A New Slant on Early Release

Sorry that I haven’t been around for a few days. I am trying to put the finishing touches on my thesis so that I can graduate on May 12 as scheduled. Some things have been interfering in my concentration and sending my stress level through the roof.

My mom has been occupying a great deal of time helping her get her utilities turned on in her new house, find a plumber, tile, etc. to remodel her bathroom and refinish the floors before she moves in. I asked her to wait until I finished school to start all of this but she found a house she likes so the time table has been moved up.

I have been on a board over a large organization for 9 or 10 years that is imploding. We had a meeting Tuesday which can only be described as hostile. I did not get home until midnight from a meeting that started at 6 PM. My telephone which never rings has been steadily ringing for three days and so has my cell phone. My email box has been overflowing.

My car overheated. It turned out that I had to get a new radiator to the tune of $250. I also have to renew my tags on both of my cars and camper in addition to renewing insurance on all three before the end of March.

We have been blessed with a visit from Sharon’s sister-in-law and kids for the last two days. Their visit was a bright spot in my spring break but it also interrupted my work.

My sister called this morning with not so good news about my brother-in-law. His diagnosis included the word terminal. She wants me to tell our mom in person so I will be traveling Saturday to tell her the news.

I did manage to get a much needed massage (birthday present) and go to the gym today.

On the way to the gym, I passed the spot of a call many moons ago which caused me to laugh so I will share it with all of you.

My partner and I were riding around, bored, on a Tuesday afternoon. We had been assigned to the northeast part of town which was not a hopping place in those days. The dispatcher told us to go uptown to BOLO (be on the lookout for) for a white male that was bothering kids who were riding their bicycles

Us: Do you have a better description?

Dispatch: 10-4, suspect is wearing two pair of socks and a baseball cap.

We started laughing making comments (not on the air) that he ought to be easy to spot if that is all he was wearing. We also were making less than nice comments about the dispatcher and how a shirt color or hair color might be more helpful.

Us: 10-81 (in the area)

Dispatch: [laughing] 10-4

We drive around for a few minutes until we see some kids bicycles lying in an alley, no kids in sight. We turn up the alley and there he is …a white male, 6 foot, blond curly hair, wearing a ball cap and two pair of socks. ….that’s all ….nothing else….. just those items and his birthday suit. We get out and try to ascertain who he is and why he has removed his clothing. I am sure that we were a sight, a tall fat bald headed man and a tall thin blond girl both in uniform talking to a naked guy wearing a ball cap. The naked guy standing there like it was the most normal thing in the world.

We found that he had just been released from the psych ward of the local hospital. He got hot so he took off his clothes. They were neatly folded behind the dumpster. He just wanted to borrow the kids bicycle because he was tired of walking.

We put his clothes in the trunk and placed him in handcuffs and off we went to jail. We charged him with public lewdness. You should have seen the faces of the jail personnel and trustees when we stepped out of the elevator. I think they let him out just a little too soon!