What is it with these people? I run inside for 10 minutes to take a picture and I get a parking ticket at 9:30 p.m.

Have you experienced the parking Nazis yet? I sure did, and it wasn’t just once. In one week I got two parking tickets for what I thought were ridiculous reasons. The first was because I parked in an undesignated space at 9:30 p.m. and the second came about because I foolishly forgot to switch my work and school parking passes.

I instantly knew that this was going to be the inspiration behind this week’s article. I had nothing but ruthless and awful things to say about my situation so I contacted Nancy Fox, the transportation and parking manager over at UTAPS, to see if I could rid her of her reasoning to enforce parking so strictly.

Then it hit me. What the hell am I thinking? I am the one who should be ridded of ridiculous thoughts. I am trying to gather information to somewhat bash this department and what they stand for all because I am mad they caught me breaking the rules. Ha. Now that’s a funny lead for a story, and one that many can probably relate to.

With a sudden flash of reality, I can objectively view my reaction and, with a little research, am able to understand the reasoning behind the 24-hour parking enforcement.

Were you aware that absolutely no money from the administration is allotted to UTAPS? After speaking with Fox, I discovered that when it comes to employing the “five full-time and seven hourly intermittent parking officers and 22 part-time student assistants” the only revenue available is that generated “from the sale of parking permits.”

I don’t know about you, but I have always been curious why some faculty parking lots are open to students after 4:30 p.m. To me, this seemed to allude that not as many people were on campus; which then led me to question why parking is enforced 24/7 if the last class starts around 8 p.m.? Fox once again made sense of my rambling.

“The decision was made to address safety and security concerns about parking in more remote locations after dark,” Fox said.

Such a rational explanation only confirmed that I am indeed selfish and unreasonable when something happens that I disapprove of.

Why is it that when we get caught doing something we know is wrong, our first instinct is to blame the other person and get tempered? I think this reaction comes from the old saying, “It won’t happen to me.”

Whether you are caught drinking and driving, or parking in a 20-minute parking space for five minutes too long, you took a chance and didn’t get away with it. The fault is no one’s but your own.

Looking back at how I responded to my own mistakes, I can’t help but laugh at myself. To think that I, a rebel in disguise, got so worked up over someone doing everything they are supposed to do. Maybe you’ll think twice before cussing out the person who’s in the right, when you are so foolishly in the wrong. Once the lesson’s learned, the only person you’ll blame is yourself.