wordswithvivian

Good morning ladies and gentleman!

As you all know, the great Presidential Debate took place last night in Colorado. Unfortunately I could not watch it because I had class and I also do not have a TV. I also tried to watch the live feed on YouTube but my laptop apparently does not have flash player any more? I’m pretty sure it’s because my laptop is outdated. I might as well be living in the dark ages. Good thing I have a link to the recording so that I may watch it this weekend.

ANYWAYS, since I did not watch it, you may be wondering then why am I writing about it? Good question! The amount of feedback from my peers via word of mouth, Twitter, Facebook, etc. was astounding! I think it’s safe to say that my generation is becoming more informed than ever on current events, especially this year’s Presidential race. Props to you guys. With that being said, while I was doing my homework last night, I kept checking my Twitter and Facebook to see what everyone was saying about the Presidential Debate. A lot of it was positive but a lot of it was negative at the same time. It also seemed like some people were talking or posting just to get feedback. Yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but when it gets to the point where someone is using vulgar language and racial slurs, it’s too much. For example, I happened to stumble upon a conversation where a young gentleman referred to Obama as “an angry Muslim who is a smooth talker.” He even went on to insult the whole Muslim religion. Not only is this disrespectful to the President, but it is also disrespectful to about 20-25% of the WORLD. Also, he’s facts are wrong because Barack Obama is indeed a Christian. To me, his comments were just classless.

It is completely okay to debate and discuss your beliefs and views but when you start offending others, it has gone too far. I must say I am proud of my generation for keeping up with the current political situation but I need to encourage everyone to become completely informed before you choose to get into a discussion some over politics or else it will most likely get headed and end very badly. When talking to someone about politics, always keep in mind that you do not want to offend the other person. If they start to get heated, simply end the conversation. You do not need to prove anything to anyone but yourself.

About a year ago, I received my first speeding ticket in a little town named Brookshire, right outside of Katy, TX. I was going 84 in a 65…I’m a speed demon, I know. Rather than having my insurance skyrocket again, I opted to take a comedy defensive driving course online. Honestly, it wasn’t THAT funny but I’m pretty sure it was a lot easier and less dreadful than a regular defensive driving class. So after sitting at the computer for 6 hours listening to corny driving jokes, I finally “graduated” and sent my certification of completion to the Brookshire Municipal Court.

Over a year later, I get a letter from the city of Brookshire stating that I had to make an appearance in court because I didn’t send any proof of completing a defensive driving class…I guess it got lost in the mail or something. Anyways, I was rather confused and irritated because who wants to go to court. Oh did I mention the courthouse was about 2 hours away from Austin? I had two options: to show up in court at 9 A.M. with my certificate of completion OR pay a fine $114 and have a warrant out for my arrest. It’s pretty obvious which choice I made.

So yesterday, I woke up at 5 A.M. to drive to the city of Brookshire to go to court. The drive wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I got to watch the sunrise, which was nice. It took about 2 hours and 15 minutes to get there. We showed up early so I figured I would treat myself to a nice honey butter chicken biscuit at Whataburger. I was SUPER nervous since this was my first time ever going to court. Luckily, my sweet boyfriend came along. When I got there, I was told to sit inside the courtroom until my name was called. I’ll be honest, I was kind of expecting to be similar to Judge Judy but it wasn’t at all. The judge’s assistant, interpreter, and the judge all sat behind a big, wooden counter. The prosecutor stood in front of the counter, calling out whose turn it was to walk up to the counter for their case. It was not formal either…I mean there was a man wearing overalls. After about 20 minutes, my name was finally called and my case was mentioned. The prosecutor asked if I had my proof and I gave it to her and case dismissed! I didn’t even have to talk to the judge, which was a big relief because he looked super intimidating. I’ve learned my lesson and my speed demon days are over. Speeding just isn’t worth it.