come on... MAN UP!

oh my lord... oh my goodness
how does this happen?
who raised these people?
who employees these people

last week I drove to work twice
my back was such that riding was not an option... so I drove
the first time I parked on the street and fed the meter
for some reason I dread using the pay parking facilities
those operations always leave me feeling a bit funny

so after a day of stepping out of the office to my car every few hours to feed the meter or move the car I decided I would do the adult thing and park in one of the many parking garages in the city
not thinking any was different than the other I opted for the first parking option that presented itself... this being less than a block from my office door

I handed over my keys and my car and went off to work
I felt like a business man
none of this silly bicycle stuff
I am traveling by car and paying for parking
I am walking out of my house and into my office wearing the same clothing that I am going to wear all day!

the day went by and when it was finally time for me to leave the office I left the fluorescent glow of my cube for the darkness of the outside world
it may not have been late... but it was already dark... as is the the way things go during this season
darkness around me I went to the parking garage and passed off my ticket to the valet

as I waited I saw a clearance sign that read 6'2"
before I could guess-timate the height of my Honda Element with roof rack my car was rolling past me and parked a few feet in front of me

I walked around and paid the man and even gave him a buck for a soda
there was a pleasant exchange as I wished him a happy holiday
I felt so regular driving my car to work

in the darkness I drove home and parked on the street out front of my house only to abandon the use of my car and revert to the bike in the days to come

now... I am not sure if it was the next day or the day after
but I was on the phone looking at the cold world outside my window when I noticed something on my car was askew
my roof rack was off
without having to make a close inspection I could see that my roof rack was broken and torn from its connection to my car
I ended my phone call and went out to survey the situation

sure enough... my roof rack was f_cked!

I did not need any incarnation of Sherlocks Holmes to deduce what had happened here
no... no need for an Oscar winning performance by Robert Downey Junior here
it seemed clear to me that the valet at the car part by my office had f_cked up my roof rack

the damage was pretty solid
it would not be possible for this level of contact to occur without the driver taking notice
but why... why if this happened... why would the person who parked the car not man up and alert me to the damage then allow their business insurance to cover the damage?

honestly... it looks like the rack took the greatest damage
how much damage? it has really been too cold for me to trouble shoot
part of me is in denial
another part of me is willing to ignore it for a breath or two
as there is no need to get my heart rate up
and well
I just replaced my windshield and am not looking for any more car related expenses

so...
here I am at work today and I am about to tell this story to a co-worker
before I can tell my tale... I allow him to tell his

a similar situation of leaving work and just wanting to get home to see the family
also a similar situation where the valet comes out of the lot and pulls a bit past the driver waiting for their car... and all the way to the street
now... I am not sure if this is policy... or if this is a way to have the driver focused on getting in the cock pit
but I will tell you... had the car pulled up and stopped in front of me I would have been pretty much eye level to the damage

so... this co worker tells me that he parked in the same garage
at this garage the managed to hit something.... not sure what... but the contact was such that the bumper nearly fell from the car a few blocks from the parking garage
another incident where contact was made but no mention was made to the customer

dam!
my coworker did not report the damage... honestly... I am hesitant as well... I do not have my receipt... and I do not know who the driver was
the damage could have been done at drop off or at pick up
I just know that the damage was not done by me

who raised this person?
who employees this person?
what makes this person think that such behavior is okay?

it is frustrating
but honestly... there is so much other shit going on in the world that I am not going to try and sweat it

I am going to stop by their little booth to see if they have a form to a report such damage