I have a few guilty pleasures in life. Nickleback, Hot Rods and the one I'm feeling most guilty about at the moment, paying for parking at Gulf Canada Square.
I used to work all night shifts so parking at the most cost me about $4. I also used to work 12 hour shifts so I could justify driving downtown by saying “I don't need a 12 hour shift turned into a 14 hour shift because of Calgary's terrible public transport”. This was also my excuse on the rare time that I worked a day shift.
Things are different now, I work 8 hour shifts and unless I get a 2300-0700 shift I'm looking at nearly 20 bucks to park. I still try justifying, like tonight I'm working 1500-2300 and I'm wondering if I really want to be standing on a train platform at 2315 waiting for the train to arrive. The weather sucks and I do have to dress business casual so I'm not wild about slopping around in the rain. Somehow though, all these arguments are going to fall short.
I just don't want to stand on a dirty, crowded train that I'll have to drive to anyway because I certainly don't want to wait a half-hour for a bus to get to the train station. So, in the end, I'll be going to my KIA in a couple of hours and sucking up the parking bill because it's almost worth the $20 for the convenience.
I'm still going to feel guilty about it, but maybe I'll spend my shift coming up with some better justifications. Next week, the weather will be better and I'll take the bus for sure.
Maybe...