Too smart by half

Fridays have always been weighted in favor of being movie day but especially now that I'm bypassing the scattered weekday press and promo screenings. I had two films to catch up with near Ohio State and a third and potentially fourth on campus that I'd be taking in "for fun". There was going to be plenty of free time, so I made sure to have the WIP hand towel for some knitting in public between films.

Between the first two I found a corner in the theater's café where I could see some sunlight and be undisturbed. I spent almost an hour knitting away with the only distraction being the TVs displaying cable news reports that couldn't be more vapid or repetitive. After the second film I had almost two hours before the old yakuza flicks started at OSU, so I set out for Starbucks for what turned out to be some really enjoyable knitting time.

A band was playing on the coffee shop's patio, providing a pleasant knitting background and food for thought. Their covers setlist was heavy on familiar songs from the 70s. When they began playing comparatively more recent stuff, it was interesting to hear what tunes from the last fifteen years have earned "classic" status. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" featured a bad approximation of a Tom Petty/Bob Dylan vocal. The inclusion of "Wonderwall" reveals Oasis' lasting contribution to American pop culture. A Coldplay song making the cut wasn't surprising, but that the trio opted for an album cut was.

The cover of Sublime's "What I Got" adhered to the radio edit down to the way he sang "motherf-----". Maybe he was too young to know that there was enough controversy at the time over Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing"--the second verse on the album version was altered or deleted entirely for airplay--because he sang the slur, which was kind of shocking to hear.

After 6 p.m. I decided that it was time to move my car from the side street to a prime vacated spot near where I'd be watching the next film or films. That's when I saw a parking ticket tucked under my windshield wiper.

It took me by total surprise. I'd parked on this street in an effort to avoid parking in the theater's garage and having to pay five bucks. It was a nice enough day and not that far of a walk. More importantly, I was pretty certain that I was in the clear leaving my car where I did. The ticket stated that I was parked along the street in a residential permit area. None of the signs nearby made mention of this, so I was not pleased about this. I drove around the block to see if I could spot said sign. Although obscured from my driver's seat view, I caught a glimpse of something a ways back that looked like this:

Nice trap. This sign was at the end of the parking meters, which I wasn't going to use, and before the street parking. It was covered up by a tree branch from my vantage point in the car. The other signs on the street have the other restrictions posted but lack the "Permit Parking Area". How convenient. I made an honest mistake, but I feel like I have a valid argument to back me up.

Still, it's probably not worth fighting. Downtown parking, court costs, and a gallon of gas would probably add up to near the $33 I'm out that the effort would likely be wasted. But it pisses me off nonetheless. So much for thinking I was being clever and saving a five spot. Guess I had the money to drop on the Flight of the Conchords concert here tonight after all, even if it's going to the parking violations bureau instead.

Over at the next moviegoing location I got a more pleasant surprise. One of the ticket takers asked what I had been knitting. I was confused because I hadn't been knitting there. She'd seen me knitting at Starbucks but hadn't said anything. It turns out that she's a knitter, which makes sense because experience has shown that I'm invisible when knitting in public except when a fellow knitter sees me.

I watched the first Japanese film but elected to bail before the second. When planning the day I gave myself permission not to stay for both if I was feeling tired. (I got in free, so skipping out on something I paid for wasn't a factor.) I figured three films, a couple of hours of KIPing, and a parking ticket made for a full day. I'd do it all again except for the last, obviously.