Adventures in parking.

This is the purse I'm currently using. I found it in a box of winter clothes as I was putting my summer clothes away and decided to use it. It was my grandmother's but she never used it. This purse is a lot smaller than my other purse which is partly why I chose it. That and my left shoulder was about to murder me in my sleep for putting too much in my purse. I have this "purse organizer" that my sister got me for Christmas a while ago and the idea is that you just transfer the organizer from purse to purse. This lovely yellow purse is not big enough to fit it all and close it properly. Or at all. So I transferred my essentials to the purse and started using it.

Boyfriend kind of thinks the purse is silly but I've gotten quite a few complements on it and I kind of love it. It even goes with my awesome red winter coat. So every Monday I have my one class that's actually on campus and I wanted to head there early to finish my homework that was due. I left right after I got out of work and after changing. The really convenient thing about parking at Wayne State is that you just use your school I.D. to head into the parking structure. It automatically takes money off your card every time so you don't have to worry about carrying cash (which I don't really do anymore, lest I get asked for money and drugs again). This is a far superior method of parking to Western Michigan where it's basically a free-for-all. The parking structures at Wayne even tell you if they're full or not. Neat, huh?

I'm heading to campus and I'm just about to turn onto Anthony Wayne Drive when I realize my school I.D. is still in my other purse at home! I tried to use my debit card to get into the parking structure but the machines are apparently smarter than I thought. So I drive around a little bit thinking, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," and find a little parking lot that let's anyone in but you pay when you leave. I parked my car and ran up to the little booth and asked the guy if there was a way I could park here or get someone to let me into the parking structure because I left my I.D. at home. He told me that the parking lot I was standing in only took cash, which I didn't really have, so I should leave now if I wanted to really park my car and not sleep in it over night. He said that he could call over to the other parking structure and let them know I was coming and they could help me get in. Then we both realize that there's been a miscommunication... A BIG FAT ONE. He thought that my I.D. just wasn't working but I was really asking him if I could use my debit or a credit card to access the parking structure. He said, "the only way you can park on campus anywhere is either by having cash or using you I.D." Great.

I remember that when I bought coffee earlier, it didn't cost me that much so I actually had a couple bucks! And some change! I drove to the parking structure after scrounging up the right about of change to put into the machine. I start feeding the dollar bills in and they keep coming back out. This happens for a few minutes but it felt like ten days. Meanwhile, there are about five cars behind me and they start honking and giving me dirty looks. Awesome. I was able to get some quarters in the machine but all I had left were some dimes which the machine does not take. So I hopped out of my car and ran to the next car in line and begged the dude to trade me ones. He looked disgusted and was all, "I'm not sure it's going to work." I ran back to my car, squeezed into the driver's side, and THESE DOLLAR BILLS WORKED! But they were in worse shape than the ones that I had. But I finally got to park and feel like a giant douche today. Hooray for Mondays!