Tuesday, I got a speeding ticket. I could swear that there's just no way I was going as fast as the nice mister police officer man said I was, but that's what everybody always says. $128 for The Man. Damn the Man!

Wednesday, I got a parking ticket. Honestly, good Lawkeeping folk, what do you want of me? In a rational universe, driving too fast and not driving at all should be mutually exclusive. Or, at least I shouldn't get busted for them in the same week. It was a totally bogus charge, too. I am a good citizen. I usually put a little extra in the meter, to cover 10:50ish to 4:05ish. I had to stay a little late at the bookstore, and didn't actually get to the parking lot till 4:10. The ticket said it was written at 4pm. Do I sound like a raving paranoid if I say the cop must have been specifically watching my car, to write a ticket the very instant my meter ran out? Cuz that's exactly what happened. That's only gonna be 5 bucks, but it still rankles.

Also Wednesday, D. said the brakes in the car were making strange noises. Brakes are one of those things it's best to have looked at before the funny noises turn into the not quite so funny noises of me screaming as the car plummets off a cliff. There are no cliffs that I pass in my normal drives around town, but you know what I mean. Thursday, I paid $238 for new brakes.

For a few brief moments this week, I was happy about the finances. August is a five-payday month for D, and I figured I could use the extra to stop feeling behind on everything, and maybe even finally replace the PSII before it gives out entirely. But noooooo! Stupid police. Stupid brakes. Stupid God.

(I am writing this in WordPad, because Diaryland was being funky a minute ago, and erasing everything as soon as I was two or three sentences in. It occurs to me now that perhaps God is paying more attention than I'm giving him credit for. Um...I love you, God. Keep up the good work, you're doing an all around aces job. Now can I pretty please get this entry submitted? Oh, and if in your infinite mercy, you could stop with the financial smiting of yours truly, I'd appreciate it.)

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