I Could Just Scream_V2

The town of Brookline—lovely place, filled with independently owned cute shops, restaurants, pubs, parks and GREAT public schools. Fabulous little town for raising a fam...as long as you’ve enough drachmas to pay the sky high rents or were born in a money patch and can afford to buy. //snort//

It's a splendid place to visit BUT, here’s the thing, don’t never, never, ever park there EVER!

Why? The parking police are ruthless and not terribly ethical. This is another I-could-just-scream-moment. I was in Brookline Village in early December, visiting my pal Holly’s clay studio. I was parked at a meter and yes, I put money in. When I came out later I saw that, though expired, (and it could’ve only been a few minutes past), there was NO ticket on my window. Huzzah! I raced off before a meter monsters could nail me.

I just, nearly two months later, got a bill in the mail for the unpaid parking ticket with late fee. ‘the fuck? I didn’t get the original ticket so why am I holding the bag for both it AND a late fee when I never knew I had the bill to pay in the first place? That day was rainy and blustery so it’s conceivable the ticket blew off. On days like that, shouldn't the parking martinets, gee...dunno, put the damn ticket UNDER THE WINDSHIELD WIPER so it doesn't blow off?

Should I now always assume, if I’ve parked in Brookline, that I owe the city a minimum of 25 clams whether I’ve fed the meter or not?

I went to pay the bill online only to find that, not only do I owe a late fee, I’m dinged an additional $1.99—a convenience fee—for paying the ticket on line.

Huh? ¿Qué? Hein? What, the ever livin,’ fuck? Wouldn’t it be more convenient for the parking despots to receive on line payments? Wouldn’t on line payment make things all automatic-y thus avoiding the nasty-ass need to pay an actual human to open the damn envelope, process the bill and send the check on for bank deposit?

Once again, I’d protest this but even had I the time OR the forethought to snap a pic JUST in case something like this happened, the parking tyrants could easily say “Hey, your word against ours. The ticket was on the car.” Of course.

I know, I know, I should just never park in Brookline again. Would LOVE to only ever take the T there but sometimes there’s no time. From Valhalla, it’s about 90 minutes by public transportation. By car? 45 more or less.

When, I ask you WHEN, will the transporter beams be invented?