I don't drive now, but my only observation is that being pulled over while white usually resulted in a warning/a ticket that went away if I fixed the thing within a day. I am not sure if it was the white young lady-ness or the fact that I cried a lot!

When I was in college, I did talk my way out of a ticket by the power of cleavage, big blue eyes, and a winsome smile. My sister so hated me for that.

For those who may have missed this, Australia has a new Prime Minister this week. [link] That makes six PMs in the last eight years. (I'm cheating a little, it's actually five but one of them got two goes at it.) That gives us twice as many leaders over this time period as we've had elections.

My bet is it's a little of both. Yes, it happens to white drivers too, but I'm sure you're not imagining the extra little bit of intimidation tactics etc.

While it is intimidating, it has always struck me more as a step in the profiling process than primarily a tactic. To be fair to the guy scoping me out on Hwy 12, he may have actually been able to recognize me as the owner of my car if he's one of the cops that patrols my neighborhood. An optimistic part of my brain would like to believe that's what that was about.

In Work is Stupid news - I had a question for another department late in the day yesterday, and the person I went to with it suggested we ask person #2, who I happened to see heading out the door right then. So I sent an email to these two people. And went home. And overnight a flurry of emails went to a growing address list including a group list that basically spams the whole company. Which is apparently up to me to clean up, somehow.

And of all the many many things I should be doing before taking several days off I don't want to do any. But that is just me, can't really blame that on anyone else.

And another email with a different group list cc'd asking me for information I already gave and telling me something I already know and have explicitly acknowledged. Awesome.

I just left a voice message, and ended it like it was an email-- like I used a closing and said my name. I think I am losing it.

At least you didn't say "I love you!"

Best,
Jesse

That is true! But I am uncoupled and un-childed, so I actually don't say that too often! But I do say "Regards, Nadine" a lot in email!

Who wouldn't want your regards?

I always feel awkward ending a voicemail message. We as a culture need to standardize that somehow. Okthxbye, or whatever.

When I leave voice mails for work, I do a variant on the closing I do for troubleshooting calls, "Thanks for working with X Company, Bye."