The Next 48 Hours (*Not Starring Eddie Murphy)

Yeah, whatever…

So, I called the police dept. yesterday after having learned the official reason for my car being towed. The officer I spoke with informed me that a) he had NO idea why my car had been towed, b) the officer that had my car towed didn’t fill out a ‘stolen plates’ report like he was SUPPOSED to have, c) they don’t HAVE my old plates – only the stolen ones that had been switched for mine and d) I have to get NEW plates.

‘Well, that’s just fabulous! NOW what do I do?!’

The officer then explains to me that I’m going to have to call the police (uhhh, OKAY) and then an officer will come over and properly file a stolen plates report. Then I’ll have to go to the DOL, show them the report and get NEW plates. I ask why he can’t help dispatch an officer to help with the report and he informs me I need to call back to the non-emergency line. (Ummm, that’s the number I called in the FIRST place…I was currently talking to an officer on the non-emergency line!)

Okay – so I really wasn’t up for pointlessly arguing with the officer. If he’s gonna tell me to hang up from the non- emergency line and then CALL IT BACK, well, WHATEVER. Fine. That’s what I’ll do.

So, I called the non-emergency line to have an officer come out… What a FABULOUS idea. I wish I woulda thought of it…

While I’m waiting for the officer to show up, I make a little food and hang out for a bit. While I’m eating and hanging out, my brother Ryan called from the middle of the ocean! Due to his job, he’s currently out in the middle of nowhere – somewhere off the coast of Portugal. (Well, okay, I guess that’s not ‘nowhere’, but whatever…) Anyway – he doesn’t get a chance to call very often, so it was great to hear from him! However, all the while I KNOW the cop is gonna show up any minute…

Just as I thought would happen, we’re right in the middle of an important bit of conversation when the cop shows up. Crap. I had to hang up with my brother – who I don’t get to talk to very often – in order to deal with a LAME ASS situation that should’ve never happened in the first place…LAME!!

As it was, the officer that showed up was actually pretty cool. She even commented a few times that the officer who had my car towed was basically an idiot. AND that he didn’t fill out the paperwork as it should have been filled out. (So I’d heard…) She helped me fill everything out properly and advised me to contest the tow fees, etc. She even told me a story about a guy in the area who gets cars towed and then sues the city for ‘loss of use.’ Crazy. Not that I’m looking for a new line of work – Getting my car towed twice in two months IS ENOUGH.

And now, I have in my hot little hand the ticket to DOL success – The PROPERLY filed ‘stolen plates’ report. OH – and I find out that I have to PAY for my new plates. COOL! I was also informed that there’s currently some sort of license plate stealing crime SPREE that’s going on in my sleepy, little neighborhood. Great.

So today, I AGAIN spent my lunch dealing with all of this crap. I made the trek up scenic Aurora to again visit the DOL. They know me now – we’re old friends! I get the new plates and tabs and I head back to my apartment to IMMEDIATELY install them. Even though the 3 day trip permit is still good, I just don’t trust the beat cops in my neighborhood anymore.

When I try to install the plates, I realize that either the cop or the thief had ripped the old plate off of my car, and now the screw holes are stripped. Fabulous. Yeah, and I am SUCH a handy person and I am SO good at dealing with this kind of crap… (Not) Well, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do, so I went and found some bigger screws and a couple of tools… I was actually able to install the rear plate, which is the most important, but I didn’t have any luck on the front plate. YAY! And as my lunch hour was totally over by that time, I HAD to get back to work. Therefore, I get to come home after playing a gig tonight and try and install the FRONT plate on the stupid car. WOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Okay. That’s good for now. Carry on.