Liquid Gold

There's a Tim Horton's across the street from where I work. Beside that is a hotel. In exchange for a monthly contribution on my part, the hotel lets me park in their parking lot without getting towed.

I used to park on the streets, but you have to move your car at least a block every two hours when you park on the streets, or else you get a ticket. Believe me. The parking Nazis take great joy in leaving those tickets tucked into your windshield wipers. I sweated my way through many a meeting, where I couldn't concentrate on the topic at hand because my two hours were up and I knew the parking Nazi was out there writing me out a ticket. And, as much as I hate to have to pay for parking, I hate paying for parking tickets even more.

So, long story short, I park at the hotel beside Tim Horton's while I'm at work. It works out pretty well, except access can be a bit tricky in the mornings. Folks around here love them some Timmies, and the lineups outside of the place can back up well past the parking lot.

This morning, the lineup for Tim's was blocking my access to the hotel parking lot, so I drove around the block and took a back entrance. Walking to the office after I parked, I recognized the cars that I had been following, not even into the Tim's parking lot yet. At the intersection, I saw people turning onto the road, crossing three lanes over and then pulling into the lineup without even blinking. Seriously, there must have been at least 30 cars in that line, but people thought nothing of waiting their turn for their morning Timmies fix.

I think there are six Tim Horton's in this not-so-large city, and they're all backed up as much or more than the one near where I work. Personally, I don't drink coffee, so I don't get it. I will say, though, that I wish I'd have bought their stock before they became so popular.