Sacrifice and Murder

Today has been a very busy day. First I woke up a little after 5 in the morning. I played at getting on the Internet. I got dressed and walked around the hotel.

I had a traditional Mexican breakfast. Afterwards we went to see the pyramids and the ruins around Mexico City. Before lunch we climbed the Pyramid of the Sun.

We had lunch at a wonderful little restaurant close to the pyramids. I do not know what I ate but it was good. I know that I was very thirsty and craving a real Coke. I had one of the wonderful Coke Colas you can get in Mexico. It has pure cane sugar, no corn sirup and was in a glass bottle. Sweet heaven!

Then I went to the museum of anthropology.  Where we saw many displays of the pyramids.
The human sacrifice is hard to wrap my head around. Charlie said that when you can get human sacrifice you get so many other things about the world we live in today.  It was an honor then to be killed for the rain god or for the serpent god. The ancients had beautiful bowls where human hearts were placed to offer to the gods.  

After looking at old Mexico and trying to understand the history, Charlie and I spent time researching and trying to understand the motivations for killing today. We worked on our case for several hours.

It is now well after midnight. I'm trying to find sleep in a wonderful bread and breakfast. Sleep hides from me as I try to formulate the reasons behind modern murder.

esterday was a day of travel. Husband drove me to the airport in Huntsville. I had enough time to buy a cup of get er-going-coffee before I got going on the plane. I had the seat in the very back of the plane next to a beautiful woman. It turned out she had been a fashion model but now works for a juicing company. She was a little afraid of flying. Which was cute because every time the plane bucked she grabbed the are rest in an attempt to keep it in the air. I tried to keep her calm. I told her not to worry the tail always broke off of the plane in a crash.

My neighbor was also on the plane. We hadn't planned it. She was on her way to California. We seldom see one another. Too busy. But we took a moment on the plane.

I was in Houston forever. The flight was delayed. Our plane arrived an hour late which made everything late.  I was in the very back seat again. I guess I need to choose my seat when I fly. This time the woman next to me spoke no English and I speak no Spanish. We got along just fine.

When you fly into Mexico City, it is just like any big airport in the USA. Dunkin Donnuts, Star Bucks, restaurants and bars. You travel down a Corridor to find that you are in a large room. A sign directs all foreigners to the left. It takes a second to realize hey I'm the foreigner. I handed the man my entry papers and he directed me to booth 14. A few seconds later I was on my way to see if my luggage would be searched. We when entering Mexico you have to declare in writing that you are not bringing any money or other items valued at more than $10,000. You also swear you are not bringing in any animals alive or dead. You hand your declaration to the person who glances at it. Then you push a button. A sign lights up. If it lights up red you are lead over to a counter where they take everything out of your luggage and inspect it. When mine lit up green I shouted "Yes! baby!" And pumped my fist in the air. I need to get over being so shy.

Charlie Goff was waiting to meet me. He took me to eat at an Italian restaurant in the airport. Where I ate pasta. I drank Mexican wine. For desert I had Apple strudel with ice cream.  I was full and tired and relaxed.

Charlie drove us around Mexico City which was dark. I thought we were getting pulled over because police cars were coming behind us with all their lights lit up. Charlie told me that in the night time the police always run with their lights on. If they are after someone they turn on their sirens.  It looked like there were hundreds of police cars out because of this. It makes you feel very safe.

Charlie told me about the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe. He also told me about how the Jaguar got his spots and why the Eagles wings are dark and why there is a rabbit in the moon.  We got to the hotel after midnight.

Space Ships and Airplanes

Usually I accept what each day brings as it unfolds. Today I'm excited. This is because I am traveling to old Mexico. I will fly out of Huntsville, Alabama make a brief stop in Houston, Texas and end the evening in Mexico City.   I will spend the night at a beautiful hotel, the Hotel Villa Arqueologica.

I know many people who travel the world and this would be mundane to them.  The whole idea of waking up in Alabama and going to bed in Mexico is a marvel to me. I still do not understand how a plane flys through the air. I'm not afraid. I just climb on the thing and expect to walk off. Thank you Wright Brothers.

Husband watches Ancient Aliens. He sometimes talks back to the dude with the wild hair.

Telling him if he read the Bible he would understand it wasn't aliens. Still he watches the show and often. Many of the episodes are filmed close to the Hotel Villa Arqueologica. Ancient alien theorist believe that Aliens built the Pyramid of the Sun and kind of hung out there to either help mankind, or tinker with our DNA, or try to wipe humans out. It sort of depends on the episode.    


Anyway, I'm excited!  Tonight I will be at the hotel outside of Mexico City.  What a marvelous world.

BUT MY DOCTOR PRESCRIBED IT!

I have written several times on DUIs Driving Under the Influence. Still every time I go to court there are people there who do not understand how they ever got charged to begin with. Most DUIs come about because of the use of alcohol or illegal drugs. However the use of legal drugs -- prescriptions or over the counter medicine -- can can also lead to impaired driving and possibly arrest.

I have represented many people who were charged for DUI because of over the counter medication. NyQuil can get you arrested.  Doctors often prescribe medication that interferes with the ability to drive or to stay awake.  We all know, both legal and illegal drugs can lead to addiction and impairment.

Here are some common medication types that could impair your driving.
     Antidepressants — not all antidepressants are problematic, but the ones that cause sedation, may interfere with your ability to safely drive a car.
2)      Pain medications — especially those that contain opioids or opioid-like substances like codeine, oxycodone, vicodin, morphine, tramadol, (ultram®) are a problem for driving.
3)      Tranquilizers — anti-anxiety drugs, especially those that belong to a class of medications called benzodiazepines—diazepam (Valium®), alprazolam ( Xanax®), impair driving.
4)      Diet pills — the ones that have stimulants in them can be very problematic; they can make you feel jittery, and you can become too impulsive and make bad decisions on the road.
5)      Antiseizure drugs — phenobarbital, lorazepam (Ativan®), clobazam (Onfi®), clonazepam ( Klonopin®) and others like them may cause sedation and slow your reflexes.
6)       Anti-allergy medications — especially ones that contain certain antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) or certain decongestants could cause sleepiness.
7)      Sleep medications  — diphenhydramine (Benadryl), ambien (Zolpidem®), lunesta- (ezopiclone®) that help you fall asleep will affect your driving.

The elements of a DUI offense are:
The person drove a vehicle -- that is, steered and controlled it while it was moving.
At the same time, the person was under the influence or intoxicated; that is, his or her ability to drive safely was affected to an appreciable degree by either an alcoholic beverage, a drug, or a combination of the two.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has become concerned about the impacts of drug use on driving. In a July 2009 report, the NHTSA found that while drunk driving has decreased markedly in recent years, approximately 16% of nighttime drivers have some sort of potentially impairing drug in their system. This same 2009 study showed that one-fifth of those killed in car crashes in 2009 tested positive for some form of medication or drug not counting alcohol. The Centers for Disease Control report that 18 percent of motor vehicle deaths are related to drugs.

A 2010 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Science Administration found that almost 10 million Americans drove while under the influence of some type of medication.

Do not drive while on any medication.  However, if you do and you are stopped while driving do not volunteer information about your health.

FOR THE LOVE OF CHILDREN

This week during a child custody and visitation hearing it occurred to me that people Including parents do not know much about these legal proceedings.  First no one wants to be in this type of hearing. The best thing in almost every case is to try and resolve the disputes without a trial.   Look at your children and try to understand what is best for them. I know that the other parent is a moron and doesn't cooperate. The other parent may want to strike out at you and if the child gets hurt a little so what. Still look at your child and try to find a way.

Maybe some non-legal visitation guidelines would help.
First show up for the visitation exchange on time.  Your children get panicked if you aren’t there.  It is not good to put this stress on your children and it makes you look bad.
Come to the visitation prepared. Have the proper child restraints and a driver's licenses. Be sober. Leave the weapons at home this includes your new girl or boy friend.

Be reasonable when it comes to changes in the visitation schedule and the place of the exchange.  You may be the one asking for flexibility the next time and need the favor returned.
Encourage your children to respect and love the other parent.  Whatever hostility you may feel towards the other parent don't say anything about it .  Bite your tongue and don’t say anything negative about the other parent or stepparent around the children.
Do not use the children to pass messages. Do not hide recording devices on the child or in the child's belongs.

Keep excellent records of when the other parents visits or misses visitation.  Including times, dates, and anything that you might need to remember should you end up in court.
Tell the other parent of ANY bruises, cuts, scrapes, and illnesses. Children get hurt but if there are trust issues the other parent may believe the child was hurt by your hand or negligence.
Also keep records of bills.  Send receipts for medical bills with both the statement of what was done and the charge and proof that you have paid it.  Both are needed to make a clear showing of what’s due.

The alabama courts prefer a joint parenting arrangement. Meaning that both parents should be able to spend time with the children. It takes a big change in the life of the parents or the children to change legal custody  A child is NEVER old enough to choose with which parent to live. This is not a burden for a child to carry. So do not believe that you can go to court with evidence that a child is not happy with the custodial parent and walk out with a change of custody.


The best time to fight for custody is during the divorce. It is best to hire a good lawyer then and go for custody. It is difficult to change custody at a later time.