Well, I no longer have a trainer or partner or anyone else in my car with me. The past two shifts I've worked I've been patrolling on my own, out there free to make my own screwups and own decisions. Be afraid!

It took me a little getting used to at first. The biggest thing to get used to was the fact that I didn't have anyone to talk to in the car anymore. 12 hours in a car by yourself--especially on night shift--can get pretty long. I also had to get used to not automatically having someone to turn to and ask questions of if I got into a situation I wasn't totally sure how to handle. However, I've managed to not make any egregious errors, and I also have my celphone handy to call for advice. And, it's also nice to be able to go and do whatever I want, without having someone there to give me a funny look if do somthing silly. And, of course, I'm also learning the fine art of cruiser-to-cruiser parking (you've all seen it--where cops park with their driver-side windows next to each other, so that they can talk.)

But it's actually been pretty easy and slow for me since I've been cut loose. I'm in the "easiest" zone we have--the rich neighborhoods, where there's not a whole lot of violent crime, and people generally cooperate with the police. Last night was unbelievably slow though--I didn't get dispatched to a single call all night. I ended up just driving all over the district backing other units up on their calls. However, I've been told that in a few months, once I feel comfortable with it all, I'm going to be put in one of the "hot" zones, where I can get a little action and some more experience.

I'm also trying to get used to the concept of "days off" again. I had monday and tuesday off, and it was sooooo nice to be able to lounge on the couch, and read a book (of fiction!), and watch TV, all without feeling the guilt of "You should be studying!" I read Lois McMaster Bujold's latest book, A Civil Campaign, which was, of course, delightful, captivating, and wonderfully written.

And maybe now I can also really get working on doing some of the improvements around the house that I've been wanting to do for a while. One improvement--new windows--has suddenly become more pressing, ever since yesterday when a certain DOG decided to throw his weight (all 100+ pounds) against the living room window because he wanted to see what I was doing outside. And yes, the glass in the window came crashing out, and I made an awful noise and yelled some nasty words at the DOG. And the DOG stood in the now-broken window (where luckily nearly all of the glass had fallen out so somehow he escaped injury) and looked at me with that ridiculous tongue hanging out and giving me a goofy DOG grin as if to say, "Look how smart I am! I got it open!" And then he proceeded to jump out of the window and generally get in my way as I picked up glass and taped cardboard over the window frame.

It's a good thing I like him.