Ahhhh, yesss

Oh, the weather is cooling down...kind of. It was damn near 95 degrees today. The leaves are changing color...kind of. We haven't had a lot of rain, so they're really just turning brown and I predict will fall within the same few days. There's apple harvest showing up in local markets. I see pumpkins for sale on the side of 460...bought $8 worth today. I'll probably buy some more on the way back.

I really need these few days in the Outer Banks. We've been so stressed the last few weeks playing the waiting game and trying to get some projects done before winter sets in. And all I really want to do is lay in the hammock, read a book and drink a bottle of wine.
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It's really just a tangible option.

People never fail to amaze me. In the last few months I have heard some doozies. I can't tell you how many people I've had to explain the basics of bail to, which isn't really a new thing. I didn't really know anything about bail bonds when I first got into this business, but I knew the basic concept.

A bail bond secures a person's appearance in court and allows them to aid in their own defense.

That concept was one of the first things I learned in high school government class. It's in the Constitution, so really it's taught in every American History class I ever took. Teachers never went into the finer points of bail, but it's not surprising considering the amount of history one has to learn in a year. And let's face it, bail bonds is associated with criminals and who wants to focus to much on criminal behavior in high school?

In the last few months, I've had to explain why I won't cut rate a bond. What is cut rating? Cut rating a bond is when a bondsman choosing to take less than the 10% normally charged to write the bond. Why don't I do it? Because it's a slippery slope. When you start cut rating, you start cutting your throat. Every time a bondsman takes a lesser rate, that bondsman has to write more bonds to make up the difference. The more bonds a bondsman has to write, the more desperate they become to make up that difference. When a bondsman becomes desperate to write a bond, they start making terrible underwriting decisions. And let's face it, a bail bond is a form of insurance.

A bail bond insures a person's appearance in court.

As every insurance agent will tell you, when underwriting a policy, risk must be taken into account. Well what is the risk of cut rating? On the surface, the "customer" is getting a great deal, no different than a discount at a department store. Well, there's a huge a difference. When purchasing a bail bond, you are purchasing a service that will directly affect your freedom. I can't count the bonds I've written for people who went with that cheaper bondsman, only to have the bondsman come back to collect money and put the defendant back in jail because they couldn't or wouldn't pay. Or because they need to free up their liability to write more cut rate bonds. Or because they are just high on a power trip. Whatever the reason, purchasing a cut rate bond buys you a cut rate bondsman.

I've also had to explain to a lot of people why they have to have a cosigner. Hrm, well let's see if this makes sense to you... There must be a cosigner, or indemnitor, on every bond because there has to be someone or something that secures the amount of the bond. Think of it like a loan. I am loaning someone the full amount of the bond so they may be free to go about their daily business and aid in their own defense. Let's keep in mind this person has not yet been convicted of their accused crime. Our Constitution hinges on the fact that people are free.

See Amendment 1- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Our Constitution also gives us the rights of speedy trial and confrontation of witnesses.

See Amendment 6- In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

The point of bail is to give a defendant a tangible reason for returning to court. Most of us would do exactly as the court asked, however, let's face it, there are criminals amongst us. And sometimes criminals need a real, tangible reason to return to court. Sometimes it's not so easy to look at a person and determine if they are a person of integrity. There are people out there who have been falsely accused, however there are just as many who will con their way into our homes to walk away with our trust.

How do weed through the con artists and the persons of integrity? Well, you hold them to their word and secure their appearance with a tangible bond. As a bondsman, I'm going to involve their family and their friends in this process because, after all, it is my money I am loaning out to people I don't really know. Sounds crazy? Well, home insurance is just as crazy. When you go to your insurance company, they are promising to secure your property in the face of natural disasters. Chances are, that tornado will never travel straight through your house, but if it does, doesn't it feel good to know that your home insurance will be there to make you whole again? That's exactly what a bondsman does for the court system. We insure the defendant will appear to face their charges and if they don't, we make the court whole by returning the defendant or paying the full bond amount. Obviously, we prefer to return the defendant.

Let's review the basics...

1. A bond secures appearance.
2. I'm not going to cut rate. In turn, I won't revoke your bond for something stupid.
3. It is your Constitutional right to bail.
4. This is insurance...insurance to appear in court.
5. If you don't show, I will make the court whole again.

Simple, right? So why are there so many in our profession intent on making muddying the waters? Come'on people...keep it simple. Recognize the problem and fix it.

I've been on Weight Watchers since the end on January and I've lost quite a bit of weight. 28.2 pounds, to be exact. Here's my weight tracker chart to prove it.

Some days though, it's damn hard to stay on track. Like today, I started the day off with a sausage biscuit and hash brown from McDonald's...that was 13 points. Then for lunch I had Five Guys...yeah that's depressing how many points that is. The good news? I was able to get some exercise points because I worked damn hard at the rental house today. Why people think leaves are appropriate mulch, I do not know. I have taken 5 loads of leaves to the dump from the front yard and I've started working on the back. I thought I might be able to burn some leaves, but one of the neighbors decided to call the fire department on me. Yeah, I left her a note. You would think the neighbors would want me to do everything I could to clean up that mess. But whatever...

As I think about dinner, I'm starting to think that I should just call it a "fat girl" day and stop counting points. Those are good to have every so often and I haven't had one since I started my diet. There's another side of me that says, "No, eat a suitable dinner, don't screw it up too bad." Eh, I don't know...I could use a beer. Maybe I'll eat some fruit. I did get some really nice looking blackberries at Kroger yesterday.

The Hobby Side of Life

Man, oh man, it's been a little while since I last posted. Well, a lot has been going on so maybe I should update you.

I've been building my garden. And I actually have some vegetables growing. I've picked 4 ripe strawberries...they were a little tart, so I guess I need to add a little sand to the soil. I told Aaron I was going to steal some dirt from my mother's yard. (So, mom, it would probably be a good idea to dig me some so I don't put a huge hole in your front yard.) I'm not really sure what the Bok Choi is doing...it doesn't look like Bok Choi, so that may be something I don't plant next year. So, here's a pix of the work in progress back in March. We are trying to use reclaimed items, such as that book shelf. Bookshelves work out pretty well since they are already in sections and are deep enough.

In this picture, I've planted onions, strawberries, spinach, lettuce, red cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprouts.

In this picture, I've planted two different types of tomatoes on one side and cukes, yellow squash and zucchini on the other. There's a line of corn down the middle. I saw the corn at the nursery and thought they were kind of cute. It's probably going to be like a St. Bernard puppy, really freaking cute until it grows to adulthood. Well, at least corn doesn't slobber all over the place.

So while the garden is a big project, I've also been working on my jewelry. I was a vendor in the Fool for Art show at John Tyler Community College. I'm really thinking I won't be doing that again because I basically sold enough to cover the cost of the booth- $75. There was a different vibe this year at the show and I think it has a lot to do with the way John Tyler advertised the event. They really focused on advertising to the "free kid stuff" as opposed to the vendors. Aaron theorized that they had a budget cute somewhere and used the vendor money to promote the kid stuff. That kind of sucked.

Two weeks later I had the Arts in the Park, which is a two day show. I was a bit nervous going in because of how poorly Fool for Art was. I am happy to report I did MUCH better. The year before it rained the entire time, which made the weekend miserable. I still managed to sell quite a bit and expected to make more money thins year since the weather was going to be wonderful. And I did. And let me tell you, it's so much fun to be at an art show and have people come into your booth to oooooh and aaahhh over everything. The coolest thing I sold at the show were the two pieces of driftwood I was using for my display. I'm actually really excited about going back to my friend in Manteo to tell him I sold them. He's going to get a real kick out of it since we were just joking about it last time I was in the shop.

Some new stuff...I've recently been knotting jewelry and wrapping a lot of beach glass. I've actually been thinking of taking a metal class but since my last close call with the torch, I'm not sure Aaron is too excited about that.

Of course, we've been writing bonds, hunting fugitives and juggling the professional side of life. I wish I had more exciting tales of stupid fugitive mishaps, but the most interesting story I have right now is the woman I almost cold-cocked down the stairs because she refused to stay inside while we escorted her husband back to jail. Hrm, maybe I will write about that a little later. For now, I'm going to watch a little TV and maybe make a pair of earrings.