I spent the greater part of the week not sleeping well. A bit of work stress, a bit of new car excitement, a lot of PMS.

Last night, I decided to not watch live TV, but to wait to watch SciFi Friday once recorded so I can skip commercials. That, plus the fact that I was seriously yawning by 8:00.

Made it to 10:00 and managed to watch SGA.

SGA stuff:

So not happy with Whingeing!Rodney. He’d grown so much as a character in S1, I didn’t like to see wimpboy. misspamela has a theory, though.

I like it, because the alternative: not pleasant.

I haven’t yet watched SG1 or BSG. Will do so after a few.

How NOT to get parking sticker for new car:

Wednesday evening:
Me: I’m thinking about buying a new car. What do I do to get a parking sticker?
Security Guy#1: take the sticker from the old car and put on the new one then fill out the form with your updated info and you’ll be fine.
Me: Okay. (thinking this is cool)

Thursday evening: (now that I have Big Red)
First woman: oh no, you need a new sticker, because the old one has record of the old car and they’ll weird out and you’ll be towed. But, I can’t find the form so you’ll have to come back. Here, fill out the file card and I’ll put the paperwork on manager’s desk so she can pull the form for you. (takes copy of driver’s license and registration). Is this the permanent registration?
Me: (deciphers question) Yes, my tags moved from old car to new one.
First woman: Oh, right. (In Virginia, the tags go with the owner, not the car. Weird to me, but whatever.) Come back after 8 a.m. and speak to (manager’s name). She’ll know where the forms are.

Friday morning:
Me: Good morning. Blah blah blah forms. Paperwork in manager’s office.
Second woman: First woman is stupid. Here are the forms. Right here. They are always here. Fill them out and the sticker will be ready by this evening. Just tell person that it will be here. (motions to big blue accordion folder behind her). (Sees that there is copy of driver’s license and registration attached to file card.) Oh, you have temp registration? You’ll have to wait until you get your permanent tags.
Me: No, I *have* permanent tags. In Virginia, the tags go with the owner, not the car. This is the real registration and real car license plate number. (frustrated now, as registration *obviously* shows permanent license tag number on it).
Second woman: Oh. Okay. This will be ready tonight.
Me: Okay, thanks.

Friday evening:
Me: Hi, I’m picking up my parking sticker for my new car. It should be in the folder.
Security Guy #2: (searches through 4 forms) Sorry, not here. Let me look in office. (disappears) Nope. Sorry, not there either. What apartment again.
Me: 1005 (sighs)
SG#2: (rifles through papers again) Nope, not here. Do you need a blue tag?
Me: (well, duh. If there are only 4 sets of forms that you’ve already looked at, what makes you think it would have magically appeared? ::looks around for Harry Potter::)
SG#2: (looks at me)
Me: (decipher ‘blue tag’ to mean temporary parking permit) I don’t know. Do I? I have the old sticker on the car and the permanent plates (of which you have a record, I don’t say). (SG#1) said that it would be okay.
SG#2: Oh wow. That’s bad. If we run the sticker # and tags, they will show the old car info. And then they might tow it.
Me: (duh! But dude, I filled out the paperwork with the new car information) Okay. Then I *do* need a blue hang tag?
SG#2: You should come back Monday. They’ll have your sticker ready.
Me: So my car won’t get towed?
SG#2: The sticker will be ready Monday.
Me: (stares at SG#2). Okay, as long as I don’t get towed.

::chickwriter wakes up this a.m. and looks out window. Whew. Big Red is still there.::

I have no earthly clue if/when/how they figure when to run plates against their data, but I won’t be calm about this until I have the new sticker. Although, since I’m parked in a legal space, I don’t really see that they have any need to check. This kind of thing has started happening more often since now, in the afternoons, they only have a part-timer (2nd woman). In her absence, the complex security guys staff the desk. They are *not* in the least competent to do so. Sigh.