Skipper, Broke Ass Weekend, Working The System

As you may be aware, Skipper went to vet 2 Friday. A small chunk of skin was removed, and stitches were installed.

And there is a new bag of expensive cat food. Some sort of "low allergen" special cat food.

So it looks like the allergy theory is back on the table! Or something. Maybe the skin biopsy thing will test for allergies. Who knows.

I so know one thing. The weekend is here. And the Waverunner needs to be modified. There is this feature called the "visibility spout". This is a stream of water that shoots up out of the rear platform when the engine is running.

The purpose of this stream is to make you more visible on the water. And it does that - the stream shoots up a good 20 feet or more.

BUT.......

If the wind is behind you, and you are not going fast enough, the stream soaks you. It also makes life difficult for those following you.

So for around 5 bucks I got two nylon fittings and a PVC ball valve. Now all I have to do is cut the visibility spout hose, then install the nylon fittings and the PVC valve. Then I can turn the spout on or off at will.

This weekend will probably not be too terribly exciting. Nothing is planned. I am broke. Got no money. No money with which to do anything with. I do not know if I even have quarters for the parking meter.

Speaking of parking - here is a tip for all you Dade County people!!!

Parking at the Metrorail stations is FREE! Yes, free. You can pay the $4 if you want, but it is optional.

And I opt to not pay.

The last 10 times I used the train, I did not pay. Now if you consider that had I paid, it would be $40 in parking fees.

A parking ticket is $15 or $16.

Now doing some math, it becomes clear that if you get away with not paying 4 times, and get busted on the 5th time - you are money ahead!!! Here is how the math works.

Cost of paying to park 5 times at $4 a pop = $20
Cost of a paring ticket = $16.

By NOT paying, you are ahead $4!!!! HA!!! $4!! That is a whole pint of beer at Titanic!! It is like getting said pint of beer for FREE!!!!

My advice is to pick a station with a large parking garage. These have a lot of parking spaces. The parking garage at Dadeland Station Mall is something like 14 floors and has a gazillion parking spaces. So to get a ticket there, the parking dude has to first find out which spaces are paid and which are not paid. To do this he has to get out of the car, walk into the station, fiddle with the machine, get back in the car, then drive through the station checking EVERY SPACE.

Now if you were the paring dude - would you do this? Would you really??

My experience says no. No you will not.

The South Miami station is also good. The parking garage is smaller, but there are still a lot of spaces. Avoid stations like UM and Coconut Grove and others with no garage and only about 100 parking spots. Your chances of getting busted are greater.

But I did get away with parking at the UM station last time.

As I said, I have done this some 10 times, for a net savings of $40. That is a pretty respectible bar tab at Titanic. At least 10 beers - not counting tax and tip.

Even if I get a parking ticket the next two times, I am still money ahead.

And THAT is how you work the system to your advantage, and pocket some money in the process!!!

Next week - how to score a FREE FARE on the train!!! This involves getting someone to dress up like Elvis, so you can say to the Wackenhut guard "Look! There is Elvis!!!!" - and when they look you can jump the turnstyle and run up the escalator.

Works every time.