Punished By The Velo Gods

It's not often that I drive an automobile but recent circumstances have required the use of an internal combustion engine for transport.  For instance when I need to take a child to a doctor's appointment or to pick something large and bulky up in a city covered in snow and ice.  Sometimes the both of us need to be somewhere within 15 minutes of when she needs off.  Mary has had a cold for something like two weeks and since our places of employment are within a quarter mile of each other why not drive when the temperatures are in the single digits?  She needs the rest.

The first time I drove to work this year my badge did not work at the parking ramp and I had to park on the street and go inside and buy a roll of quarters from Dale and then move the Honda to where my fellow economic slaves park and give Karen $4 in quarters since she feeds the meters slightly before 9 am.  They have a good system and awesome street parking BTW  Almost as close as bicycle parking but $4 a day.  Later when they said it was fixed I found myself at the wrong entrance which was probably the reason I could not get in.  Dumb me for not reading signs. 

Sounds good?  The Velo Gods strike!  In getting prepped to leave the house I looked at my key chain with the key to my bike lock on it and toss it in the drawer.  "Don't need you."  Wrongo Boyo!!  On that key chain was the key to my locker.  Can't put away my coat and gloves and hat or grab some stuff I need.  Had to run outside and through everything in the vehicle.  It was like -5 F.  And I was late.  Did not leave on time since I thought driving would save time.  And the fact that I could not get into the parking garage.  It took a few times to get a proper driving routine set.  And an email to my boss to get access to the ramp.

So it was a week ago Thursday.  Parked in the ramp again.  Little did I know that it would take 40 minutes to exit said ramp because of increased traffic provided by the State Wrestling Tournament.   Seriously, 40 minutes of idling the vehicle to get to the street. 

First things first, turn on the radio.  After about 5 minutes of local AM talk radio (politics = poli meaning many and tics meaning blood suckers) I tuned into FM rock and roll.  War Pigs by Black Sabbath.  Turn this up!  Then a crap song so I fired up YouTube on my mobile phone and started with a fitting Valentine's Day love song, Lonesome Tonight by New Order.  I rolled the window down a bit so others could enjoy.  The rest of the playlist was a big dose of New Order: Thieves Like Us, Bizarre Love Triangle (extended Dance Mix), Ceremony (why are the first singles of a band often their best?) and as I was almost out to the street the Stone Roses I Am The Resurrection which lasted all the way to Mary's place of work.  The Stone Roses' track was outstanding, the guitar at the end sublime!  And what a song to have blasting as one is finally freed!

Soon I thought why not park where Mary works?  Free and a shorter walk to my building than the ramp is.  Well, she needs to register the vehicle with her security department.  Unfortunately, she lacks the time to do this over lunch.  Bike, Chris, bike!  Monday, her day off, she will get the sticker.

Move the timeline a week or so later.  Need to buy an ice breaker/scraper to bust up the inevitable refreeze that will doom us if not removed.  Need a lot of groceries and need to stay dry since it is raining.  We drove and when all the list was complete it was time to eat.  Burgers I thought, been a long time since I had one.  But where?  Quinton's came to mind.  We have not been there in ages and they do have great drink specials.  But when I made the turn on Grand I realize that I lack coins.  75 cents per hour, at least that is what I have paid recently at a meter near work.  Mary has 40 cents. 

Forget it.  Damn city turned into a baby and decided to force people to feed meters on Saturdays since the local option sales tax was rejected by voters.  Find a place that has free parking.  Truman's.

We drove by it earlier and saw only two cars parked there.  Coolio, free parking and no crowd.  Walk in were greeted by friendlies faces and smiles.  "Whatcha drinkin?" 

Not really in a drinking mood since I needed to stay productive and Mary was planning to get her hair done afterwards.  "Just here for burgers but I could do one beer, The Big Grove."

"I'm sorry, it's breakfast until noon.  But you could get a pizza."

BARNACLES!!!!  "Man, I've had breakfast all week and we had pizza last night."  Which is true since at work I get breakfast food for free.  Not really in a mood for it on Saturday.

I do the maths.  IF we finish our beers AND go home and grab quarters for the bloody parking meter THEN we lose up to an hour of our lives just for food.  Typical American bitching about food when most of the world is starving to death.  Spoiled child I am.  If we would have ditched the CR-V for bikes.  BUT then Mary's hair would have been messed up and she has been waiting for weeks to get her hair cut.

"OK, I'll get the breakfast burrito and an ice tea."  Mary got an egg bake thing.

The food was good but I was disappointed.  The Velo Gods struck again.  Just go home.