The World Go Round

Happy Thanksgiving, 2009.

I can be Thankful for many things. My job, which I sometimes hate. That I have a nice house. That I have a decent car. That I am in good health.

But none of those things really matter. What really matters is your Family and Friends. People, actually. (Unless they're strangers and they try to touch you. ;p)

Think about it. Let's say you had terrible Health, but still had great people in your life. Wouldn't it be more bearable than if you were all alone?

People. They make you laugh, they make you cry. They make you happy, they make you sad. They help you, they hurt you. They shower you with love, they ignore you. They keep you company, you can't find them when you need some cash.

So to everyone I know, whether you're close family and great friends, to people who friended me on the internet I've never met in real life and those that may not like me anymore and de-friended me, I'm Thankful that I ever got to know you, even a little bit.

And if you ever thought to yourself, "I'd give a right eye to him." Don't worry, I'm in good health. But who knows, maybe one day I'll need an organ, so keep yours in good shape for me. Wait a minute! Not THAT organ! Gee whiz, I'm trying to be thankful here!

Warning - Depressing Post

The Fire Station I work at is located on Sunset Blvd, a major Street in Los Angeles. It is also where there is a slight curve, in the otherwise straight portion of the Road. Right in front of the Station is a Street Lamp and a Fire Hydrant. A least one driver per year has hit the Hydrant because they were driving too fast, driving under the influence or both.

We were all sound asleep at 2:10 am, when we were awakened by the violent sound of a car crashing. Upon opening the doors to the Fire Station, I saw a geyser where the Hydrant used to be. The Street lamp was gone, laying on the sidewalk across the street. Debris was scattered 100 feet away. Then I saw the car, sitting upright on the sidewalk, next to the building across from us. It looked odd, as if it was a convertible without a windshield. The roof was crushed down to the level of the hood and trunk of the car. The car must have flipped over at least one time.

I immediately ran over to the car and saw one person in the passenger's seat and one in the driver's seat, both unconscious. The passenger was more accessible than the driver, who was hidden under the roof. They appeared to be dressed as if they were at a Club, probably having fun, dancing and/or drinking. By law, all businesses in California stop selling Alcoholic beverages at 2 am.

We pulled out the Ambulance and the Fire Truck, and started working on freeing the victims. We used the "Jaws" to pry open the doors and the "Cutters" to cut the roof off the vehicle. After removing the doors on the passenger side, I was able to get the passenger out and onto a backboard. We got her out just as the second Ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital. She woke up, complained about being hurt, and not fully aware of what had happened.

Her friend was still trapped in the car, inaccessible because of the crushed roof. We cut the roof off within 10 minutes, and now had full access to the interior of the car. There in the front seat of the car, was a young, pretty girl, her eyes still open, staring blankly up into the now visible sky.

As I assessed her condition, I knew almost instantly that there was nothing we could do for her. I had to make the difficult and painful decision to declare her dead. Then I had to fill out a written report. As I searched for her identification, I came across a Christmas card. The card's message was "May All of Your Dreams Come True This Christmas."

Sometimes, I really, really, really hate my job.

Please be safe this Holiday season.

The Seven Dwarfs

I saw the DVD for Snow White being sold with dolls of the Seven Dwarfs, packaged in a round plastic "suitcase." As I was looking at the names of the dolls, I realized that I have all seven traits of the Dwarfs.

1. Doc. I'm a Paramedic, close enough!
2. Grumpy. Again, I'm a Paramedic... don't ask!
3. Sleepy. Once again, a Paramedic....
4. Bashful. Blushes.
5. Happy. People say I'm always smiling. I think it's the medication.
6. Dopey. Self-explanatory.
7. Sneezy. I'm prone to sinus trouble.

I'm also the little known eighth Dwarf, Sleazy. They don't talk about him too much.......

Being Single on Facebook

For those of you who are married, you may have forgotten what it's like to be single. Well, think of yourselves as Lucky. You have no idea what you're up against now. Oh the pressures of being single....

When you sign up for Facebook, you give them some personal information about yourself. Through that information, they generate Advertisements that might interest you. This way, Facebook can remain free to use, otherwise, you'd have to pay a fee. Being a Single man, I get a bombarded by Singles Ads. Some of them are humorous, using the same picture with different Names, or Headlines.

See? Mary and Jennifer are the same person.
Unless they are twins.





Here's the same girl and same picture, used by
two different Websites.






These are for "Older" women. The second one doesn't really look "Older." The last one is the same picture for a girl looking for Older men

These women are "Mature," not "Older." Supposedly, they are ready for Long-term relationships, though the first one looks like
she just wants a booty call.



Here's some "Young" girls allegedly looking for Older men. The last girl doesn't look that young. I didn't capture the picture of the one girl who looked like she could be 14. I wonder how many
Old guys fall for this? Huh? Oh, no! Not me..... *ahem*






Interested in dating a Model? They're not interested in dating YOU! hahahaha Oh-oh, the joke's on me..... : (







Interested in Russian Brides? I bet they really look like Gorbachev......





Ads for other races, even girls that are into "Inter-racial"
dating. Why is there a separate category? And why "California" girls? I don't get that description. Does "California" mean "Asian?"







Ah, finally! Nice Christian girls! Good girls you can take home to Mother. Wait a minute! A couple of them look like "Bad" girls... HMMMMM





Now here's one with a spelling error. "Take a PEAK?"
Which one? The left peak or the right peak? :x




That brings me to this. Can you guess the two things that most
Singles Ads have in common? Yes, TWO things. Come on, you're not trying...... YES! bOObs! But not just bOObs. BIG bOObs! Some look Photoshopped to appear larger, and out of proportion. Who do they think they're kidding? Single, Desperate Old men aren't that gullible. *COUGH*


These are just a mish-mash of ??? The "Single Mom" looks like she could be the daughter. I don't know what's up with the girl and the "Sucker." What? "Want a girlfriend?" You kind of look like one of those latex dolls... No! I don't want that! "Does Size Matter?" Er........ I hope not... ahem.... cough.....



I changed my Profile to "Interested in Men" and got this......






You can run, but you can't hide.

The Future

The future is usually thought of as the day we have flying cars and jet packs. But the future can be any time from 1 second from now to forever from now. Some even say the future is not too far away, because the Mayan calendar "ends" on December 21, 2012, so that means it "predicts" the end of the world.

I don't believe that for one future second. The Mayans existed a very, very, very, extremely very long time ago. To make thousands upon thousands of "future" calendars must have been an immensely daunting task. So whoever made them just got tired and stopped. Think about it, they had to etch them in stone! They didn't have a computer and a printer available. I'd be tired after etching just one week in stone.

Well, tomorrow is my future. I will be one year older. Yeah, it's-a my birfday too.....

It's funny, how most everyone looks forward to their birthday. I don't anymore. Why? Because I'm not young anymore! So what, you say? Think about it. When you are young, you look forward to getting older. First, it's all about having a party with cake and ice cream, and presents. Then it's all about becoming Sixteen. Then it's all about becoming an adult at Eighteen. Then, even though you're already gotten plastered so many times you're lucky to have brain cells left, you look forward to becoming a "Legal" Adult at Twenty-one.

Then things change a little. You stop looking forward to a certain age. It starts to become about your goals in life. As you get older, you want to check off those "dreams" you had when you thought about your future.

Will you become an Astronaut? No, then how about having a decent job. Will you marry Prince/Princess Charming? No, then how about someone who you don't want to stab over and over again. Will you have wonderful children? No, then how about just not Juvenile delinquents like yourself?

You see, it becomes all about compromise.

Well, I'm past that. I'm into a whole 'nother phase.

I'm in the "Got nothing to look forward to" phase. No, I don't mean death. Death would be the relief of this second to last phase. I'm in the, "What's next?" phase.

Oh, STOP IT! Don't give me that, "You've got a lot to look forward to" crap.

Here's what I got to look forward to......... back pain....... creaking bones........ sore muscles from just moving....... arthritis........ hemorrhoids........ a..... a........ a prostrate exam! ugh! ........... maybe even *sob* ............ I don't want to say it......... Erectile dysfunction. *sounds of deflation*

That's my future. There's only two things left for an old man like me to possibly look forward to. One requires a lot of money, and one won't happen till I'm near death.

If I was rich, then I could have a young girlfriend. Yeah, so what if she's a gold-digger. She's young and hawt, you're just jealous. But, alas, I'm not rich, so this won't happen to me. *tears*

The one and only thing I have to look forward to, is grabbing girls in the Nursing home. I'd be too old and frail to get angry with, so the nurses will give me a pass. Too bad I'll be too senile to enjoy and remember what I did..........

*GASP!* With my luck, I'll have MALE nurses! *SOBS*

This is why there are "Grumpy old men," and "Crotchety Old Men."

TURN DOWN THAT NOISE AND GET OFF MY LAWN!

One of Many

I have said before, that many people are ignorant as to how things are done, in things related to the Fire Department. People have many misconceptions, and I'd like to clear some up. Some of these things have come to light during the recent Brush Fires in the Los Angeles area.

One common mistake. There are MANY Fire Departments. They are NOT "related" to each other. For example, if I work as a cashier for Vons Supermarkets, I can work at almost any Vons Store, as long as there is room for me, and I am transferred there by the Vons Company. I can NOT be transferred to a Ralph's Supermarket store, even though they may have a store looking for a cashier. I would have to quit my job from Vons, and get hired by Ralph's. Do I make sense?

So it's the same with Los Angeles CITY Fire Dept, Los Angeles COUNTY Fire Dept, Vernon City Fire Dept, Glendale City Fire Dept, etc, etc, etc, etc........ All separate entities.

All are also paid by their employers. LA CITY Firefighters are paid by the City of Los Angeles, LA COUNTY Firefighters are paid by the County of Los Angeles, and CAL Fire Firefighters are paid by the STATE of California. And each entity gets it's money in different ways. So just because the State is doing bad, it doesn't mean LA County can't pay their own Firefighters.

Another misconception happened because of the Brush Fires that occurred in Palos Verdes, at the same time as the fires in the Angeles forest. The Brush Fire there was contained within days and put out very fast. Yet the fires in the Angeles forest is going to take about a month before it is out. Why? People complained that it was because the rich live in Palos Verdes, so they were given special treatment.

This COULD be true in some ways. Remember what I said about separate Fire Departments, and their separate budgets. If an area is "rich," they could pay more for their own Fire Dept. Therefore, have more Firefighters, better equipment, newer equipment, specialized equipment, and more equipment than other Departments.

But in reality, it was because of terrain and location. The area that is still burning is highly inaccessible, and VERY DRY. The area near Palos Verde is easily accessible, next to the Ocean and therefore NOT dry, making it more difficult to burn and spread. Not to mention the almost infinite supply of nearby water to put out any fires.

One other thing. Los Angeles CITY Fire was not involved in the firefight for a few days. The agency in charge of running the fire was CAL Fire. They made calls to other Depts first, as far as Sacramento, before calling the very local LAFD. Why? Who knows. When the LAFD were finally called, it was because some homes were threatened. That is the specialty of the LAFD, protecting structures. San Francisco FD denied a request to send a strike team, and finally sent one truck. Some thought it was because their Union was sympathetic to the LAFD Union, who are in a "fight" with LA City Mayor over their budget and pay, so they did not want to help Los Angeles. Again, who knows why, but the SF Mayor and the SF Fire Chief have the final say in that decision. Firefighters do not have that responsibility in making those kind of decisions.

I hope this clears up any misconceptions that you may have had.

Health Care Reform

Previously, I wrote a Blog post about my support for a one payer Health Insurance system. There are many reasons why it should be done.

But I have changed mind. Of all the factors involved, I forgot one thing. Politicians are crooks. I have always said that what they do, they do for themselves, not for you or me. That one factor, a Politically run system, of ANYTHING, always ends up corrupt. Whether or not it starts that way is insignificant. It will end up corrupt.

So, let's name a few things "wrong" with our current system.

1. It's too expensive.
2. It has too many limitations.
3. It denies coverage.

Let's examine why it is too expensive.

1. Too many people can't pay for their medical care, so the "loss" is passed on to the rest of us.
2. Liability insurance is too costly for Doctors and Hospitals.
3. Emergency Rooms are used by indigent people for minor problems.
4. Hospital costs are often inflated.
5. No one knows the prices, so there is no competition.

Some cures for this can be:

1. If everyone is covered, there will be less loss, so that cost is not passed on to anyone.
2. Tort reform.
3. Medicare/Medicaid covering regular Doctor visits.
4. Legislate profits limits for Hospitals.
5. Make Hospitals and Doctors reveal their pricing information.

Let's examine the limitations and denial of coverage.

1. Lifetime financial limits, example 1 million dollars per person as long as they live.
2. Procedures that are not covered.
3. Pre-existing conditions ending in no coverage.

Legislation can be the only cure for this.

So, I propose in some ways, we mandate mandatory health insurance for everyone. Mandate that no one can be denied. Mandate no financial limitations.

And mandate this for Private Insurers only. No more Government system. If anything, the Government will help pay premiums for the poor. Why? We live in a Capitalist system. Government should not do EVERYTHING for us. It should provide the basics, and help the needy. When I say "help," I mean assist, not do it for them.

There are many people out there proposing different things. But as I read this article in Atlantic magazine, it made more sense than any other. I'm not sure if my ideas are the same as in this article, so don't write to me if there are discrepancies from what is written.

Anyway, please read it. It is long, but informative.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909/health-care

I Fought The Law And The Law..... Part 2

Recap. You read Part 1, didn't you? Come on now, it took some effort, so go ahead and read it.
http://whereirome.blogspot.com/2009/08/i-fought-law-and-law.html

In the last episode, our hero was in Court defending himself against all odds. The Prosecutor, his arch nemesis, was Mr Booker. Our hero was accused of speeding in excess of 20 mph over the speed limit allowed by law. GASP! How could this be? Our hero breaking the law? Say it isn't so!

In this Court trial, the Prosecutor presents his case. He calls a witness and questions him. Then the Defendant, that's me, can cross examine his witness. Then the Defendant presents their case, and calls their own witnesses, if there are any. The Prosecutor can cross examine the Defendant's witness(es). Both the Prosecutor and Defendant give final statements, and the Judge issues a verdict. I'm guessing that the usual verdict is GUILTY! LIFE IN PRISON! DUN DUN DUN!

Continued from Part 1..............

The Officer gave his account of what happened that day. "I was traveling South (in the opposite direction as I was) on Highway 93, when my Radar device sounded at the intersection of Highway 93 and (Street name). I made a U-turn, and made a traffic stop, and then issued a citation for violating the "Basic Speed Law" of the State of Nevada."

The Prosecutor questioned the Officer. How was he qualified to judge speed? Does he calibrate his Radar device? What was the speed limit in the area? All questions designed to make me appear GUILTY!

During this questioning, I jotted down notes to ask, so that some of the things the Officer or Prosecutor stated, could be clarified. I only wrote down one note. "Cited 65 mph - 50 mph?"

In my notes were key questions for the Officer, and key points to make while showing the video. It was now up to me to make my case and preserve my clean driving record and to walk out of Court a free man. *Cue Mel Gibson from the movie "Braveheart"* FREEDOM!!!!

Here's how it went.

Me: Officer, Do you have a copy of the ticket?
Officer: Yes, I have it right here.

Me: The City Attorney has said that I was going 20 mph over the speed limit at 65 mph. Didn't you cite me for 50 mph?
Officer: Checks ticket. Yes, I cited you for 50 mph.

Me: So I wasn't going 20 mph over the speed limit, only 5 mph?
Officer: Well actually at 50 mph, you were going 15 mph over the posted speed limit because it was a construction zone, and the speed limit in construction zones is 10 mph below the posted speed limit.

Me: But the construction was being done between 9 pm and 5 am in the morning, there was no construction while I was driving at 11:40 am.

Me: When there is a sign that reads "Slower Traffic Keep Right," what does that usually imply?
Officer: That if you are going slower, you should keep right.

Me: Is there a maximum speed for vehicles towing trailers in the State of Nevada?
Officer: No, we have no such law in Nevada, as they do in California.

Me: *Kinda disappointed* So you know that in California, vehicles towing trailers have a maximum speed limit of 55 mph, even if the speed limit is more for others. So then, a person from California, like me, would believe that that sign was for vehicles towing trailers, and that vehicles that were not towing a trailer could go faster in the other lanes.
Officer: I guess so.

Me: Okay, do you remember the traffic conditions that day? Was it light/heavy? Weather conditions?
Officer: Traffic is light to moderate during that time of day, and the weather was clear.

Me: Is it safe to drive at 65 mph then suddenly slow down to 45 mph? Wouldn't that be dangerous? Maybe cause someone to rear-end me?
Officer: Maybe, if someone was driving behind you.

Me: Officer, are you aware of the case in the Midwest where teenagers removed a "Stop" sign as a prank, and a fatality accident occurred?
Officer: No, I am not.

Me: Well, there was a fatality accident when some teenagers removed a "Stop" sign and two vehicles collided in an intersection. If that happened here, would you cite the driver for running a "Stop" sign?
Officer: No, because there wasn't a "Stop" sign.

Me: Okay. Well I have a video showing that there were no speed limit signs where I was driving until I was well in to the Boulder City City limits. I took this video right after I was given the ticket. I called the Court house and they told me that you were able to play a DVD here, so I recorded it for you on this disc.

Also, I'd like to show you this picture of the "Boulder City City Limit" sign with 2 signs, one before, and one after, that were NOT there at the time I was cited, as you will see in the video. The one before reads "45 MPH Speed Zone Ahead," and the other is a "45 mph Speed Limit" sign.

The Bailiff takes my picture and shows it to the City attorney, and then gives it to the Judge. He then takes my disc and plays it.

I explain that the video starts where I was driving from Lake Mead, and making a right turn onto the Highway, and continues to where I was eventually pulled over. As the video plays, I make comments. There's one of the "Slower Traffic Keep Right" signs. There's the "Construction 9 pm to 5 am" sign. No speed limit signs yet......... There's the "Boulder City City Limit" sign, without the 2 new signs. We come to the first intersection.

Judge: *To the Officer* That's (Street name) where you say you caught him speeding?
Officer: Yes.

Incidentally, there were concrete barriers that prevented anyone from driving on the shoulder of the Highway. I believe this was there to protect the construction crews when they were working on the Highway during the night. The only openings where one could pull over, were by the intersections.

Another intersection passes during the video, still with no speed limit signs. As we come towards the end of the video, I say, "The next intersection is where I was pulled over. I could not do it before, because of the barriers. And as you can see, there at the last intersection is where the speed limit sign is, well after I entered the City limits. This last part just shows me stopped with the Police car behind me."

For final statements the Prosecutor stated that the reason I was cited at 50 mph instead of 65 mph, was that the fines would be less, and that the City of Boulder was a City that was generous to people. I have to agree with some of that. My dealings with the Officer was fair, the Judge seemed fair. Only the City Attorney, Mr Booker seemed unfair, as I wrote about in my original Blog about this.

I gave my statement. "I am XX years old. I am a Firefighter and Paramedic for the City of Los Angeles. We are the 3rd busiest Fire Dept in the Nation. I drive an ambulance, normally and during emergencies thousands of times. I have no tickets or accidents for over 20 years. I am a safe driver. There was a Jeep Cherokee in front of me while I was driving. I was driving with the flow of traffic when I was stopped. I may have been speeding, I don't look at my speedometer all the time, mostly I drive with the flow of traffic. I was driving safely. I don't think it is fair to cite someone for speeding when there were no speed limit signs. I don't blame the Officer for citing me, someone dropped the ball and did not place speed limit signs. There should be speed limit signs in the area before the City limits. Whoever is responsible for that area should place signs. I don't know what I deserve, I just want it to be fair, that's all."

Judge: Well, you were cited for violating the "Basic Speed Law," which is going at least 1 mph over the posted speed limit. But the speed limit was not posted. Can I keep this video?
Me: Sure.

Judge: Can I keep this picture?
Me: Sure.

Me: You know Judge, there are a lot of signs stating "Reduced Speed Ahead" coming from Las Vegas to Boulder City. There should be some from the direction I was going too.

Judge: Okay. I'll look over the video more closely and issue a verdict by mail.
Me: So, what do I do now?

Judge: Just wait, and you'll receive something in the mail.
Me: Okay, so we're done? I can leave?

Judge: Yes, you may go.

I leave the Court room, and I'm out the door. I'm about 25 yards away when the Bailiff calls for me.

Bailiff: HEY!
Me: YES?

Bailiff: The Judge wants you back.
Me: *Walking briskly back* What does he want?

Bailiff: The Judge wants to see you. Good job.
Me: Um, Thank you?

Back in Court again.

Judge: The City Attorney has decided to make my job easier and dismiss the case against you. You are dismissed.
Me: Thank you!

Now here's the kicker. I quickly thought about what to do next. I turned to the City Attorney and offered my hand and I said, "Thank you."

The City Attorney, reluctantly shook my hand. He looked defeated.

So, I fought the Law, and the Law...... Won. Why? The law is that I must be going faster than the POSTED speed limit. The law was right, I wasn't doing that.

The final tally. If the City Attorney was not being pig-headed back when we had a settlement talk, he could have dismissed the case right then. But his Ego was bruised. I was not going to submit to his pressure, or be a "good boy."

Yes, I probably spent more money fighting this ticket than the original fine. Hotels, food, gas, gambling money, Strip clubs, Lap dances, Hookers....... Um, er, disregard the last three.....

But that does not include how much my insurance rates would have gone up for 3-7 years until the points against me was erased. And what if I receive another legitimate ticket after that? Everyone bends or breaks traffic laws, on purpose or by accident. Cars are very smooth now, and anyone can easily drive too fast without realizing it.

I also had 3 trips to Las Vegas that were not planned. Extra forced mini-vacations. I really needed that. Thank you City of Boulder. The only thing that would have made this real life story better, is if I won a huge Jackpot at a Slot machine with the last dollar in my pocket.

Oh well, who cares about any of that. I won. Did you hear me Mr Booker? I WON!

I forgot. My apologies to Mr Anonymous. You could be Ms Anonymous. I didn't mean to offend you if you are a woman. And I didn't discount your good advice. I really felt that my video was the key and all I would need to win. Thank you too.