Some educ-me-cation, please John...

I was pulled over today by a bicycle cop.

Isn't that funny?

After a full day of sitting on my hiney at orientation I decided to take a bike trip to the post office to pick up my mail. See, my ditzy landlord ordered that some mailbox locks be changed and she gave the locksmith the WRONG address. So for some "unknown" reason I could not open my mailbox all last week. She came by and sprayed some WD-40 thinking the lock was stuck. So, I put a hold on my mail.

Last Friday, I got a knock at the door and some nice locksmith guy explained the whole situation and gave me a new key. Oddly, enough I got a phone call TODAY from my landlady asking what ever happened with the lock.

Davis is like the biking capital of the world. Okay, maybe not the world but the city's logo is a bicycle. Everyone's got one, and bike lanes are prevalent. Did I mention the terrain is FLAT! Too bad most people do not wear helmets and I have seen WAY too many people talking on their cell phones while peddling away.

I am not that adept in the bicycle riding department, so I am the proud owner of a super cool red helmet and go very slow. But give me a few months and I will have KILLER quads!

So, on my way to the post office today, I failed to make a complete stop at the corner of 3rd and C. The officer made a U-ey and eased over in my direction. No flashing lights, no hoopla. There was even a moment where I thought "is this guy stopping for me?"

I was informed by John, the former radiology professor, and part-time policeman that bicycles must follow the same rules as cars and the $140 fine for rolling through a stop sign is the same for both. Yikes! Since there was a chance that he was going to ticket me, I turned on the charm and asked "while I've got you here" if there's anything else I need to know. You know I am all about the education, right now. He gave me some strange radiologist fact, as a joke, and then praised me for wearing a helmet.

According to my new buddy John, he makes $30/hr. to be outside in the sun and keep everyone safe. He added that his grandkids have quite a college fund. He asked me what I did and I told him that I was a grad student in the department of Theatre and Dance -- studying acting. He asked me if I was acting "right then."

I immediately thought of the book Sanford Meisner On Acting. It's a fascinating book about Meisner leading a group of students through his approach. Early in the book he asks his class if they were listening to his instructions as an "actor" or as a "character."

With this additional knowledge, I giggled and smiled at the nice police officer and said, "no acting officer, this is me."