They’re nothing like how they’re portrayed on television. Calling themselves “murder police”, the men and women of the Homicide Office are the best and brightest detectives in the Criminal Investigations Division. And if you’ve ever been curious as to what their job is really like — as opposed to watching TV cops play at it — you really need to read the very excellent non-fiction Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon.

Simon, best known now for his involvement in The Wire and The Corner, was a Baltimore Sun police reporter who recieved permission to follow one shift of Homicide Detectives for an entire year, after which he wrote the book about the detectives, the cases, and the frustrations that come with being a “murder police” in a city like Baltimore.

NBC’s TV show, “Homicide: Life on the Street” is based on the book, with many of the plot-lines borrowed from real life events. I.E., viewers of the show know that the character of Tim Bayliss agonized over the unsolved killing of a young girl named Adena Watson. In real life, it was a detective named Pellegrini who tore himself apart for a year trying to solve the murder of “The Angel of Reservoir Hill”, LaTonya Wallace, a case that is still to this day, nearly twenty-years later, unsolved.

The new, redesigned 2007 Jeep Wrangler has long been rumored to be coming in a variety of styles, including a pickup version. Tomorrow, the four-door version (the unrealized potential of the Unlimited) is officially being announced, but pictures are already online at Jeep News Now. Nice looking vehicle, and I think despite what he says, Gary’ll be upgrading. Hopefully, if I get that job, he’ll be giving me the business. Hoot!

I took Neckbone’s Jeep to the Happy Hour, and parked it at Broadsheet’s place. We walked to Brewer’s Art together. Apparently, I should have been a bit more careful making sure the doors were locked — when I got back in the Jeep, the glovebox was open and stuff was all over the place. Nothing was taken, and nothing was broken getting into the Jeep. I had a brand new paperback (no, not Homicide) on the passenger seat and it was still there — all in all, a nice way to have a vehicle broken into. My Jeep was broken into twice — the first time, the center-console lock was smashed and some change taken, the second time, the dash ripped away so the stereo could be stolen. Frustrating, and infuriating, and the risk associated with owning a Wrangler.

No change since last week — I am still at 223 lbs.

I have finished most of my registration for next semester. I only have three specific classes I need to take — two for the major, one for the science gen ed — and of those, only one is currently on my schedule. The course I was going to take for the science gen ed — one on cities and suburbs — I can’t locate in the catalog, and will devote more research towards finding later. Of the English classes, I’m taking a study of Chaucer to fulfill one of the two I need. The second English course I need isn’t being offered this semester either, so I will look for an alternate later.

I am also taking, this semester, in addition to the Chaucer course, a History of Rock and Roll for a gen-ed, and a World Folkore, also for a gen-ed.

I’m scheduling all my classes on Tuesday and Thursday for convenience. Of course, assuming I get hired at the dealership, I’ll have to look for night classes.

I think it’s a great idea, expanding DC’s Metro into Columbia. I’m also all in favor of the Metro moving up into Baltimore and replacing the light rail. In any case, Metro stops in Columbia would make it far more convenient to get into the nation’s capitol (ever tried to negotiate 495 regardless of the time of day?)

HT: Epistolary.