Philosophical Monday: Reason #1 For Parking Tickets
When I depended on street parking, I used to get parking tickets all the time for leaving my car on the wrong side of the street on street cleaning days. But now that I’ve been living either in a residential area or in a place with a dedicated garage for almost two years, I’ve found that I get parking tickets for one reason and one reason only: good conversation.
I’ve only gotten three parking tickets these past two years, but in all cases, the reasons for getting them were the same. I would be embroiled in some great conversation with a friend and hadn’t see in a while, it would occur to me to look at the time and (gasp!) my meter had expired. The fact that I’ve only gotten three tickets is a bit of a miracle, b/c the truth is this has happened quite often and it might be more exact to say that I’ve only been “caught” three times.
However, I was particularly angry about the $50 ticket I got in Santa Monica last Thursday, because it was the first week of the new year — you know the one I’m calling “The Year of Saving Money.” Not a good look at all. So if you’re one of my IRL friends and we’re scheduled to meet for lunch or whatnot over the course of the next year, do me a favor: even if we’re having a terrific conversation, after an hour or two, please remind me go and check my dang meter.
But how about you? What’s currently your #1 reason for parking tickets?
featured image credit: JulianBleecker
Oh my god!! The very same thing happened to me last week. Hadn’t seen two god friends in over a year. I check their watch after a while (because, remember, I don’t wear a watch) and I was three minutes over my metre time. So I rush out to find that I have been slapped with a £60 parking fine because I was over. Three minutes FFS!!! They (parking wardens) are Nazis and I won’t hear of anything else to the contrary. They must lurk behind bushes or something. Three minutes, dear god……!!
Oh my god!! The very same thing happened to me last week. Hadn’t seen two god friends in over a year. I check their watch after a while (because, remember, I don’t wear a watch) and I was three minutes over my metre time. So I rush out to find that I have been slapped with a £60 parking fine because I was over. Three minutes FFS!!! They (parking wardens) are Nazis and I won’t hear of anything else to the contrary. They must lurk behind bushes or something. Three minutes, dear god……!!
Oh my god!! The very same thing happened to me last week. Hadn’t seen two god friends in over a year. I check their watch after a while (because, remember, I don’t wear a watch) and I was three minutes over my metre time. So I rush out to find that I have been slapped with a £60 parking fine because I was over. Three minutes FFS!!! They (parking wardens) are Nazis and I won’t hear of anything else to the contrary. They must lurk behind bushes or something. Three minutes, dear god……!!
Yes, the Santa Monica meter folk have a similar reputation. Boo! Hiss!
Whenever JP, and now I do this too, parks at a meter he gets out his iPhone and sets an alarm on it for 15 minutes before the meter will run out, that way in case the meter runs fast or he’s in good conversation, he won’t get a ticket…we’ve learned the hard way too.
That’s an insanely good idea, which I will employ from now on. Thanks, Jenny!