So. Okay. I’m finally learning how the world works. Obtaining vital knowledge which I believe I have successfully avoided my entire life. But now, oh, now, I am aware, pippa, enlightened even, which is nice for me, I guess, although I think the soul-filling swell of blissful ignorance should not be underestimated.
I walked out to my car this morning — parked on our new street. Thursday will be one month living in the surreality of our new lives in the new place with the new street and the new street sign that — because of my total immersion in blind surreality and cozy depression — I did not notice:
NO PARKING
STREET SWEEPING
EVERY 2ND AND 4TH TUESDAY
10 am – 1 pm
It was 10:30 and my car had a $40 ticket on the windshield because I am an agitator and a very naughty girl.
Oh, and the street sweeping? Yeah, that didn’t happen.
San Diego is broke. Has a $54 million budget shortfall. So, really, may I say how delighted I am to take my spanking and open my naughty girl pocketbook and help fill up the empty coffers of America’s Finest City — she of the crumbling streets and the mass exoduses and the street sweepings that are announced but do not occur?
I stick my tongue out at you, San Diego. I do. Because I am an enlightened savvy grown-up person.
Nyaah.
That sucks.
Argh!! I am so grateful there is no weird street-cleaning schedule on my particular street. I could never keep it straight!
Hang in there, pippa!
Terrible. I used to live in a city with alternate-side parking… for two hours on Tuesday all the cars had to be off of one side; for two hours on Friday all the cars had to be off of the other side. Why? They didn’t even pretend it was for street cleaning. It was primarily a tax on folks who had a long weekend and wanted to sleep in. (The Tuesday thing was just for kicks.)
The schedule demoralizes me. There is no way I will keep up.
We don’t NEED our streets “swept”; we need them repaired. I’m not kidding. I saw better streets in rural Thailand. They were dirt.
When I was in graduate school we had a system like Nightfly described, which was presumably for street sweeping. I cannot tell you how many tickets I got that year. At least 10. Apparetnly, I was too busy learning in my classes to learn any life lessons.
That sucks for you. And I don’t know why am am surprised to hear about San Diego’s budget woes. This seems to be a universal problem for not only the state, but for all sub-divisions thereof. I can’t wait for the cities and counties to jump on the state’s “massive tax increase” bandwagon. California sucks.
MM — California sucks indeed.