speeding

While in San Antonio at this conference, I was a bit paranoid about drinking too much because I had to drive 30 minutes to my sister's house every day, which turned out to be a good policy, since I got pulled over for speeding — 76 in a 65 — and I got a sobriety test to boot.

He started with some questions about where I was coming from, which I answered accurately, but with a slowness characteristic of me, and he asked if I had been drinking. Yes. How much? Almost a whole beer. Are you sure that's all? Yes. How long ago? Two hours.

Then he asked, are you an educated man? Er.. yes. What is your highest level of education? Um.. phd. His followup to this: are you coordinated? Yes.

Then he gave me a sobriety test that I could perform in the comfort and convenient of my car. It involved flipping my hand over and over and counting. I was pretty scared, but I passed.

I asked a couple people about the test the next day. One person said "oh, that's hard, when you're drunk." The other person was drunk and performed the test.. he did very well, as far as I could tell.

I've gotten pulled over a number of times before, without ever getting a ticket.. two differences this time: I had drunk something that evening; I was in Texas.

The ticket is $190.