Today, I feel lucky.

I’m not heading off to Vegas or anything. I started feeling lucky today when I went to stand in line to take care fo three tickets I recently received. I got a ticket for expired inspection, expired license tags, and not having an up to date insurance card. These problem were easily fixed well within the ten day time frame, and I was off to court with my paperwork, anticipating a long line at the end of which I would likely meet a surly civil servant who would tell me that somehow I had done something wrong and was not only going to have to pay several thousand dollars worth of fines but do a little time in jail. (I have a paranoid fear of going back to jail. I honestly have nightmares.)

Whe I walked in the door, I was face to face with The New World Order.

A metal detector. Two armed guards. I flashed to what Billy had written recently about terrorists blowing up St. Charles. I remember being a little miffed that he had refered to terrorism as a “profession”, and that I had gotten over it in only a matter of seconds. I was also feeling momentarily miffed that I had to go through all this trouble just to pay some court costs. After I walked through the thing though, like magic, I changed my mind. As I was putting my thumb ring back on, I thought to myelf, “Self, in some places in the world, women can’t walk the streets uncovered, Religious rules are observed on pain of death wthout any personal choice to worship as one sees fit, people are killing each other senselessly for the same idiotic reasons that have kept their homes a Texas Cage Match with guns for thousands of years, but right here, right now, My biggest concern is an expired inspection sticker and I get to WEAR A THUMB RING.”

My tickets were dismissed. I have a date tonight, and were going to see Halle Berry win her Oscar. I may not feel as good as Halle did abot winning it, but I’m glad I live in a place where she can. I feel really lucky.