Since it was forecasted to be really hot yesterday and today (100F), I decided to drive in to work both days.  Taking the train in the heat is a nightmare.  Since mine is completely underground, it's hot and it really stinks when the temps rise.  Anyway, when I drive in I park across the street (south) of my building.  It's cheaper than parking in the building where my office is, and it takes debit cards, credit cards and cash, so I don't have to carry money with me like I do if I park in the building ($10/day cash only, you have to arrive before 9am, leave after 1pm for that "earlybird" rate too!).  So after work, I walked across the street and to the payment machine (it's like a big vending machine) and I found a Mercedes parked right in front of it (not a parking space), with some dude in the passenger seat with his feet up on the dashboard and a woman, probably in her 50's, at the machine.  Yelling at it.  Cussing at it.  Asking it why it was so expensive.  She did this for at least 10 minutes, then pushed the button to call for assistance, where she proceeded to yell at, cuss at and berate the woman trying to help her.  The best part is, she kept saying "why is it so fucking expensive?  This is bullshit, why the fuck do I have to pay so much goddamn money?" over and over again.  Then she added that she's unemployed, waiting for her unemployment check, has no money and that it was too fucking expensive.  When the attendant asked her if she had her parking validated she said, "of course I had the fucking ticket validated.  I just ate at Arnie Morton's and they validated it".  Okay, you drive a Mercedes and just ate at Morton's (where my boss had also just eaten lunch to the tune of $280 for three people), you're rude and loud...I don't feel that bad for you.  She was on the security camera the whole time and I don't think she was going to get a lot of sympathy from an attendant shut in an office down in the basement of a parking garage.  She ended up paying the money with her credit card and cussing at everyone the whole time, jamming her finger over and over on the buttons.  I just stood there, looking at my shoes, at the garage, at traffic outside, etc.  The weird part is, the dude in the car didn't do anything, apart from near the end of the ranting, when he said "Hey you shouldn't cuss".  All of this went on for over 15 minutes, in the heat.  I couldn't wait to get out of there!

I left, drove home, opened all of the windows, turned on all the fans, showered, washed my hair, put on shorts and a t-shirt and tried to keep cool for the rest of the afternoon/evening.  It's October!  When I was growing up, October meant lot's of wind (kite flying!) and crossing your fingers that it doesn't rain on Halloween and ruin trick-or-treating.

Probably more of the same today (without the rude lady).  I think I need to go to Rite Aid or CVS on the way home.  I hate running errands on the way home when it's hot outside.  My car stays cool while I'm at work since it's in a parking structure, but if I run errands, it gets all hot and gross, so I get all hot and gross..... plus I get home later.  Maybe I can get out a couple of minutes earlier so I can still get home at the same time......  Getting home after 4pm sucks!  I've been averaging walking through the door around 3:50pm if I drive and there's no traffic, a couple minutes after 4pm if I take the train.  I'd say that I'm spoiled, but since I get up really early and am at work by about 5am, I'm not.  Actually, I made a promise to myself, that if I ever had a good reason, I'd change my work hours to going in later and going home at the same time so that I worked a normal number of hours every day (10+ hours every day is way too much when you don't get overtime).  As of yet, I don't have a good reason. LOL.   :-)