We left a valid forwarding address with the post office (my parent's address) so we could take care of any last details with my school. First thing that happens after the new year is we get a notice saying that we need to pay an "excise tax" for owning a car in MA for the year of 2005. Screw you. You just try and boot my car from 3,000 miles away, you just try. And oh? What? I can't renew my MA drivers license? Awesome, I never had one, so I don't care. To the garbage with you!
Next came the notice of an overdue parking ticket. Huh? Please note that it came to my parent's address and was from a collections agency. The only parking ticket we ever got in Boston (and only having one the entire time we were there is pretty much my biggest accomplishment) I actually went down to the parking office in person and paid in cash. Ding ding ding! Based on the date of the ticket, that would be the one they are talking about. I write them an oh so polite (no really) letter clearly making the following points:
#1 I paid the ticket, I paid in cash. I went in PERSON.
#2 Please understand that this ticket is almost a year old, I did keep the payment reciept for about 4 months, but then when I moved cross country, taking only what I could fit in my car, I tossed it figuring that if nothing had come of it by now, I was pretty safe. (stupid me)
#3 I never moved when I was in Boston, and when I left, I gave a forwarding address. AKA, I was not hard to find. Why did it take this long to contact me? And why was collections used before I even got a notice?
#4 Please do not send any more mail to my parents house, I do not live there, here is my new address...blah blah blah
So this is the gist of the letter I get back (sent right to my PARENT'S house, nonetheless),
Dear Sir or Madame,
Please send us a copy of the cancelled check you sent, or the original cash receipt before you incur further fines.
Love, Boston
Wow. Did you even *read* my letter? Sure doesn't look that way. Seeing as you didn't even put my name on it. I. Hate. You. Boston.
So I'm writing them back asking them to actually read the letter and back off my Kool Aid before I snap and fly back east just to kick random Bostonite's asses. Basically it doens't look good for me seeing as I don't have any hard proof that I paid. But really, how long are you supposed to hold onto a freaking ticket receipt? Luckily the fine isn't for too much (maybe the cost of my phone bill), but it's really the principal of double paying because your dumbass government workers don't know how to input data into the computers. Besides, I'm poor, I'm a student, I need that money for, I don't know, living?
Please don't flame me if you love Boston. I understand, I had a lot of friends that LOOOOOOOOOOOVED living there and loved the Sox and blueberry beer and etc.... I can handle your love. Please handle my burning hatred.