JUSTICE!

I know this time of year is supposed to be all lists, nostalgia, and hopeful looking ahead...  but I'm pausing that to discuss a very important matter.  Justice.  And parking tickets.

The sign right by my car.  All Personal Photos

 About a month and a half ago, I received a parking ticket.  Me!  I've parking in that location many a time, and it was a Sunday, so the risk was even smaller of getting a ticket!  The sign (above) says "Angle Parking Only," but the lines and curb indicate otherwise.  I parked within the lines, perpendicular to the street and sidewalk, and figured it would be okay.

You're about to see the evidence that I did nothing wrong, and how cute my car is.

See how my car is parallel to the line, and perpendicular to the sidewalk?

And here it is, parallel to the curb with the sign to the right.  It appears to be parked legally, correct?

So imagine my surprise when I walked up to my car and saw a TICKET on my windshield!  I can't believe they expect you to park at an angle in this parking spot, would you park over the lines?  Would you be on the curb?  It makes no sense!  Either the sign is lying or the painted lines and cement curb is.

In addition, on the ticket there was a comment about back-in only.  I'll give you a minute to scroll back up to read the sign again.  Where in the heck was I supposed to divine that part?  I'm pretty sure you're expected to be a mind reader, or be an incredibly talented read-between-the-lines-er.

Furthermore, I'm pretty sure 90° is still an angle, right?  Perhaps the sign should specify, since the lines are so unreliable.  "45° Angle Parking" or "60° Angle Parking."  And which direction should my angle be?  Should I angle it like I'm pulling in from the right or the left?  Especially with that weird back-in part (that is not specified on the sign) thrown in, which would change the direction at which you would assume to park.  I can imagine people parking at all different directions and angles, some backed in, some not.  My confusion is legit, right?  I'm not crazy?

This is how I imagine the parking working out if everyone tried to follow the angle in parking sign with their own interpretation.  The blue car had to drive over the curb to fit at an angle!  Beautiful paint picture, yeah?

So anyway, I was all annoyed, and we took those photos as proof that it was confusing and hard to understand what was supposed to happen there, and I mailed my ticket back in not with the $47 (yes, only $47) but by saying that I was contesting the charge.  So they mailed me back a letter saying my pre-hearing date was today, or I could mail in a written statement with any evidence.  I didn't particularly want to miss any work and drive all the way downtown just for a stupid $47 ticket (not that I wasn't willing to, because JUSTICE), so I mailed in a written statement and some photos.

Today is the date of the pre-hearing, and I hadn't heard anything about my written statement, so I dressed nicely just in case, and called this morning.  They reviewed it yesterday, and I don't have to go downtown (yay!) but I still have a fine of $25.  Which is better than $47, but not the justice I was hoping for.  

I'm glad it was reduced, at least, I guess, but I really wanted JUSTICE for the stupidity.  I mean, come on.  Anyone else (and everyone else parked there, who were there before me) would park the same way I did.  Is this a trap?  Is it done like that just to get an easy $47 from people looking for a parking spot in the city?  I hope they fix the signage and/or lines and curb here, but my hopes are not that high.  All I know is I'll probably keep parking here, but next time I'll be the jerk parked at an angle over several lines just to prove a point.  (Uh oh, first contesting a small ticket, and now parking like a jackass?  My need for justice is out of control...).

Okay, back to Happy New Years-ing!  I'm glad to be entering the new year without a stupid ticket hanging over me anymore!

2014 is ending...

Well.  It's been a year.  2014 has kicked me and brought me down, but there were still some bright spots.  I went back and read my "resolutions" of sorts from the beginning of the year, and one thing I wanted was change.  Welp, sure got that!  My parents bought a new house and sold my childhood home, and immediately after the paperwork was signed on the new house my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  My mom's health deteriorated, and after lots of hope and not knowing what to expect, she died, which I still can't quite comprehend.  My dog lost her eyesight and moved in with us.  My brother-in-law proposed to his girlfriend and they are now married.  We celebrated 1 year of marriage.  We did some yard work, and I made some crafts.  My cousin had a baby.  We took some short trips, but mostly stayed close to home.  

Unfortunately, I didn't do lots of things I wanted! 

1. I did not find a new job, but I was quite a bit preoccupied and unable to dedicate some time to it.  I did got on tons of interviews, but never got any follow up.  
2. We didn't actually go on the hot air balloon ride, but I have a calendar reminder to book it first thing this summer!
3. We didn't get to visit my brother in South Korea, because he was only there for 3 months.  I am so thankful he was able to get home before my mom passed away, so he could spend a tiny bit of time, including her last hours, with her.
4. I still spent money, and we haven't had our electrical work done yet.  However, thanks to generous family members and Christmas gifts, we now have pretty much all we need, half of which came from gifts!  So that should be happening soon.
5. I'm not sure about spontaneity.  I ended up making some spontaneous trips to the hospital that I didn't expect, and attended a memorial service I didn't think would happen for a long time.  In general, I feel like I tried to just burrow myself in at home after all the change in my life, and kind of not be spontaneous.  Just hold on to what I have and who I have and try not to rock the boat any more.

I don't feel like a failure, even though it appears I didn't do a single thing I wanted.  I was in self-preservation mode most of the year, and I don't know that I'm ready to start branching out yet.

It has been a challenging year for the most part, and I am so ready to say goodbye to it.