I was in a tight spot. I'd had to stop downtown to get a gift bag for the present I bought for slegg's babyshower. A bag for a bag; I considered skipping it, but I wasn't sure how I'd feel showing up with an unwrapped present. I like to be pragmatic, but try to avoid being tacky.
I was already trying to quell the "running 20 minutes late" panic even before I discovered that I'm not the only one who enjoys Petaluma*'s adorable downtown on a Sunday afternoon. There was no parking, and after circling a few times, I found two cars that were parked far enough away from each other that I could wedge myself in. There was about an inch of space at either bumper by the time I realized that I wasn't technically in a real parking spot, but I was running a five minute errand and went for it.
Bag for a bag successfully purchased, I inched out slowly, surely, Austin Powers style, when a gentlemen stopped by and took a look at my de-parking job. He held his hands out wide to show that I had tons of space and gave me the thumbs up as I waved and drove away.
People sure are nice in Petaluma*. *Edited: Umm, not Pasadena.