Archives: Self-Parking
1/29/00
I like how RinkWorks regulars understand what "teamwork" is all about.
When one person must stop self-chatting, the baton changes hands and someone
else picks it up from there. Way to go, team!
Brunnen_G: Since I am here, I will devote a few minutes to confronting one of the major issues of our time.
Brunnen_G: The evil which is the main public carpark company in the city of Auckland.
Brunnen_G: This is a company which I will not name. But if, somehow, some day, the CEO of this company reads these words...
Brunnen_G: ...he will know that there was once a regular of RinkWorks who thinks he should die a terrible death, in strange and inventive ways.
* Brunnen_G bikes or walks to work most days. There is a reason for this.
Brunnen_G: The crimes of this company and the parking lots which it controls are terrible indeed.
* Brunnen_G has no experience of AOL, but based on what people have said, AOL must own a controlling interest in Auckland parking lots.
Brunnen_G: To park all day costs up to $28.
Brunnen_G: If you get in early, it costs $9.50.
Brunnen_G: But each parking building has a different cutoff time for what is "early", even though they are all owned by the same company.
Brunnen_G: And each building closes at a different time.
Brunnen_G: And this varies not only from building to building, but from day to day.
* Brunnen_G would think that, in a city of one million people, at least ONE parking building would be open 24 hours a day.
Brunnen_G: But this is not the case.
* Brunnen_G is surely not the only person in the city who works weird hours.
Brunnen_G: Ahem. A typical working day in which I attempt to drive to work:
Brunnen_G: I don't start work until 2pm but I drive in at 9am so I don't end up paying out my entire salary in parking fees.
Brunnen_G: I drive around to no less than four buildings. The first two are full.
Brunnen_G: The third had a cut-off "early" entry time of 8.45am.
Brunnen_G: I park in the fourth where the cut-off is 9.30am, but the building is on its early closing day.
RinkChat: User Brunnen_G has been labeled 'will bike more' by Brunnen_G.
Brunnen_G: Then I walk half an hour across town to work, change my clothes, and walk down to the gym to kill a couple of hours.
* Brunnen_G would like to drown the CEO of a certain parking company in the lap pool.
Brunnen_G: Sometimes I go to the library instead.
* Brunnen_G makes a note to research strange and shocking ways to kill the CEO of a certain parking company.
Brunnen_G: Or sometimes I go to my desk at work and do some study or work on my own projects.
* Brunnen_G can find no fan sites on the Internet for a certain parking company.
* Brunnen_G is not surprised.
Mendoza has entered.
Brunnen_G: Hello Mendoza.
Mendoza: BG, you have just spent 20 minutes taking to your self. How do you feel?
Mendoza: sorry i gotta go again bye
Mendoza has left.
Brunnen_G: Ahem. Where was I?
Brunnen_G: I have to break in the middle of work at 7.55pm because I suddenly remember the building I'm in is on its early closing day.
Brunnen_G: I run frantically across town and get there just as they lock the doors.
Brunnen_G: It costs $35 to get them to unlock the doors and let my car out after hours.
* Brunnen_G has occasionally met a nice parking attendant who doesn't fuss over five or ten minutes ... but not often.
Brunnen_G: I then have to move the car into another building because there is no free street parking even after normal work hours.
Brunnen_G: Even on a SUNDAY.
RinkChat: User Brunnen_G has been labeled 'WILL bike more' by Brunnen_G.
Brunnen_G: Then I have to run all the way back across town again and get back to work.
* Brunnen_G should stop complaining.
* Brunnen_G should think how greatly a certain parking company has contributed to my fitness.
gremlinn has entered.
Brunnen_G: Ah, another person. I wonder if I can scare this one off as quickly. :-)
gremlinn: heh, just checking what's going on. Not much, I see.
Brunnen_G: No.
gremlinn has left.
Brunnen_G: I think he was here for a couple of extra seconds. I'm hot tonight.
Brunnen_G: Sigh.
Brunnen_G: You know, if it wasn't for the state of Auckland car parking, I wouldn't have such great legs.
RinkChat: User Brunnen_G has been labeled 'hot bod!' by Brunnen_G.
Brunnen_G: Gah... now I sound like Finch...
RinkChat: User Brunnen_G has been labeled 'sort of OK bod' by Brunnen_G.
Brunnen_G: Yeah. Me in bike shorts. Woo hoo! Dream about it!
Stephen has entered.
Brunnen_G: Hello.
Stephen: Hey! Did I ruin your self chat?
Brunnen_G: Heh. Nobody else has yet. They come in, look at me strangely, and leave as quickly as is polite.
Stephen: LOL :)
RinkChat: User Brunnen_G has been labeled 'in bike shorts' by Brunnen_G.
* Brunnen_G bows. This has been a rant on the state of Auckland car parking, brought to you by Brunnen-G. Thank you for your attention.
Brunnen_G has left.
Stephen: Heh.
Stephen: Here in SoCal, parking's okay for right now (at least here... I'm not exactly in LA)
Stephen: Though from what I hear, it's far worse back east
Stephen: Of course, since we have NO mass transit of any kind (our closest attempt is a feeble bus system) we have to drive everywhere
Stephen: Of course, it's not like mass transist would be of any use. We didn't evolve slowly like most places, so we don't have any sort of centralized areas like business districts
Stephen: Virtually every town in my area appeared as a direct result of the railroads. And California exists thanks to several massive population influxes throughout our history (The gold rush of 1849, the land boom of the 1890s...)
Stephen: Of course, with the tremendous availability of land in the whole stupid state, nothing is "planned". Things just appeared. As such, we have no hope for mass transit
Stephen: On the plus side...er, we rule
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