The Carrot and the Stick

My car has been stuck in the OGGB carpark for over a month with a bust starter motor. I finally got it towed out last Monday and paid $666 to have it fixed. On tuesday night, I was out with my sister and as I left, she pointed out that during my car’s abandonment, the left headlight bulb died of neglect. It was on my todo list for this weekend, but I’d forgotten about it when I planned to go out to dinner tonight in New Lynn. With the streetlights as bright as they are around the city, I couldn’t even tell the difference.

Of course, the police officer driving towards me could, and he did a U turn to pull me over literally right outside my apartment building. He explained to me that the police have a carrot and stick approach to infringements like this. The stick is a $150 fine. The carrot is that I have 14 days compliance. If I fix the problem within 14 days and send the police written proof that I’ve gotten the issue fixed, then I won’t have to pay the fine.

That’s task number 1 this weekend. Task number 2 is to fix the broken mount on the drivers seat. I’m not having much luck with my car lately. Between it and my teeth, this has been an expensive couple of months.