Another Headlight Out!!!

Gus Philpott
April 21, 2007

On Thursday night, as I started my car to leave a meeting in Crystal Lake at 9:00PM, I noticed that I had a headlight out - again! What is going on with my car? What is the Universe setting me up like this for?

Because of my recent run-in with the Woodstock Police over a headlight out (which had gone out on Jan. 13 and been repaired the next day; which had gone out 20 minutes before the cop stopped me, and which went out again on February 19!), I have kept a very close eye on all lights on my car. On January 30 a Woodstock officer stopped me for a burned-out headlight right in front of my house. He said he'd given me a Warning and ten minutes later changed his mind and wrote me a $75.00 ticket because I have been so vocal about traffic law enforcement in the area.

So what was I to do? Leave my car? Walk 12 miles home? Take a $30 cab? Get a $75.00 hotel room?

I decided, since it was the right headlight this time, to drive home. Then I wondered whether to take the back roads or the long way. Nope! I'm taking the shortest route. Right up U.S. 14 and right in on Lake Avenue - right past the police station. I refuse to live in fear!!!

And where do I pass an oncoming Woodstock police car? About a block from the Woodstock police station! There were cars behind him, and there were cars behind me. I couldn't see whether he slowed or turned around. I continued straight home (three more blocks). Or perhaps he thought, "This town is full of cars with headlights out. I'm not stopping that one." Or maybe even, "Gus doesn't deserve another ticket."

I had the headlight replaced on Friday morning. This is the fourth headlight I've replaced since January 1, and my car has only two headlights! When will one of them go out again?