Barney Fife Alive and Well

Do you remember your first experience being pulled over by a cop? You pass his car sitting off the side of the road. You look at the speedometer. Oh no, I'm speeding. Your stomach drops and a weird sick feeling follows. Your pulse quickens. Panic sets in. You check the rear view mirror. Yep, he's pulling out. Oh boy, there go the blue lights. You slow down to below the speed limit. What IS the speed limit? One last check in the rear view mirror. Wow, he's close to my bumper. You move to the shoulder of the road. Let's see if he's after me. Yep, he's pulling over with me. Sweat has formed on your brow. Your heart is pumping. You lower your window and sit as still as possible with your hands on the steering wheel. Don't want him thinking I'm going for a gun. He gets out of his cruiser and cautiously approaches the driver's side window with his hand hovering above his gun in case it's needed. Then you hear those words, "Mam, do you have any idea what speed you were going?" You reply no. "Driver's license and registration, please," he sternly says.

This recently happened to my daughter. She's 19 and never been pulled over before. In her case, the policeman was a city of Woodstock motorcycle cop. She doesn't get asked about her speed. Instead he says, "Mam, you failed to signal when changing lanes back there. License, registration and proof of insurance, please."

He went back to his motorcycle, did some paperwork, then returned to my daughter's car. He handed her a ticket for $154. 

She had the option to pay the ticket or go to traffic court on an appointed date. She opted for going to court. 

A few weeks later she showed up for court. There was a line out the door of other people checking in--there must have been 80 people there. She discovered that traffic court happens Monday through Friday, every week, at 5:30 PM.

She finally gets into the courtroom. The judge begins to call up groups of people with similar traffic violations. Her group is called. The judge tells them they can plead guilty, pay the fine and no points will appear on their record. Or, they could plead not guilty and return for another court date and face a possible fine of $1,000. Guess which option she chose? Yep, she paid the fine and got out of there.

Here's my beef, it was her first traffic violation and it was for NOT USING HER BLINKER. She wasn't speeding. She wasn't driving recklessly. I think a warning would have been sufficient. This guy decides he needs to teach her a lesson and give her a ticket.

Now, court is held everyday and there were at least 80 people there for one appearance. Most people were opting to pay the fine. Think about how much money the city of Woodstock is making on traffic violations! Granted, some of the offenses were serious traffic violations. But they just made $154 off of my daughter for NOT USING HER BLINKER. I didn't even realize this was a law--but I sure do now!

Yes, I'm venting. Yes, I'm angry. I'm writing all of this to warn anyone driving through Woodstock, Ga. to beware of over zealous policemen making money for the city and to watch your speed and make sure to USE YOUR BLINKER because Deputy Fife is on duty!

I'm not even going to get into the emotional trauma she experienced. Suffice it to say that she drives very cautiously through Woodstock and everywhere.

Laid Off -- Now What?

I was laid off from my job at the end of last year. I Googled "jobs for people over 50." (I'm over 50 if you haven't guessed.) Results came back with: crossing guard, private detective, senior living aide, operating room clean up person, x-ray technician, medical assistant, tour guide, ghost writer and the list goes on.

I couldn't be a private detective--might have to spy on people having affairs or maybe climb up a tree for a higher perch to spy from. The operating clean up person would be a stretch for me--I'd probably drop the surgical instruments. Being a tour guide has promise--I could use a microphone. Self-doubt set in. Thoughts went through my mind that maybe I'm too old to get another job--might as well put me out to pasture. The problem with this way of thinking is that if you dwell on it long enough, you start to really believe it and it couldn't be further from the truth.

In the article from Forbes, "How to Great a Job When You're Over 50," Renée Rosenberg, a career counselor who specializes in over-50 job seekers says, "The kiss of death is hunkering down behind your computer, reading job boards and sending your résumé into a black hole. ... It’s a matter of being open to change, being willing to change and looking at which of your skills are transferable.” (Full article).

That is so true! I was encouraged to attend job networking events in my area. Roswell United Methodist Church (RUMC) has a job ministry that has been around for 25+ years. They offer free workshops on resume writing, how to network, one-on-one LinkedIn profile reviews, how to find hidden jobs (and more). Experts in these areas volunteer their time to lead the workshops. Dinner is offered for a $3 donation. My mind has been opened to new ways of thinking. I've been encouraged. I've met super nice people who are in the same boat I am.

I could keep going, but I'll continue with what I'm learning in more blog posts.

If you live in the Atlanta area and are out of work and need help finding a job, check out these job networking groups:

RUMC
Crossroads Career Network
North Point Community Church Job Networking
Christ Centered Career Groups (C3G)