This morning, I got my first parking ticket since I moved to the city. They have emergency – no parking signs up in front of my house, and I thought that meant no parking between the signs. Apparently it means no parking just beyond the signs, either.
My initial reaction was, “I’m selling my stupid car. I do most of my driving these days when I have to move it for street cleaning. I can use the Zipcars right down the street”. But then I got some Sierra Nevada from Hi Market and talked to my wife, and I feel a little better about it.
Still, the thought of getting rid of the car is getting stronger. Already I think about it as a nuisance more often than I think about it as a convenience. I don’t really want to give it up, though. If Zipcars had manual transmissions, it would be easier. I know, I’m being ridiculous if I keep my car just because I want a manual transmission. But that’s my right, I think.
I’ve also been given a “you have 15 days to get your car registered in DC, clown” notice. Maybe I’ll go park it at my grandmother’s house in Virginia for a few weeks until I can get that taken care of. This is a huge pain. I don’t really have time to go to the DMV and get all this taken care of. I hear all sorts of horror stories about the DMV. I don’t want to subject myself to that.
However, one $50 ticket and fear of the DMV is probably not a good reason to sell my car, though. We do still use it about once a week. I don’t think I’m really prepared to get rid of it yet.