A nice, swift kick in the shins by Queen Irony herself

Remember how I told you that I went to the Game On exhibition last Thursday (missing out on a Psych lecture and H2H tute in the process)? Well, to get in for ten dollars, I had to show them my concession card, right? The concession card that I shoved in my jeans’ pocket straight after instead of in my wallet like I should have, so eager I was to…well, get my ‘game on.’ Haha.

The very same concession card that, when I decided to go to the city this fine Sunday morn to see the Egyptian and Near Easten Gallery for a research assignment, was nowhere to be found. Oh well, I thought to myself. I’ll just go to the NGV and I’ll get another concession card form from Flinders Street Station. No big deal. What are the chances that a ticket inspector is going to ask for my ticket today, of all days?

 Except that when I got to Flinders Street Station, the line for Customer Service was so long that I decided to go to the NGV first and then get a concession card form from Melbourne Central Station on my way home instead. Except that one stop after I’d gotten onto the tram, heading toward MC from Flinders Street, who should appear but the Yarra Trams ticket inspectors themselves. Well, shit, Viv. I thought. Nobody usually asks you for a concession card anyway since they usually assume you’re younger. And anyway, I told myself, I’m sure they’re reasonable people and, when you tell them that you lost your concession card just three days ago and that you’re headed to Melbourne Central to get yourself another form, they’ll understand and let you off with a warning, since this is, after all, your first offence.

 Well, guess what. I have 28 days to pay off a whopping $160.00 fine.

And, by the way, they also asked me what colour my concession card was. And I said red because, heck, it sure as hell looked red to me. I’m not that awesome with differentiating between colours, no sirree, and sometimes I even get mixed up between blue and purple. But no, a red ticket, I’ve been informed, means that it’s expired. Well, I’m SORRY people, but the 2006 red and the 2008 pink that they used for the concession cards look the same to me!

The funny thing is that I’d only just finished helping a friend of mine draft some totally BS story for the Department of Infrastructure about her own fine. (She got off on a warning, by the way.) 

The moral of the story, kids is:

1) Don’t skip class. It will definitely be far more trouble than it’s worth. If I’d just gone to that lecture and tutorial, all of this would never have happened, and I probably wouldn’t even be sick.
2) Always, always carry your concession card (or a full fare ticket) because those inspectors will pounce. They’ve got to bring food home to their families somehow, don’t they? They can smell fear, believe me. 😛
3)  Those people on Yarra Trams should die.  Learn to drive.

By the way, even though I’m complaining, I guess I can see where they’re coming from. I mean, it is their job and I didn’t have a concession card, and to them I probably just looked like yet another person trying to cheat the system. But, heck, I’m a good person! I try to return my library books on time and, when I don’t, I pay my fines! I give money to the poor, and always keep spare change ready for whenever people come around with those overpriced fundraising boxes of chocolates!

Le sigh…the only thing to do now is pay that darn fine and laugh. 🙂

That’s my story for the day. Over and out!

By the way, since I lost my concession card, I’m now going to have to fill out the form for a new one…does anybody know where I go to get a signature for that bit where it requires some university official or whatever to sign it?