I had a really great idea that I was going to write about today, and I will get back to it later this week, but I am so mad right now that I have to vent. NOW!
Chapel Hill Transit and UNC-CH, you are both on my sh*t list today.
My day started off badly this morning with a headache and the memory of yesterday, all the crap that pissed me off and the midnight break-down that I had (complete with emotions and everything, ya’ll! GOSH!)
Got a couple of text messages this morning that made me smile and gave me the energy to roll my semi-depressed self out of bed. I have class today at 12:30, and an appointment with the cable guy at 10, so it was important that I get it moving today so that, in addition to my other problems, I wouldn’t start out the day being late.
So, I get started with my morning process and everything is going great, then I realize that it’s past 10 and the cable guy isn’t at my house. So I call him, leave him a voicemail and tell him that we need to set up a new time because I have to go to class. I’m a little pissed at this point because my gf has already told me that she’s not coming to NC unless I have cable. (and her visits are important to me, hee, hee)
I have a very nutritious brunch of chicken pie and peas (thanks, R!), I remember to take my vitamins and I head out the door. So far, things are ok. I know that at this late hour I won’t be a able to park at my usual park and ride, the FCX, because you have to be there at the crack of f-ing dawn to get a space. And I already have a $50 ticket for creating my own space. *sign.
Yesterday, I learned that the grocery store (Fresh Market ) and the apartment complex (Glen Lennox) that were my primary alternative parking arrangements are towing folks or at least threatening folks with brand new red signs, and I didn’t want to risk that drama. So I drive to a UNC visitor lot that usually lets me park even though I’m clearly a student As I turn into the lot I see the f-ing lot full sign, BUT THE LOT ISN’T FULL. I see several spaces available and at least 3 people paying to get out of the lot. But at this point, my only option is to back out into traffic (there is no room to turn around at the entrance to the lot). I’m more pissed now because this is a major street and leaving this lot in DRIVE requires me to take my life into my own hands. Needless to say, I do not want to back out into relentless on-coming high speed traffic. But I have to, so I just put old girl into reverse and gun it, slap her into drive and gun it. Luckily the hu-ganic Jeep that I cut off slows down in time not to completely ruin my day.
At this point, I’m desperate to park (but not desperate enough to park in the metered slots with no quarters. (That is a guaranteed ticket, and I’m trying to avoid more of those) So I drive AWAY from campus to another park and ride lot (Southern Village). I thought I’d safely find a space there since it’s a bit more out of the way and I thought would have less traffic. Dammit, this lot was almost full, I found a space. YAY! And I saw that the bus was there, so I got out of my car and started walking towards the bus stop. THE BUS PULLS AWAY AND LEAVES!!!!!! I curse a blue streak; scream into the heavens (probably scaring all the kids at a nearby elementary school). I continue walking towards the bus stop to check the schedule, b/c surely another bus is coming soon.
NOT SO. At 11:10 am, the next bus wasn’t due until 12:05. Since my first class starts at 12:30, even if I wanted to, I just don’t have the time to sit and wait. So I get back into my car and start thinking about where I’m going to park.
I decide that I’m going to have to park on a side street and hope that no one A. hits my car or B. has me towed, but first I swing back by the visitor lot to see if they removed the lot full sign. They had, and there was exactly one space available. Thank you, God, for having pity on me. I appreciate it.
Total time spent getting to school today? Roughly 40 minutes and a whole lot of gas. I left my apartment at 10:50 and didn’t get into the School of Government until 11:38. My life is Ri( f-ing)diculous today.
So I’m mad at UNC for having 8 billion students, staff, faculty, hospital personnel, and other assorted individuals on campus on a daily and not a damn place on campus for any of us to park. UNC, I bet you are planning on parking tickets as a revenue source aren’t you, you @ssholes?!?!?!? I hate you. Every day that I must trek to campus is a hassle because parking and riding from bum-f*ck remote location is a pain in my @ss.
More campus parking!!!!!!! Don’t build surface parking lots. Its’ bad for the environment, they take up more space, and there are never enough parking spaces. You could build an enormous 10 story parking deck on the same patch of land and fit 100’s more cars in it. But that makes too much sense and is too much like right. You want me to park illegally and get a parking ticket. I hate you.
Now, Chapel Hill Transit. I hate you, just for today, though. Tomorrow will likely be better for you. I usually enjoy my free bus rides. But how are you going to offer buses to and from park and rides and then only offer them once an hour? I mean, how are every 15, 20, or 30 minutes. When I left the park and ride, there were 2 other cars coming in. Who has the time to wait an hour for the bus? More importantly, if I could, I would kick that bus driver that f-ing left me. I know they saw me. I drove right by him on my way to the parking space.
And another thing. If you guys had printed the full bus schedule, (like you did last year!!) then I would have been more likely to know what f-ing time the Southern Village bus was supposed to come and I would have (maybe) been there earlier.
Now I have to go to my labor markets class that I didn’t do the reading for yesterday because I was too busy crying my eyes out and questioning my relationship. I hope you had a better Monday than I did, and a better Tuesday than I’m having.
September 9, 2008 at 6:21 pm
You’re so awesome
September 10, 2008 at 12:09 am
@ Christine: Thank you darlin’. You quite rock my world as well.
September 13, 2008 at 3:11 am
I understand the Chapel Hill Transit issues, I too used to be an Orange county resider myself, stay strong, lol…
September 13, 2008 at 3:15 am
@ Alise: These folks be messing with me! I often scream at them (to myself, at least)
September 24, 2008 at 3:51 am
Chapel Hill Transit needs to get its act together and get its schedules into Google Transit – that’s one step in planning routes.
Ann Arbor has a bus system where you get exact bus locations on your cell phone (so you can figure out just how long to stay inside in the freezing cold before you rush to the stop).
September 25, 2008 at 3:15 pm
(or at least Ann Arbor had a bus system with exact locations online; that part of the system is down now; they promise “soon” to restore it.)
September 30, 2008 at 1:51 am
[...] I’m just thankful when I can find a parking place. Or that when I cut all my hair off I still look like a [...]
October 1, 2008 at 2:40 am
[...] I found a parking place at school [...]