So much for the Mayor's Hotline

Cars (abandoned, broken down, junky, illegal, etc) all manage to find themselves parked right smack dab in front of our house. Now granted we live in a free country and anyone is welcome to park in front of our house - we don't own the city street - but c'mon people there are 50 other spots on the street - park in one of those! I don't know if its because the street light keeps the front of our house well lit or what, but I don't care if people live 10 houses down and there is an open spot to park at in front of their house - they park at ours! On the the next rant.. We had a tan nissan maxium parked in front of our hourse for well over a month. And I love how our city dealt with the issue - they just kept putting parking tickets on the vehicle (we have parking zones in the city and you have to have a sticker displayed in your window to park for more than 2 hours) - So after about the 5th parking ticket (my gut instict if I was the parking lady would be to call someone to tow it, but NO we wouldn't want to do that). So I take matters in to my own hands. Pittsburgh has established this 311 - Mayor Hotline - number that you call to complain, gribe, report, etc to the mayor and he (relatively speaking) is supposed to arrive in his superman costume and rid Pittsburgh of all crime and clean up the city. Riiiiiiiight. So I call the number - get a very nice woman on the phone and explain to her about the abandoned vehicle that has been sitting right outside of my front door for over 2 weeks just collecting parking tickets. After a long conversation explaining parking permits in the city (you work for the city you should know this...right?!) she explains that I can call back after the holidays (which was well over a week away) and see if my order was being processed. Okay, so I know things take awhile - but c'mon HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CALL A TOW TRUCK and have the thing taken away. Well, Craig and I arrive home after being up at the family farm all weekend to see our lovely abandoned vehicle still collecting tickets - as far as I could count there was 10. (I still want to meet this meter maid that thought it was okay to just keep giving tickets and not tell someone that we might have a stolen vehicle or something --- c'mon people we live on the northside. Anywho - Craig calls 911 - which I hate using for these purposes, but we've tried callin the police directly and were promptly told to call 911. Interesting. So about 10 minutes later I see flashing lights and hear the loud noise of a tow truck. I was so excited I ran all over the house and said THEY ARE TOWING THE CAR, THEY ARE TOWING THE CAR! My excitment only lasted the night... this morning we awoke to find a crapper old junker covered in stickers sitting in the towed car's place. I know the owner of the car - I've seen them go into the house 4 doors down --- there was no one parked in front of that house this morning -- just our house! There is a license plate on the front of the junker that says "Pam & Ken" - funny, because I see two teenage boys driving the car. Well, Pam & Ken, park in front of your own house!! I guess I need to turn into the typical burgher and put lawn chairs up to guard the spot in front of my house. And if anyone reading this blog is not from the burgh - you will never realize the importance and sacredness of parking spots in Pittsburgh. I've never seen anything like it. One time when I was renting a house - I came home, it was winter and snowing - the neighbor had obviously shoveled a spot for a car on the street, but it was the only spot open on the street so I parked there --- free country right --- Its a city street. Well, my neighbor knocked on the door and made me move my car!!! YUP!! Craziness. Welcome to the burgh.