The plan was for no patients to get admitted to the hospital, for all of the ones in the hospital to stay healthy, and for me to sleep a healthy amount, leave work early and drive to SLC by 8 PM. I got to Provo at 2:30 AM. My first vacation of residency didn’t start well.
The work side of the explanation is relatively mundane, so let’s jump to the point where I leave work 4 hours later than I would have liked, and having slept only in ten minute increments scattered throughout the night. So I got home, packed, and slept for an hour. Then I got on the road.
Apart from being rather tired, the first five hours of the drive to Utah were uneventful. I had over a dozen albums to listen to and this was as good a time as any to give them a whirl. I also brainstormed how in the world I was going to teach a lesson about Hosea next week, and set out the plot for a new movie I was working on. Also, I was 100% focused on the road.
That is, until I was focused on the sirens flashing behind me. I never know what to say about speeding. I had set my cruise control to exactly 7 miles over the speed limit. Should I admit to going 7 over, claiming this was reasonable, or plead ignorance? Turns out the debate was moot. My headlight was out. It seems that every time I take a roadtrip one of my headlights goes out. They must hate crossing state lines or something. In retrospect the drive had been a bit dim, but my rods and cones are just so good that I had compensated. The officer claims I was going 10 over ( I was going 7 over!) but gives me a warning, telling me to fix the headlight. By this point it’s 8 at night, and I really don’t have any options for getting it fixed. So I keep driving towards Provo.
A couple hours later I get pulled over again. This time I was going the speed limit, but, surprisingly, I still had a headlight out. The officer needs to check my registration and insurance again of course, because only drunk deviants with warrants drive around with their headlights out. Eventually he sends me on my way.
A couple hours later I get pulled over again. Turns out my headlight is out. The events of the last stop repeat themselves, only it seems to take longer every time.
Eventually, I pull into my brother’s apartment at 2:30 AM. A late start, plus getting pulled over repeatedly, plus having to drive THE SPEED LIMIT the whole way equals one evening lost from my vacation. On the plus side, getting pulled over every couple hours does wonders for keeping you awake.
No comments:
Post a Comment