Before I get to the Phat to Fit to Fabulous part, I need to vent. Feel free to skip this part because it is some serious Parking venting. For anyone who has to park in the City of Toronto...this is for all of us. Seriously. $690 in parking tickets. These are the tickets that I have received in the past year, that I haven't paid (Okay I paid one but that clearly is not included in this total) but will be forced to pay when my birthday rolls around on July 1, 2010 if I want to renew my sticker.
"Omigod, how does she have so many tickets?" you may be asking yourself...well I will give you an example. This morning, I pulled out front of Starbucks to grab a Tall Non Fat No Foam Latte and a low fat Cranberry Muffin - since I am working towards a Phat to Fit to Fabulous goal of course...and I came back out to a $60 ticket that my sweet sweet man was holding. He broke the news to me. He was pissed, which I love. The filthy vulture, as I like to call any parking "officer" (will never understand how they deserve even a title like that) swooped down and dropped it on my car within the 3 minutes. I was parked with my hazards on. Sure, maybe I was wrong and shouldn't have parked there - but it just seemed easier to run in and out. Especially with all that is going on and the new $60 Personal Vehicle Tax they have added to Torontonians when renewing a sticker (because after all it is a privilege to drive on pot hole filled roads, where filthy vultures constantly swoop and where we have to battle with insane cyclists, annoying pedestrians and the ever so brutal TTC on a daily basis) I figured I should be able to get away with a few parking spots where I don't get a ticket within 2 seconds. Ooooohhhhhh what a privilege. I think everyone who drives in Toronto should pay this tax, not just the ones who have a postal code starting with "M". It literally makes me sick sometimes that I have a car in this city. I guess that since I purchased my car in August, I realized that with insurance, parking permits, parking tickets, parking literally anywhere in the city it averages out to be about $800 - $900 per month, that is almost the amount of my rent and hydro. I have never had to make car payments before, luckily, I was given the two first cars that I owned - so no payments, just insurance and parking and at this point and time, I realize still how lucky I was.
I have a parking permit in my neighbourhood which allows me to park on the street, where others will normally get a ticket but I will not - lucky me. The price is reasonable, $75 or so for 6 months which I always renew since there is no parking in my building. Even with this permit on my car, the filthy vultures still swoop down and give me a ticket, even when my permit is clearly on my window. How they miss it, I will never know. I actually think that they still see it, but choose to ignore it and create a ticket anyway - I have cancelled more than one of those in my time. I wonder if the Parking "Officers" know that everyone hates them. Everyone meaning me. I am currently reading "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff" clearly the message hasn't set in yet. A few weeks ago, I had an important "meeting" to get to. The night before I had parked on my street, where the permit sign was valid. There was no parking from 7am - 9am apparently because when I went out at 8am, my car was gone. Nowhere to be found. I went back inside, crying my eyes out. Thankfully my man was there and drove me to work. My car had been towed, even though I had followed the signage and checked 3 times before leaving my car where it was. When I found where my car had ended up, I was so sad, I just kept crying. First, I felt that my car had been violated. Second, when I called the tow place, they informed me that the price goes up every hour until you pick up your car. Highway Robbery anyone? So no choice but to go pick it up as opposed to "studying" for my "meeting". So after a rushed tear filled cab ride to beat the next increase and going into the sad "naughty car" full lot by the Docks to get my car, we were reunited and it felt so good - until I saw the two tickets on my windshield. Instead of going right back to work, I stopped off to set a court date for those pesty and ridiculous tickets and cried one last time. Last week I went out to move my car and a I had just received the ticket - from the future. So cool huh? It was 2:28 when I got to my car, the ticket on my car said 2:29 and there was no vulture to be found. I looked up to see if he was sitting in the tree to watch my reaction when seeing the ticket so he could cackle, but no such luck. No sign of him. I got in my car and drove around the corner and came across him giving another ticket. It is the same signature on most tickets I receive. M. Khan. M. Fricken Khan. Remember that name folks. M. Khan. He is the worst of the worst. I asked how is it possible that he walked from where my car was to where he was giving tickets on another street within a minute as it wasn't even 2:29 - and explained to him that the time was wrong on the ticket. Either his machine was incorrect or maybe Vultures cannot tell time. I asked him if he could cancel the ticket and he said no. I explained as calmly as I could that it was impossible for the ticket to be valid, because I was in my car at the time he said I was parked. Needless to say, I am going to court to fight that one as well. On a side note, the other day, a bunch of cars got tickets and I didn't, from the same parking guy M. Khan. I am still trying to figure out how that happened. At the end of the day, I need to get the proper temporary permit every week so I can avoid this hassle and stress when my birthday rolls around each year.
All in all, parking in this city is frustrating so I am considering giving up my car. Other than the $690, I am awaiting 10 trial dates to be set now to fight for me and my car's honour and to hopefully get those tickets reduced or dismissed - that would be ideal..
The problem is, I love the convenience of going to and from wherever I want, when I want - but they have Zipcar and Autoshare for that. I also live and work right by the TTC - but I don't like the fact that it takes 30 minutes to get to work when I can get there in 10 (unless I get towed). I can listen to Mariah, feel the wind in my hair and have some alone time. I don't like the smell, the time, the people that are crushing you on the streetcar, especially during rush hour. I do negotiate sometimes with myself to either a. pay $6 to take TTC there and back or b. pay $5 to park. I would be saving $1 which is still saving, so why not just drive? One day I chose the streetcar to meet someone. I waited for what seemed like an eternity (20 minutes at least) before it arrived. I do like the TTC for snow storms though, last week I used it to meet a friend for dinner but got a ride back home to my place in a warm and cozy car. Before I purchased my car there were many options I considered and felt that going through with it was the right one for me. I am clearly starting to regret my decision. Clearly, this is on the forefront of my mind today so please forgive my rant. Who knows, maybe you dislike Filthy Vultures as much as I do and can feel good that I am trying to fight the power, uh, the vulture.
Editor's Note: actually there was one nice parking officer who was in the midst of giving me a ticket two years ago and I asked him to please not give me a ticket and he said "ok" and walked away from giving me one. He was really cute too. So I do look at the positive side as well...see?
Thank you for listening to me rant....on to Phat to Fit......
So - I worked last night. I had about 8 peanut butter m&m's. I tried to resist the temptation, but out of boredom and hunger I ate 8 of them. Not a whole bag, only 8. I ate a lean cuisine when I came home as it was too late to actually try to cook something. I ate an apple yesterday as well as dried mangos - which I love. I didn't exercise yesterday, that is the plan for tonight. All in all, day 2 went over very well. I need to integrate more vegetables in my diet.
My body is still sore from Jillian on Monday, so she wasn't kidding and that was only level 1. Yikes. I think I am going to a movie later tonight so Jillian it may very well be as oppose to the 13km walk. I can do the walk tomorrow night since I have the evening off and can't wait to do it again oh and the fact that I will need almost 2 hours to get it done since I am seemingly starting over again. The weather is starting to feel fantastic now so it will be much easier, that is for sure.
I had a chicken shwarma wrap for lunch today. Old habits die hard. At least it wasn't two. Technically, it is a whole wheat wrap, chicken, lettuce and tomato with a little sesame sauce and hot sauce. It tastes as close to heaven as chicken could. I also had some dried mangos and have a banana on my desk. Again, I need some serious greens.
Exercise with Jillian tonight. Walk 13km tomorrow. If I get through tonight without chocolate, junk, stuffing my face, I think I will be in good shape to get through tomorrow and then Friday. I feel better already not being in a feeding food frenzy or whatever it is called that I have been doing for the past few months - gorging myself? or literally binging (and no, not purging). That is what it is called. Binging not because I am hungry, but because I want the satisfaction of something, anything at that moment. All I know is that the aftermath is not that satisfying at all. I am looking forward to feeling and looking good again and have every intention of keeping this up.
I love writing, sharing my thoughts with you and getting most of it out there. Wherever you are. The next blog I would like to talk about not Sweating the Small Stuff...feel free to email me hints on how you "don't sweat" it. As women, we don't sweat, we glow - unless we are doing the 30 day shred - but when it comes to everyday life, I want to learn to glow because I sure do sweat and it is stank nasty - maybe that is what the vultures are drawn to?
Blog soon,
PFF
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