See, there is early bird parking in the garage in the building where I am currently working. Parking is only $6.00 all day if you 1) arrive before 8:30† and 2) park on the 7th level or above.
Some time around 8:30, parking gnomes skip through the 7th and 8th floors and put little white slips on all the good cars so we get charged the $6.00 early bird rate, rather than the $9.00 late and lazy schmuck rate.
Actually, $9.00 all day for covered downtown parking is pretty good too, but that's not the point.
The point is, if I'm willing to haul my ass to the office at 7:00 every morning and take the elevator from top to bottom and drive up and down miles of tight, blind corkscrews to save $3.00, I'd say I've earned it.
Now, it's not exactly unusual that there is no early bird slip on my car. I don't know if the parking gnomes take weekly religious holidays or if late and lazy schmucks sneak up to the 7th floor to steal the early bird slip and pass it off as their own, but about once a week, I don't get my slip. The nice Ethiopian lady who mans the toll booth at the bottom of the parking garage just charges me the $6.00 and it's all good.
Yesterday, however... ah, yesterday. Yesterday Nice Ethiopian Lady informed me that early bird parking was "stopped."
I said, "Will it be started again tomorrow?"
"I don't know. Ask him in the morning."
I agreed.
I pulled in this morning to a sign that said, "No early bird or special parking."‡
I made a mental note to check bus schedules and perhaps voice my displeasure with this random and unannounced change in my daily routine.
The time-ticket box wouldn't give me a ticket. There was a sign on top that read, "FULL."
At 7:00 in the morning, I'm guessing it wasn't really full.
The nice man in the booth told me they came in this morning and told him nobody but monthly parkers could come in.
I said, "Like, forever? Is this a change in policy or just a temporary change of plans? Should I try again tomorrow?"
He said, "I don't know. They didn't tell me. Hell of a thing, isn't it?"
I agreed, turned my car around and headed for an outside lot two blocks away. Where it's $5.00 all day, but my car is exposed and will have all the charm of an EZ Bake Oven when I get to it this afternoon.
On the other hand, I remembered to bring my lunch for the first time in three-and-a-half weeks, so I've got that going for me.
Oh, to be an American with American problems. Bless this country and all its fucked-up parking garages.
[SUMMARY: And how are you today?]
*************
In knitting news:
I am having a damned hard time sticking to the knitting I "should"§ be doing and leaving the Lizard Ridge alone. I love Lizard Ridge. Now that I've gotten over my communication problem with the pattern, I'm just enthralled with the colour changes.
[SUMMARY: Lizard Ridge is no longer my bitch. Lizard Ridge is my new best friend.]
In Debt Knitting, I knit a full 1/8 inch^ on the Father's Day socks last night and completely failed to give in to temptation and knit Lizard Ridge.
On the Deficit Knitting front, I succumbed to peer pressure and bought three Dream In Color Tulip Sweater Kits for three tiny little girls flying into my radar. I'll let you know how that goes.¶
As for yesterday's little poll, it appears that, indeed, knitters that read this blog# rarely or never get hand-knit gifts from their knitter friends. One thing I didn't get an answer for was why most of you don't knit for knitters. I finally landed on a viable answer to that question for myself: I didn't have knitter friends until March, so I've had little opportunity to celebrate birthdays and Christmases†† with knitters.
I still think knitting for knitters would be intimidating. I just haven't tested the theory yet.
[SUMMARY: What's your excuse?]
Lookie here!
eca the elf‡‡ passed this on to me. Anybody who's in my sidebar (including Franklin, if I have anything to say about it) deserves one too.
[SUMMARY: *Do* I have anything to say about it?]
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Who doesn't make it to Big Corporate Work World by 8:30? When I get in at 7:00, the entire 13th floor -- yes, I'm on the 13th floor -- is already here and has apparently been working for hours.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Which tells me nothing useful. I don't know what "special" parking is. Don't I qualify as special? I drive a very short car, you know... is that the same as a short bus?
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Debt Knitting (stuff I've specifically promised to someone), Deficit Knitting (stuff I haven't promised to anyone, but am knitting after the event for which the gift should have been intended) and Deadline Knitting (stuff that has to be done by X date or I'm a late and lazy schmuck).
^FOOTNOTE (careted): Or 37 rounds, for those scoring at home.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): I'm being funny again. You already know how it goes. You've watched the Harlot and Franklin knit them, which means 99% of the blog-going knitpublic has seen some account of this sweater and you know exactly what the process is and the colours involved... hell, you probably don't even need a pattern by now, you're so well acquainted.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): All three of you.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): Insert major gift-giving holiday of your choice.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Kisses, eca! You're my new best friend!
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