I learn a lesson in humility or something.

The 'or something' is what I was trying to describe to some friends the other night. I am susceptible to the throes of euphoria. They tell me I am nuts, that whatever money I've spent on counseling has been wasted, that such talk is ridiculous and beneath me and several other things that were not as nice. My point was that when I am really happy, full of joy, euphoric, I get a little blind to reality. I don't see things as clear as I ought to and that disaster sometimes follows.

I use the example of my losing my keys on Marathon Sunday. I was at the top of the world so happy, so happy that I really didn't double check my bag's zipper. And there was that other time, my friend's eyes glaze over, but I think I am on to something but that's not what this is about, it's about the ticket.

The Ticket is for parking on a pedestrian ramp, the kind of slanted cut made in a sidewalk, usually at a corner, so that wheelchairs and persons with walkers can negotiate through the neighborhood. The fine is $165.oo US. I should blow up the particular line, but take my word for it, it's the biggest fine on the piece of paper. I could have parked next to a fire hydrant and paid less ($115) or been caught standing in Commercial Metered Parking Spot, whatever that is, and paid way less.($95)

My liberal side says "Good, you parked in a place meant to aid the handicapped for crying out loud, you should pay." while my conservative side says.... wait, I don't have a conservative side. What kills me. What ticks me off. What bugs me, is that I had not one but two chances to avoid paying. One was to listen to the passing stranger. Yeah. I blew that off (pompous ass).

The second, and now to my mind more important, chance was when I went down in the morning to take the shot of the car, chortling all the way. It was about seven thirty am. There was NO ticket on the car, and, HERE IS THE DENSE PART, I looked right at the yellow paint on the slant in the sidewalk and, because I was blinded by the throes of euphoria [are we back to that already??] I didn't move the car. I could have. I could have taken it around the block a couple of times and re-parked it. but Nooooooo.

So I beat myself up for about an hour over this. I had planned to go down to mid-town and buy some new running tights and a jacket. I've been freezing on the morning runs. Now I was in hock to the city for One hundred and Sixty five smackers which ironically enough was just about what I was going to spend on the gear. I started the car and put the defroster on Depths of Hell and scraped the ice and snow off on the windshield all while whining and berating myself and trying to think of some interesting way of getting out of paying.

"Your honor, the placement of the said pedestrian rank is in such manner... ."

I thought for a minute about covering the ramp with snow, and claiming there was no way for me to see it. "As this photo will show, your grace, the amount concealing the said pedestrian ramp was of such sufficiency as to prevent me from... ."

But as I walked out of the Hertz garage and headed for the subway, it hit me. These things happen. Not very profound, but true. These things happen and pay you do and then you move on. SO, I am going to take my lunch for the next two months instead of chowing down at the local eatery (Depression hits local business, sales way off for two months!!!) and I went to the sports stuff store and bought the tights and jacket.

I had a really good week at the gym, and with the new clothes the morning run there was a pleasure, a joy, but not euphoric.