Rough Draft: Cars, looking to swap or have someone criticize
Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 7:01 pm
Rough draft and unrefined.
For most people, a car is simply a way to travel from point A to point B. Little did I know, so naïve and directionless at the age of seventeen, that point B would represent the concept of law school and my future. My first car was a 2000 Lincoln LS, which I fell in love with the first day I saw it. I did my part in keeping it clean, but soon found that the conventional methods of car washing were not sufficient for my expectations. I spent the next few years devoting a large portion of my time to studying the art of auto detailing, expanding my knowledge of processes and chemical reactions. Family and friends began to wonder if I were actually losing my mind as I put countless hours, sometimes over ten per day without fatigue, into something that most people would have assumed that a drive-through car wash would have accomplished. My attention to detail and passion for perfection drove me to create my own flourishing small business at my shore house for two summers while in undergraduate studies.
Although I loved detailing, it lacked some crucial elements that I thrived on: intellectual stimulation and variety. It became clear that my hobby would not become my career choice. At the end of summer I packed my car and made my way home ready for the next school year, not knowing that this simple trip would reveal my purpose in life. As I drove through some uninhabited back roads, as any teenager would, I ignored the speed limits and drove at my discretion. With the windows down enjoying the warm air of August, I was completed blinded by the fact that there was other car on the road, a New Jersey state trooper. My heart sunk as I saw the flare of blue and red lights in my rearview mirror. I was cited for driving 14 miles per hour over the speed limit. The idea of making a run for Mexico instead of telling my parents the news glazed over my mind, but I decided that it’d be best to tell them and take it to court and see what I could do about the minor infraction, although it seemed like a death sentence to me.
I researched the court system and devised a plan on how I could drop the ticket points. Finally my court date had come and I walked into the municipal building as if I were walking death row. I signed my name on the ledger and proceeded to funnel into the court room with the other people. I was frightened and confused as this was my first appearance in court. As I sat in the back of the courtroom, the opportunity to talk to the prosecutor came and I filed into line with a few other unfortunate guilty souls. As the line whittled down, I approached the prosecutor, a stern looking individual in a neatly pressed suit, I plead my case and brought up the idea of changing the ticket to an “unsafe driving” infraction. This would abolish the points that the original ticket carried, but held an additional $250 fine. I agreed to these terms and made my way back to my seat. I watched intently as people were called before the judge and their case was heard. It was then that I realized that, strangely enough, I was enamored by the court process. While others were huffing and puffing, I was leaning on the edge of my seat to hear all of the details of the cases. I was eventually called up to the judge and plead guilty to the amended charges, left the court room and paid the $450 fine. As I looked down at the receipt, wading through the masses of people still bitter with the notion of giving up their hard earned money, I didn’t see a receipt; I saw a ticket to my future.
Throughout the rest of my undergraduate studies I immersed myself in classes that touched upon political philosophy, legal systems, and business law. I might have been the only one in the classroom that thoroughly enjoyed being in lecture. Looking back on those years, I realize that my attention to detail and love for law came together to complete the puzzle of my life. While many were and still are indecisive in regards their future, I inadvertently found my fate in something that people simply understand as a means to get from point A to point B.
For most people, a car is simply a way to travel from point A to point B. Little did I know, so naïve and directionless at the age of seventeen, that point B would represent the concept of law school and my future. My first car was a 2000 Lincoln LS, which I fell in love with the first day I saw it. I did my part in keeping it clean, but soon found that the conventional methods of car washing were not sufficient for my expectations. I spent the next few years devoting a large portion of my time to studying the art of auto detailing, expanding my knowledge of processes and chemical reactions. Family and friends began to wonder if I were actually losing my mind as I put countless hours, sometimes over ten per day without fatigue, into something that most people would have assumed that a drive-through car wash would have accomplished. My attention to detail and passion for perfection drove me to create my own flourishing small business at my shore house for two summers while in undergraduate studies.
Although I loved detailing, it lacked some crucial elements that I thrived on: intellectual stimulation and variety. It became clear that my hobby would not become my career choice. At the end of summer I packed my car and made my way home ready for the next school year, not knowing that this simple trip would reveal my purpose in life. As I drove through some uninhabited back roads, as any teenager would, I ignored the speed limits and drove at my discretion. With the windows down enjoying the warm air of August, I was completed blinded by the fact that there was other car on the road, a New Jersey state trooper. My heart sunk as I saw the flare of blue and red lights in my rearview mirror. I was cited for driving 14 miles per hour over the speed limit. The idea of making a run for Mexico instead of telling my parents the news glazed over my mind, but I decided that it’d be best to tell them and take it to court and see what I could do about the minor infraction, although it seemed like a death sentence to me.
I researched the court system and devised a plan on how I could drop the ticket points. Finally my court date had come and I walked into the municipal building as if I were walking death row. I signed my name on the ledger and proceeded to funnel into the court room with the other people. I was frightened and confused as this was my first appearance in court. As I sat in the back of the courtroom, the opportunity to talk to the prosecutor came and I filed into line with a few other unfortunate guilty souls. As the line whittled down, I approached the prosecutor, a stern looking individual in a neatly pressed suit, I plead my case and brought up the idea of changing the ticket to an “unsafe driving” infraction. This would abolish the points that the original ticket carried, but held an additional $250 fine. I agreed to these terms and made my way back to my seat. I watched intently as people were called before the judge and their case was heard. It was then that I realized that, strangely enough, I was enamored by the court process. While others were huffing and puffing, I was leaning on the edge of my seat to hear all of the details of the cases. I was eventually called up to the judge and plead guilty to the amended charges, left the court room and paid the $450 fine. As I looked down at the receipt, wading through the masses of people still bitter with the notion of giving up their hard earned money, I didn’t see a receipt; I saw a ticket to my future.
Throughout the rest of my undergraduate studies I immersed myself in classes that touched upon political philosophy, legal systems, and business law. I might have been the only one in the classroom that thoroughly enjoyed being in lecture. Looking back on those years, I realize that my attention to detail and love for law came together to complete the puzzle of my life. While many were and still are indecisive in regards their future, I inadvertently found my fate in something that people simply understand as a means to get from point A to point B.