As some of you know back in 2003 I had surgery on my back. Well I have a handicap placard which I occasionally use (i.e. when I park downtown in Morgantown). Well today I went downtown to go to the school board office to see why I haven't been receiving calls to substitute this week. So I drive downtown and park in the handicap spot and as I pull in the I see that the meter checkers were on patrol in the parking lot. Now what usually happens if I pull in and they are in the parking lot checking meters is they come over and I show them my registration card which I keep in my wallet and all is good. Well for some reason this did not happen today, so after I waited a bit I headed on down the street.
I go to the board office, stop in and visit my dealer, and then head back to the car. When I get there I unlock the car and start to get in and as I do I notice something orange under the wiper blade. Well it turns out that the orange thing under my wiper is a ticket for $100.00 for parking in a handicap space without a handicap permit. I hit the roof...I mean I was pissed because there hanging on the rear view mirrior was the permit. I drove down and around High St., the main drag through town, looking for the meter checkers to ask them why I got the ticket. Well finally I decided to come back to the house and call the number on the ticket and complain.
I stormed in the house, slammed the door, frightened the animals and got on the phone...I was steaming. When the lady came on I tore into her (I later apologized) wanting to know why I had received the ticket when my placard was properly displayed on my rear view mirror and that some @--hole meter reader had given me a ticket and I was not going to pay it.
Well I ended up having to go back downtown and to the parking authority office and showing them the placard and registration. When I got there the lady I talked to on the phone radioed the guy who wrote the ticket*. He came in, confirmed it was me he saw walking away from the car, and apologized and said that students sometimes use their parents and grandparents handicap parking permits which is not allowed.
Well now they now who I am so it better not happen again. I was bored this afternoon but that was not the "excitement" I was looking for.
-c
*-the lady described me over the phone as a 30ish looking guy...gee thanks... add 3 years to my age. I figure it was the beard and the flannel shirt I was wearing that made me look older.
