Polska Brain Jelly

It seems like spring break just started and it’s almost over.

I had big plans for spring break:

1. Do nothing – check
2. Take the kids shooting – check
3. Work on building up a buffer for Screencap Comics – not check
4. Start working on modeling with Sketchup – opposite of check
5. Get started on the 10 page term paper due at the end of the semester – so far removed from check that it doesn’t even know check exists

Oh well, I at least feel a little relaxed.

… and I won!

Well, sort of.

By “law” I mean “Parking Rules and Regulations,” and by “I won” I mean “Found Not In Violation.”

Basically I parked my motorcycle on a patch of curb about four feet long.  This curb is painted brown (which denotes commuter parking) but the white line that was placed was four feet from the end for some unknown reason, so where I was parked was outside of that white line.

I’ve parked in this spot for about the last year and a half.  It’s convenient while being out of the way.  I don’t block traffic (pedestrian or vehicular) and it allows the three marked parking spaces in front to be filled with cars.

I come back after class one day to see a ticket attached to my motorcycle.

Yay!  As if I didn’t have enough to do.  I take pictures of the parked motorcycle and proceed to the campus police station.

Anyway, I pay the fine, which is required before you get to appeal.  Then I grab an appeal form and take it to file.

Fortunately, that same day the appeals panel was meeting.  Put my name on the list and come back later that day to state my case.

It was a quick and painless process.  A panel of three campus representatives (one student, one faculty and one staff) hear your argument and ask questions.  My argument was simple: I was parked in an area marked for commuter parking, my permit was valid and there is nothing in the published parking regulations that state that I have to be within a white line.

The panel found in my favor, but stated that in the future I need to be within a white line.

So I get my $35 back, which is a win.  However, I get to watch that four foot area of perfectly good parking go to waste.

I’m here in Lubbock today with family to watch the Tech/Kansas game (writing this on the iPhone). The kicker is that my In-laws (who got the tickets) are of the Kansas persuasion. It’s a new experience to attend a game and not be part of the home team.

I’m not really cheering for either side so I’m pretty much neutral but it’s still an interesting experience. It’s almost intimidating being in a small contingent if blue in a sea of red. I’m actually surprised at the number of locals that are wearing blue.

Looking forward to a good game.

I’ve actually been sitting on this for about three weeks to a month now.  The coolest case to bear-hug my iPhone is the Recession Case from Case-Mate.  This case does it all.  Houses your iPhone? Check.  Allows access to most of the ports on your iPhone? Check.  Cost under a dollar? Double check!

That’s right.  For less than a dollar, you too can have your very own recession inspired iPhone accessory.  Check out the pics below:

Case-Mate will even personalize the back of the case free of charge.  I think they are using the “Hobo” font, but I’m not entirely sure about that.  It could also be “Ten-Year-Old Scrawl” or “Written With Feet” fonts.  They are all so similar.  You can see in the picture of the back of the case above I added a message to anyone who might stumble across my phone telling them exactly what they are holding in their hand to ward off any confusion.

I love this case.  It’s probably one of the best dollars I’ve ever spent.  It’s both clever and unique, and it pokes fun at iPhone users all at the same time.  If you can’t laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at?  Well, just about everyone else, but what’s the fun in that? Honestly, let me know, I haven’t tried it but I’m looking for a new hobby.

So much to do this week and so little time.  I’m sure I’m not alone, so I propose that we start a movement to extend the hours in the day.  Two, maybe three more hours a day would work.