Compact only

OK, I'll admit right now that I have sometimes parked a noncompact car in a compact space. But only if I was desperate. It seems I have unwittingly annoyed someone who's keeping track of this. The Poynter Institute newsletter by Al Tompkins has this collection of photos. I will be much more careful from now on.

While we are maneuvering through shopping centers during this busy month, it seems that parking is on a lot of people's minds. Usually, I only get really annoyed if there is not enough parking for clientele and you have to take too long to find it. I am not as obsessed with door dings as I should be, but apparently there are people who are. Did you know there is actually a science to lessening your chances of getting whacked in the side by another car while you're parked? Look at this Web site http://www.parkingbydesign.com/. It's all in the geometry of the parking places, according to a story in the Seattle Times.

"It's all based on gambling, and you can reduce the risk," says Paul Davis, who created that Web site to help people improve their parking ability and avoid "door wounds." "Remember that not all spots are created equal," says Davis, who lives in Southern California and won't even park in the Trader Joe's lot in his neighborhood. He recommends using gravity to one's advantage by parking on the upward side of a slope, taking the spot opposite the driver's side, and parking next to concrete barriers to reduce the risk of damage. Something as simple as parking farther away from the entrance is one of the easiest and most overlooked parking strategies.

Well, gosh. We don't have many hills so gravity is out of the question. Walk farther while schlepping 84 shopping bags and take your protractor to the mall? Yeah, right. I'll risk the ding.