Fascinating Interactions with the Locals (Pt. I)

Background: Go to the local Chinese restaurant to pick up my take-away order. Since all I have top do is run in, get the order, and run out, I decide to park in the "No Parking" zone in front of the building. And sure enough, I'm back out and to the car in about 60 seconds. Opening my car door as I see a woman in her minivan slowly rounding the corner in front of the "No Parking" zone, rolling down her window.

• Crazy Woman: "Ya know, you're in a no parking zone.*"
• Me: "Yes, well, I was just running in to pick up an order."
• Crazy Woman (who has at this point stopped her car to continue the conversation): "Good thing the cops didn't catch you."
• Me: "Well, I was just in-and-out."
• Crazy Woman: "Well the cops don't care about that."
• Me (very loudly): "WELL WHY DO YOU CARE????"
• Crazy Woman, taken aback that someone might actually challenge her holier-tha-thou comments, rolls up her window and continues on.

I'm thinking, Is it that important to you, Crazy Lady, to stop your car, roll down your window on a freezing cold Chicago night to tell me this?" Unless of course you're pissed that I took the same space that you wanted so that your fat ass didn't have to walk all the way across the crowded parking lot to pick up your order of sweet and sour pork.

People is just crazy.

* Note that the word "zone" was pronounced in that deep upper-midwest accent made popular in the movie "Fargo."