big william's world

The latest view of the Tulips. The comment in the profile about "without pictures" was meant for the poetry blog awheywithwords.  I can't just figure out how to change it at the moment or for a lot of recent moment.

I have changed to a Mac computer - which, I have to say, I really like - it just does the job - faster, smarter and less nonsense about "are you sure you want to ---" "do you want to tell Microsoft about it?" "your security subscription has expired" "please wait will your Intel Core Duo microprocessor chases it's tail for five minutes and then restart your computer" 

I will, doubtless bore you with more details about why Apple is the way to go. I know some readers use them already.

Little William is finally liking Italy and Gill doesn't want to pay for parking when she shops. On this line of thought I am pleased with Boulder today:

The day I posted pictures of sushi and somebody elses sushi I went back to my car only to find a $50 parking ticket. Boulder has recently changed from Parking Meters to a parking ticket machine (solar powered of course, this being Boulder - which signed the Kyoto Protocol)

I had paid the right amount up till 7pm after which you don't have to pay. I looked at the ticket and it was for "invalid plates" after a minute I realized my "tags" - little stickers you put on your licence plates (number plates to the Brits and the tags are your tax disc equivalent) - anyway they ran out in January.

The thing is the  parking guy has to look around the car to see if I had paid for my parking and noticed my expired plates and he is authorized to give a ticket for an unregistered vehicle.

I was going to San Diego early the following morning so I had to dash to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) at opening time 8am the following morning to renew the tags - which I did. Then I went to pay the parking fine - at the courthouse - which also opens at 8 am EXCEPT on he second Friday of the month - which of course it was.

I finally went to pay the fine yesterday because after 14 days the $50 fine becomes $65 - I took my proof of having renewed the tags just in case it was needed and I also took my original parking receipt to show I had paid for my parking. I was polite to the person and showed her the various documents and to my amazement she said I can void this charge since you renewed your tags but I can only do it once for the life of your plates. So I did not have to pay the fine.

Apparently the reminder they sent in the mail and I never received is "only a courtesy"

Anyway it is one of the few nice things I have experienced in US bureaucracy.

# posted by william @ 8:58 AM