Moving violations

I got my first speeding ticket yesterday, 40 in a 30 (which is wrong, it was more like 35, but they must have been meeting quota because there were three cars and they nabbed another one right after me). My luck has finally run out.

This is the fifth time I've been stopped for speeding, and the first time I've actually been written a ticket. While I've received and paid multiple parking tickets, for some reason I hoped this day would never come.

The first two times I was stopped were during my senior year in high school. The first cop was nice, the second one was really angry but let me off anyway for some reason. He asked me who my parents were and I told him, but as far as I know I'd never seen the guy before. Maybe he knew of my father, since he's on the fire department in my hometown and has been for most of his life.

The third time I was pulled over, I was leaving my cousin's house in a hurry on my way home from college. He didn't live there anymore, and there was no real reason for me to drive by, but I had to pass through the town anyway, so I drove by it for old times' sake. It was dark, the house was empty, and I got a little creeped out, so I was going too fast, but I still got let off with a warning.

When I lived in Indiana, I was somewhat known for getting lost easily while driving. When I moved to Texas, I got a lot better for some reason, but one particular day, on my way home from work, I got lost in my own neighborhood and was so frustrated I was zooming around trying to find my way back and got nabbed. Again, just a verbal warning and a "Be more careful."

Well, this time in addition to the "Be more careful" I was handed a ticket. Luckily, it says I can avoid paying full price by taking a driving safety course, but it's almost as much as just paying the ticket. Still, it gets the moving violation "dismissed", which I guess would save me any raise in insurance premium, so it's probably worth it.

Let me know what you guys think of the new layout.