I must've looked very suspicious on my bike...

I guess I'll start from the beginning of the weekend. We had to have an extra math class to make up for the time missed the first week of class, and catch up on such interesting topics as determinants of matrices, inverse matrices, finding the inverse, etc. This review went from about 10 to noon, and by the time we all got out, we were starving.
There might be a drop among us, which would take the number down to nine. That's a pity. I don't know for sure if the student has dropped or not, but they have not shown up to class in about a week and a half. That's usually a bad sign. It's a shame because I'm starting to get to know and like these people, and wish them the best. But by the numbers, out of the ten of us, only about four to six will pass the qualifying exams and continue on next year (if its a "good year"). I kind of deep down wish that everybody passes, and does well, but that is most likely not going to happen.

So after the review I'm heading out and notice a flier in the Umphrey Lee center for an undergraduate coed fraternity party. I recognize it from seeing it around campus before, and its apparently put on by a coed frat for Hispanic students. Sweet. I could be social, practice my Spanish, and get my white-boy groove (or lack thereof) on. Plus it says they're going to play reggaeton which just holds a special place in my heart and brings back fond memories (thanks to Tomas from Chile, back at good old KU.... "Let me introduce you to Chilean culture! This is reggaeton! Now dance!" ... ahhh Tomas... had a little too much that night?). So I head to Katy Trail, bike the miles that I didn't bike that morning (Dallas + 2 PM + biking = bad idea + dehydration), and after getting back decided, "What the heck? I'm going." But I needed back up. Called my friend at the law school, who couldn't, as she was headed out to the "Bar Review" at that time (oh, that's clever. No really. I thought it was a great name. If I was a law student, I would do it every Friday too just for the novelty of the name. hehehe... "Bar Review." ... then again, I enjoy bad puns way too much). Called one of my fellow econ grad students, who was actually up for it. Sweet. Somebody had my back, "In case the Cubans got rowdy." (the bar it was at was called "Little Havana." Hence the Cuban joke.)
So at about 10 PM I head out to pick him up (what can I say? I actually like being Designated Driver), and we head to the bar. Silly me. I should've known. Anything involving Spanish, Latin American music, or Latin Americans, will never start anywhere remotely on time. But I ran into a good friend (see the story on the nice young lady who swiped me in for lunch below), and the music was decent.
Good times were had by all. One of the bartenders kept offering everyone Jell-o shots (ugh), and around the end of the night she tried to push me into it. "Loosen up, come on, have some fun" (oh I love it when people tell me to loosen up. That just makes me relax, kick back... oh wait no... it doesn't). Finally getting sick of the girl I said, "Sorry, I'm designated driver tonight." The girl suddenly looked like I had the plague, "Oh, right on... bye." Yes... much love for the dd here. By 11:30ish, a lot more people had shown up. My econ friend and I headed out about 12:30. I had my long ride to do in the morning, and he seemed alright with leaving "early" (I feel bad though, because I think he did want to stay a bit longer).

I got up at 5:00ish, and made it to White Rock around 6:30. I then biked 62 very painful miles (or 100 very painful kilometers). My butt still hurts. My legs still hurt. It was lots of fun :) .
Was going to go to this free Salsa lesson put on by the school, but by 6:30 PM, I was still pretty much dead. Saturday was spent watching the Dead Like Me season 2 disc I got from Netflix, and eating my leftover pasta.

Around ten that night I get a call from my law school friend, who says that she and a few of her friends are meeting for a midnight movie at Inwood (The Princess Bride). My legs don't really hurt anymore, I'd finished a good portion of the Micro homework due Monday, and I figured "Yeah sure. I'm up for a movie and meeting people." Good times, good folks. I think we were all a little tired, and it didn't help that it was still 95 humid at midnight.
The movie was uneventful. It was coming back from the movie.
See I decided to bike the two miles from my place to the Inwood theater. No big deal. I had flashy lights to put on my bike, I'm pretty safe at night, and I figured not many people would be on the road (especially not on Lover's Lane). So I biked there. My legs started hurting again, but it wasn't too bad.
As I was biking back, an SUV started following me about a half mile past the exit for the North Dallas Tollway. So I thought, "Great... stupid punk high schoolers are about to drive by screaming something obscene at me and/or throw something." So I move my bike as far to the right as I can and I get ready to jump the curb to the sidewalk. This guy is still following me. He follows me a good two minutes, before I say out loud, "Are you going to pass me or what?" (the language here is cleaned up).
And then the lights flash... it's a cop... how the heck am I getting pulled over ON MY BIKE?!?!?!? So I pull into the parking lot off the street by a park, turn off my flashy lights, roll my pants legs back down (not good to get oil stains on good jeans), and get off the bike waiting to hear what this guys excuse is for pulling me over (other than the above comment).
I then notice there are three of them. All SUV's. I then start thinking, "Oh crap... this isn't about me not wearing helmet, or running that red light" (it was technically yellow, and I figured I could still make it. Plus no one was there).
So one of the officer's asks for my ID, and goes to his car to check it (and is a bit of a jerk about it too). Another one is fairly nice and I'm trying to be as forthcoming with all my answers. The bald one just stares at me.
"My name is ...." "I'm heading home after a midnight movie with some friends at Inwood." "I'm biking alone." "There was another guy who was biking back from Inwood, but I don't know him, and he turned off into the neighborhoods earlier." "I've been on Lover's Lane since Inwood." "I live on campus." "I'm originally from Tulsa." "I haven't seen anybody else on bikes." "Tall guy, short bike. No not wearing a white shirt." "I'm a graduate student."
So after a while the endless line of questions stops, and the other cop is still checking my ID (I assume looking at my... what... one speeding ticket on record?). "So do you guys all drive suv's or do you have cruisers too?" I've been wondering that for a while, so why not ask now.
but yeah. Every HP police officer drives an suv. I need to watch out for that, and not assume they're teenagers when I see the car.
"So, what exactly is this about? Why three cars for a cyclist?"
"Well we were on Lover's when we saw this guy on a bike. He took a look at us and bolted down an alley, which seemed suspicious, so we followed him. The next thing I knew there were five guys on bikes all going different directions, so I called for back up, and we've been trying to find this guy. Big guy, tattoos, in a white shirt on a little bike."
Good luck in rooting out those dangerous BMX gangs of Highland Park. Does my bike even LOOK like a BMX bike? I'm not standing up, protruding my butt, pretending I'm "EXTREME!!!" by jumping the curbs am I? Heck no. This is a mountain bike! I sit when I pedal, I jump the curbs whenever I can, and I make no big deal out of it! Do I look like I have a tattoo??? For that matter, I was wearing a blue shirt, and the first thing I did when I heard the stupid siren, WAS PULL OVER!!!!! ...
But I guess they're just doing their job, and I fit a description.
So I get my license back after the other guy checks it (still is a bit of a jerk), and head out on my way. About half a mile down, I look over to see if they're still behind me... and run the red light at Lover's and Hillcrest. It was 2 AM. Nobody was there!

So I slept in today. Not going to go church hunting today. I'm just going to need more time for this. I don't think I'll settle in on any place in particular until January. Was thinking about HP Methodist pretty seriously for a while, but now I want to make sure by checking out other churches.

Some one sent me a message that I should be careful not to idealize certain things, after they had read this blog. The particular thing she talked about was the campus ministry group I go to, which I immediately replied, "After my experience with campus ministries, the last thing I do is idealize them." As a group, I don't idealize it. It's probably about as messed up as CC was back at KU. I just like the couple of people that I have met there who seem like decent human beings. Ah, but there is an issue in that. Do I idealize people? I think its pretty clear from the last post that I do (i.e. a soccer ball stealing Turk who I knew only for a few months). And I think I idealize this city and the opportunities it has. Touche, chica. You were right. And thank you for the reality check. There are so many things spinning around these days in my life, and I'm trying to be positive and optimistic about so many of them, that I might miss the signs of a possible problem. But I'll cross that hurdle when I get there. Until then I'll continue to enjoy meeting good people, studying and biking my butt off (which at this point I'm beginning to think will happen.... owie!!), and looking at the brighter side of things.

And in other news:
CONGRATULATIONS ANTHONY AND ASTRID!!! UN/(A) MAS HIJO/A!!!!! What was that phrase you once shared with me, Anthony? "Uno es ninguno." Ethan's getting a little sibling! Woo-hoo! And thanks for the phone call yesterday. It made my day. "Guess what?" "What?" "Guess, man." "You're baking a potato?" "Uh... well we are making sweet potatoes, but that's not the news." "Your wife's got one in the oven?" "... okay that's a good metaphor guess, but try the reality part of it." ... what can I say? I was never good at "guess what"?