What Should I Do With This Parking Boot?

[Wiglaf]

Long story short I parked my car at a university garage thinking that I would be allowed to park there because I was speaking to a conservative student group, at their invitation and upon my request, without any form of compensation.

So what could go wrong? I get $200 and a free lunch and get out, right? I was MISTAKEN, a fact that became all too clear when I returned to my vehicle with one of the students and spotted a parking boot located on its rear left tire, because I had committed some form of parking violation sideways.

IF ZIP CAR HEARD ABOUT THIS MY MEMBERSHIP WOULD BE FINISHED. I had TWO HOURS to return the car or that would be STRIKE THREE FOR MY ACCOUNT, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN SUSPENDED TWICE EVEN THOUGH I USED THEIR CORPORATE CODEWORD (For those not in the know, a corporate codeword is a word you use to indicate you are a relative of the company's owner/board chair/etc to get the operator to do what you want, WHICH IN THE CASE OF ZIP CAR IS "ORANGEBALL" IN CASE ANYONE WANTS TO CALL IN AND GET THEM TO DETONATE EVERY ****ING ZIP CAR IN THE ****ING COUNTRY WHICH I RECOMMEND BASED ON MY EXPERIECNE WITH THESE DOUCHEBAGS SEE BELOW THANKS).

The student with me offered to make the boot go away and I accepted, foolishly because I had no idea whether he would damage the car and because it's never wise to trust men who wear shorts. Within about 20 minutes he was back with some tools, messed around with the hubcaps and took the boot off and put it in my trunk.

I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS SETTLED UNTIL I GOT A PHONE CALL A FEW HOURS LATER FROM A UNIVERSITY OFFICIAL TELLING ME SAMWISE TOLD THEM EVERYTHING, AND THEY ARE CALLING ZIPCAR TO CANCEL MY MEMBERSHIP AND THAT I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO DRIVE THEIR SMARTCARS EVER AGAIN.

http://media.treehugger.com/assets/i...-car-image.jpg

I have never been kicked out of anything, not the National Honors Society, not Phi Beta Cappa and DEFINITELY NOT A GOD DAMN CAR SERVICE.

Now look I STILL HAVE THE PARKING BOOT. I can guess where the university president's car is parked. I know MATH ISN'T YOU PEOPLE'S STRONG SWEETS, BUT I NEED SOME ADVICE ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH THIS BOOT.

[SlowwHand]

Priceless.

Sell it for scrap metal and deny all knowledge.

[H Tower]

Seeing as how the Uni police know who you are already, and that you have their boot, I recommend returning it to them as undamaged as possible. Pay your ticket and be thankful you got this resolved without a collection agency coming after you. Because that is what university cops will do to you. They can't chase you down to collect or threaten jail time, they sell your ticket to a collection agency.

[Wiglaf]

Why don't I just say I never saw a boot and that the kid has it? That way when I place it on the president's car they will expel him. Inter Arma Among Theives Silent Leges?

[gribbler]

What does the collection agency do? Annoying phone calls?

[H Tower]

Try explaining that to the collection agency just before they start ruining your credit.

[Wiglaf]

My credit is impeccable. How can they ruin it over a ticket I never got?

[SlowwHand]

This would be more of a problem if it was the worst problem you had, which it isn't; and some that are worse, you don't even recognize. Don't sweat this.

[Wiglaf]

Is the boot going to detonate or something? What are you not telling me.

[SlowwHand]

Yes, it's actually a terrorist boot. Their latest and greatest idea.

[rah]

I'm surprised everyone missed the obvious.
Return the zip car, then pay the smarmy kid to put the boot back on. Deny deny deny.

[Tuberski]

The obvious is him doing the speech without compensation, but getting $200 to do it. Use the $200 non compensation and pay the fine.

ACK!

[Dr Strangelove]

Give the boot to the President of the club you were speaking to and tell him that if he doesn't fix this you'll see to it that his club never gets another nationally known conservative celebrity of your stature again to talk at their luncheons. Tell him that if he doesn't fix this he's going to wind up eating next to friggin' Joe Biden!

[-Jrabbit]

People, you're missing the important bit here.

Wiggy, you're Phi Beta Kappa? Doesn't that mean your degree is in the liberal arts & sciences?

[Asher]

People, you're missing the important bit here.

Wiggy, you're Phi Beta Kappa? Doesn't that mean your degree is in the liberal arts & sciences?

Isn't that well known?

No Republican studies anything challenging in school.

[Ben Kenobi]

No Republican studies anything challenging in school.

Physics > programming.

Do you ever tire of being wrong Asher?

[Asher]

Physics > programming.

Do you ever tire of being wrong Asher?

If I had a degree in programming, you'd have a point.

Programming wasn't taught past CompSci 101.

You also didn't even get a physics degree. It was too hard for you...

[Hauldren Collider]

Isn't that well known?

No Republican studies anything challenging in school.

*ahem*

<<< Computer Science student

[Ben Kenobi]

You also didn't even get a physics degree. It was too hard for you...

Who said anything about earning a degree? You said, and I quote:

No Republican studies anything challenging in school.

I took quite a few very challenging courses in my years of university. Yes, I switched majors in third year after ranking 7th of a class of 30 in the honors physics and astronomy program at UBC. I passed, but struggled that entire year. The 6 who went on did very well for themselves, and no the gap was not small between me and them. That is why I switched.

I don't see much shame in being the last cut from a difficult program. I could have been like you and shied away from doing anything really difficult and challenging myself.

[Asher]

*ahem*

<<< Computer Science student

I was right-wing at your age, too. If you have an analytical mind, you'll come around with time.

[Asher]

Who said anything about earning a degree? You said, and I quote:

It was said in the context of degrees, you ****ing idiot...

This is why you can't have a real degree.

[Ben Kenobi]

Also isn't KH a republican?

[Asher]

How can he be? He's not even American.

[Ben Kenobi]

It was said in the context of degrees, you ****ing idiot...

And yet you shied away from using the term 'degree' in your post. Odd that. If you meant 'degree' then you should have used the word 'degree'.

[Ben Kenobi]

How can he be? He's not even American.

Well, if you aren't equating 'conservative' = 'republican', that's a rather terrible argument.

[Asher]

I don't see much shame in being the last cut from a difficult program. I could have been like you and shied away from doing anything really difficult and challenging myself.

I do difficult things and challenge myself every ****ing day, Ben. I've got a technical team of over 35 people reporting to me (including those with MSc and PhDs) and I'm 28 years old. Do you think I get to do that by not doing anything difficult or challenging? I'm successful because that's exactly what I do -- seek out challenges and distinguish myself.

Meanwhile, what do you do? You study something difficult but transfer out when it got too tough to an arts degree. Then you move to the US to tutor indoctrinated children at some private Christian school in Texas? What the **** kind of challenge is that?

[Ben Kenobi]

I was right-wing at your age, too. If you have an analytical mind, you'll come around with time.

Interesting, so Asher finally admits that he's a liberal.

[Asher]

Well, if you aren't equating 'conservative' = 'republican', that's a rather terrible argument.

Oh, sweet sodomizing Jesus, you are so ****ing stupid...

[Asher]

Interesting, so Asher finally admits that he's a liberal.

I'm a centrist, not a liberal. To Texans, I'm sure I'd look liberal...but that's because they're overwhelmingly right wing. I did vote for the Conservatives last time around (though I probably won't do that next time).

I was legitimately right wing long ago, as some here probably remember.

[Ben Kenobi]

I do difficult things and challenge myself every ****ing day, Ben. I've got a technical team of over 35 people reporting to me (including those with MSc and PhDs) and I'm 28 years old. Do you think I get to do that by not doing anything difficult or challenging? I'm successful because that's exactly what I do -- seek out challenges and distinguish myself.

When was the last time you tried anything outside of your rather narrow and restricted field? You've expressed contempt - many times, for disciplines that you've never studied while shouting down those who have studied both. Personally, I think your philosophy of education is rather sad. You went to school, got a piece of paper with your name on it, but you might well have never attended for all the good it did you.

Meanwhile, what do you do? You study something difficult but transfer out when it got too tough to an arts degree. Then you move to the US to tutor indoctrinated children at some private Christian school in Texas? What the **** kind of challenge is that?

I teach a class of 15 middle school students in history.

For a deaf person? Pretty difficult, actually. I'm not aware of anyone else who is a deaf teacher teaching hearing students successfully.