When I wrote this list I had fully intended for this to my the very last thing I did on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. But, as fate would have it, I was summoned to court to pay this shiny $100.00 ticket by March 15, or there would be (yes, I am not exaggerating) "a warrant for my arrest".

I paid it. But reluctantly and bitterly. Let me tell you why...

I spent the day in Vancouver a few months back doing this shoot for Earthcycle. It was really a fantastic day. I shot the product in the morning, then head shots for CEO Shannon Boase, and then she took me out for lunch at a cute little cafe down the road. I had intended on having dinner at my dad's place after the busy day and to wait out the rush hour traffic and then I'd head home to Chilliwack after that.

When finished shooting for the day I went to my dad's and hung out for an hour or so before he got home from work. He asked if I had parked where he told me to, and I said yes. He told me that my car wasn't there and I thought he was joking. But he wasn't. We walked up and down the street (my heart racing a mile a minute thinking that my car had been stolen - luckily I had taken my camera gear into the apartment or I think I would have had a heart attack right there in the alley!). We came to find out after a call to the police (and several transfers later...) that my car had just been towed. So, PTL that we knew where it was. But I wasn't happy about the $70 towing fee.

We had dinner, drove across Vancouver to go pick up my car, paid the towing fee, and I was on my way home. I should interject here that this "spot" that my dad had told me to park in was fine. There was someone in it when I had driven by in the morning and there was someone parked there right after my car was towed. My dad had even parked in this very spot for a month or so when he first moved into the apartment. So, it's not like I was in the fire lane or handicap spot! It was a tried-and-true spot!

So, I drive home. On the way home (when cell phones were still legal to talk on while driving) I called my mom and told her that I felt like my tires were out of alignment and suspected that the towing company had wrecked something on my car. Well, I found out about 30 minutes up the highway that it was actually a leak in my tire and just outside of town my tire blew out.

I was stranded on the side of the highway. I had done a photo shoot during the day so I was only wearing my nice dress top and didn't have a warm jacket with me (It was November. Yes, I should have known better.) My cell phone was on it's last bar of battery power. My husband was at home with our sleeping son and I was driving our only vehicle. But the absolute worst part of all was this: it was dark out. If you know me well you will know this about me; I am scared of the dark. No, scared doesn't even explain it. I am paranoid of the dark. Ask my husband and he can attest to the fact that I have had panic attacks while walking a trail after the sun had set. I blame my poor night vision, but really I don't know where this ridiculous fear came from and that night was not the night I was going to overcome it.

So there I was. Freezing. No cell. Imaging the wolves coming out of the ditch and eating me alive (I was told to wait beside the car when stranded, not in the car. Not sure the logic: get eaten by wolves or possibly get hit by another car. I think I'll take my chances in the car next time!)

So another tow truck came after waiting outside for what seemed like 2 hours, but was over half an hour. Another $70 lost.

And I got home ten minutes to midnight.

Now tell me, would you feel you should have to pay that parking ticket after the night I had?!

A few weeks later Jamie and I went out for dinner at a new local pub. The parking lot was full, as were all of the surrounding side streets. We picked somewhere that looked safe. Turns out it wasn't. You can add $30 to the cost of going out to dinner.

So, with the fact that I had to pay my $100 or go to jail, and the fact that I'd have to pay this petty $30 before I renewed my licence this August anyway, I figured I might as well pay them together and be done with it. So I did.

But I wasn't happy about it.