So... I hate Boston's parking offices. Let me tell you a story.

At the beginning of October I got a series of parking tickets. A series because I park my car on the street and then don't move it for days (sometimes over a week). So, I didn't notice my car was getting tickets until days later. Sigh. Stupid move on my part and now I make a point to check my car more often. Anyway, I went into the ticketing system and paid everything listed to my license plate (I think this was the 26th, well within the 21 days of the first ticket I got). I then proceeded to double-check several times that day to make sure I'd gotten everything. It had rained a couple times that week so the tickets were all soggy and I couldn't be sure that one hadn't melted off or whatever. So yes, my account looked clear, I learned my lesson and went on with my life.

Well.... last week a letter showed up at my parents' house (where my car is registered) giving me late fees on 2 more tickets THAT HAD NEVER BEEN IN THE SYSTEM AT MY TIME OF PAYMENT. So today I gave them a call to see if they could at least remove the late fee because that is just so much bullshit. The lady on the phone was like "oh yeah, you paid on the 26th and those other ones weren't put into the system until the 28th. also, I can't take off the late fees, you have to submit an appeal".

Ok. 1) If you have 21 days to pay, and the last ticket I got (before I moved my car) was on the 7th.... YOU ENTERED MY ONLINE PAYMENT OPTION ON THE LAST POSSIBLE DAY HOW THE FUCK IS THAT FAIR. 2) NO I paid the other tickets, I didn't intend to just not pay for these other charges.

And of course I don't have the letter with me at work, so I'll have to wait until tonight to fill out their stupid appeal form. And I feel stupid because I didn't MEAN to get those tickets and I certainly intended to pay them and write it off as a harsh lesson in paying attention to where I park. :(

Oh journal, it has been ages since I did a proper update. I had a rant about my current feelings on fandom in general (mostly negative, sorry to say) half-typed, and then I just deleted it all because it's not worth it. At this point, I think the honeymoon is over and I've managed to settle myself more firmly into fandoms that are NOT Adam Lambert related because it just helps me maintain my sanity. And that's all I am going to say on that matter.

SPEAKING OF FANDOM. I got talked into attending MiniMerlin! To be honest, I have been tempted to since the first year because it's really just a bus ride away... but I am really shy when it comes to these things. The idea of going to a city and staying in a hotel with people I didn't know was just absurd. Except, then Gridlock NYE happened. And then this past summer. So when I was asked if I wanted to go, I decided that I might as well. :) I am excited. I got my friend to cover my Friday afternoon lab that week so I can leave Boston and be in Philly before dinner. \o/ I look forward to getting my fangirl on.

So, when I last updated, my car was giving me issues. That was fixed by throwing $500 at the people at Goodyear for new tires. When I went to pick up my car, they laughed at me because my tires were SO BAD when I gave them my car. I was just like, I know I know. Then they called me the day after to thank me. AND they sent me a photocopy of a thank you card in the mail. When I got the letter, I laughed and then hung it on the fridge.

Um.. what else has happened in my real life? I submitted an abstract for a conference next month and I got my email the other day with my presentation time-slot. Eek! First REAL presentation of my work. I did a poster last year at Benthics, but that hardly seems to count. It seems fitting though. This conference is at Woods Hole, which is where I spent a summer and gave my very first scientific talk. Full circle realness!

Other than that, I am just chugging along, trying to get shit done so that I'm not here for a million years. Lately I have been hearing most of my roommate's rants against academia (it sucks, all academics are arrogant jerks who don't think about other people, etc etc) and it's starting to be rather mentally taxing to separate her opinions from my own experiences. But I have to make myself keep it separate or I will get dragged into it too. And then I will be screwed for the rest of my schooling. I have a hard enough time with motivation as it is.

So yes, that is what I am up to.