Parallel Parking

I have always been very good at parallel parking.  I don't do much of it anymore because most places have pull-in parking.  This morning I went to the library and saw a nice shady spot on the street with a fairly good sized space between two cars, so I thought I'd try it for old time's sake.  I did ok and parked the car, but when I got out and looked at the curb side I saw that I should have been closer to the curb.  My depth perception is just about gone, so I doubt I'll try anything but pull-in parking again.

I returned a bunch of books  and checked out 3 more that I had requested; when I got back to my car and started driving home I realized I couldn't find my sunglasses.  Since they are Serengetti glasses and rather expensive, I turned around and went back to the library but to no avail.  I have groped around the entire front seat and floor area of my car, and dumped my purse to make sure, and can't find them at all.  Dang, that makes me mad.

Before that I stopped at a local credit union ATM as I was going to go to Target, and I definitely don't use a debit or credit card at Target anymore.  In fact, I've heard warnings about the grocery I shop at as well as other local stores.  There is a credit union affiliated with my (out-of-town) credit union and I don't get charge a fee to use their ATM, but I decided it would cost me in fuel to drive all the way to that one.  I ended up using the closest ATM and got charged $2.50 for my withdrawal.  I think that is highway robbery, and next time I'll make it a point to drive the few extra miles.  What really pisses me off is that it is a credit union and I think they should all honor the others' cards.

The issue with credit and debit cards really makes me uneasy.  The latest news I heard was that the same Russian/eastern European hackers who scammed Target customers last year is now doing another round of it.   For me, using cash is the best way to deal with it; I've been doing just that for a couple of years now with only a few exceptions, and I like it better than the card.  Using a card, punching in pin numbers, and hitting all the buttons required to complete the transaction is not easier than pulling out a $20 bill or whatever it takes.  The market just tells you it is easier to use the card because they probably know their customers spend more when they don't have to part with the cold cash.

I'm off my soapbox about debit cards and ATM machines now.

I woke up an hour earlier this morning and decided to stay up, and to go to bed an hour earlier.  If I do that for a few days it will make it easier for me to get up in the ungodly hour of the morning on the day I travel to NY, and it might ease the jet lag.  I haven't experienced real jet lag for several years now since I usually travel on the ground at a leisurely pace.