So, where ya been for the last two years??

And another thing.....do you know how many signs there are in downtown Mpls?? I can't read them all!! Those little punk-ass valets may feel like they have gotten away with something but someday, after they get real jobs and with these real jobs acquire the need to suddenly alter their plans and drive to work where there are little to no free parking spots available and they'd gladly pay for a ramp or something if it wasn't for the fact that it's not payday yet and they can't withdraw any more money until tomorrow and they forgot to refill their empty checkbook after using the last check at the grocery store last night but they still try to be good citizens by searching out an appropriate, legal parking spot and when they think they find one, they park there not aware of the fact that they are only 29.5' from the traffic control device instead of the legal 30' and find that SOMEONE HAS TOWED THEIR CAR....then will they know my pain. That statement would carry more weight if that were the scenario in which I found my vehicle towed last night. Instead, I failed to read the sandwich board on the sidewalk next to the meter I parked at that said it was a valet-zone after 6pm.

Through the kindness of others, I have come to greatly appreciate the courtesy of a ride to the impound lot. I will, therefore, return this favor in the future whenever I am called upon. Oh sure, one could take a bus over there but nowadays, the probability of one having the correct amount of change (in coinage no less) to take the bus even one block is highly unlikely. I think it costs $10 to go 3 blocks. Walking may be an option depending on the time of day because crossing underneath that bridge on Glenwood Ave. always makes me feel like I need to look out for Gene Hackman driving his '71 LeMans through trying to chase down some drug dealers above on 94. If you can catch a ride with someone to the impound lot, that is always the prefered method.

I do have to commend the down right jolliness, dare I say mirth, of the impound staff on New Years Eve. The van driver was quite jovial on both trips; see, I had left my purse in the trunk as to not tempt any wanna-be car thieves on Nicollet Mall so I had to be chauffeured out to my car to fetch my payment method, brought back and then returned again. In case you're worried about the Impound staff being terribly bored on NYE, don't worry, they weren't. There were four people in front of me at 8:00pm. One man was on his third trip of the month due to the snow emergency demons foiling him once again. He proclaimed with gusto, after shoving a snow emergency flyer into the cuff of his snow cap, that they weren't going to get him again and Happy New Year.

The second group of young gentlemen held a brief conference to determine who had the funds to pay and what the collection process would be once they were freed.

The third person was a woman who had appeard to be enjoying the holiday festivities already and I'm still uncertain as to why they decided to release her car to her (unless it was going to be entrapment..ENTRAPMENT) but any entrapment plans were ruined after her car wouldn't start and she had to call her sister to come in, pass through the security system, and drive out to the lot to give her a jump. I must say, the sister looked less than amused about the entire situation.

When my number was up, I approached the staffer again and began to nonchalantly remove my checkbook from my purse as if this was an everyday occurrance, which for 2010 it almost was an everyday occurrance, when I was suddenly stricken with the horrific realization that I had used my last check at the grocery store the other day and had neglected to replenish. My credit cards consisted of a Discover, which had plenty of remaining balance to cover it and which the Impound lot DOES NOT accept, and a Visa for which I was certain had only maybe $50 left on the balance if I was lucky. I handed the card to her with much trepidation muttering something about oh how I hoped there was enough balance left and we both held our breath as the Zon machine did it's thing and finally spit out a receipt. The staffer looked as happy as I felt. She probably wasn't looking forward to a NYE freak-out from a middle-aged woman embarrased about the fact that she's there to begin with but is not about to admit it out loud but no worries....that wasn't in the cards.

I was in and out in about 20 minutes and proceeded to take 45 minutes to figure out how to get back on to 394.

Ahhhh, fun times.