I got pulled over today. I turned right on red in an insection that was clearly marked "no turn on red." I know it was. I drive that road all the time and I never turn on red, but yesterday morning was not going well.

I was sore from running a marathon on Sunday, I hadn't had time to get my morning coffe and I'd just dropped the kids off at preschool in sundresses and sandals only to find out that they were having an outside play day (and it was way too cold for sundresses and sandals), so I was distracted when I made a last-second decision to just run home and get the play clothes. I don't know if I ever even looked at the light, I just looked for traffic and turned. As soon as I turned, I decided to turn around and go to my mom's & see if she had play clothes.

Thank God I didn't do the u-turn I was contemplating or Mr Officer would've been really mad. When I pulled up a road and turned into a driveway to turn around, he was behind me.

I unclicked my seatbelt to reach down and get my purse on the floor on the passenger's side.

He walks up and asks me why I had just turned on red when it was clearly marked "no turn on red." I said I didn't realize it was red. He scoffed and said "c'mon, now." Then he asked me why my seatbelt wasn't buckled. I said "no, no...really, it was...I unbuckled so I could reach up to the passenger's side floor & get my purse. I ALWAYS buckle up (and I do). He gave me a look like "sure, they all say that."

So, then I let him have it -- I told him that I was distracted and that I had just dropped my kids off for preschool and they were not dressed properly and that the teachers must think I'm a terrible mother and that I was tired from the marathon where I did not even qualify for Boston and that I couldn't decide if I should drive all the way home and get clothes or should I just go to K-mart and get cheap sweatsuits, but then they didn't have any sneakers and gas is now $3.10 a gallon and if I drive all the way home and back I will have no time to do the housework I didn't do all weekend and ... .

He must've been sorry right then that he pulled me over. In retrospect, it's kind of funny. But, at the time, I was completely serious and I, of course, (cliche as it is) started crying.

I figured he'd let me off with a warning (not because of the tears but because I have a squeaky clean driving record) -- and he did.

But, one thing he told me is that you might not have realized is that you should NEVER unbuckle your seatbelt before the officer comes up to your car. He said he could ticket me for not wearing a seat belt, but he was going to give me the benefit of the doubt and believe that what I said was true (which is good because ... well, it was true).