This is another sky. For which I apologize. It’s too easy to take pictures of. I sort of feel like I’m copping out every time I take a shot. I’ve been half-heartedly uploading more things to flickr, but this inconvenient creative block has set in. Give it time.

Crystal Castles, on an unrelated note, is worth a listen. They were featured on Sudsonbleeker, and for good reason. Go forth and check them out.

Aaand the parking meter saga has come to an end. August 8th was the final hearing, which my attorney attended in my stead. (He did not call me afterwards, and did not answer my call to find out what happened.) The court fee was paid off today, which felt… no, not good, but it’s over and resolve is a good thing. This theoretically should have been over yesterday, but several things prevented that from happening.

The first time I was over at Branch 23, back in March, the attorney took me to the Social Services office to find out how to go about paying the fees. So, this is where I returned. Yesterday, the day I had worked out with a rep from the Branch on the phone last month, seeing as I couldn’t pay it in person by the original due date.

Could have sworn he said cash was alright on the phone, but apparently not. Money orders only. This required a visit to something of a low-income urban area (carrying a non-trivial amount of cash), in order to purchase a money order in the correct denomination.

It occurs to me that I’m trying to make this sound slightly dramatic, and it’s really not.

Got back to the branch office, only to find that the person I had talked to earlier had left for the day. A new guy looked up my record, and informed me that, while there were no fees listed on record, he would go check with some other office in the building. Surprise – the fees actually did exist. But please, come back tomorrow when the paperwork is ready and on-hand.

And so, I made the trip back today. A hispanic chased me out of the parking lot I used last time, and the security guards at the door confiscated my industrial Sharpie. (One of them almost took my spork, but the other pointed out that the tines were really quite dull, and what was he could he possibly do with it anyway?)

But – got the fees paid. It took them half an hour to sort out what was going on, granted, but they’re paid.

So. Nearly five months and more than a thousand dollars later, it’s over. My only souvenir (not counting the new and shiny criminal record, which will be around for the next five years) is the original misdemeanor complaint, which I shall reproduce below for your entertainment.

P.O. Seigera #15371, complainant, now appears before the Circuit Court of Cook County and states the following:

That: BOWEN ISAAC of 3241 S WABASH CHGO IL has, on or about 30 MAR 08, at the location of 2250 N CALIFORNIA CHICAGO IL COOK COUNTY, committed the offense(s) of THEFT UNDER $300.00 in that s/he KNOWINGLY OBTAINED UNAUTHORIZED CONTROL OVER PROPERTY OF A CITY OF CHICAGO PARKING METER #4870 HAVING A TOTAL VALUE OF UNDER $300.00, INTENDING TO DEPRIVE THE CITY OF CHICAGO PERMANENTLY OF THE USE/BENEFIT OF THE PROPERTY in violation of 720 Illinois Compiled Statues 5/16-1(a)(a)

And then it goes on a bit with signatures and things.

I think “knowingly obtained unauthorized control” is somewhat unreasonable. Considering that I neither hacked the parking meter from the pavement, nor strong-armed it from its base, but merely saw it lying innocuously off to the side of the road, quite free of any… well, it doesn’t matter anymore. Forget it.

… I have really no idea how to react to the whole situation. It’s preposterous. On every level. Down to the hispanic who wouldn’t let me park today.

Bah. What do you do.

Happy Wednesday.