I totally paused!
There are dates I wish I knew; this was one of them. Turns out this happened June 17, 2003:
First Warning!
I've gotten 4 or 5 (heretofore, speeding) tickets – one in Oregon, the rest in Texas – but tonite marks the first time I've ever been pulled over and gotten off with a warning. The ticket would have been for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign - even tho it was 2:10 in the morning and there was no one else around. Aside from the nearby cop....
The cop was nice enough - he let me go after watching me look for the registration for a few minutes, saying only that if you drive a car you should know where everything is. That is, of course, absolutely correct. But I still don't know what the hell the registration looks like. Last time I was pulled over, dude said he didn't need to see it, and I'm pretty sure I never have. I never needed a copy when I got pulled over in Texas (theirs might be a sticker that's adhered to one's car's windshield).
Whatever. I didn't get a ticket. I'm jazzed. And tired as hell.
I should add that at one point the cop asked how my day was going "otherwise". I laughed at this. This may have been part of the reason he let me go: maybe may have found my laugh disarming, or he may have appreciated my enjoyment of his subtle, late-night humor. I dunno which.
Anyway, I drove the rest of the way home like an old lady: Slowly and with my turn signal on.