Many people will tell you that there is an issue with parking at UMBC; namely, that there are not enough parking spaces. I would disagree with that claim, submitting instead that there are not enough parking spaces close to where students actually go.
It has gotten a bit colder over the past few days and I have yet to import my warmer, fall/winter wardrobe from my house. So this morning, I thought that I could save myself some discomfort while preparing myself for the driving errands I would have to run later in the day by driving to class rather than walking.
What I failed to take into account was my class time: 11:30 AM. This means that all of the commuting students have already arrived, devouring the convenient parking spaces as crows do roadside carrion. The result of my poor timing was that I had to park over in Lot 17, which was actually further away from my destination (Lecture Hall 2) than I would have been had I just walked from my apartment.
Needless to say I was a few minutes late for class, and later, because I had to walk all that way back to my car, I was late for my appointment as well. Bummer. At least I got a nice spot in the Commons Garage when I came back.