complications

What fun have you missed hearing about? Since Door County, I worked a lot, I went to Davenport's with Jenna to see my fabulous friend Emily play, I went out for Chinese food and ice cream cones with Ben, I began housesitting for a cat of a coworker's on the far far north side of the city, Ben and I went to Flo for dinner with Taavo, Ben and I ate early Saturday breakfast at Swim Cafe before he left for New York City, I worked all day Saturday and it was super duper slow, I read Life of Pi, I went to a party at Kiki and Alex's new place, I worked all day Sunday and it was super duper slow, I made a big pizza and hung out with Chai the cat in Rogers Park, I babysat for Finn all day Monday and when I came out my car was gone.

Towed.

The end of the list is: I went to a mini party to drink away car-towing frustration.

Reasons why having the towed car is bullshit:

1. When I parked the car, it was across the street from Wrigley Field. Parking in Wrigleyville is notoriously difficult, so I was very glad to find a spot. Before I left the car I scanned the block carefully to make sure that it was a legal spot. No signs stating otherwise. I felt lucky.

2. I left babysitting at 6:00. There was a Cubs game starting at 7:00. As I was leaving, Finn's mom asked where I had parked because she had gotten towed recently and told me to hurry out and check. She felt bad about not thinking to ask me that morning, but the thing is, even if she had, I would have told her that I checked the block and I was okay.

3. Here is a representation of the street where I parked:

==[<-]CAR_____105'_____( alley )_25'_[->]_30'_[<-]__45'__[!!]_


== is yellow curb, and there was also a sign saying not to park on it ( [<-] )
There was a very prominent, large alley.
Beyond the alley were two arrow signs indicating not to park in front of a driveway.
Beyond those signs, 100 feet into the residential area past the alley, was a sign (indicated by !!) that said NO PARKING ON BASEBALL GAME DAYS FROM 4 HOURS BEFORE UNTIL ONE HOUR AFTER THE GAME.
There were no signs on the other side of the street.
There was absolutely no signage before the alley. Most parking-related blockwide signs, permit zones for example, are only good up until the alley. Spots on the other side of the alley are usually open to anyone. So that's where I looked for signs.

4. If you are confused by my diagram, here are some photos. They were hard to take, because one million Cubs fans were swarming the area, but I borrowed my sitting family's digital camera to get proof of the situation so I could contest my towing.
Here's a long shot where you can see just the corner of yellow curb. My car was parked in the spot right next to this sign in the front. See the alley, and past the alley, some white blobs? Two of those are about a driveway, and one is telling me that my car is going to be towed in six hours.

A good shot of the end of the curb before the alley. Doesn't this look like the end of a block? Would you assume a sign (that you couldn't see) on the far side of this gap would apply to you?

And a view past the alley. That far away sign is the kicker.

Bitches, is what I have to say.

5. Okay, so it's towed. Come out to find car, no car. Sucks. This happened yesterday evening.

6. Have to deal with impound lot employees. At first can't find car anywhere. No one has record of it. People are rude and careless.

7. To get car out of lot costs $160.

8. Each day the price goes up $10. After five days the price goes up $35 a day.

9. Only the owner of the car can get the car out of the impound lot.

10. It's Ben's car.

11. Ben is in New York City.

12. It's actually not Ben's car. It's registered to his dad in Milwaukee.

13. Ben's family is leaving the next morning to go on vacation.

14. I have to call Ben's dad to get info about the car, like the license plate number, and Vehicle ID.

15. I have to ask Ben's dad to write a letter saying that I can pick up the car, and get it notarized, and fax it to the impound lot.

16. Before he goes on vacation, this morning.

17. It was Ben's dad who got the $90 ticket in the mail with the secret camera picture of me driving through a red light in March. I was busted and embarrassed then. Now I am seriously doubting my impression as a responsible person.

18. I am going to contest this ticket, but who knows if anything will come of it.

19. Since I was housesitting, all my stuff was at this house on the far north side. All the stuff I needed, food, clothes, toothbrush, cell phone charger, everything except my bike. Which I now needed. I took the bus home (south), got my bike, ate pasta and butter for dinner, rode all the way up to the other house. 10 miles. Stopped for commiserating beer and cookout at coworker's house on way.

20. Have to get to the lot tonight. Ben's dad came through and found the notary and everything. Who wants to be part of impound lot adventure 2006? Who's the lucky one gonna be? Who wants to go for a drive?

Will it be YOU?