On The Move

Here's the nice little rental car that I have for the summer:

I'm really enjoying it, especially now that I definitely have to drive to work every day.

See, at first, I leased a parking spot downtown from a college student. But, it was a little small (read: WAY too small). It was really nothing short of a disaster:

I was supposed to park to the left of the SUV.
Is it normal to share a parking spot with a cement column??

Maybe it would have worked if my mirrors had folded in, but no dice. And the SUV owner certainly wasn't happy with the situation. The very first day I parked there, I found this on my windshield:

Hmmm, is parking tight because you freakin' park a GIANT SUV into a COMPACT spot? Yes, yes it is. They got a terse note from me the next day when I absolutely could NOT get into my PAID spot AND I was running late (yes, it was the SUV's owner's fault, thankyouverymuch ;). Ended up driving to a paid parking garage. Grrr.

So, after that nightmare and an upcoming refund from the student, I tried out an eco-friendly option: the Max train.

A train passing as I waited for the ol' Yellow line
(Old Yeller, I should call it because, as you will find out below, IT'S DEAD TO ME <-- Was that an appropriate animal reference? Likely not.)

The lovely track
(You can see the man working on the ticket machine.
It was out of order, so he said we would ride free that day).

The sign for my station

Where I parked my car (Free parking for riders, so that's nice)

Just the track, looking in the opposite direction

It finally arrived!

The inside- quite empty in the morning, but a bit too European for me

So, I dutifully documented my ride in the morning, thinking it would be good to show everyone how I traveled to and from work every day. But that was before I rode with the crazies yesterday afternoon for the commute back to the park 'n ride lot. I'm not one for generally feeling scared or threatened in public spaces, especially after my extensive travels last summer. But believe me when I tell you that I spent the ride home clutching my valuables and fearing for my life. I think I'll pay the extra $40 a month and safely drive to work everyday.

Really, the straw that sent me over the edge was when we were shuffling off the train and I realized that a guy was roughly placing a kitten on his shoulder, like a freakin' parrot. He quickly disappeared onto a commuter bus, but if I had had my wits about me I would've offered to buy the kitten from him right then and there, to save it from its life with that trashy man. It needs to be at home, with food, water, and a litterbox. Don't think kittens really want to spend their days on mass transit precariously balanced on an a-hole's shoulder, clinging for dear life, missing out on nutrients....ugh!!!! I was SO frustrated and upset.

In order to finally get some shut-eye last night, I just had to try and convince myself that he had maybe just rescued it from the side of the road and taking it home to give it a good life. Yeah, that's it.

Then, of course, as I was waiting for the green light to release me onto the highway, there was a woman who looked a bit rough and gaunt on the side of the road, selling water for a dollar. She had really verbose signs, and I just glanced at them at first. But, as my wait continued, I took a moment to read them. Something like "I'm homeless, don't think you won't ever be, I thought that too...I'm not in a shelter because they WON'T LET ME KEEP MY DOG." WHAT?!!!

Sure enough, I look behind her, and there is a sweet, homeless black and white pup asleep in the weeds. My blood boiled again. Yes, there is a vitally important human-animal bond, and anyone would be hard-pressed to give up their beloved animal. But for God's sake, loving an animal also means doing what's best for it. That lady needs to give the dog to a shelter or friend or a well-to-do looking stranger so that it can get proper care and then get herself into a shelter, too.

The rampant irresponsibility and animal mistreatment that I witnessed on my whole 40 minutes home was enough to send me over the edge. And affirm why I want to fight the good fight, forever. Because animals deserve better. And there's always white wine waiting at home.