Five on Friday #123

EINS

Things I bought this week:

• Sesame for lunch, since I failed to bring my lunch
• Coffee
• Bojangles for dinner 

I like how cheap hurricane weeks are!

ZWEI

Things from my phone:

You don't need dis hand, Mama.

I think Mr. Moose has found his new favorite place.

ROCK SOLID LIFE CHOICE:
caramel brownie with peanut butter cookie ice cream.
FUCK YAAASSS.

Puddle splashin' in my new rain boots!

This boy is a goof, but he makes me swoon.

NEVER ENOUGH ketchup on meatloaf...

2 outside beds makes the back yard a calmer place....

What would bears be without bees?
Ears.

DREI

Bullshit I'm dealing with:

The doc didn't call my meds in last week before they closed down for the hurricane which didn't really affect Charleston in ways that Charleston isn't regularly affected by a storm (downtown flooded like it always does, there was some crazy winds, blah blah).  Here's my problem.  I waited 24 hours after my appointment to call and ask about it and no one answered the phone.  Annoying.  I called 3 times in a row and no one answered the phone.  Cue the rage.  Assuming that maybe something was going on, I called back a few hours later and listened to the voicemail recording that their office was closing at noon that day and they would reopen the next Wednesday.  I called those 3x at 11:30.  30 minutes before they closed.  SOOO MUCH RAGE.  Nothing I could about it.  I forgot to call their office on Wednesday because life.  So I finally called yesterday and someone from a call center answered.  SERIOUSLY?  Someone from the office would call me back.  Fantastic.

Seriously, I just want to start taking anti-anxiety pills to see if they will help me or not.  If not, fine, then I'll work on getting my life under control, but this is me right now:

VIER

More bullshit I'm dealing with:

2 parking citations from The Citadel.  I'm trying very hard to be respectful and logical and not bring out my inner bitch, but she keeps mumbling loudly behind that duct tape I have over her mouth and it's distracting.

Let's start from the beginning of this whole shit show.
1.  When I paid for my parking pass, I was told that I could park in Kovatt's Field behind the Vet Center.
2.  I was NOT given a map for parking.
3.  When I looked up the parking map online, it only shows "decal" parking blacked out and handicapped parking/building access.
3a.  There are (at least) 3+ types of decal parking.


What had happened was....

On the 3rd day of school (so my 2nd day going to class, 8/28), I got a parking citation for parking in a faculty/staff parking spot.

Facts:
-The spot was not marked on the pavement.
-I challenged the ticket though a very official "you have to send an email to the chief" process and heard nothing back for a week
-The sign at the entrance of the parking lot does not specify that specific groups must park in designated areas.
-Citations state that you have 10 days to challenge or pay the fine.

Then at 1015 on 9/6, I received another parking citation for, again, parking in a faculty/staff parking spot.

Facts:
-On that same day, I received an email from the Vet Center Director at 1106 explaining that unlabeled parking spaces were assumed to be faculty/staff spots and that there was an area specifically for day veteran parking in that same parking area.
-I was parked in a labeled spot, this time, but I hadn't actually realized that the labels meant anything since there were also signs.
-When I went into the Vet Center to talk to the Vet Center Director about the unlabeled parking spaces, I spoke with some other vets who informed me that this day veteran parking area really existed, BUT there were very limited parking spaces there (17 to be exact).
-I went with the Vet Center Director to Public Safety to challenge the 2nd citation and inquire about the original citation.  They again gave me the email address for the police chief and told me to email him, which I did on 9/7.  Due to Hurricane Irma, the police chief responded to my email and said Irma was priority and he'd get back to me.  I acknowledged and waited.
-While at public safety, I was informed that the 10 days thing "isn't really enforced."  Good to know.
-The Vet Center Director and I also tried to hunt down the police chief in his office, but he was at lunch.

Yesterday, 9/14, I received an email from him saying,

"Megan- Thank you for your interest in dismissing these. Unfortunately, it is our position that the three (3) warning signs in Kovats Field Parking are more than sufficient to notify folks of their parking options. Although you cite a lack of identification on the asphalt in each space, there are many locales on campus that have that same issue. However, if not specifically identified as to who may park there, it should be understood, based upon the signage, that Fac/Staff only are allowed to park in those slots.

There are an additional 17 slots in Kovats specifically for Red Tags/Veterans.

Since you have no prior citations other than these two, I will dismiss one, which we do in all cases and will allow the other to remain, which you will need to address."

YOU GUYSSSSS.. I almost lost my shit at work.
I might be struggling through discrete math, but I can do normal people math in a decent way... so let's math for a minute.

When I was speaking with other Vets about the parking situation, there were 7 of us in that room.  If there are 17 spaces, that leaves 10 for other day veterans.
Dilemma: There are over 300 registered day veteran students.
Where in the shit is everyone supposed to park?

Additionally (this is me using that veteran privilege), these spots are NOT close to anything.  I feel like if you threw a rock at a group of day veterans, you wouldn't be able to not hit one with some type of service related disability.  That said, as a collective, most veterans don't play up their disabilities and only if it's really bad do they accept the handicapped placard.  That's on us, but as much as The Citadel likes to kiss veteran asses and tell us what role models we are for the cadets, I feel like we shouldn't be having to fight a parking war just to come to class and be epic roll models.

Finally.. Cadets are very limited in their comings and goings.  Freshman Cadets (aka Knobs) aren't allowed to bring their cars.  Apparently, they were also going to restrict sophomores from bringing their cars too, but that didn't happen this year.  That said, it won't help unless some of the cadet parking spots are redistributed.

My 2 cents: I parked in BFE at NC State for years.  Even when I commuted to campus, I still parked in BFE.  But I didn't have a problem with parking in BFE because that was my designated space and there was enough parking available when necessary.  I didn't have to trial and error figure out where to park.  Purple S parking was clearly labeled Purple S parking.  Gold C parking was clearly Gold C.  Yellow T parking was clear.  I don't understand how it can be that motherfucking difficult to have a clear parking plan.

But can we all agree that 17 spots is NOT enough?  I know that I've seen at least 20 vets in the Vet Center at one time and I know those bitches ain't carpoolin.

Anyways, I'm planning on going and talking to the police chief about this face to face (since it's easy to be an asshole over email), but I have a feeling my frustrations are going to seep out of me and I'm still going to be fucked over on this.  From my understanding, this situation is not uncommon.

The reality is, each parking citation is $25 and it's not that I don't have the money to pay it (although that could be the case for someone else), but the principle of the matter that this situation is fucked up and it's not ok.  If I had been given a map or shown EXACTLY where to park, I wouldn't be this stubborn about it.  I'm not above admitting when I'm wrong.  But I do not feel like I'm in the wrong on this.  I just worry about running out of steam while trying to fight the fight.

FÜNF

10 things that made me happy this week:

1. Hurricane days.
2. Pax discovering the couch.
3. Tired dogs (we assumed they played all day and wore themselves out)
4. Roller Coaster Tycoon.  I should have never downloaded this.  But it has been very nice to space out and not think of school for a few hours.
5. Getting questions right when studying math/chemistry.
6. Shutterfly coupon codes which lead me to FINALLY getting that photo book from our 2016 runDisney events created...
7. Getting to look through all the Run Disney photos to upload photos to Shutterfly.
8. Reading.
9. Wearing hoodies.  IDGAF if it's still 80°F out.  
10. Colored staples in my mini stapler.

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers