The Time I was Almost Arrested for Possession

So... I haven't written in a while (because WOW, life is happening so quickly...) but I just had to share this story.

Tonight, I was driving home from a doctor's appointment. I didn't know the area very well, so I was just feeling my way back. I didn't want to use my GPS, because you learn more from finding your way, right? Though I didn't have a specific deadline, I was hungry, and I was getting impatient to be home. I saw an entrance that I wanted to a highway. Technically I was headed in the wrong direction to take the entrance, but no one was coming and the angle to take the turn wasn't hard, so I took it. Instantly, sirens started blaring and lights started flashing.

I pulled over, thinking to myself that it was unfortunate, but I did deserve to be pulled over for that turn. Oh well. I waited for a bit in the car. I pulled up my insurance card on my phone (in the whirlwind of life, I haven't printed it yet), grabbed the registration, resigned myself to explaining that my license was in my other wallet (whirlwind of life...)

The police officer predictably walked up to the window and asked to see everything. He wasn't happy to only have the 1 physical item, but oh well. No need to worry, there wasn't much I could do at that point. So far, so normal.

And then the officer said "I smell marijuana."'

I was momentarily stunned. I was going to laugh, and decided that would probably come off wrong, so I told him that it was impossible (if you know me, you know just how crazy it is.) At which point he asked me to get out of the car.

So, I got out of the car. (I'm thinking: Do I need to walk in a straight line? Isn't walking in a straight line and reciting the alphabet only for people suspected of drunk driving?)

And then we played a very strange game of Simon Says. He told me to stand behind the car, so I stood behind it.

I was apparently not in the position he wanted me to be in. He told me to stand right next to to the car, so I went closer to the car. (Now I'm thinking that maybe he's going to pat me down?)

I was still not in the correct position, apparently. He told me to turn around, so I turned around, facing away from the car.

Still not right. At this point, it's just getting silly. I'm really not sure what he's expecting. He told me to sit up against the car, so I sat up against the car. Finally, I was standing in a satisfactory position.

Now I get a talking to. Given that he smelled marijuana, that gave him probable cause to search the car. If he found marijuana, and he was sure he would, he would arrest me. But if I would just confess and show him where it was, he'd make sure things went easier for me. That was the basic message, but it was longer and with more assumed guilt and implied judgement. Not knowing exactly what to do in this unusual situation, I stammered around for a bit and continued to deny everything.

He also let me know that his police car was videotaping me. Because I looked really violent, I guess? Or as though I might have a gun that somehow fit in my girl-jeans' pockets? Reminder, this is me:

The face of a violent criminal

Then he asked, "Are you comfortable with me searching your car." (Not if he was allowed to, if I was comfortable with it.) At this point, I'm a little bit concerned and confused. My thoughts are going back and forth along these lines:
1) I am 99% sure that I don't need to let him search my car.
2) Then again, why not let him? There's nothing in there.
3) But he smelled something... what if there is? I've given rides to 5 different people in the past week, maybe someone had pot with them?? I don't think so, but I also can't be sure.
4) If I say no, he's going to drag this out somehow. I want to go home, I'm hungry.
5) But if I let him search and somehow there's something in there, I am definitely not going home. He said he would arrest me.
6) Also you're not supposed to agree to these things, on principle, right? Also, what type of a word to use is "comfortable"? No matter how innocent you are, who is ever "comfortable" with being searched? It's not really the correct word for him to use.

So in the end instead of answering the question, I ask him, "Am I required to let you search my car?" He tells me smelling marijuana give him probable cause and therefore he can search my car. (But he needs to actually get a warrant - which he doesn't mention.) "Are you comfortable with me searching your car?"

"Well then why are you asking, if I don't have a choice?" I ask innocently enough. He sidesteps the question and tells me that if I'm innocent I shouldn't mind him searching. Again, he asks, "Are you comfortable with me searching your car?"

"Well, I'd prefer if you didn't. Am I required to let you?"  He responds "Is there any marijuana in there?" I answer, in complete truth, "Well if there was I would certainly be surprised." (This is probably not what you're supposed to say in this situation... but telling the truth is a good idea.... right? right?? ...)

So then of course he starts telling me how that's not how he would respond if someone asked to search his car, and how guilty I sound. And asking again and again if he can search the car. And I continue to tell him that it's really laughable that he thinks I have marijuana (while wondering what in the world he's smelling.) We are not getting anywhere quickly.

At this point, most of me is intrigued and amused by the whole situation. A small part of me is insisting that this is really. not. good.

In the end though, I let him search the car. He asks me again to just show him where the pot is, so that he can not arrest me. Whatever he smelled, he is sure about it. I tell him again that it's impossible, there's nothing. Then, as he starts to walk to the driver's side, I remember something. "Oh, I might as well mention..."

His ears perk up and he comes back to the rear of the car. I go on, "There's some gallium in the car, in between the driver's and passenger's side. It's in a bag of beef jerky because the container broke. There's another tube of it in my laptop bag."

"There's... what?" "Gallium." "What's that?" "It's a metal that's liquid at room temperature."

He's very confused but goes back to search the car. He investigates the gallium. He holds it up and asks me again what it's purpose is ("just a novelty...") He pokes around in my wallet. There's really very little in the car to investigate, but he does a thorough job with what there is.

"Where's the lever to open the trunk?" "Ah... I don't know I usually use the key? Can I come back to the front of the car to see?" He watches me as though I am about to pull a gun on him the entire time. I keep my hands half-raised because he's so jumpy. "You know, why don't I just open the trunk, it's unlocked." He cautiously agrees to let me open the trunk.

Every once in a while during the search he tries to get me to admit to having something again. I tell him honestly that I am very curious where the suspicious smell might be coming from. He almost apologetically tells me that he smelt something and has to check it out. I agree that it's very suspicious that he smells something.

After poking around a bit more, he concludes that he can't find any pot, or even any portion of the car that smells much like pot. He asks me what's in my pockets (nothing) but doesn't verify this (what was the point in asking, at that point if I had been lying wouldn't I continue to lie?) I think he's getting tired of this whole search. (In reality, based on my reading since then, he can't reach into my pockets without a warrant either unless he pats something he thinks is a weapon. And he probably didn't expect "Are you comfortable with me reaching into your pockets" to go well.)

So, he lets me go with another lecture about how I Know If I Have Something (with the heavy implication that I do) and a couple of summonses for the left turn and not carrying my license around. (On that topic... what in the world? Could he not look me up in a database and check that I have a valid license? Of all the archaic things... having to carry around a piece of plastic...)

And that's how I almost was arrested for possession. Luckily the "I don't know what I'm doing and let them search without a warrant" factor was outweighed by the complete lack of anything illegal in my car. All in all, a fun story now that it's over, and it sparked me to do some reading about what to do if the police ask to search. Given these events, I think I'll do a much better job remembering what to do for next time.

Kristin Chenoweth at Carnegie Hall!

On Saturday night I was beyond excited to attend Kristin Chenoweth's "The Evolution of a Soprano" at Carnegie Hall! My friend Liz came with me and we had an amazing evening.

We arrived at the theater just in the knick of time, ran up many many flights of stairs to near the very top, and sat down just before Kristin walked on stage.

From there, it was a night filled with a combination of excellent music and silly antics. My favorite piece Kristin did was actually a cover of Dolly Parton's "Little Sparrow", accompanied by drum and guitar. It was just beautiful. 

A few other highlights from the evening:

• Kristin talking about some roles "I shouldn't have played", like Tuptim from The King and I. To get into character, she asked her friends to call her "Christy Chen". (One of the Asian American orchestra members behind her was laughing pretty hard during this story.)
• When they were setting up for "Little Sparrow", Kristin inadvertently sat in the guitar player's spot. When she noticed, and moved, her comment was "I was wondering why the spotlight wasn't on me! It was funny for a second but then..."
• There was a rendition of "Popular" that mimicked the way that the song is performed around the globe, with portions in Japanese, German, and "of course" Italian.
• Kristin singing "My New Philosophy" from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I knew she had won a Tony for it, but had never actually heard (or seen) it! AND she brought out Andrew Lippa, who wrote the song and with whom she seems very close, to sing it with her! He was a fun performer, too.
  
• Speaking of guest performers... Kristin also brought out Deborah Voigt, and the two of them were hilarious together. They performed 2 songs. The first one was "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" with a few lyric changes, and they cracked each other up so much that they had to stop singing at one point.
• The encore song was very cool. Nearly all of the lights dimmed out, and Kristin sang without a microphone.

It was a great evening. It goes without saying that Kristin has an amazing voice, and the energy and humor she brings made the performance that much more special. It was an excellent Carnegie Hall experience!

Kitty Update!

8 days ago today, I adopted the an adorable cat! She's a four year old Russian Blue mix, named Eos.

Awwwwww

I spent about a week and a half actively looking before finding Eos. At times the process felt like applying to college again; some of the places I looked at adopting required an application fee, short answer questions ("please describe your views on declawing cats"...), and references. I encountered people who were ready to just hand cats over, and others who seemed so overprotective that the cats they're watching will never find homes. For example, one woman I emailed with told me she didn't trust me enough to even meet cats because I didn't currently have a pet and a veterinarian to vouch for me and because "people around here go through cats like underwear."

Last weekend, I had two visits lined up. One with Pet Rescue in Putnam Valley, New York, and one on the Upper East Side in New York City.

On Friday night, two friends and I made the long drive out the Putnam Valley to visit with two cats. They both made a big impression - Squirrel for biting our hands (she was cute, but... ow), and Phoenix for being sweet, outgoing, and affectionate. I connected with Phoenix, but wanted to be sure that I was considering all options. So the next morning, we went into the city and met two sweet kittens. In the end though, the decision wasn't difficult - if anything, meeting the kittens only solidified it for me. I called Pet Rescue back, and was able to drive back for a pickup that evening.

So content! Purring away...

I chose the name Eos (spelled Ἠώς in the original Greek, according to Wikipedia), after the Greek goddess of the dawn. Eos' coat is a grey that's similar to the sky just at the beginning of dawn. I also wanted to choose a name that commemorates a new beginning for us together.

Sometimes I think she might not have any bones

Eos is four years old (approximately). Her humans abandoned her, and she was taken care of by Pet Rescue for about 6 months before I found her.

An avid reader

When I brought her home, Eos first found her "safe space" in the wooden frame of my box spring. As she became more comfortable, she started spending time on the bed, and then in the living room too. After a week, she's even ready to play with the occasional visitor:

Awwwwwww

Eos is affectionate and loves to be petted and scratched, but she's also calm and enjoys playing by herself with a toy (the catnip-filled banana is her favorite so far) or just taking catnaps. And, as you can tell from the pictures, she is absolutely adorable. <3 <3 <3

Sleepy Eos!

And on that note, goodnight blog readers :-)

Masks

My post for today comes courtesy of Shel Silverstein and his poem Masks.

When I was in high school English classes, I remember being very confused by the idea of "masks". We talked about metaphorical masks that people wear, hiding who they really are from others. I couldn't relate. Perhaps the authors were just making things up to write about, I thought. Or else English teachers liked to read more into works than was really there?

And then life happened, and one day, a few years ago, it made sense. And this (below) is now one of my favorite poems. I forget about it (and its lesson) too often. Here's to learning the lesson of Masks and finding other blue people out there.

A dress that Glitters like the stars

When I was younger, I read a book called Princess Furball. It's a Cinderella-esque story. At one point, the main character asks for three dresses: one as golden as the sun, one as shimmering as the moon, and a third as glittering as the stars. I always like the story - but I never knew how to get my dress that glittered like the stars.

And then I found out about shadowplaynyc, a company that prints dresses using images from the Hubble telescope. I love it, I love it, I love it!

Did I mention that I love this dress?
Have a fantastic week, all.

Sloth!

Hello blog readers! I am posting again, less than two weeks after my previous post! How crazy is that?

You can see my
newish apartment in
the background, too!

I have had a really crazy week. There were 2 nights that I stayed up working all night (and 2 subsequent nights when I crashed immediately when I came home.)

Today though, I had a nice, lazy Saturday. Slothful, even. And keeping with that theme, I wanted to show off my brand new sloth necklace!

Climbing sloth!

The lasercut design looks great (see a nice detailed image of the sloth from  the Etsy page, below.)
If I move my hair out of the way, you can even see the sloth "climb" up the necklace.  --->

Really, the only thing that I was worried about when ordering this was the size. On the Etsy page model, the sloth looks huge to me. So, for anyone else contemplating this sloth, or any of the other awesome designs by roconut, I hope seeing these examples is helpful.

This photo shows off my Christmas
tree, too! (Well "shows off" may be
too strong a term, but you know...)

Original Etsy photo of
Rococonut necklace

I'm always looking for clever new Kickstarter/Etsy/Fab types of games, jewelry, gifts, etc - let me know if you see something I would like. I've ordered several lately, so maybe this string of 2 posts will become longer?! We shall see.

Slothfully,
Kim

Decorating with KickStarter Rewards

I've been backing a lot of kickstarters lately, and a few have sent me backer rewards already.

This is one of my backer rewards from Meimei - A Beautiful Fish, which is a children's book in Chinese characters, pinyin, and English. I love the book, too!