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Frustration Friday: Vent And Be Free!

Posted in 1032

16 Apr 2010

pile of polished stones stacked in a very zenlike column on a wet beach Everyday stresses can build up and hang around in the back of our minds so that even when we have free time to relax and unwind, we find ourselves stressed out about all the little things that are bugging us. So today I would like to invite everyone to let go of all their frustrations and, as part of the cleansing process, tell us about the stuff that’s been driving you crazy. By simply leaving it all behind us, we can enter a calmer state and enjoy a worry-free weekend! Here’s my rant:

My frustration this week was provided courtesy of the City of San Antonio. I got a $25.00 ticket because my car was blocking the sidewalk. A $25.00 ticket is definitely not the end of the world, but there are a few reasons why it ticks me off:

The code enforcement officer came around a few weeks ago and banged (not knocked, but banged) on my door continuously until I got out of bed and answered…just before 7 a.m. This was just so he could give us a warning. I mean, can’t you just leave a note on the car?
Since our obnoxious warning, we have been really good about squeezing our two cars next to each other in our 1 car driveway so as not to block the sidewalk even though it makes getting ourselves and our toddler in and out of the car a pain in the ass.
When we received the ticket for “blocking” the sidewalk, the bumper of our car was blocking a 6-8 inch section of the sidewalk, there was still plenty of room to walk without having to step out into the street.
There are numerous mailboxes on our street that completely block the entire sidewalk forcing the people walking, or little kids riding their bikes, down the street to walk or ride out into the street.

Here are a few picks of the mailboxes that block the sidewalk in my neighborhood:

So my question to the good ‘ol City of San Antonio is why I’m being ticketed $25.00 for blocking a sidewalk with my car that is already impassable in many spots throughout the neighborhood? I kind of already know the answer–they want my money. That kind of sucks though because I am not a rich man and $25.00 would have bought diapers for my kid, or the co-pay for his next round of immunizations. Oh well, now the City of San Antonio has my $25.00 and I’m sure they’ll put it to good use doing…actually, what do they do? They don’t seem to ever remove the graffiti that appears weekly on all of our street signs, fences and utility boxes. They rarely respond to the calls I and my neighbors make about loose dogs that roam the neighborhood from time to time. Oh, but they do send Dick to my house at 7 a.m. to rudely wake me and my family up with incessant banging on our front door.

Here’s a tip for all you code enforcement officers out there. If you do need to come to my house again in the future, or anyone’s house really, you can knock politely and deal with me politely too. I’m sure you encounter some a-holes in the course of your day, but I bet you’re more likely to get treated badly when you go around banging on people’s doors like the world is about to end and then talk to them condescendingly about their bumper sticking out over the sidewalk, their hedges being planted to close to a utility box, or some other highly noncritical matter. Based on my first encounter with you, I will surely be an a-hole to you the next time you show up at my door! The City of San Antonio has earned a big FAIL in my book when it comes to their priorities and their community relations skills.

So, that’s my frustration for the week! I feel so much better for having let that out, and now I can just pay my ticket and enter the weekend free of this stress. Now it’s your turn. Unleash your frustrations upon the comment section so you too can move into your weekend unburdened and free to have fun! You’ll feel better afterwards; believe me. I do!