O Frabjous Day!
Nov. 14th, 2008 01:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
janradderA couple days ago I realized that the State of Minnesota neglected to mail us the renewal form for our car's license tabs. The tabs expired at the end of October and I'd been driving the car around without new ones. Faced with the prospect of dragging Éiden to the Government Center where he could be bored to tears or waiting a couple days and going while he was at school, I chose the latter.
It was a most excellent choice. Not.
Why, you may ask? Because last night traffic control quietly drove past our house and issued me a ticket for $108 for "failure to display current tabs." Yay. The city won't allocate enough resources to adequately patrol our neighborhood and possibly cut down gang activity, robberies, prostitution and drug deals but they have more than enough money, apparently, to send out patrols looking for expired license tabs. Because, really, isn't that the most pressing need?
Today, rather than go to the coffee shop and write, I ran errands. The first was actually enjoyable. I took my memory stick down to Kinkos (I know it's FedEx Office now, but that just seems strange) and had them print up the second draft of my book (Yay! for real). From there, I took a lovely trip to the nearest Hennepin County Government Center where I sat in a cosy chair waiting for my number to be called so I could renew my car's registration. After, I learned that to contest the ticket I got (which I am going to do -- I'm not paying $108 because the State didn't mail my renewal), I had to go downtown to the main Government Center. So I put the new plates on our car and then drove downtown, circled hopelessly looking for parking, found parking, walked the several blocks back to the Center, found the Violations window and saw that the waiting room was full of about thirty savory ladies and gentlemen, all looking as pissed as I felt.
I got into the line which was about ten or so people long and waited. And waited. And waited. And then I realized that the line was not actually moving because I'd forgotten that the people at the main Government Center don't actually do anything, they just set up areas for people to wait on line and in waiting room chairs. Realizing that if I waited any longer I wouldn't be done in time to pick up Éiden from pre-school, I left. But, I get to wait all over again on Monday! Callooh! Callay!
It was a most excellent choice. Not.
Why, you may ask? Because last night traffic control quietly drove past our house and issued me a ticket for $108 for "failure to display current tabs." Yay. The city won't allocate enough resources to adequately patrol our neighborhood and possibly cut down gang activity, robberies, prostitution and drug deals but they have more than enough money, apparently, to send out patrols looking for expired license tabs. Because, really, isn't that the most pressing need?
Today, rather than go to the coffee shop and write, I ran errands. The first was actually enjoyable. I took my memory stick down to Kinkos (I know it's FedEx Office now, but that just seems strange) and had them print up the second draft of my book (Yay! for real). From there, I took a lovely trip to the nearest Hennepin County Government Center where I sat in a cosy chair waiting for my number to be called so I could renew my car's registration. After, I learned that to contest the ticket I got (which I am going to do -- I'm not paying $108 because the State didn't mail my renewal), I had to go downtown to the main Government Center. So I put the new plates on our car and then drove downtown, circled hopelessly looking for parking, found parking, walked the several blocks back to the Center, found the Violations window and saw that the waiting room was full of about thirty savory ladies and gentlemen, all looking as pissed as I felt.
I got into the line which was about ten or so people long and waited. And waited. And waited. And then I realized that the line was not actually moving because I'd forgotten that the people at the main Government Center don't actually do anything, they just set up areas for people to wait on line and in waiting room chairs. Realizing that if I waited any longer I wouldn't be done in time to pick up Éiden from pre-school, I left. But, I get to wait all over again on Monday! Callooh! Callay!
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no subject
Date: 2008-11-14 07:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-14 07:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-14 08:20 pm (UTC)The fuckers are going to wear us down with their inactivity and we'll pay it all, I'll bet.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-14 09:16 pm (UTC)